When I heard the news that Austin American-Statesman food critic Mike Sutter was taking a buyout and retiring from the paper, I felt a pang of sadness.
Everyone had their own opinion of his reviews, but to me, they were smart, funny, and always well-researched. I knew that if I read a review by Mike, that it would mean he had visited the restaurant at least three times, taken pains to ensure he wasn’t recognized, and did his best to give the restaurant staff the respect and care they deserved.
He understood …

This post is for my records (and for my parents to enjoy), folks. Please feel free to move along — I promise not to quiz you later.
Some lovely friends and local media recently covered the Foodie Fantasy win and ice cream social, and one of the ways I use this blog is to record that kind of stuff.
Thank you to Addie Broyles, who encouraged her readers to attend the ice cream social through her Relish Austin blog on Austin 360.com.
Graeter’s hits Austin stores with a bang, free ice cream social …

Did you know that about seven times more restaurants opened than closed in the past year in Austin, Texas according to the Statesman?
This isn’t hard for me to believe in that I have a hard time keeping up with all of the new spots that are opening all around town — especially all of the food trailers!
After reading through the Austin360 Dining Guide, Mike Sutter’s recommendations for dishes and meals he enjoyed during his first year as Statesman food critic, I decided it was time to make my own list …

This morning at 8:15 a.m. CT, Statesman food editor and restaurant critic Mike Sutter will join us on the KGSR morning show to chat about his first year on the job, some of the 25 best dishes in Austin, and how it’s possible that no picture of him appears on a Google image search.
The paper’s dining guide will come out on Friday. Below is a video of Mike and food writer Addie Broyles from a Statesman promotional video. See if you can figure out who’s who…

I met Mike in …

I’ve been thinking about all of the great Austin food secrets for a while now — things I have learned over the years from friends, articles, and personal experiences. To be honest, I was worried about some of these secrets getting out. What if too many people take advantage and they aren’t sustainable or less special?
But then I realized that in sharing our knowledge and secrets with each other, we become inspired to give back even more and the entire community benefits. Many of the businesses below have earned a …