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The James Beard Foundation has selected its finalists for their annual Restaurant and Chef Awards, and none are in Austin. This is a bit of a surprise since there were 6 different Austin nominees, and considering how well-represented Austin has been in previous years. In 2022, Austin's Edgar Rico (Nixta Taqueria) won Emerging Chef and Iliana de la Vega (El Naranjo) was named the first ever Best Chef: Texas.

Nonetheless, Texas as a whole is well-represented among 2023 finalists and one Austin establishment will be recognized as an American classic. Texan restaurants and chefs in the running for national awards include:

  • Outstanding Bar: Las Ramblas, Brownsville
  • Outstanding Bakery: Kuluntu Bakery, Dallas
  • Outstanding Bakery: La Casita Bakeshop, Dallas
  • Outstanding Restaurant: Lucia, Dallas
  • Best New Restaurant: Restaurant Beatrice, Dallas
  • Best New Restaurant: Don Artemio Mexican Heritage, Fort Worth
  • Best New Restaurant: Tatemó, Houston
  • Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Nancy’s Hustle, Houston

    Texas is considered its own region and one person will earn Best Chef: Texas; this year's finalists include:

    • John Russ, Clementine, San Antonio
    • Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland, Burnt Bean Co., Seguin
    • Reyna Duong, Sandwich Hag, Dallas
    • Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen, Houston
    • Emiliano Marentes, ELEMI, El Paso

    Notably, all of this year’s finalists for both the national categories and Best Chef: Texas are new. None of them received nominations in 2022.

    The finalists are drawn from a pool of semifinalists that included 10 nominations each for Houston and Dallas, seven for San Antonio, six for Austin, and two for Fort Worth.

    Last year, Texans did well in the awards, with Houston cocktail bar Julep winning Outstanding Bar Program, on top of the previously mentioned Austin winners. In addition, two Texans won media awards — Austin chef Jesse Griffiths (Dai Due) for his cookbook, The Hog Book: A Chef’s Guide to Hunting, Butchering and Cooking Wild Pigs and Texas Monthly taco editor Jose Ralat for his Tex-Mexplainer columns.

    The Foundation will reveal its Restaurant and Chef Award winners at an awards ceremony on Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Media Award winners will be announced on June 3.

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    4 Austin-inspired cocktail recipes to whisk you away from the Texas heat this summer

    SIP SIP

    Now that summer weather has arrived in Austin, we can tell you’re thirsting for some new drinks to try. And with World Gin Day coming up on June 10, we’re sharing a few recipes from local Austin restaurants (and Austin’s favorite Topo Chico!) we hope you’ll enjoy.

    The following recipes feature some of our favorite ingredients or mixers we’re loving at the moment. Whether your drink of choice is a cocktail or mocktail, we’ve gathered four bright and bubbly beverages to help whisk you away from the Texas heat. And if you prefer to drink them rather than make them, three of these lovely libations can be found on the seasonal summer menus at their respective restaurant.

    Aba’s Rhubarb Rose Gin and Tonic
    This cocktail was created by Senior Beverage Manager Thomas Mizuno-Moore.

    Ingredients:
    ½ oz lime juice
    ¼ oz honey syrup
    ½ oz Fruitful Mixology rhubarb liqueur
    ¾ oz Brockmans Gin
    ¾ oz Hendrick’s Flora Adora
    2 oz tonic water
    Rosebud tea, for garnish

    Directions:

    • Combine lime juice, honey syrup, Fruitful Mixology rhubarb liqueur, Brockmans Gin and Hendrick’s Flora Adora in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, shake until cold.
    • Add tonic water to the shaker, then strain over fresh ice in a double old fashioned glass.
    • Garnish with rosebud tea and enjoy!

    Blueberry Sparkler Mocktail by Topo ChicoBecause everyone needs a good go-to mocktail recipe in their life.Photo courtesy of Topo Chico

    Blueberry Sparkler Mocktail by Topo Chico
    This beverage might not be gin-themed, but it does make a great refreshing mocktail. If you don’t have Topo Chico Sabores on hand, you can substitute it with sparkling water.

    Ingredients:
    1 Blueberry Topo Chico Sabores
    1 cup fresh blueberries
    1 tablespoon granulated sugar
    ½ cup water
    ½ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
    Lemon slices and additional blueberries, for garnish

    Blueberry Syrup Directions:

    • In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries are soft and the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
    • Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the blueberry mixture to cool for about 10 minutes.
    • Once cooled, use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the blueberry mixture into a bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids and set the blueberry syrup aside.

    Mocktail Directions:

    • In a cocktail shaker, combine 1 ounce of the blueberry syrup, and lemon juice. Fill the shaker with ice and shake well until chilled, about 15-20 seconds.
    • Fill a glass with ice and strain the mixture into the glass. Top off the glass with Blueberry Topo Chico Sabores (or sparkling water) and give it a gentle stir to mix.
    • Garnish with lemon slices and additional blueberries, if desired. Enjoy your refreshing Blueberry Sparkler!

    Tillie's seasonal summer cocktailThis colorful cocktail is a lively take on a gin martini.Photo courtesy of Tillie's at Camp Lucy

    Empress Gin Martini by Tillie’s at Camp Lucy
    This martini recipe was developed by Paolo Lazarich, the mixologist for Abbey Row Restaurant at The Old Bell Hotel in the United Kingdom. Fun fact: Camp Lucy owners Kim and White Hanks also own The Old Bell Hotel, which is rumored to be England’s oldest hotel.

    Ingredients:
    3 oz Empress 1908 Gin
    1 oz dry vermouth
    Splash of lemon juice
    Lemon and rosemary for garnish

    Directions:

    • Add the Empress 1908 Gin, dry vermouth, and lemon juice to a glass and stir gently.
    • Garnish with a lemon wedge and a sprig of rosemary. Enjoy.

    \u200bSummertime Spritz by Dean's Italian Steakhouse There's nothing like a summer spritz.Photo courtesy of Dean's Italian Steakhouse

    Summertime Spritz by Dean's Italian Steakhouse
    This recipe is geared toward a mixologist who enjoys the little details that make a cocktail so unique, such as making their own oleo saccharum or curating the perfect flower as a garnish.

    Ingredients:
    ½ oz lemon juice
    ½ oz strawberry oleo saccharum
    ¼ oz Aperol
    ¼ oz Giffard Abricot
    1.5 oz Zephyr Gin
    2 oz Brut champagne
    1 each cocktail flower

    Directions:

    • Combine all ingredients except Brut champagne into a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously, about 15-20 seconds.
    • Fill a wine glass with ice and add the Brut. Fine strain the cocktail into the glass.
    • Garnish with the cocktail flower

    Extravagant estate in West Austin hits the market for $4.25 million

    ON THE MARKET

    An imperial estate in the Lost Creek neighborhood of West Austin has become the latest addition to the city's stabilizing real estate market. The property was listed at $4.25 million.

    The magnificent three-story home was originally built in 2009, making great use of Austin's Hill Country views that can be seen from every single room. The home spans 8,215 square feet on just over two acres of land, surrounded by lush trees and enclosed with a private gated entrance.

    Natural light floods the inside of the home, highlighting intricate details and complimenting the high ceilings. The home boasts five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and three half-baths. The primary suite is reminiscent of an upscale resort, containing its own spa-like bathroom, walk-in closets, and access to a private balcony.

    In the kitchen, the 60-inch wolf range is an aspiring chef's dream. The area has plenty of space and storage with its rich brown cabinets, a sub-zero refrigerator, a cabinet-mounted wine rack, two sinks, and more.

    8105 Talbot Lane in AustinThe 60-inch wolf range is an aspiring chef's dream.Photo courtesy of JPM Real Estate Photography

    A few other highlights of the home include a game room, media room, terraces, and a resort-style pool deck with an accompanying hot tub, kitchen, and fire pit. The two-car garage also includes a guest suite above it, with a single bedroom, kitchenette, and half bath.

    Looking into the property's history, it was listed in June 2022 for $4.9 million, which was reduced to $3.9 million by September. The home was reported as sold in October of that year before being re-listed for its current $4.25 million price in 2023.

    8105 Talbot Lane in Austin

    Photo courtesy of JPM Real Estate Photography

    The estate is located at 8105 Talbot Lane in West Austin.

    The estate is located at 8105 Talbot Lane, which is a brief 10 minutes from downtown Austin, and is zoned for the highly-esteemed Eanes Independent School District. The listing is held by agent Wade Giles of Douglas Elliman.

    Uchi spinoff to debut "whisky omakase," bar pairings, and bao in Austin

    Raising the Bar

    Uchibā isn't a new concept, nor is it newly promised to Austin, but it's finally getting closer to becoming a reality. The bar and restaurant spinoff from Uchi (translated as "Uchi Bar") announced today that it is set to open in late summer in the Google Tower.

    Hai Hospitality, the parent group of famous omakase restaurant Uchi, more casual sushi restaurant Uchiko, and drop-in Asian barbecue restaurant Loro, announced the idea in October of 2021, setting a launch date in fall of 2022. The intent was always to open the restaurant in the Google Tower (601 West 2nd St.), so the difference now is just timing.

    The original Uchibā opened in Dallas in 2019, operating upstairs from Uchi, an Austin export. This exchange is now coming back around, blurring the lines of what's from which Texas city. Similarly, the lines are blurred between what each restaurant serves, since Uchibā does include some of Uchi and Uchiko's most popular dishes: hot and cool tastings, agemono (deep fried bites), raw fish rolls, yakitori, and more, including dessert.

    Of course, there will be lots of menu items that are unique to Uchibā, especially when informed by the spirits behind the bar. Some of these food and drink pairings include the Hawaiian-ish spiced ham misubi with nori, rice, and tepahe, a fermented pineapple drink; and the vodka and caviar with olive oil, burnt butter, brioche, and chives. As well as these "duos," the bar will offer omakase flights for whiskey and agave spirits.

    “At Uchi we combine flavors and textures to create what we call the ‘perfect bite,’” said Chef Tyson Cole, the James Beard Award-winning chef who started the Uchi brand, in a press release. “With Uchibā, we wanted to take that a step further by unifying food with cocktails and spirits. Our 'Perfect Pairs' and the whisky omakase play off this idea with intentional combinations of food, cocktails and the the amazing array of Japanese whiskies behind the bar.”

    Some menu items aren't just unique to Uchibā; They're also only available at the Austin location, thanks to its chef de cuisine, Vaidas Imsha. His menu includes categories that don't appear at the Dallas location — "Buns + Bao" and dumplings — and a long list of items that could constitute their own menu independently. Among these are a Caesar salad with Japanese twists; a Wagyu beef bulgogi with radish kimchi; two fish crudos with refreshing additions like asian pear and cucumber aguachile; and the more straightforward karaage spiced up with kimchi caramel and yuzu pear.

    Uchibā will operate Sunday through Thursday from 4-10 pm; until midnight on Fridays; and until 11 pm on Saturdays. Happy Hour will be from 4-6 pm Monday through Friday.

    Uchiba Austin

    Photo courtesy of Uchibā

    Although Uchi is from Austin, Uchiba, the upstairs bar, has only existed in Dallas until now.