Join a true who’s who of top area chefs at La Condesa this Sunday for an epicurean extravaganza benefiting the Sustainable Food Center. The SFC’s Chef Dinner Series Autumn Harvest event will feature a multi-course tasting menu prepared by chefs from Uchi, Olivia, Fino, La Condesa and more to celebrate local growers, ranchers, and culinary artisans. more ›

Austin's pants just got a little bit fancier. Food & Wine magazine has adopted Austin as the next destination in its series of internationally renowned food and wine festivals, which means we'll join the likes of the Aspen Annual Food & Wine Classic and The New York City Wine & Food Festival. C3, producers of the Austin City Limits Festival and Lollapalooza, are joining with award-winning chefs Tyson Cole (Uchi) and Tim Love (The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro), as well as restaurateur Jesse Herman (La Condesa), to put on the Austin Wine & Food Festival, which will take the place of the 26-year-strong Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival. more ›

Now in their third year, the Cinco De Mayo Downtown Block Party on West 2nd Street will celebrate the culture of Mexico with a huge, free event tomorrow evening from 5-10pm between Guadalupe and San Antonio streets. more ›

Chef Rene Ortiz took Austin by storm in 2009 when he moved from a long stint in New York to open La Condesa on the just-blooming 2nd Street. Two years later, Ortiz is one of many lights on an Austin landscape booming with chef-driven restaurants. We recently spoke with Ortiz about his charity work, Cinco de Mayo party, and future plans as he took a quick break from La Condesa's lunch service. more ›

In the Fall of 2009, Chef Rene Ortiz and La Condesa owner Jesse Herman found an innovative and clever way to contribute to the Sustainable Food Center: in an effort to both be charitable and foster collaboration, they offered up their kitchen and restaurant twice a year for an all-star, Top Chef-style parade of locally sourced food from Austin's best culinary talent. After a quiet first event, the word spread: this was perhaps one of the greatest nights for Austin food all year - full-stop. more ›

Malverde, the sleek bar just upstairs from La Condesa, is currently addressing the plight of money-challenged Austin drinkers. Beer, wine, sangria and signature cocktails are 1/2 off from 5-7pm, Thursday-Saturday. Many of the drinks are top-flight. more ›

In early 2009, the team behind La Condesa faced a challenging proposition: opening an upscale Interior Mexican restaurant - in a town filled with competitors - during a recession. The odds weren't working in their favor, but the cooking was. Since their opening, La Condesa have become a fast favorite in Austin's fine dining scene, and have established roots through sponsorship of a number of entertainment and community-based events. To catch up on La Condesa's first year, we recently spoke to owner Jesse Herman and discussed Austin's food reputation, chef camaraderie, and (of course) food trailers.

To start with, for people who are less familiar, you are in the New York area. What attracted you to opening your first restaurant here in Austin?

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Beauty Bar celebrates its Fourth Anniversary, along with Cinco de Mayo, tonight starting at 9 p.m.; DJ Mel, Downtown Rulers Club, Este Vato, and DJ Chorizo Fun provide the entertainment. more ›

La Condesa's Cinco de Mayo Downtown Block Party takes over W. 2nd St. (between Guadalupe St. and San Antonio St.) tonight from 5 to 10 p.m. The second annual street fair event drew 3,000 patrons last year and should again prove to be a popular Cinco De Mayo stop this evening.

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Though it may come as a surprise to many, The Informed Drinker is something of a wino. For as long as she can remember, wine seemed to be the logical complement to any classy affair. Date with husband: wine. Dinner party: wine. Ladies' lunch with Leslie after absolutely exhausting morning shopping for hats and matching thong bikini bottoms: Waiter, your finest vintage, please. However, the longer The Informed Drinker lives in Austin, the more she realizes that things like gin and rum can be classy, too. Tequila needn't be consumed after licking salt off one's wrist. Vodka needn't be inserted into a cherry Jello. In other words, alcohol can be sipped and savored, rather than dashing it away as quickly as possible in frat party-like fashion. Since The Informed Drinker has far less familiarity with spirits than her dear, fermented grape however, she has called in a team of experts to help her study these more serious alcohols. First up: Armando Zapata, tequila expert. more ›

Local upscale Tex-Mex eatery La Condesa recently scored a People's Choice Award for best restaurant at this year's annual AIA Los Angeles Restaurant Design Awards. more ›