Food & Fun - The "Dam" Lakefest & BBQ Cookoff - Somerville, Texas

The annual 'Dam' LakeFest is presented by the Burleson County Chamber of Commerce event.  The event will be held below the dam on Saturday, July 20, 2013, in Welch Park on Lake Somerville.
 
Admission $10/Adult; 12 years and under $5
and kids under 5 years free!
All Day Event Pass – Includes all shows, ‘Darn’ Kids Water Stuff, Gary P. Nunn Concert at 8pm and Fireworks Finale at dark!

Click here for more information.

Food & Fun - Hempstead Watermelon Festival - Hempstead, Texas

The Hempstead Chamber of Commerce

24th Annual Watermelon Festival

Thursday, July 18-Carnival

Friday, July 19 – BBQ Cook-Off & Street Dance

Saturday, July 20, 2013- full day of activities.

There will be fun events for the whole family.
There will be a Parade &  a BBQ Cook-Off, Queens Coronation, Quilt Show, Carnival, Watermelon Auction, Games, Food & Vendor Booths.

Friday evening street dance 7:00pm-11:-00pm. Music by the Earlywine Band. Depot Park

Saturday evening street dance 7:00pm-11:00pm. Music by Rosehill and Texas Unlimited. Depot Park

Click here for more information.

La Condesa + Herradura Tequila Pairing Dinner - Austin, Texas

La Condesa + Herradura Tequila Pairing Dinner

Join us on Tuesday, July 9th for the second La Condesa Tequila Dinner of our Summer Series.

La Condesa Vault, 6:00PM

$100 All Inclusive Tickets Here

Featuring a 4-course pairing menu created and presented by Executive Chef Rene Ortiz, Chef de Cuisine Rick Lopez, & Pastry Chef Laura Sawicki.Tequila presentation to be led by house tequila masters Morgan Merriman and Nate Wales.

Ensalada de Frutas: watermelon, canteloupe, jicama, blackberry, togarashi, chamomile, mint marigold, ginger chicharon, coriandor flower.  Herradura Silver
Hinojo: braised fennel, lemon-tarragon sabayon, preserved lemon, fennel chip, upland cress, crispy quinoa.  Herradura Resposado
Pulpo a la brassas: red wine braised octopus, baby red potatoes, grilled cebollitas, poached cherry tomatoes, chermoula oil, crispy calamari, grilled lemon.  Herradurra Double Barrel Reposadao
Postre: Wateroak Farms goat milk ice cream,  cajeta, pan-roasted Fredericksburg peach, coconut, masa crumble.  Anejo Herradura

New Executive Chef, Justin Rupp Serves Up Summer Pasta at olive & june

New Executive Chef Justin Rupp Creates Summer Pastas at olive & june

olive & june’s newly appointed Executive Chef Justin Rupp is keeping it simple for summer. He’s focusing on fresh ingredients and creating new, light pastas that reflect what’s in season. For Rupp, the evolving menu at this updated Southern Italian spot in West Austin is a way for him to stay creative, please customers, and utilize the finest products on the market.

“The best thing about right now is that tomatoes have showed up in force” said Rupp, who was previously the chef de cuisine at parkside, another venture by restaurateur-chef Shawn Cirkiel. “We are featuring a variety of local tomatoes in our tomato salad, which is garnished with blossoms straight from my own garden, and I wanted to bring that freshness to a pasta.” That straightforward idea led to a capellini with fresh tomato and olive oil sauce, mussels, basil, lemon, lemon zest, and breadcrumbs. Rupp emulsifies fresh tomatoes with olive oil to create a bright tomato sauce. Another new pasta features house-made ricotta ravioli with a Parmesan corn sauce, roasted corn, and Swiss chard. “This dish allows us to showcase the summer sweet corn—and there is nothing better than the Parmesan and corn combo,” said Rupp.

The pasta offerings will continue to change throughout the course of the summer as ingredients go in and out of season. Rupp sources locally from purveyors such as Farm to Table, Phoenix Farms, and Johnson’s Backyard Garden. “We cook and think seasonally because that is when you can have the best products,” said Rupp. And to keep things light for summer, Rupp uses those fine ingredients smartly and sparingly, only adding a couple to any one pasta dish. Raw herbs, greens, or vegetables provide additional texture and finish as a garnish.

Rupp is originally from the Midwest, and he worked in the restaurant industry in Indiana before moving to Austin, where he landed a job at Magnolia Café. He then moved to Capitol Brasserie and Botticelli’s South Congress, where he was a sous-chef. Rupp eventually got a position with Cirkiel and helped the restaurateur open parkside, where he was a sous-chef. He later opened the backspace—a popular Neapolitan-style pizzeria—with Cirkiel and then worked as the chef de cuisine at parkside before moving to olive & june as executive chef.

olive & june, which boasts a striking interior space and three levels of tree-shaded outdoor dining, is open 7 days from 5 p.m. and is located at 3411 Glenview Ave, Austin, TX, 78703. For more information, call 512.467.9898 or go to oliveandjune-austin.com.

Food & Fun - Philadelphia for the Week of July 7, 2013

In this edition of Food & Fun - Philadelphia, check out these events.

• How Sweet It Is: Pairing Wine & Chocolate
• Big Bang BBQ Weekend
• Penns Woods Winery Free Concert

Food & Fun - Texas Hill Country for the Week of June 30, 2013

In this edition of Food & Fun - Texas Hill Country, check out this event.

• Texas Hill Country Wine and Brew Festival

Food & Fun - Houston, Texas for the Week of June 30, 2013

In this edition of Food & Fun - Houston, Texas, check out this event.

• Summer Sommelier Series at Philippe Restaurant + Lounge

Food & Fun for July, 2013 - Austin, Texas and Surrounding Areas

In this edition of Food & Fun, check out these events.

• Poteet Country Winery - 16th Annual 4th of July Wine Event
• VinoPalooza Wine Fest
• Salado Swirl
• Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail, Harvest Trail July 2013
• Harvest Trail 2013 - Sip & Slumber at La Torretta Lake Resort, Jul 20, 2013

Food & Fun - Austin, Texas for the Week of June 30, 2013

In this edition of Food & Fun - Austin, Texas, check out the following event.

• First Saturday Wine Dinner

Westlake To Get Juiced Up By Daily Juice With New Store Opening in Mid-June

Westlake is About To Get Juiced Up:

New Daily Juice Store Opening in Mid-June

Daily Juice, an Austin-based company devoted to natural foods for the mind, body, and spirit, will open a second store in mid June in the heart of the Westlake  neighborhood, a suburb just west of downtown. Nestled in the Westbank Market Center, Daily Juice offers everything from delicious cold-pressed organic juices and superfood smoothies to grab-and-go healthy meals and energy-infused cleanses.

“Westlake hit our demographic of an active lifestyle,” said John Martin, the CEO and co-founder of the Daily Juice Group. “Plus, the people who were coming downtown had known Daily Juice the brand for a decade—and had been clamoring for it. So it seemed natural to go in there next.” Martin revamped the Daily Juice system about two years ago, building a prototype that could be used to refine processes, ensure quality control, and enable scalability. His efforts proved a success, resulting in the downtown store last September and now the Westlake location this May.

At Daily Juice it all starts with organic produce. The philosophy is to use nothing that has been chemically treated, processed, or genetically modified in their juices and entrées. In the cold-press process, those organic fruits and vegetables are put under high pressure in a hydraulic press to squeeze everything out. The result is a highly nutrient-rich product. “In a 16-ounce drink, you are getting five pounds of produce through cold-pressing,” explained Martin. Daily Juice sources locally as much as it can, so the menu reflects what is in season. The focus is on taste and nutritional makeup, and every new flavor combination, whether a smoothie or entrée, is tested in-house and through customer feedback.

That commitment to quality is evidenced by the product offerings: classic smoothies such as Riki Tiki Tembo (mango, green tea, mint, lime, and agave nectar) or the Berry Melon-O (strawberry, mango, raspberry, and watermelon); grab-and-go meals including all-organic kale salads, quinoa korma, and zucchini involtini; cold-pressed juices such as the Green (kale, cucumber, apple, and spirulina) or the Yellow (pineapple, Texas grapefruit, orange, and lemon juice); and cleanses including the 3-Day Sunshine Cleanse to the 7-Day Fresh Start Cleanse. Daily Juice is an investment in you.

Daily Juice Westlake is open 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the summer (call for fall hours) and is located at 3300 Bee Cave Road, Suite 245, Austin, TX  78746 (next to Starbucks). For more information call 512-243-6532 or go to dailyjuicecafe.com.

Jeffrey's and Josephine House Now Serving Brunch

Clarksville's Jeffrey's and Josephine House Now Serving Brunch

Jeffrey’s and Josephine House, the adjoining restaurants from Austin’s McGuire Moorman Hospitality that have transformed a corner in the Clarksville neighborhood, are now both serving Sunday brunch and accepting reservations for Father’s Day.

The ventures not only share a productive garden but also talent. At Josephine House, Chef Jen Jackson has taken the farm-to-table paradigm and infused it with neighborhood sophistication. The renovated cottage is casual yet stylish—white-painted wooden walls and a dramatic marble counter—and the lush lawn and shaded deck is dotted with dining tables. Brunch offerings from the marble counter include fresh baked pastries: Ginger Peach Muffins,  Bacon & Thyme Scones and pretty salads like Berries & Wheat Berries with Arugula  ($12).  The tiny kitchen sends out the Bacon Lettuce Avocado & Beet Sandwich  ($16), handmade pastas & ravioli, freshly baked desserts and homemade ice creams.  Sunday brunch is accompanied by great cocktails, the extensive Jeffrey’s wine list and Stumptown coffee.

The newly re-opened Jeffrey’s gives off a relaxed club vibe, and the extravagant brunch service starts with a visit from Alex Manley’s pastry cart.  The a la carte menu offers specialties like a  Croque Madame ($18) and a hearty 9 Grain Peach Pancake ($18). Steaks, dry-aged and cut by Austin-based Lone Star Meats, are grilled, roasted over local live oak and finished in a 1,200-degree broiler then served with farm eggs & sourdough toast ($35-$75).

Brunch drinks run the gamut, from perfectly executed classics: Bloody Marys ($12) &  Mimosas ($12), to crafted cocktails from bar man Josh Loving.  The cool & cush bar is open all day and selections from the full Jeffrey’s wine cellar are available.

Chefs Larry McGuire, Tom Moorman, Rebecca Meeker, Jen Jackson, Josh Hines and Alex Manley are creating a culinary standard of excellence in Clarksville.  The Jeffrey’s & Josephine House Sunday brunch will soon be an institution like the groups other projects: Lamberts Downtown Barbecue, Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar, Elizabeth Street Café, Fresa’s Chicken al Carbon and Clark’s Oyster Bar.

Jeffrey’s is open for Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is located at 1204 W. Lynn, Austin, TX  78703. Josephine House is right next door at 1601 Waterston and is open 7 days 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 512-477-5584 or go to jeffreysofaustin.com or josephineofaustin.com.

Benji's Cantina: Now Featuring Happy Hour! All Day Monday, 4-7pm Tues-Sun

Benji’s Cantina: Austin’s Premier Spot for

Tex Mex and Margaritas Now Featuring Happy Hour

Benji’s Cantina, the city’s It spot for margaritas and Tex Mex, is now featuring Happy Hour—all day Monday and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on other days. Drinks are $1 off and special nibbles are half price for bar top and cocktail tables. The newly opened Benji’s—the latest venture from the group behind Kung Fu Saloon and the Brew Exchange and operating partner Geoff Freeman—boasts West Sixth Street’s only rooftop dining space.

Freeman, who ran the downtown Eddie V’s Prime Seafood for ten years, and executive chef Blake Keely, formerly of the Roaring Fork, have created a farm-to-table menu that features only the best products available. Happy Hour bites include Queso Flameado (with housemade chorizo), Queso Blanco (with roasted chile pico de gallo), Nachos (with pulled chicken), Sopes (with pork adobo), Quesadillas (with pork al pastor), Guacamole (mixed tableside), Oysters en la Concha (half a dozen on the half shell), Caldo de Pollo (with chicken and avocado), Pozole (with hominy and pork), and Sopa de Tortilla (with chicken and queso fresco). During happy hour, these select appetizers will range in price from $4-$5.50.

The emphasis on fresh ingredients extends to the drink menu as well, which features specialty margaritas, including the El Gigante Verde (Patrón Silver Tequila, Citronage mixed avocado purée, agave nectar, fresh lime juice, and cilantro leaves); Mexican beers; a fine selection of tequilas; and mescals such as the “con gusano” (“with the worm”) variety.

The space—a fusion of clean lines, urban funk, and natural elements—brings the great outdoors inside. A small lounge hosts a bar and community tables that encourage mingling, and expansive glass doors let in the city-life action from the outside street scene. The adjacent main dining room gives off a more serene feel and seats approximately 300 guests. Upstairs, the breezy rooftop patio boasts a playful ten-foot water fountain and an unrivaled view of the downtown skyline.

Benji’s Cantina is located at 716 W. 6th Street in the lively West 6th Street district of Downtown Austin, on the NE corner of 6th & West Avenue. The restaurant is open Sun-Wed 4 p.m.-11 p.m. and Thur-Sat 4 p.m.-midnight. Happy Hour is Mon 4 p.m.-11 p.m. and Tue-Sat 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Benji’s will be open for lunch and brunch soon. Valet parking available. For more information, call 512-476-TACO or go to benjiscantina.com.

Food & Fun - Houston, Texas for the Week of June 23, 2013

In this edition of Food & Fun - Houston, Texas, check out these events.

• The Texas Wine School Presents Wine Tasting Class: Wines of Burgundy
• The Texas Wine School Presents Wine Tasting Class: Wines of Spain