Austin, TX

This Farm-to-Table Dinner Series Shows Off Texas’s Beautiful State Parks

Published

1 year ago

September 13, 2023

This Farm-to-Table Dinner Series Shows Off Texas’s Beautiful State Parks

Courtesy of LCRA Parks

Picture this: Along the Pedernales River Nature Park, a spread of food awaits. A symphony of aromas dances in the air as platters of spring pea and mint crostinis, sugar-rubbed pork tenderloin, and wild roasted potatoes grace a long rectangular table beneath twinkling patio lights. It’s a feast as diverse as Texas’s landscape, and it’s all a part of an ingenious initiative known as Savor the Outdoors—a farm-to-table culinary series that celebrates the bountiful produce and meat from Texas farms and ranches.

The series is hosted by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) parks system. If you’re wondering what food has anything to do with a river authority, let us take you back to the organization’s inception in 1934. Created by the state legislature to preserve and responsibly manage Texas’s natural resources, the river authority has been tasked with delivering electric power to central and remote communities, overseeing the water supply of the Lower Colorado River, and managing a network of 40 parks spanning across 11,000 acres. But beyond simply managing these outdoor spaces, LCRA has set its sights on another mission: raising awareness of and increasing access to the parks system along the Lower Colorado River.

Enter Savor the Outdoors, a brainchild of LCRA Parks that emerged in 2021. This series does more than excite the taste buds; it serves as a gateway for people of all ages to partake in the great outdoors. “We created it a couple of years ago,” said Margo Richards, vice president of community resources at the river authority. “We strive to look for ways to invite new, diverse audiences to the park systems and show how people that might not be comfortable camping or hiking could still enjoy a park.” LCRA Parks has hosted four dinners.

What’s special about Savor the Outdoors is that each event is held at a different spot along the Lower Colorado River to showcase the state’s beautiful parks, including the Pedernales River Nature in Johnson City, Texas (an hour drive outside of Austin), Matagorda Bay Nature (three hours from Austin), and McKinney Roughs Nature Park (a breezy half-hour drive). And while the centerpiece of the event is food and drink curated by local chefs and beverage vendors, including Rivery Whey Creamery, Zanzenberg Farm , and Pedernales River Farm, there are also musicians to provide ambience and interactive workshops such as fly-fishing lessons, wine tastings, and bespoke poetry.

During the most recent STO event, the pork was sourced from Zanzenberg Farm located in Center Point, Texas. Most of the meats are charred on-site. Larger and fattier pieces, however, are cooked using a low-and slow-style, explained Matt Johnson, a welder and co-owner of Mill Scale Metal Works who organizes Savor the Ourdoors’s culinary experiences: “So you’re cooking a piece of meat anywhere from 12 to 16 hours and at a low temperature of 250 to 275 degrees,” he said. This process allows chefs to cook big and tough pieces of meat that would otherwise be difficult to cook over direct heat. Additionally, “you’re giving it the opportunity to slowly break down, develop a bark color, render the fat, and then you also get flavor and smoke density into the meat,” Johnson said. “And it’s just a really beautiful process.”

With events like Savor the Outdoors, LCRA Parks is fusing the world of gastronomy with nature. By showcasing produce and meat from local Texas farms and ranches, it is not only stimulating the senses but helping people build an appreciation for the state’s natural resources.

While there may not be a scheduled Savor the Outdoors event at the moment, rest assured there are more LCRA events this fall, including axe throwing, wilderness survival classes, and a constellation kayaking tour.

Lower Colorado River Authority Events in September 2023

Star Party
September 14, 8:45 pm
Matagorda Bay Nature Park

S’mores and Stars
September 15, 8:30 pm
Black Rock Park

Beach Safari
September 22, 9 am
Matagorda Bay Nature Park

Constellation Kayaking Tour
September 30, 8 pm
Pedernales River Nature Park

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Kayla Hui is a Thrillist Contributor.

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Austin, TX

AP Poll Top 25 Rankings: Where Are Texas Longhorns?

Published

3 hours ago

November 25, 2024

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AP Poll Top 25 Rankings: Where Are Texas Longhorns?

AUSTIN — The No. 3 Texas Longhorns secured their second straight 10-win season Saturday with a 31-14 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats on Senior Day at DKR.

Texas stayed steady on a day where the rest of the SEC experienced chaos, as three ranked teams lost to unranked opponents on the road. The Longhorns entered as the No. 3 team in the College Football Playoff rankings and the AP Poll, but their win wasn’t enough to move them ahead in the AP’s Week 13 release.

No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Penn State all remained idle in the AP Poll. The Ducks were on a bye while the other three teams picked up wins. The Longhorns are one of eight SEC teams in the AP Top 25, joining No. 6 Georgia, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 13 Alabama, No. 15 Ole Miss, No. 16 South Carolina, No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 24 Missouri.

Texas has now been No. 3 in the AP Poll for three straight weeks. The Longhorns have fallen to as low as No. 6 and have been as high as No. 1.

Now, Texas has arrived to one of the most anticipated weeks in the state’s college football history, as the Longhorns will travel to College Station for Saturday’s meeting with the Texas A&M Aggies. The renewed rivalry will kick off from Kyle Field at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ABC.

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Other Texas Longhorns News:

MORE: Here Is What The College Football Playoff Bracket Looks Like After Nov. 19 Rankings

MORE: Texas Longhorns Announce Home and Home Matchup vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

MORE: Texas A&M Aggies Coach Slips Up In Press Conference When Asked About Texas Longhorns

MORE: Brent Venables Blasting 5-Star Commit For Visiting Texas Longhorns? ‘Not Committed!’

MORE: Texas Longhorns Remain at No. 3 in Latest College Football Playoff Rankings

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Austin, TX

Austin Empty Bowl Project raises funds to support food-insecure Central Texans

Published

11 hours ago

November 24, 2024

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Austin Empty Bowl Project raises funds to support food-insecure Central Texans

Austin Empty Bowl Project 2024

Central Texas Food Bank hosted its annual Austin Empty Bowl Project on Sunday where attendees got to enjoy soup from local eateries, all to raise money for a good cause.

AUSTIN, Texas – The 28th annual Austin Empty Bowl Project brought in thousands for a good cause.

“We have over 30 restaurants, over 200 gallons of soup,” said project co-director Deb Dixon.

The event donates all proceeds to Kids Café, a program of the Central Texas Food Bank, and to Meals on Wheels Central Texas.

“The Central Texas Food Bank has school pantries where we have pantries in over five schools. We also have after-school meals and summer meals. And 1 in 4 children go to bed hungry in our service area. So, it’s critical that this event raises as much funds as possible to support those kids,” said CTFB president & CEO Sari Vaske.

Throughout the year, local Austin area potters make more than a thousand soup bowls and donate them to the project.

“We have our communities of potters, our restaurants and our musicians that have all come together and donated time and materials in support of something pretty terrific,” said Dixon.

At the event each year, attendees give a donation, pick out a ceramic bowl, choose from several soups from different restaurants, listen to live music and bid in a silent auction.

After lunch, guests take their bowls home as a reminder that others less fortunate have empty bowls.

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“There’s over 530,000 people that don’t know where their next meal is going to come from throughout 21 counties. So, this event supports those families,” said Vaske.

For Pflugerville resident Kim Hanson, supporting the Empty Bowl Project has become a special tradition. Every year for the past 20 years, she’s celebrated her birthday by attending the event.

This year, for her 40th, she took it up a notch—bringing 40 friends and family along to give back and make her special day even more meaningful.

“I just think it’s really important for the community to help to support each other. And this goes to support people in our community that need food. And it helps with the children who don’t have enough to eat throughout the year. So, I love to come and support this mission,” said Hanson.

Hanson says she hopes to continue the tradition for years to come.

You can find more information about the Austin Empty Bowl Project here.

The Source: Information in this report came from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin’s Jenna King.

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Austin, TX

Texas boasts 10 restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 list for 2024

Published

19 hours ago

November 24, 2024

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Texas boasts 10 restaurants on OpenTable’s top 100 list for 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas had a strong showing on OpenTable’s 2024 Top 100 Restaurants with 10 establishments making the list.

What You Need To Know

The best foodie city in Texas, at least according to OpenTable, was Austin, with seven restaurants making the list

The rest of Texas’ major metropolitan areas–Houston, Dallas and San Antonio–each only had one restaurant on the list

OpenTable compiles its top 100 list every year by looking at diner reviews from its 14 million verified users

The Lone Star State had the second-most restaurants on the list, tied with Illinois, behind California, which had a whopping 19 restaurants featured.

The best foodie city in Texas, at least according to OpenTable, was Austin, with seven restaurants making the list.

Aba – Austin
J Carver’s
Jeffrey’s Restaurant
Red Ash Italia
Sammie’s Italian
Uchi Austin
Uchiko Austin

The rest of Texas’ major metropolitan areas–Houston, Dallas and San Antonio–each only had one restaurant on the list.

Steak 48 – Houston
Signature – San Antonio
Hudson House – Lovers Lane – Dallas

OpenTable compiles its top 100 list every year by looking at diner reviews from its 14 million verified users.

According to OpenTable’s website, restaurants with enough reviews are automatically considered and are evaluated by their ratings, percentage of five-star reviews, number of alerts set, percentage of reservations made in advance, percentage of capacity and direct searches.

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