FOOD&DRINK

Driskill cocktails will honor "Sex and the City" movie

McCormick's offers new ready-made panko/spice mix

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Gather your friends and Make a toast like carrie and the 'City' gals would

Haven't snagged tickets to the "Sex and the City" premiere at the Alamo Ritz downtown Friday? Don't fret; you can still get dressed up and go downtown to have a cosmopolitan — a cocktail thrust into international fame by the four fabulous and oh-so-fashionable New York women in HBO's hit series that ended four years ago. The Driskill Hotel lobby bar is hosting a "Sex and the City" party from 5 p.m. until closing Friday and Saturday. A dollar from each featured cosmopolitan and champagne drink will go to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation. Episodes from the original TV series will be playing in the bar. Munch on half-price appetizers and food from the bar menu, and test how well you know Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte in a trivia game where you can win gift certificates. 604 Brazos St., 391-7162.

— Addie Broyles

Do good and eat local at farm fundraiser

Since the early 1990s, Gary and Sarah Rowland have been bringing their beautiful and tasty organic produce from their Hairston Creek Farm in Burnet County to Central Texas farmers markets. Now it's time for their customers and fans to give back. Sarah Rowland was diagnosed this month with breast cancer. A fundraising event 7 p.m. Thursday at the Barr Mansion Ballroom, 10463 Sprinkle Road in northeast Austin, will help with Sarah Rowland's treatment and the financial impact on the farm. A minimum $20 donation is requested for tastings from local farms. A silent auction will be held. Anyone not able to attend can donate at http://austinfarm.org/rowland/.

— Ed Crowell

Panko your pork chops for a crusty coating

Longtime spice maker McCormick & Co. Inc. recently introduced a new line of crusting blends, which are made with panko rather than regular bread crumbs.

Panko, or Japanese-style bread crumbs, makes this product much drier and lighter than traditional breading mixes, which means you won't end up with a soggy pork chop or chicken breast. The three blends — Italian herb and cheese; French onion, pepper and herb; and garlic, lemon and rosemary — proved tasty ways to perk up just about any protein in a hurry.

At just under $4 for the 7.7-ounce blend package, it would be cheaper and pretty easy to make your own panko and herb mixture. But if you're into yummy convenience, McCormick has it down. Available in the spice aisle at most large grocers.

— A.B.

Fearless critic puts wine to the taste test

Robin Goldstein ruffled plenty of feathers in the Austin food community when he came out with the "Fearless Critic Austin Restaurant Guide" in 2006, in which he and two other writers gave sometimes tough reviews to nearly 400 restaurants. Goldstein's newest book, "The Wine Trials," has stirred up more controversy in foodie and criticism circles. Goldstein set up 17 blind wine tastings around the country last year, including two in Austin, and asked about 500 volunteers, everyone from wine experts to regular Joes, to judge based purely on taste alone. The book profiles 100 wines under $15, although the 540 wines judged included higher-priced bottles.

Eric Asimov, wine writer for the New York Times, wrote a rebuttal to the book on the front of the newspaper's food section a few weeks ago, arguing that the context of drinking wine — what you're eating, where you are and with whom — "may be the most underrated aspect of enjoying wine." He said that's something you can't measure in a massive blind tasting. He called the book an "anti-intellectual effort to take fancy-schmancy wine down a peg or two," a fact Goldstein admits in the preface, where he writes, "The (wine) industry seems to be in more desperate need of a reality check than ever before."

The book has added to the tension between those who know about wine and those who wish they knew more about it. You might not agree with "The Wine Trials" recommendations during your next fancy home-cooked dinner. However, the last time I checked, the Asimovs of the world can't guarantee your satisfaction either. The book is available for $14.95 at BookPeople, Follett's Intellectual Property and Whole Foods.

— A.B.