FOOD & LIFE

In the New York groove with Rockstar Bagels

Also: Love Puppies Brownies, Sengelmann Hall reopens in Schulenburg, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf opens Austin store, wine dinners at Z'Tejas and 360 Uno Trattoria

Musician fine-tunes his Rockstar Bagels

Having toured with bands on and off since the 1990s, drummer and native New Yorker Joe Humel has experienced the rock-star life. But now he's getting used to the baker's life, getting up early and staying up late making bagels for his newest venture, Rockstar Bagels. "I always wanted to make bagels," says Humel, 35. The self-described jack of all trades wanted to break away from touring and start his own business, so in January, he started spending up to 12 hours a day researching bagels online. In between watching videos and poring over recipes, he would bake batches of bagels in his kitchen, tweaking the recipes until he made a bagel that reminded him of home. "I'm still tweaking all the time," he says, but he's getting busier by the day, filling orders from 15 coffee shops and stores, as well as personal orders via e-mail. He and two assistants are rolling by hand and baking more than 2,000 bagels a week in a small kitchen off West Fourth Street.

So what of the claim that New York's bagels are better because of the city's tap water? "New York has fantastic tap water, but Austin has great tap water as well," Humel says. He's planning on bringing back water from his next trip to New York to do a side-by-side test, but the bagels - which are made with malt instead of sugar and come in plain, salt, poppy seed, sesame, garlic, onion and "everything" - are already a hit with former New Yorkers used to lamenting that Austin doesn't have any good bagels.

Places to find Rockstar Bagels include Summermoon Coffee Bar, Cherrywood Coffeehouse, Blue Dahlia Bistro, Cafe Pacha, Spider House Cafe and Royal Blue Grocery. To order bagels or find out where else to buy them, go to myspace.com/rockstarbagels.

- Addie Broyles

Step a century or two into the past at reopened hall and biergarten

From the late 1800s to the 1940s, Sengelmann Hall was the focal point of nightlife in the town of Schulenburg, 80 miles southeast of Austin off Interstate 10. Thanks to Dana Harper, a Houston artist who bought and renovated the building, the hall reopened over the weekend as a live-music venue, biergarten and restaurant true to its Czech and German roots. In addition to pre-Prohibition cocktails and 14 beers on tap, the restaurant offers goulash, dumplings, burgers, steaks from chef Kenny Kopecky and recipes from the owner's wife, native Czech Hana Hillerova Harper. The music lineup this week includes honky-tonk pianist and Austin favorite Earle Poole Ball (Thursday), red-dirt country rocker Jason Boland (Friday) and Austin troubadour James Hand (Saturday). Sengelmann Hall (531 N. Main St., Schulenburg; 979-743-2300, www.sengelmannhall.com) is open 6 to 11 p.m. Thursdays, 6 p.m. to midnight Fridays, 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays and noon to 7 p.m. Sundays.

- Mike Sutter

Austin wine dinners

• 6 p.m. Tuesday at 360 Uno Trattoria: Appetizers and five courses of Italian food paired with wines presented by Lucio Mastroberardino of Terredora winery. The menu includes roasted lamb, calamari salad and a cheese course. $65. (3801 Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360), Suite G-100. 327-4448, www.360uno.com.)

• 7 p.m. Tuesday at Z'Tejas: A five-course menu with wine pairings. The menu includes Copper River salmon, lamb chops and smoked chorizo fondue. Wineries include Frog's Leap, Fess Parker and Pine Ridge. $65. (1110 W. Sixth St. 970-3834 , www.ztejas.com.)

- M.S.

Coffee and tea houseloads up local treats

The opening of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at 221 S. Lamar Blvd. on Saturday could be filed under the "California transplant" column, but don't be surprised when you walk in and find a handful of locally made baked goods and snacks, including Bakerman's pastries, seeds and nuts from Austinuts, Mary Louise Butters Brownies, Round Rock Donuts and cookies from Alexandra's Cookie Dreams. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, which started in California in 1963 and now has more than 300 stores, serves traditional coffee drinks ($1.70 for a small coffee, lattes starting at $2.90), "Ice Blended" drinks ($4.50-$5.50) and the store's own line of tea ($1.95 for a cup, $7-$9 for a tin). You can also choose your own toppings for oatmeal and yogurt parfaits (starting at $3.95, $4.95 for steel-cut oats). The South Lamar Boulevard location is the first of two planned for Austin (the other is slated to open in July at North Lamar Boulevard and 38th Street). 351-8680, www.coffeebean.com.

- A.B.

Love continues to grow for Austinite's brownies

Austinite Joel Haro knew he had something special coming out of his commercial kitchen when he realized his catering business was churning out more brownies than anything else. The Culinary Institute of America graduate, who moved back to Austin in 2004 after working in New York restaurants, decided to focus on what he knew people wanted, and Love Puppies Brownies was born. "I wanted them to be fun, upscale, but also something that everybody would enjoy," Haro says. He also wanted them to be affordable. At $16 per dozen, brownies come in six flavors, including "Trailer Park Chic," a custom blond brownie with pecans and chocolate chips that Haro made for the La-Dee-Dah trailer on South First Street. You can order the brownies online and have them shipped, or Haro will personally deliver them. 507-9526, www.lovepuppiesbrownies.com.

- A.B.

Flip us your recipes

Central Texas backyard burger queens and kings, here's a chance to prove yourselves. Send your favorite grilled burger recipe to pbeach@statesman.com. We'll take the most promising recipes and grill them up (on a gas grill) for a tasting panel and announce the winner in time for Labor Day . The winner will receive a set of grilling cookbooks and a $100 gift certificate. Only amateurs allowed; no pro chefs. Burgers must be beef, and ingredients must be readily available at area markets. Entries due Aug. 12.

- Patrick Beach