This week we will pour Purple Cowboy and Cowgirl Sisterhood wines at The Austin Food & Wine Festival, April 26-28; where we plan on stalking such chefs as Marcus Samuelson, Tim Love, and Graham Elliot (just to name a few). If you have never been to a food and wine festival, this is a goodie. It’s in one of the hottest food cities in the US right now, and the cooking demos, wine and cocktail seminars, and Grand Tasting showcasing over 80 wine, spirit, and artisanal food exhibitors are outrageously entertaining. Yee-haw!

We have been talking about our trip to Austin since the beginning of the year:  Where are we going to stay?  What should we eat?  How many pairs of cowboy boots to pack?

Why the enthusiasm? 

Austin is the perfect city to partake in some of our favorite activities, eating and drinking.  Yes, Austin is our kind of heaven with its brisket, breakfast tacos, Mexican martinis, and the best sushi we have EVER had (so good, we are going back for more!).  And Queso, we can’t forget to mention the Queso which seems to be an Austin specialty.   

We realize we are heading to a food and wine festival where there will be tons of food and plenty to drink, but we still plan on exploring Austin’s fine eating and drinking establishments during our trip.  Here are some of the places on our must-do list.

The Eating

Fonda San Miguel – in the land of Tex-Mex they have been serving regional Mexican cuisines since 1975.

Noble Pig Sandwiches –  Bon Appetit’s Andrew Knowlton just claimed it was one of the top sandwich spots in the US.

Swift’s Attic – Modern American Small plates in a historic downtown setting.   Food is described as creative, whimsical delicious.

Torchy’s Tacos – Two words: Breakfast Tacos.  Plus Torchy’s is the winner of Austin Monthly’s Queso Challenge.  Remember, we love our Queso!

Uchiko – Last year we treated ourselves to the sushi at Uchi and were blown away by the experience.  This time we are giving the sister restaurant a try.

The Drinking

Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon – we hear on Sunday afternoons there is live music and bingo. Game on!

Peche – when a place claims “we are the reason prohibition was repealed”, we kind of have to go

The White Horse Honky Tonk – Just a few of the features we liked:  live music 7 days a week, whiskey on tap, taco trailer, and giant dance floor.

If you’re a local, be sure to send us your recommendations. And if you’re planning to attend the event, be sure to stop by the Wine Sisterhood table and say hello.

Of course, the above just outlines our plan, and as everyone knows plans do change.  So follow us while we are on our trip to see what happens. We promise there will be a good time had by all!

XOXO – Natalie
@girlinthevalley

You can also find Natalie on Instagram, Foursquare and Foodspotting.

And don’t forget to follow Wine Sisterhood on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Foursquare and Pinterest for tasty and sip-worthy posts.

Follow Purple Cowboy on Twitter. 

And follow the Austin Food & Wine Festival on Twitter too!