Bits and Bites -- Austin Food News

Openings, etc.
-- Houndstooth Coffee in the Frost Bank Tower downtown, 401 Congress.

-- DFG Noodles (Darn Freakin' Good), a new trailer on Rainey Street, specializing in all things noodles. 

-- WuWu Sushi, at 1407 E. 7th -- Asian fusion with a full bar.
 
-- Benji's Cantina at 6th and West, will open May 24th, offering rooftop seating and Mexican classics. 
 
-- Umami Mia Pizzeria at 1500 Barton Springs (old Romeo's), opening May 31st.

-- Patrizi's Italian food trailer, soft opening next week, at 2307 Manor Road, inside the Vortex Theater complex. (Went to a tasting last night, blog post coming, but some amazing meatballs!)

-- Celebrating their one-year anniversary, SPIN Modern Thai Cuisine is now offering a social hour menu, Monday - Thursday,  5 - 6:30 pm, 14005 US Hwy 183, near Lakeline Blvd.

--  El Monumento in Georgetown has created Mixology Wednesdays, where the craft cocktail are celebrated with three pours for $14.

-- El Chile on Manor Road is moving to the old La Reyna at South First and Mary Streets (my Bouldin 'hood!).

Closed
-- Longhorn Food Court (food trailers) and Texadelphia on Guadalupe 

Events
-- Through May 20th, Uchi and Uchiko are celebrating Uchi's 10 year anniversary, with special six-course omakase menus.

-- Rough Hollow in Lakeway is holding their 4th Annual Crawfish Boil, Sunday, May 19, from 12 - 4 pm,  $20/person.
 
-- The Escoffier School of Culinary Arts will host a Backyard BBQ Party in on Sunday, May 19 from 6 - 9 pm, to celebrate AUSTIN Foodstyle Magazine’s publication launch. Ticktets are $55 and benefit the school's culinary scholarships. 

-- Olive + June will host a benefit for the Sustainable Food Center on Sunday, June 1st, $25/person. 

-- On Sunday, June 9th, Dai Due will present a special Supper Club fundraiser event for Heather Love, one of their employees who was seriously injured in an accident. The  four-course dinner with wine pairings will be held at Parkside, tickets are $150/person, and will include dishes from Jesse Griffiths, Rene Ortiz, Todd Duplechan, Jessica Maher, Barrie Cullinan and Shawn Cirkiel.  

 All about ME! ;)
-- Top Chef alum Chef Fabio Viviani was at BookPeople recently to promote his new cookbook. He took some time beforehand to meet with a group of food bloggers; he was very personable and didn't stop talking! He was not very impressed with the Topo Chico he tried, calling it too gassy! Fabio has become a total brand -- opening new restaurants, book tour, online magazine, blog, and a video channel. And he's looking for bloggers to do guest posts for his magazine -- stay tuned, yours truly may just show up in one in the coming months! 

 -- Cooking Planit is website that helps home cooks plan out their meals, and offers step-by-step chef-written recipes that are easy to follow. They have also been a supporter of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance (of which I am a member), and have taken some of the recipes from our cookbook and adapted them for their readers. My Black Bean and Quinoa Burger is included! (And you KNOW I am not a vegetarian, but this is a good, hearty burger!)

  -- Texas Monthly Magazine has released their list of Top 50 BBQ spots in the state; ATX's very own Franklin BBQ gets the top nod. I've been to 10 of the top 50, how 'bout you? What should I not miss?