Austin

Austin, Eat | Drink, Wine & Beer

A Little Bit Of Latte

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A Latte can be a sacred thing. From the perfection of the frothing to the ease of the espresso and the happy marriage that separates it from being an every day cappuccino. A latte is a big deal. As someone who loves the perfect latte with just the right amount of frothing on top and a healthy heart of creamy milky goodness, I’m a bit of a latte critic. Sadly, like many, we are forced to do a Starbucks run for coffee that lacks the heart and nurturing you get from a REAL cup o’joe.

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Austin, Austin F & W, Eat | Drink, Issue No. 4, Lifestyle, Travelogue

Austin Heats Up in the LiveFire Challenge

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Last year was the 1st year ATOD Magazine™ attended the LiveFire! Challenge and we were honored to be invited back. This year, our Editor sent in our brilliant Austin #Photojournalist, Kevin Curtis to give readers a visual taste of everything that gets cooked up at the illustrious Salt Lick BBQ (an Austin MUST). We are thrilled to tempt you with the culinary spectrum showcased at this year’s LiveFire! Challenge.

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Austin, Austin F & W, Eat | Drink, Issue No. 3

LIVE FIRE!

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The Live Fire Challenge at one of Austin’s most beautiful outer city locations, Salt Lick BBQ, is one of the highlights in the entire Food & Wine Festival. With its off-the-beaten-path locale and the smells of meat cooking thick in the air surrounding every pocket of air over the surrounding mile, well, one can’t help but find an insatiable appetite looming.

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Austin, Austin F & W, Eat | Drink

Austin Food & Wine Fest 2014 Kickoff Luncheon!

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As the notice came in that the Austin Food & Wine Festival was kicking off, ATOD Magazine had the distinct privilege of being among those to get a preview at the Kickoff Luncheon for the 2014 line-up at Austin’s Contigo on Tuesday, January 21. With chefs, Tim Love, Mike Lata, Chris Shepherd and Andrew Wiseheart preparing and serving a collaborative, family-style meal, we felt it best fitting to send in our photographer to show you rather than tell you.

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Austin, Chef, COLUMNS, DG's Passion, Eat | Drink, Interviews, Limited Edition

Tastings with Chef Shawn Cirkiel PART 1

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Wearing his special order bright pink VANS with black eyelets, a soft pink button up, jeans, and a smile that seems to extend to you, Chef Cirkiel is your every day guy with impeccable taste, a hands-on approach to his craft, an eagerness to experiment, a calling to push himself further, a willingness to encourage his staff to be proactive and innovative, and a charm that allows you feel as if you’ve known him for years. Jane readies her camera and we dive right into conversation…

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Austin, COLUMNS, DG's Passion, Eat | Drink, Limited Edition

Carillon with Chef Josh K. Watkins

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Austin is a city I have come to adore. The culinary prowess of the chefs, the relaxed and confident vibe that finds it’s way from kitchen to plate, the absence of arrogance, the curiosity of experimentation – it’s what makes Austin, AUSTIN. A landscape I must admit is one of the most colorful in terms of flavor and innovation. While I have posted about the Food & Wine Festival this year, there were moments outside of the Festival where I was able to sit down with so many remarkable chefs and visionaries and do a private tasting. One such tasting was with the Carillon’s Chef, Josh K. Watkins.

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Austin, COLUMNS, DG's Passion, Hotel, Lifestyle, Limited Edition, TRAVEL, Travelogue

Heywood Hotel Austin

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The most notable aspect of the Heywood Hotel is something I genuinely believe that every single Hotel around the world would benefit to mirror: their mini-bar. Their mini-bar has an entire selection and nothing is over $4 and even the bottles of wine are normal range. There is no markup or traditional pricing and honestly, as a person who travels and stays at so many hotels all over, this is by far the most refreshing innovation ever. Kathy not only created a hotel that has incredible decor, exquisite brands – everything is Spa related – the mini-bar is stocked with local and edible fare, bottles of water not more than $2, and somehow you just feel like you are family – she took time in developing the look and feel of a place that is thoughtful, pristine, and suffices every need you could have.

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Austin, Austin F & W, COLUMNS, DG's Passion, Eat | Drink, Events, Limited Edition, Special Event, Wine & Beer

Austin Food & Wine Festival DAY 3

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Today the sun is unrelenting, burning our flesh the moment the yellow burst rises up. As I walk in through the entrance, there sits on the grass a large table with the signature black tablecloth. On it? Stacks and stacks of commemorative glasses for the taking. Shatter-proof and bearing the insignia of the 2013 Austin Food & Wine Festival. Yes, this is the very last day and I look on it with a bit of sadness.

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Austin, Austin F & W, COLUMNS, DG's Passion, Eat | Drink, Events, Limited Edition, Special Event, Wine & Beer

Austin Food & Wine Presents Rock Your Taco

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The day ends and a different kind of Food Event is about to begin. A culinary world, an incredible global community created to support chefs and their passions and push them to be their best – at all times; Something I wholeheartedly subscribe to. While we are flourishing with the Celebrity Chef nuance, I love to see these chefs dig deep and go back to doing what they love most: COOK.

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Austin, Austin F & W, COLUMNS, DG's Passion, Eat | Drink, Events, Lifestyle, Limited Edition, Special Event, Wine & Beer

2013 Austin Food & Wine Festival DAY 1

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I have been to Austin twice in my life. This April was the 2nd time. This time I was greeted by familiar faces, succulent food, savory sweets, open minds, exquisite talent, momentous friends, and a slew of food, wine, life, travel, and culture lovers to which degree I have quite possibly never encountered before. Passion and a thirst for life was present more so than I can remember on this wonderful trip to Austin all in the name of the 2013 Austin Food & Wine Festival.

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Austin, Eat | Drink, Limited Edition

LiveFire Challenge AUSTIN

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Last night I arrived in Austin. Bags in tow, rental car picked up, freeways mastered, and the long FM 150 to Highway 1826 and voila! Salt Lick BBQ, Pecan Grove Pavilion. I arrive to attend the Food & Wine Alliance 3rd Annual Event: Live Fire Challenge! Beef Supremacy & Fire Mastery. With a long line of very talented chefs and pastry chefs, the palate was eager to taste and hungry to satisfy. I tasted just about everything and in the end, it was Sway Thai that won me over.

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Arts | Culture, ATOD Radio, COLUMNS, DG's Passion, Lifestyle, Limited Edition

A Taste of Dawn RADIO April 10th

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Today’s Show was about Living Life Happily and Expressive: The Theatre, Comedy, Food + Wine, Travel, and Humanitarians that change the world through the Arts.

I had a week that invigorated so many parts of my soul. Music, Broadway, passion, life, food, wine, good company, and the reminder of everything in life that matters so much to me. Above all – I lived. We need to all just envelop the things surrounding us. Regardless of how fleeting or momentary, just enjoy those tiny inescapable moments before they vanish. Live every moment because you – You are – NOW.

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Austin, Chef, Eat | Drink

Foreign & Domestic Austin

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I had heard quite a bit about Chef Ned Elliot of Foreign & Domestic. I read about his travels, how he and his wife cook together: Jodi creating desserts and masterful sweet creations | Ned creating flavors that take you on a global journey while not being pretentious. I was going to Austin and I knew this was a stop I wanted to make…

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