New neighborhood, same friendly faces
The new Caf Stellina has acquired the trappings of sophisticated urban dining ? a menu of upscale American comfort food, white... Read more…
A talent for food that's artistic, organic, fantastic
Maria Hines, the diminutive dynamo who made a big name for herself at Earth & Ocean in the W Hotel, recently got a whole lot smaller... Read more…
Get your buns to Ballard
King's Hardware is the kind of place that makes me want to move to Ballard so I can legitimately claim it as my neighborhood bar. I admit I once... Read more…
More reader requests
For years, Amy Nelson made the cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving dinner at Green Pastures Restaurant. Here is a reprint of her recipe, which has fed more than one generation of Austinites. Read more…
Turkey talk
Thanksgiving is here. Don't get me started. I can endure the crazy family gatherings, watching the pathetic Detroit Lions every year — even the massive cleanup. But please, stop serving me turkey. All the gravy and cranberry sauce in the world can't mask the fact that turkey is a bland bird. Read more…
CSI: Carving Scene Investigation
It's a mystery for many Thanksgiving dinner hosts. The guests are about to be seated and might even have peeked at the big brown bird coming out of the oven, but how does it get carved up right? Read more…
Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Wednesday, November 22, 2006Pumpkin pie was born in 1621, closely followed by the fear of making pie crust. That paralyzing angst survives today, felt keenly at Thanksgiving when pressure to bake a perfect, or at least presentable, pumpkin pie is intense. Read more…
Jo's Hot Coffee and Good Food
Is it the location or the food? Both could be reasons for the popularity of Jo's Hot Coffee and Good Food in the main block of Austin's new Second Street shopping and entertainment district. Read more…
Enough books to build a singles library
By Andrea LorenzThursday, November 23, 2006"This book will change your life." That's what I tell my friends when I pick up a best seller on single life. "Why do you need to read a book that tells you how to date?" my grandma asks. In her day, they just knew. The rules were laid out. No kissing. Read more…
50 brief reviews from restaurant critic Dale Rice
AMERICAN Liberty Tavern. With a Texas theme in part of the menu, this Hilton Hotel cafe is producing exquisite fried green tomatoes and an unusual jalapeņo chicken-fried steak that features cutlets stacked with layers of mashed potatoes and a side of green bean casserole. Forks up. Cheap/moderate. Read more…
Orange Coconut Raisin Cookies
Wednesday, November 29, 2006This slice-and-bake cookie combines those popular flavors of the season: orange, coconut and raisin. The recipe comes from "Buttercup Bakes at Home" (Simon & Schuster, $26), a new cookbook by Jennifer Appel, the owner of Buttercup Bake Shop on Manhattan's East Side. Read more…
Copy what party caterers serve for fun holiday hors d'oeuvres
Ah, the holiday office party. Perhaps you look forward to it as a chance to socialize with beloved co-workers. Or perhaps you dread it as a headache-inducing obligation. Read more…
Brie satisfies carnivores and herbivores with ease, elegance
I love hosting dinner parties, but serving meat? Not so much. As a vegetarian for more than 14 years, and one who loves to cook, whipping up a multicourse meatless meal seems normal. My grandmother, among others, assures me it is not. Read more…
Dine on the floor in style
Dear Dale, Do you know of a place in Austin where you can dine on the floor with pillows that has Asian fare? Thanks, Reagan Francis Reagan, There are two delightful Asian restaurants that have traditional seating areas on the floor: Shogun and Seoul. Read more…
Legends, Common Interest
By Moira MuldoonThursday, November 30, 2006I was thinking of Walt Whitman this morning, re-reading "Song of Myself" and envying. "I loafe and invite my soul,/ I lean and loafe at my ease," Whitman says, and later, "Have you reckoned a thousand acres much? Have you reckoned the earth much? Read more…
Tony's Vineyard
Midweek dining tends to be routine, for the most part, with the vast majority of restaurants saving their special efforts for the weekends. Read more…
Dorie Greenspan, PaniMold, 'Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook,' jeweled toothpicks
By Kitty Crider, Dale RiceWednesday, November 29, 2006Head into the kitchen with renowned Dorie Greenspan Dorie Greenspan says that until she was a junior in college her single culinary experience consisted of burning up her parents' kitchen cooking french fries. Read more…
Texas trimmings
By Kitty Crider, Dale RiceTuesday, November 28, 2006Do we make or bake every holiday food gift we exchange? Ho! Ho! Ho! That's us laughing. And Santa. He knows we cook but also buy. Read more…
It's beauty before age in 2006 Beaujolais nouveau
Wednesday, November 29, 2006Beaujolais nouveau, made from grapes picked in September and released officially on the third Thursday of November, is always a great choice to bring to a holiday party. Read more…
Forget Coke. Try Pakola.
Coke? Nah. Sprite? Forget about it. A&W Root Beer? Not all that interesting. But Jarritos? Pakola? Thums Up? The carbonated prides of Mexico, Pakistan and India, respectively? With their funky color schemes and the foreign lettering on their labels, they're hard to resist. Read more…
Have your C.A.K.E.
NEW YORK — The Food Network's queen of 30-minute meals is about to get all philanthropic on us, and she's hoping a guy known for baring all will give her a hand. Read more…
Starlite
Wednesday, January 04, 2006The new Starlite fails at one thing — it doesn't provide butter knives. There. That said, I can move on to everything else. Which was absolutely captivating. Read more…
Koreana
Schools of upscale Asian restaurants with sushi bars spawned in Central Texas during the past 10 years, with new places opening from Oak Hill to Round Rock. Read more…
Baxter's on Main
BASTROP — What's the toughest job? Customer service for an airline or owning a restaurant? Read more…
FINO
It's tough enough to operate one restaurant successfully. That's why a restaurateur's second or third location often leads to trouble. Read more…