TUESDAY [9] film • AFS Presents: South by Southeast - The Overture at Alamo South (7pm) film • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at Rounders Pizzeria (8pm, Free) theatre • Avi Hartman Variety Show at Beerland theatre • Altar Boyz at Parmount Theatre (8pm, $29.50-$46.50) wine • Vino Varietals Class - Cabernet Sauvignon at Vino 100 Round Rock, 3021 South IH-35, Suite 120 ($20, 6:30 - 7:45 pm)... more ›

On a recent weekend excursion to Fredericksburg's Oktoberfest, we decided to sample the wines of Becker Vineyards. Our expectations of Texas winery visits were low after a fairly disappointing trip to Driftwood Vineyards earlier this year. Thankfully, Becker is crafting a large range of wines that are affordable, food-friendly, and mostly of fairly good quality. Before getting to the wines, it's worth noting that the atmosphere at Becker was very pleasant: there's a beautiful... more ›

We don’t know what you’re doing Saturday afternoon but we’re going to a birthday party for the Queen of Thailand and you’re totally invited. Chef and all-around culinary superstar, Dr. Foo Swasdee, is celebrating both the queen's birthday and the grand opening of her new outdoor garden and patio at Satay Restaurant featuring Thai classical dance, Thai music, complimentary Thai tapas and a cash bar. Now stop sitting around this house complaining about not... more ›

With our wine loving in-laws in town for the month of July, there were plenty of opportunities to drink bargain wines. After all, when you're sitting on the back porch nightly with a glass or two of red each for four people, those $25 bottles just aren't a fiscally sound option. This led to the pleasant discovery that there are many great bottles at the $10 point on the shelves of Austin's wine sellers.... more ›

A mere four miles from The Salt Lick, Driftwood Vineyards is an ideal detour for those shuttling out-of-town guests to the BBQ haven out in the Hill Country. The tasting room sits at the top of a long, unpaved road and overlooks Driftwood's grapevines and some beautiful countryside. While the setting was enjoyable, we had our suspicions about Texas' ability to compete with California or Oregon wines, some of which were confirmed. We began... more ›

Starting this Friday, Austinist has yet another perfect excuse for getting out of the city for a day and enjoying the nearby hill country: Clifford's Original Wine Bar is opening its doors. [Visit Clifford's Website] Built in a clearing on the rolling hills of Wimberley, just minutes from Wimberley Square (roughly 40 minutes from Travis Heights), Clifford's Original stocks a fabulous selection of wines both domestic and international, with a well-represented assortment of reds and... more ›

Wine! more ›

We sampled a few of their basic reds, including an '03 Merlot ($16) and '02 Zinfandel ($18). The former is aged in French oak and might pair well with duck or cornish game hen, but alone we found it almost overbearingly fruity. The latter is a freshman effort for Becker, and with its 15% blend of Syrah ( not grown here, we assume ) it shows promise of developing into a strong red with future vintages.We were duly impressed with the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve ($22), aged in American oak. This limited-production wine had strong undertones of cocoa and cinnamon, and would probably pair well with a buffalo or ostrich steak. Becker Vineyards also produces exceptional Merlot jelly and Chardonnay jelly, as well as a Dijon-style "Texas Iconoclast Wine Mustard". Don't overlook these if you happen in for a tasting.The tasting room is open Monday-Thursday 10-5, Friday-Saturday 10-6, and Sundays 12-6. more ›