FOOD MATTERS

Texas Monthly's top burgers, openings and closings, a screening of 'Fresh' and more

Central Texas has a beefy presence in Texas Monthly's burger rankings

Where can you find the best burgers in the state? Texas Monthly food editor Pat Sharpe and her team have canvassed the state to find the best hamburgers, and although an Austin restaurant didn't claim the top spot, we fared pretty well on the list, which will appear in the August issue. The Counter Burger from Counter Cafe on North Lamar Boulevard earned second place behind the classic cheeseburger from the Grape in Dallas.

Other Central Texas highlights:

• Cheeseburger with green chiles on a jalapeño-cheese bun from Alamo Springs Cafe in Fredericksburg (No. 3).

• Chop-house burger with cheese and bacon from Cover 3 in Austin (No. 12).

• Bulgogi burger from Burger Tex II in Austin (No. 14).

• Kobe beef burger from Max's Wine Dive in Austin (No. 16).

• Cheeseburger from Parkside in Austin (No. 26).

• Black buffalo burger from Black Sheep Lodge in Austin (No. 27).

• Half-(expletive) burger from Roaring Fork in Austin (No. 30).

• Hamburger from Mighty Fine in Austin (No. 37).

• Jalapeño cream cheese burger from the Roadhouse in Bastrop (No. 38).

- Addie Broyles

Vying to be a TV 'Star'

The Food Network was in town last week looking for contestants for Season 6 of `The Next Food Network Star.' Addie Broyles talked to some of the hopefuls, including Carillon chef Josh Watkins of Austin, in a video on austin360.com/relishaustin.

Getting social with Adam Beaugh's fridge

Austinite Adam Beaugh has a pretty sweet job managing the Web and multimedia projects for Gov. Rick Perry, but when Murphy-Goode, a winery in Healdsburg, Calif., announced in April that they were using an online contest to fill a $10,000-a-month social media gig at the winery, Beaugh's friends coaxed him into applying. The Texas A&M graduate's passion for wine sprang from a trip to Italy a few years ago. So Beaugh, who also owns a Web consulting business and is a DJ and "dance enthusiast," according to his application, whipped up a video that includes a shout-out from Perry. The winery brought all the finalists to Healdburg last weekend, and on Tuesday , a sommelier from Atlanta, Hardy Wallace, was picked as the winner.

Just before Beaugh headed to California last week, he snapped a photo of his fridge for the weekly What's in Your Fridge Friday feature on austin360.com/relishaustin.

What three things are always in your fridge? Wine, beer and cookie dough. ... Does this mean that I am a wino with a sweet tooth? Most likely.

What's your favorite condiment? Worcestershire sauce. I grew up with my mother making a special steak sauce out of Worcestershire, ketchup, Texjoy Steak Seasoning and ground pepper. ... I still put it on everything today. A close second would definitely be Stubb's Original BBQ Sauce.

Favorite wine not in your fridge? I am having a glass of Murphy-Goode's Liar's Dice Zinfandel as I type this. ... I must say it is very delicious. Two other bottles that I can never pass up are: Tintara Shiraz (2006) and Fattoria Montellori Moro (2005). The Moro is harder to find, but is available at Vino Vino, the Grove and sometimes Vespaio.

­­- Addie Broyles

Restaurant briefs

• From noon to 4 p.m. Sunday , Borboleta Gourmet Living Cuisine chef-owner Virginia Morgan will conduct a "Non-Cooking" class at her cafe at 1221 W. Sixth St. Morgan will discuss raw-food diet basics and teach students how to make Tex-Mex dishes, including Borboleta's "fajitas." $120. 828-7404, www.borboletagourmet.com.

• Parkside restaurant (301 E. Sixth St., 474-9898, www.parkside-austin.com) has hired Adam Orman as beverage director. Orman's career includes time at Savoy and Suba in New York City and 1550 Hyde in San Francisco, where the wine menu was named one of Food and Wine magazine's "Top 5 New Wine Lists" in 2004.

• Andiamo, an Italian restaurant at 2521 Rutland Drive, will host a four-course dinner with wine pairings at 7 p.m. Tuesday . $40. Reservations at 719-3377.

- Mike Sutter

Trick your taste buds with the Berry Fairy

Take your taste buds on a magical ride at a Miracle Berry Flavor Tripping party at 6 p.m. on July 29 at the Belmont, 305 W. Sixth St. The event, hosted by the Berry Fairy, an event company started by Houston food writer Jenny Wang, will feature the miracle berry, a West African fruit that alters taste buds so that sour and bitter flavors taste sweet. After eating the berry, guests can enjoy drinks from Tito's Handmade Vodka and a "bacchanalian banquet" of foods whose flavors are most affected by the change, including lemons, vinegar and goat cheese. The effect lasts between 20 minutes and two hours. A portion of the proceeds will benefit We Are Learning. Tickets ($40) are available online at www.theberryfairy.com.

- A.B.

Head to Fredericksburg for some more heat

To celebrate the rainbow of chile peppers available this time of year, Wildseed Farms near Fredericksburg is hosting a Gourmet Chili Pepper and Salsa Festival this weekend . Wildseed, the largest working wildflower farm in the United States, has branched out to plant several fields of peppers in recent years. Starting Friday, enjoy chef's demonstrations, hot-air balloon shows, Wildseed's beer and butterfly gardens and live music from the Fabs on Friday and Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes on Saturday. Festival hours are noon to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for kids younger than 12. Information and tickets at www.tex-fest.com.

- A.B.

Openings and closings

• Open: Counter Culture, a vegan and raw foods concession trailer at 120 E. North Loop Blvd. (www.myspace.com/countercultureaustin).

• Open: Ho Ho Chinese BBQ, a Chinese barbecue and seafood restaurant at 13000 N. Interstate 35 (339-9088).

• Open: Kick Butt Coffee, the second location of the locally owned, martial arts-themed coffee shop at 4600 Guadalupe St., Suite B-2, at the Triangle (467-4365, kickbuttcoffee.com ).

• Open: Terraburger, the second location of a local natural and organic burger shop at 10611 Research Blvd. (382-5864, www.terraburgeraustin.com).

• Open: Hola Aloha, an all-natural shaved ice trailer with some homemade syrups, at the corner of Manor Road and Chicon Street (585-4778, www.holaaloha.com).

• Open: Stompin' Grounds, a coffee shop and cocktail lounge at 3801 S. Congress Ave, No. 16. (394-6999, www.stompingroundslounge.com).

• Closed: Sweet Tempered Bakery at 4301 W. William Cannon Blvd.

'Fresh' from the farm

The problems of the modern agriculture system have been uncovered in dozens of books and movies in recent years. One of the most recent productions is "Fresh," a movie that focuses on the new ways of growing, distributing and selling food. Unlike "Food, Inc.," which was released to theaters nationwide this summer, "Fresh" is being shown at private and public screenings across the country. On Aug. 25, Edible Austin and the Alamo Drafthouse are hosting a screening at Boggy Creek Farm in East Austin that will raise money for the Sustainable Food Center. Drafthouse chefs John Bullington and Trish Eichelberger will create a locally sourced picnic dinner to be served just before the film starts at dark. Buy tickets ($35, available at originalalamo.com) now if you want them; the event is well on its way to being sold out. For more information about the film, visit www.freshthemovie.com.

- A.B.