Food: Chef Wine And Dine At The Carillon, Uchiko, and Parkside This Fall

In a season full to bursting with pairing dinners and sip-and-stroll galas, there is a lot to be thankful for as an Austin food lover. The fall bounty reached a new peak this week with the announcement of four special dinners benefiting the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival. This new concept, simply dubbed the "Chef Wine and Dine," pairs four of Austin's best chefs with a small table of patrons for a VIP dinner, wine pairings, a champagne reception, and a chat with the chefs. The dinners will include no more than 30 diners per event, and some seat as few as 12, so the tickets are quite limited - in fact, the first event at Lambert's has already sold out.

Future events will be held at Uchiko with Tyson Cole on 11/2, parkside with Shawn Cirkiel on 11/16, and at The Carillon with Josh Watkins on 12/2. Menus for these dinners are still being prepared, but to give you an idea of the opulence they're going for, here's the menu from the sold-out kickoff at Lambert's:

• Selection of Local Artisan Cheeses & Housemade Charcuteries with Oak Grilled Toast;
• Selection of Cold Water Oysters with American Paddlefish Caviar & Fresh Horseradish served with Bubbles/White Wine;
• Roasted Baby Beets, Pure Luck Blue Cheese Toast, Macadamia Nuts, Frisée with Texas Olive Oil and 25-Year-Old Balsamic paired with 2008 Hall Sauvignon Blanc, Napa;
• Smoked & Braised McAllen Ranch Shortribs, Caramelized Baby Vegetables, Roasted Chanterelles, Chervil Pesto paired with 2004 Jarvis Cabernet Franc, Napa;
• Whole Oak Grilled Red Snapper, Crab, Roasted Tomato, & Braised Artichokes, Potato, Onion, & Truffle Gratin, Oak Grilled Brussels Sprouts with House Cured Bacon & Lemon, paired with 2007 Archery Summit Premiere Cuvee, Willamette Valley;
• Local Pear & Pine Nut Tart,Caramel, Crème Fraiche Ice Cream paired with Taylor 10 Year Tawny Port.

In other words, quite a feast. Tickets are available now via texaswineandfood.org. Incidentally, the 2011 dates for the Texas Hill Country Wine And Food Festival have now been set for 3/31 to 4/3 - so don't make any plans to leave town that weekend.