I have one of the fabulous Kaldi one-cup coffee and tea makers from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, review coming soon. But if someone you know (like, you know, yourself) wants one of the $179.95 babies for Christmas, this weekend is a great time to pop into one of six Austin locations, get a sample, and get $25 off. Sweet!
And just like that, off-season is more or less over in Aspen. Sure, the next few weeks will be slow-ish, but this weekend is JAM-PACKED with events like any other summer or winter weekend, thanks to the 2011 Nature Valley Aspen Winternational Audi FIS Alpine World Cup.
Basically, the fastest women in the world (downhill ski racers) are racing Saturday & Sunday November 26-27 down Ruthie’s, with spectators and a village at the base of Aspen Mountain at Lift 1A. There’s a big screen TV for action you can’t see, and prime viewing of the finish line from the grandstands. It’s an awesome experience, even if you just stop by for one racer, you need to go.
Saturday, make sure you plan to attend the launch of the Red Bulletin, where Lindsey Vonn will be signing autographs and beer flows like … well, you know, it’s an open bar.
RSVP to Helen.Roche@theskyhotel.com
Then take your autographed self over to the Gondola plaza for the first Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series of the season featuring Cowboy Mouth.
All that spectating and partying will likely leave you hungry, so be sure to snag an incredible deal through The Bud Light Dine Around Aspen now through next Thursday, December 1st, from 6-9pm every night. Top restaurants offer special Winternational prix fixe menus that are even better than their off-season deals. Can’t-miss: Matsu’s bento for $30.
Ajax Tavern / Distinct American Bistro / $28
BB’s Kitchen / American Classic Fare / $30
Elevation / Modern American Cuisine / $28
Jimmy’s / American Restaurant & Bar / Dining Room: $28 / Bar: $12
L’Hostaria / Italian Cuisine / $30
Matsuhisa / Gourmet Japanese Seafood & Sushi / $30 Lounge Only
The Red Onion / American Southwest / $25
Syzygy / New American Cuisine / $30
Ute City / American Classics with European Flavor / $30
Zocalito / Latin Cuisine / $26
With the sad news of El Arbol‘s closing, everyone wondered what would happen to the new Brykerwoods hotspot … well, wait no longer! Acclaimed Chef Shawn Cirkiel of parkside and backspace will open a Southern Italian restaurant called Olive & June next spring.
Sunday evenings at Olive & June are family nights, and the menu will solely feature piccoli piatti and family-style entrées. Saturday and Sunday brunch will come shortly after the opening.
Olive & June is located at 3411 Glenview Ave. in Central Austin (my nabe, Brykerwoods!).
1. You can cook almost anything in a toaster oven. Hard-boiled eggs? Steak? Spaghetti squash? If you can make it fit, it will cook.
2. You can heat almost anything in a coffee pot. Cold-brew coffee? Tomato soup? Steamy.
3. I will never complain about unloading or loading the dishwasher again. Washing each dish by hand generally means I eat off “less dirty than the others” dishes.
I recently took a fabulous trip to Loudoun [pronounce Lough-done] County, Virginia, otherwise known as DC’s Wine Country (teaser was here). Three days of wining and dining made for one very happy traveler! I’ll let the pictures speak for the highlights of the trip.
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Lansdowne Resort - Big, lush resort property with nice rooms, lots of amenities, and tons of golf course land. Health club is open to golf members so is more substantial than most resorts, with scheduled group fitness classes and yoga too.
Patowmack Farm - A working farm, wedding destination, and Wednesday-Sunday dinner restaurant with Chef Christopher Edwards at the helm.
Catoctin Creek Distilling - Organic local whiskey and other spirits.
Middleburg Country Inn - A B&B in Middleburg with lots of charm—and four-poster beds in every room!
Home Farm Store - All-happy, all-local butcher shop started by Sandy Lerner, former owner of Urban Decay cosmetics and Cisco Systems.
National Sporting Museum & Library - Devoted entirely to sporting, a non-lending library and really neat museum.
Red Fox Inn – Historic B&B and restaurant with lots of Civil War history.
Boxwood Winery – No winery tours (by appt) but tasting room in Middleburg.
Chrysalis Vineyards - Focused on Norton grapes, very fun tasting experience.
8 Chains North- Fun winery with live music, brother Ben Renshaw makes all the wines. Tried and liked an Otium Dornfelder 2009, the Dornfelder grape is apparently pretty rare so this was unique.
Mom’s Apple Pie - One of the most famous Virginia companies, whose blackberry pie has been named the best in the nation, owner/baker/sister-of-Ben Avis is really open and friendly. Amazing pumpkin muffins.
On The Potomac - One of Landsdowne’s restaurants, eclectic and innovative drinks and food, led by a team of young managers: the GM & bar master is 25 while Chef Wes Rosati is 31.
Tarara Winery - My fave visit featured amazing wines and even more amazing conversation with winemaker Jordan Harris about the realities of an agriculture-based business and how Tarara is experimenting with their grapes to make unusual wines.
The Wine Kitchen - One of Leesburg’s most popular dining spots, the lovely interior is designed to look like a kitchen—down to the walls in the bathroom, which have a bathtub painted to mimic the feeling of being in someone’s home.
Battle of Ball’s Bluff - Relatively unimportant battle in the Civil War that the Confederates won, however 1,000 reenactors and 2,000 spectators came to watch the 150-year reenactment!
Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm - A giant, local’s favorite restaurant that sources many farm-to-table ingredients. The most creative calamari I’ve ever had, and delicious everything else as well.
Target, which btw donated $60,000 to Texas Wildfire Relief, is hosting a cook-off and grocery giveaway downtown. In celebration of the fresh food additions to Target stores in the Austin area, celebrity food critic Gail Simmons (judge and critic on Top Chef, host on Top Chef Desserts, and Food & Wine special projects manager) will host a cooking competition between local acclaimed chefs Shawn Cirkiel (parkside and the backspace) and Paul Petersen (Vivo Lake Creek). Target will also offer giveaways and sampling throughout the day while supplies last.
Friday Oct 14 / Congress Avenue and Fourth Street / 8:30a–5p / Cook-off 12:30–1:30p / Parking lot opposite Frost Bank Tower
… sometimes I miss working downtown. Perfect lunch break!
The ever-conscious Four Seasons of Austin is offering a number of ways to pamper yourself AND give to breast cancer research for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A month-long lineup of events and new product offerings benefit the Seton Shivers Cancer Center at Brackenridge—their goal is to raise $10,000 in 2011 (they raised $8,500 last year). Check out the goodies:
Yoga on the Lawn (October 15): Strike a pose in one of Austin’s most scenic spots during Yoga on the Lawn, an hour-long session led by registered yoga instructor Angela Knight with acoustic music by Murphy’s In Laws. A $10 minimum donation to Seton is requested; all participants who donate more than $20 will receive a pool day pass valid weekdays through October 31, 2011!
Pink Ribbon Martini, $14: Made with Savvy vodka, Paula’s Texas Lemon, fresh POM and lemon juice with a pink sugar rim, this cocktail for a cure tastes great and does good with 50% donated to Seton.
Bake Sale and Raffle (October 21): sweetest fundraising event of all, the Bake Sale & Raffle offers more than 100 varieties of handmade cookies, cakes, and other treats ($1-$15), along with a raffle ($5) featuring gift certificates and items from the Hotel and Austin businesses. As with last year’s event raised more than $4,000, all proceeds benefit Seton.
Pancake Supper for Seton (October 26), $15: experience the nostalgia of breakfast for dinner at TRIO’s 3rd annual Pancake Supper. Choose from four delicious pancake options, each served with a choice of side; a limited á la carte dinner menu will also be available. 50% of total proceeds benefit Seton.
Pink Grapefruit Massage, $145-$160: Uplifting and stimulating, The Spa’s Pink Grapefruit Massage incorporates pink grapefruit essential oils into either a Deep Tissue or Swedish massage, with 10% of proceeds going to Seton.
I love cookies, and I love what the group Austin Bakes is doing with bake sales to support people close to home and far away (remember Austin Bakes for Japan? It raised almost $12,000). Saturday, October 1st from 10a to 2p, hundreds of bakers, bloggers, businesses, and consumers will unite for Austin Bakes for Bastrop, a bake sale fundraising event to help those affected by recent wildfires in Central Texas.
Over 80 home cooks and dozens of local businesses will be contributing baked goods at locations throughout Austin. Baked goods will include cookies, cupcakes, brownies, pies and pastries of all kinds. Several home bakers are creating Texas-themed confections for the sale, while others will be baking locally sourced, organic, vegan or gluten-free items. All funds raised will go to Austin Community Foundation’s Central Texas Wildfire Fund. Those who wish to make a gift in advance of the sale may do so at Austin Bakes for Bastrop’s secure, online giving page.
Austin Bakes for Bastrop locations:
Community Renaissance Market
6800 Westgate Blvd., 78745
The Flying Saucer at The Triangle
815 W. 47th Street, 78751
Foreign & Domestic
306 E. 53rd Street, 78751
Hotel San Jose
1316 South Congress Avenue, 78704
Old Settler’s Park
3300 E Palm Valley Blvd., Round Rock, 78665
Whole Foods Market Gateway
9607 Research Blvd. #300, 78759
Whole Foods Market Lamar
525 N. Lamar Blvd., 78703
Get Involved: Interested in providing baked goods and/or volunteering? Contact Kathryn Hutchison at austingastronomist@gmail.com.
Because it is awesome.
I blogged about Chameleon Cold Brew here, and I’ve just gotten word that Central Market started carrying Kohana Cold Brew Concentrate (the company is local and woman-run) too—it’s already a fave at Whole Foods.
But I’m here to burst your bubble. It’s too easy to cold brew at home for you not to know how. Then you can choose convenience or consumerism over making your own, but at least you know.
How to start cold-brewing coffee: a jar, and some coffee
Step 1: pour 1/3 cup ground coffee into jar
Step 2: Add 1 + 1/2 cups water per 1/3 cup coffee
Step 3: Seal jar and let sit 8-24 hours.
Step 4: You'll need plain, regular coffee filters. This is a single cup filter, you could also just rig up a way to hold the filter over the jar (like a rubberband around the rim with the filter going into the jar)
Step 5: Pour contents of jar over filter into another jar
Voila! Cold-brew coffee.
The resulting coffee is concentrated, so many people like to dilute it with water. You can play around with your fave concentration.
I like to make iced coffee lattes, diluting the concentrate with raw milk:
Cold brew iced coffee with raw milk is my new fave drink
Adding raw milk
Ah, morning ritual
Sprinkle a lil cinnamon on top!
Cold brew coffee is super easy to make, smooth-tasting, better for you, and awesome. Try it and leave feedback in the comments!
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