Lone Star Nights: Best Bites | AFWFest 2017

Austin Food + Wine Fest is one of the hottest spring events in Austin, Texas. Highlighting the cities top chef and restaurants as well beloved celebrity chefs. The festival spans over the course of 4 days. With a full on food festival taking place during the day, and 2 *evening events.

The first evening of Austin Food+ Wine Festival kicked off with Lone Star Nights, an evening of delicious bites and sips from some of Austin’s (& surrounding cities) top talent, at Fair Market on east 5th Street. A combination of 30 food and beverage booths lined both the interior and outdoor space.

The task of selecting a best bite was quite daunting, but I love a good challenge.

Given the rising nighttime temperatures in Austin, the cold, refreshing bite from Mixtili was hands down the best bite of the night! Diego Galicia & Rico Torres cooled us down with their compressed watermelon wrapped scallop served on a block of ice. This tasty bite was topped with jicama, cilantro and arugula. The accompanying pipette filled with Tigre de Leche was the cutest thing ever!

Though Diego and Rico served my favorite Lone Star Nights bite, there were 2 other dishes that deserve a mention. Two-time James Beard Award finalist for Best Chef, Steve McHugh’s housemade Currywurst with Petit Salad was a fun spin on the classic bratwurst. Comforting and colorful is how I would describe it. His award winning gastropub, Cured is San Antonio’s best known restaurant and Pearl district gem.

Chef Kevin Fink of Austin’s Emmer & Rye wowed guests with his homemade pasta and ricotta dish!