On Wednesday, September 14th, Fonda San Miguel will begin their fall 2011 event season with a tasting dinner pairing the North Loop stalwart's interior Mexican dishes with Sonoma's Copain Wines. Copain Wine Cellars is a highly regarded, low-production 'cult' winery that focuses on Syrah and Pinot Noir, and also dabbles in Viognier and Rosé. Eric Asimov of the New York Times is a fan, as is the Emperor Of Wine Robert Parker. In spite of this, you can still pick up a bottle of Copain's entry-level wines for around $20, so they're well worth exploring. more ›

When pairing wine with Mexican food, one might reasonably gravitate toward new-world selections from South America - but next week, Fonda San Miguel will travel a little further, crafting a pairing dinner with South...Africa.

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Have you been wanting to eat out at a great restaurant lately but just needed a good reason? If so, then we've got just the reason to get you out of the house tonight. Dining for Life is Monday and Tuesday night and is a great, and very easy, way to help benefit Aids Services of Austin. More than 60 of Austin's best restaurants donate 15% of their dinner proceeds to AIDS Services of... more ›

[This post comes from Anna Hanks, who'll soon be joining the Austinist staff!] Oh how we love our brooding bad-boys, full of emotional conflicts and divided loyalties. From James Dean to Marlon Brando, we just adore our theatrical time-bombs ticking down to an eventual emotional explosion. Black outfits only accentuate their outlaw charms. Biblical bad-boy Judas Iscariot — beautifully and brilliantly portrayed by John Pointer in Zachary Scott Theatre Center’s new bilingual production of Jesus... more ›

Zagat's 2007 America's Top Restaurants Survey is out and although the setup on this one begs for an immediate rimshot, it's true - we love eating out. In fact, only Houston residents eat out with more frequency *snicker* than Austinites. Hungry Houstonians are eating out an average of 4.2 meals per week while residents of Austin and Dallas/Ft. Worth eat out an average of 4 times per week. Trailing in weekly eating-out outings are... more ›

Our favorite posts by Austin bloggers for the week: Queen Kandis wonders about the Da Vinci Code hoopla. AroundAustin.com reviews Fonda San Miguel’s new book of recipes and art. In the Pink Texas has one of the best post titles ever: Cheney Argues Against Pulling Out. Yes, we’re easily amused. Kimberly at A Little Pollyanna mulls over her upcoming trip to Hawaii and we are sooo jealous. Grits for Breakfast reminds us that "It’s always... more ›

Long before we had to suffer through the bumbling speeches, disingenuous double talk, war mongering and religious-right pandering of George W. Bush, Americans enjoyed two terms of prosperity under the leadership of one of the smartest, slickest and most controversial presidents of the 20th century. Historians and citizens alike may remember President Bill Clinton for his extraordinary successes, think first president to balance the budget in 30 years, or they may remember him for his public failures, think health care. But, undoubtedly, his legacy will live in the minds of many due to his private mistakes which, unfortunately, became part of one of the ugliest political battles in recent history. Regardless of his place in history, no one can deny the powerful story of a boy born into the most humble of beginnings in Arkansas only to become a 6-term Governor of Arkansas and 2-term President of the United States. more ›