Well – its warming up outside and starting to feel like spring is around the corner. But a few weeks ago while most of us were dripping taps and covering plants, local farmers were scrambling to try to protect whole fields. Sustained temperatures in the teens, ice and high winds did a lot of damage. Some people are saying tis the worst they’ve seen in twenty years. Covering up is pretty much the only strategy. Draping large areas with row covers is a lot of work — and when they freeze, not much can survive underneath.

Except, apparently, chicories. These hearty salad leaves are tough — and pretty happy in central Texas cold snaps or the more predictably cold climates of northern Italy, France, Belgium and the like. Boggy Creek Farm’s radicchio and curly endive made it through the freeze — and they are beautiful. Which means that we will continue to be able to offer our Lyonnaise salad with croutons, bacon lardons, a poached egg and a mustardy vinaigrette. Maybe more surprising, Carol Ann and Larry were able to save their baby lettuces and fledgling romaines. So we will also have a basic market salads.

On another note, we’ve been thinking a lot about bison lately — its healthy, environmentally sustainable and part of the history of our part of the planet. This week we’re making Thunder Heart Bison sirloin and heart to make a stew with red wine and herbs.

Hope to see you soon,

Ben

First of all – Lance Armstrong is one of the nicest people you’ll meet.   And I must say – we were incredibly pleased and grateful to see the messages below go out on twitter to Lance’s approx 2.8 million followers.   Thanks Lance.

Lance sent this after his first visit last week:

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Then last night this:

lancearmstrong Lance Armstrong
by TxFrenchBread
Excellent dinner at Texas French Bread w/ @annahansen and @axelmerckx. Love this place! BYOB/W!

Those of you who are into cycling will note who Lance brought to dinner…

First of all – a word about dinner this weekend. Ben’s cooked up a new soup with some very Asian influences that I think is just terrific. It’s a Vietnamese style stuffed cabbage soup w/ pork and cilantro “cabbage dumplings”. The broth is lamb & chicken stock, along w/ star anise and fresh ginger, along with Boggy Creek carrots and Japanese turnips.

As for Valentine’s Dinner the response has been heartening. Our apologies, but we’re completely booked between roughly 6p and 8pm. We can take a few more folks after 8:15pm, and we’re considering opening early and offering a few tables in a 5pm – 7pm window. (Also – just to clarify as a couple of folks have asked me – the $40 prix fixe is per person, for dinner. It does not include applicable sales tax, gratuity, or corkage.) Kara & Austin have adjusted their show time and will do an early set beginning about 7:15pm.

MORE IMPORTANTLY – THE WINE HUNT:

Now – about that wine scavenger hunt I mentioned. Below are suggestions that I have put together with significant help (meaning she did ALL the leg work) from my terrific friend and fellow vino-file K-Lo. I send this out with apologies in advance to a couple of my friends who are die-hard aficionados of new world grape. But I’m afraid over the past few years my tastes have run in a distinctly old world direction, and I have begun to favor the lower alcohol and higher acidity of what are sometimes called “food wines” – a style still more commonly produced in France and Italy. So below are my solidly old world suggestions, which I send out with a big thank you to K-Lo.

Let’s start w/ the bubbles – appropriate to V-Day and truly adaptable with food:

VALUE – Chateau Moncontour Vouvray Brut
$17 – (France)
Whole Foods or Central Market
This wine is a dry style sparkling Chenin Blanc from the Vouvray region of the Loire Valley, in France.
The wine is made using the ‘Method Traditionalle’, the same process as it’s not so distant neighbor, Champagne.
This wine has a fine, fresh, gala apple flavor, crisp but not overpowering acidity, and a layer of almonds.
An elegant sparkling wine is a great aperitif or accompaniment to caramel, cream and fruit desserts.

SPLURGE – Andre Clouet Rose Champagne
$50 – (France)
Whole Foods
This is a beautiful rose, from a grower producer, in the village of Bouzy.
Nice creamy strawberry flavors. Please don’t over chill it! A bargain for Champagne and a rose to boot!

Next – as we’ve got a fair number of meats on the menu – Bold Reds:

VALUE – Clos Roche Blanch “Cuvee Pif”
Touraine – 2008 (France)
$18
Austin Wine Merchant
Rich, dark, and animalistic. A masculine wine to pair with robust dishes.
I would add – very distinctive tanins. It’s a far from your jammy fruit forward
wines as you can get for $18 – but it will stand up to virtually any food pairing.

SPLURGE – Domino Do Bibei “Lalama”
Ribeira Sacra
2006 – (Spain)
$40 Austin Wine Merchant
Dense, dark, and rich wine that has hints of wild fruit and mountain herbs.
Really looking forward to trying this one. Dominio do Bibei is supposed to
be one of hidden gems from Spain that is not yet well known. It’s in Galicia,
precisely in the DO Ribeira Sacra. The terrain is steep, and the altitude high,
which I imagine makes those vines do some work.

Whites we’ve also got a couple of suggestions:

VALUE – Scarpetta, Friulano Blanco
2009 – (Italy)
$18 East End Wines
White fruit and clean linen. This a crisp clean wine from Northern Italy.

SPLURGE – Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia
Crianza Rioja
2000 – (Spain)
$30 East End Wines
Almonds and orange peel. This is a unique wine from a very traditional producer.
Couldn’t find its picture – but I love this producer, and if you haven’t yet made it to
East End Wines, it’s worth the trip.

Anyway – any and all of these should do nicely with the menu we have planned,
and I’d be happy to help make sure that your bottle is not corked or anything
(although sometimes I have to taste a fair amount – you know, just to be sure).
Let us know very soon if you’d like a reservation, and we hope to see many of you
on Monday evening.

1st
prosciutto, ossau-iraty, mint, fig jam
or
(bison?) tartare

2nd
endive, braised celery hearts, fennel, tangerine vinaigrette
or
almond soup with grapes

main
oven roasted chicken breast with tarragon cream sauce
or
bison short ribs with cherry, red wine reduction
or
tagliatelle with romanesco cauliflower, anchovy & caramelized onion, and rye croutons

dessert
3 layer chocolate mousse
and
TFB butterscotch budino

$40 per person
$5 corkage

menu subject to change based on market conditions and what ben sees this saturday that gets him inspired – vegetarian options available

Weather – schmeather.  We’re serving lunch and we’ll be here for dinner.  Come on in – we’re open for business.

Yesterday I was feeling kind of ick.  All kinds of problems – lots of people just mad and not wanting to compromise cuz dang it, they’re right (and I suppose, I’m wrong?).  Anyway – for my part, that bright future I keep working towards where there is enough of everything and plenty for everybody and I wake up in the mornings and my first thought is what a fine day it might be as opposed to “oh crap – did I remember everything I was supposed to do?” and, where’s my list?, what’s most urgent?, or – how in the world can I avert the looming catastrophe that lurks just outside my front door and threatens to come to pass not 5 minutes from now if I don’t get every detail right???

Anyway – then I saw this guy – and I got things back in perspective and got over myself – for at least a moment.

On the menu this weekend – rabbit ragout.  And Pot au Feu is back.  Hope to see you all.