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Film & Food for Austin Film Festival at Driskill Hotel
Film & Food may have perfected the Cross of Lorraine gala format.
Priya Shivangi, Brandy Joy Smith and Angela Oguntala
The party prequel to the Austin Film Festival employs the second floor of the Driskill Hotel, which includes a long north-south axis, stretching between a small banquet room and a large balcony over East Sixth Street.
Nevie Owens and Annie Stennes
This primary axis is crossed twice by parallel halls and side rooms, one leading to a large balcony over Brazos Street, where Whole Foods set up wondrous shop. (It was here I tasted a sticky toffee pudding to swoon over.)
Jason and Claudia Blanchette
The spatial arrangements for this annual meeting of movie artists and buffs are no small matter. Always jammed, the gala benefits from the social safety valves of the balconies and side rooms, especially since the banqueting zone is always overly popular.
Marife and Matt Dy
Wednesday, the guests, attired for the most part in shiny cocktail wear, circulated freely among the food booths. (I’d refer to them as the Stations of the Cross of Lorraine, but that might seem insensitive to some readers.) No doubt about it, this was a toothsome crowd — and one that didn’t mind posing for the dozen or so photographers present.
Weston Lipscomb and Shaadi Oreyzi
The event announces a full week of screenings, panels and parties. It seemed as if some celebrants were eager to set a fairly fast pace for the week’s social race. Friday, if the weather holds, the festival’s traditional barbecue at the French Legation should equal Film and Food for sheer compounded networking, if not gustatory complexity.
Alex Earle and Ashley Elgie
Chefs are the triumphant heroes at this event, though. Some of Austin’s superstars, such as Parkside’s Shawn Cirkiel and the Carillion’s Josh Watkins, manned the booths. The tastes remained fleeting, however, since guests rushed around to hoover up the best samples.
Victor Ratiu and Adam Schlegel
The only out-of-town celebrity spotted: Edward Burns (“Entourage,” “Saving Private Ryan”). He was mobbed by photo-seekers, so I backed away. He’s attending the fest to push “Nice Guy Johnny,” which he wrote and directed. (It is a festival devoted screenwriting, after all.)
Jeremy and Maihan Leigh
My only complaint: The volume of the music. One couldn’t carry on a conversation. A gala is not a nightclub. One does yearn, after all, to chat with the scintillating guests abounding.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment Categories: Food, Movies
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By mattie
October 22, 2010 2:15 PM | Link to this
The Driskill Grill had their famous duck three ways, incredible. Chef Golden & Gelman still reign supreme.
By Brian
October 22, 2010 2:07 PM | Link to this
Yes, great night but the music was WAY too loud. I wanted to talk and socialize and meet people but it was so difficult combating the music.
By Eugene
October 21, 2010 8:22 PM | Link to this
if any of these people are out of high school, I must have one foot in the grave!