La Chaparrita has long been on my list of spots to try. We heard it was worth checking out even though it’s located in the food court at Highland Mall. Food courts aren’t exactly know for putting love into their food, you know?!
Generally, I only eat at food courts when I’m desperately hungry, and while Highland Mall is just across I-35 from our house, I’ve only been inside once in the eight years I’ve lived in Austin — to buy a suitcase from the (now closed) J.C. Penney.

I’m so glad …

The Austin food scene is constantly changing. It was announced last week that a local favorite, Odd Duck Farm to Trailer, is closing. Chef Bryce Gilmore is smart to focus on Barley Swine, his brick and mortar restaurant that has gotten rave reviews nationally.
And while some other old favorites have closed, or just gone downhill, there are new trailers constantly coming onto the scene to replace them. Last week, I got to try one of them — The Seedling Truck by the people who run Royal Fig Catering.

If the goat cheese polenta …

Thanks to a gift certificate provided to me by the marketing team at the Lakeway Resort and Spa, I was able to treat two of my girlfriends to an overnight getaway on a recent Saturday night. The resort is about 40 minutes from downtown Austin, but when you’re there, you feel like you’re really on vacation.
When we arrived, the folks at the front desk invited us to head down to the Back Porch for a complimentary happy hour of wine or beer. We felt like we won the lottery, especially …

Just a quick public service post that Johnson’s Backyard Garden’s website ROCKS! There are other CSA (community supported agriculture) programs in Austin, but my hunger for information makes Johnson’s the best in my book. They post a picture of the contents of their weekly delivery, and when you roll your mouse over each item, it is identified for you!

I recently tried another local CSA and the fruits and veggies came in a box without a list of what was in there. So I went to their website to find the …

My obsession with food tattoos continues. Isn’t Megan’s raspberry tattoo gorgeous?! Megan blogs at Stetted, and she invited Adam and I over — well, she posted on Facebook that she had space and we RSVPd — for a berry themed Thanksgiving live webinar and twitter tasting sponsored, in part, by Driscoll’s.
The food was delicious, but for me, this munchkin (Megan’s son), stole the show.
While I don’t think strawberries or raspberries are going to replace cranberries on my Thanksgiving table anytime soon, I did thoroughly enjoy the “holiday berry bellini.”

Note: I …

Sending a shout out to everyone celebrating a birthday today on 11-11-11! This year, I spent my birthday in Bruges (or Brugge), Belgium. Adam and I bought a small package of candles at HEMA, one of those stores where you end up buying things you never knew you needed.
We ate our way through Bruges, and almost everywhere we stopped, Adam stuck a candle in whatever we were sampling and lit it. I got to make lots of wishes that day! Here we are at da Vinci Gelateria.
Next stop was for …

Just a note to let you know that Austin Monthly’s special food issue is on-stands now. The goodies inside are not posted online so you’ll need to stop by at your local Book People or grocery store to pick it up!
I was honored to be included on this panel of sources for the story, including Chef David Holtzman, who teaches culinary arts at the Art Institute of Austin, Cathy Cochran-Lewis, Senior Program Leader, Global Marketing at Whole Foods Market, and Erin McReynolds of the Fearless Critic Restaurant Guides.

Apologies for not posting …