A La Carte
"Happenings Around Town"
Like jazz? Bistro Calais (2811 Bammel Lane; 713-529-1314) offers live jazz every Wednesday and Thursday starting at 7 p.m. And happy hour is Tuesday-Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. Check it out.
Houston Food Bank is in need of volunteers for the city-wide Souper Bowl of Caring Food Drive on February 2 and 3. Volunteers are needed for two-hour shifts at 209 participating grocery stores throughout the city. To volunteer or for more info, call 713-547-8683 or visit www.souperbowl.org/houston
Azarelli’s (12460 Memorial Drive between Gessner and Beltway 8) is remodeling and plans to make its new debut on February 1. Chef/owner Frank Triola said “I am remodeling this location and making it into a quaint, romantic, dinner-only, fine dining establishment.” For more info, call 713-467-2219 or visit www.azzarellis.com
- And they are breaking ground on a third location at the corner of Barker-Cypress and I-10 in west Houston. Expect the opening in Fall 2008. Plus they’ve signed letters of intent to open other restaurants in Austin and Merida, Mexico.
Oh yeah, baby, fresh and local are the bywords at Bayou City Farmers’ Market (3000 Richmond in the back parking lot). What’s available this week? Lots of green leafy vegetables, Meyer lemons, satsumas, yard eggs, grass-fed beef, and a whole lot more. Open Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon. Grab your shopping bag and have fun. More info? Visit www.urbanharvest.org
The big “V” day is fast approaching. Need somewhere nice to take your honey? Here are some folks who have let us know they will be offering something special. Check out their Valentine’s Day offerings. Reservations highly recommended.
- Backstreet Cafe, 1103 S. Shepherd, 713-521-2239
- Haak Winery Cellar Dinner, Santa Fe, TX, 409-925-1401
- Hugo’s, 1600 Westheimer @ Mandell, 713-524-7744
- Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar, 1985 Welch at McDuffie, 713-533-0200
- Noe Restaurant, Omni Houston Hotel, 4 Riverway, 713-781-8181
- Pico’s Mex-Mex Restaurant, 5941 Bellaire Blvd., 713-662-8383
- Prego, 2520 Amherst, 713-529-2420
- Tila’s Restaurant, 1111 S. Shepherd, 713-522-7654
- Trevisio, 6550 Bertner at the corner of Moursund, 6th floor; 713-749-0400
Culinary Calendar
"Upcoming Foodie Events"
On February 5 Azzarelli’s (22764 Westheimer Parkway at Peek) will host a special four-course dinner featuring the wines of Trinchero Family Estates. Open seating is between 5 and 9 p.m. Cost is $85 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Call 281-395-9010 for reservations and more information.
The Divas at Flat Creek Estate are offering a special Valentine’s treat for friends or lovers. On Sunday, February 10 there will be a Like Wine for Chocolate class at two times, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Wine Room at the winery. Cost is $25/person and class size is limited to 15 people. Call 512-267-6310 for reservations and directions.
The Texas Hill Country Wine Trail is sponsoring several events throughout the year. Coming up February 8-10 and February 15-17 is the Wine Lover’s Trail. Celebrate the month of romance traversing the Hill Country with the one you love. During these two special weekends, wineries will feature new release tastings, chocolate pairings and other special events. Special registration tickets are available for $35 per couple and includes wine flight trio’s or a featured taste at each winery. For info and a map, call the Fredericksburg Convention & Visitor Bureau at 888-997-3600 or visit www.texaswinetrail.com
Sweet Tomatoes is celebrating Mardi Gras with a “Ragin’ Cajun” menu during the whole month of February. It will feature a wide variety of Louisiana-inspired salads, soups, and cratch-made bakery items. Sweet Tomatoes operates 103 salad buffet-style restaurants across the U.S. There are four of their restaurants in the greater Houston area. For locations and more information, visit www.sweettomatoes.com
Kitchen Stuff
"Another Kitchen Helper"
Has this ever happened to you? You don’t drink all the wine in the bottle and you cork it and put it in the frig to help keep it fresh. You don’t have room to stand the bottle up, so you lay it flat and, darn it, it leaks.
Maybe you’ve tried propping the neck of the bottle up on a stick of butter, a sausage, or a soda can, all to no avail. What’s a solution?
Here’s this issue’s tip: buy a large plastic spoon cradle from your favorite kitchen store. One about 12 inches long with a 1.5 inch rise from back to front, and a 4.5 inch diameter cradle should work just fine. Place the bottle on the cradle so the neck tilts up and, voila, no dripping bottle.
Not to worry; you can thank us later.
My Recipe
"Cherry Nut Muffins"
CHERRY NUT MUFFINS
Makes 8 cups of batter
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
3-1/2 cups white flour
¾ cup wheat flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup diced walnut pieces
2 cups reduced-fat buttermilk
1-1/8 cups granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil
½ cup beated eggs (2 eggs)
½ cup cherry juice
2 cups thawed tart cherries
Combine the flours, baking powder, salt and walnut pieces in a bowl and thoroughly mix. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, sugar, oil, eggs and cherry juice and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Combine the wet mixture with the dry and add the tart cherries. Mix with a large spoon until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Do not over-mix the batter. Coat muffin pan with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Fill muffin tins approximately ½ to ¾ full and bake for 15-20 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on oven and size of muffin.
From the Wine List
"Winos Get to Go"
The San Antonio Wine Festival is coming up February 15-17 at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa and the Alamodome. The event allows consumers to taste medal-winning wines from the San Antonio Wine Competition and great food while supporting KLRN Public Television. Tickets for all events are sold individually and are available by calling 210-270-9000 or visiting www.sawinefest.com
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will host the fifth annual international wine and food tasting extravaganza, “Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup and Best Bites Competition,” on the floor of the Reliant Astrodome in Houston on Monday, February 18 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $100 per person in advance or $125 at the door, with limited reserved tables of 10 seats offered for $1,800. For advance tickets and information, visit www.rodeohouston.com, call 832-667-1128, or e-mail wine@rodeohouston.com
Subscription options
Your subscriptions options are below.
To unsubscribe,
You are subscribed as [email]
Disclaimer
Copyright My Table magazine, 2008
Protected by U.S. Copyright Law {Title 17 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq., Title 18 U.S.C. Section 2319}: Infringements can be punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
If you'd like to suggest SideDish to a friend, please point them to: http://www.my-table.com/sidedish/
To BECOME A SIDEDISH MEMBER, please visit: http://www.my-table.com/sidedish/ or email sidedish@my-table.com
NOTE: If URLs do not appear as live links in your e-mail program, please cut and paste the full URL into the location or address field of your browser.