Oktoberfest at The Turtle Restaurant October 21, 2010

Octoeber 21, 2010 6:00 pm Reserve your seat now for a special paired beer dinner featuring Rahr Beer from Fort Worth. Seats are $35.00 per person which includes four beer tastings and four courses of Chef Curt Sassak's German cooking. We will be serving several sausages from Pederson's Natural Farms.

1) Camembert cheese with pear and sun dried cranberry chutney, baguette toasts and arugula
paired with Rahr's Blonde Lager.

2) Pederson bison Polish smoked sausage on German style potato salad with veal jus

Vegetarian option: Grilled vegetable brochette on German style potato salad with vinaigrette paired with Rahr Oktoberfest

3) Pork schnitzel with braised red cabbage, spatzle and red wine jus

Vegetarian option: Root vegetable pave with herbed coulis paired with Buffalo Butt

4) Chocolate Macho cupcakes paired with Rahr's Ugly Pug

Be there!
The Turtle Restaurant
512 Center Ave
Brownwood, TX 76801
325-646-8200 or make reservations on line

Watch this video!

Texas Fall Fest in Marble Falls October 10

Visit us at Texas Fall Fest’s Farm to Market & Wine Fair, showcasing food artisans and wines, Oct. 10. The Turtle Restaurant will be selling our fabulous artisan breads and homemade gelato. We will be there sunday for the Farm to Market Wine Fair There are three days to celebrate Texas Fall Fest in Marble Falls, with wine dinners, a wine auction and a Chef’s Taste-Off, among other activities. On Sunday, October 10, from noon to 4 pm, Edible Austin will host the Farm to Market & Wine Fair, featuring all things locally grown and made. This event, held in downtown Marble Falls, will be an entertaining finale to the spectacular wine and food offered during the entire three-day Texas Fall Fest. Fair goers will peruse the big tent of vendors presenting their locally grown and produced olive oils, meats, produce, chocolates and more, complimented by Texas wines, available by the taste, glass or bottles. Food artisans / vendors include: Art Y Chocolate, Aurelia’s Chorizo, Christen’s Gourmet Pralines and Beignets, Cuvee Coffee, CKC Farms artisan cheeses, Doctor Kracker, Dry Soda, Green Grass Meats, Hill Country Homestyle Canning, Reel Popcorn, Texas Olive Ranch, Texas on the Plate, The Turtle Restaurant, Twin County Lamb and Zhi Tea. For a complete listing of the wineries, click here! Come curious, hungry and thirsty! $15 fee includes 10 wine tastings, and raises money for much needed Texas wine research as well as for child healthcare needs. Buy tickets here

The Turtle Studies Mixology with The Tipsy Texan

The fall semester of Tipsy Tech started last week. I traveled all the way to Austin to study the craft under David Alan and Lara Nixon. The Turtle Bar staff has had many discussions about cocktails they've had lately, about the ills of bad mixes laden with chemicals and high fructose corn syrup and how the scene in Austin is exciting and full of all manner of new craft cocktails. All of the hard work and evangelization going on in Austin is making inroads into the cultural fabric of the city and even reaching out to bubbaville - heart of Texas - Brownwood. Once you taste the pure thing, there is no going backwards. People like Bill Norris, Rob Pate, Adam Bryant, Billy Hanke, Lara Nixon, Adam Harris, Moxy Castro, and David Alan are working to continue moving the cocktail revolution forward. They embrace the history and understanding of what was and are adding to the pantheon of new classics with their own creations. Support your craft bartenders everywhere, because they are a treasure. We love our own Ty Wolosin. Ty has been creating some amazing berry and fruit smashes and brewing up his own natural infusions and syrups.

The lineup of guest lecturers is awesome. Bobby Heugel (Anvil/Houston; DrinkDogma.com) and David Suro (Tequilas Restaurant/Philadelphia; Siembra Azul) will make a return appearance for our Spirits of Latin America class. Brand Master Apprentice Aaron Rodonis of Bacardi will be here to talk rum. Hugo Chambon will walk us through the Cognac region of France. Adam Harris will take us on a tour of Bourbon Country with the seminar on American Whiskey. And many more

Field Trip! Intro course students who sign up for the whole course will get to go on the Balcones Distilling facility tour in Waco, Texas. Chip Tate is on the Fall cover of Edible Austin magazine. We have their Blue Corn Whiskey and Rumble in The Turtle Enoteca. I made some very tasty caramel with the Rumble and streaked our vanilla gelato with same. Devine. Texas is growing some mighty fine distillers.

Drink Local Night-the fall semester classmates will show off their stuff at Drink Local Night. This will be the fourth year for this event, sponsored by Edible Austin magazine, and hosted by Peche/Cedar Street. Attendees will meet the distillers of Texas, and sample great cocktails made by the best bartenders in town, featuring the spirits of Texas. Peche is our favorite place to go for cocktails when we are in our capitol.

Drink Local, Eat Local, Go Texan

Tour de Vin

The Turtle Restaurant will be one of the featured restaurants at Tour de Vin, Thursday, October 7th, 2010 6:30-9:00 pm at Whole Foods Market on Sixth and Lamar on the rooftop plaza.
This will be a world class wine tasting and a chance to sample some of the finest cuisine to be found in Central Texas while enjoying music by Cienfuegos. Call 512-327-7555 for tickets or visit www.winefoodfoundation.org $75.00 general admission. $50.00 for Wine & Food Foundation Members.

The Turtle is a community partner of The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas. Our Chef, Curt Sassak will be stirring up a special risotto. We look forward to seeing you there.

Five Facts About The Ten Dollar Bill And One That Will Save You Money

1. This 1901 United States Large Ten Dollar Note featured portraits of Meriwether Lewis on the left, William Clark on the right, and Black Diamond, an American Bison.

2. Alexander Hamilton is the only person featured on U.S. currency who was not born in the continental United States, as he born in the West Indies.

3. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing says the average life of a $10 bill in circulation is 18 months before it is replaced due to wear.

4. Approximately 11% of all newly printed US banknotes are $10 bills.

5. The $10 bill is the only U.S. paper currency in circulation in which the portrait faces to the left.

6. August 31 - September 30, 2010 from 11:00 - 2:00 pm Tuesday - Saturday you can buy any sandwich plate on The Turtle Restaurant’s menu which includes a cup of soup or salad and our homemade spiral cut potato chips AND a small scoop of gelato AND iced tea, ALL for $9.95. Offer excludes To Go orders, tax and tip.

This is a recession beating plan! A delicious bail out available to our customers. A complete freshly prepared lunch made with home made breads and love for $9.95 because you deserve good food. Just tell our waitstaff you want The Black Diamond Special! They will know what you mean.

The Turtle Restaurant
514 Center Ave
Brownwood, TX 76801
325-646-8200

Vote for The Turtle Restaurant Chefs Under Fire

Mary Stanley and The Turtle Restaurant have been chosen as one of the top entries for Chefs Under Fire 2010 Austin-San Antonio Regional Competition. Follow this link and vote for Mary Stanley and The Turtle Restaurant.

The competition starts out with an online poll where votes are cast for the public’s favorite chefs. The poll opened on Wednesday and will last through August 30 at 11:59pm. Click here to give Mary and the Turtle your support each day until the deadline. So vote every day.

The top four contestants then have a live competition against other in the finals where he or she could be named Chef Under Fire 2010 by Celebrity Chefs and Iron Chef America contenders.
Chef David Bull, Chef Tyson Cole, and Chef Kent Rathbun. The Austin-San Antonio Regional Finals will be held Monday, September 27, 2010 at the Texas Beef Council.

Chef Stanley will be up against such names as:

* Chef Victoria Ann, of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Austin, Student
* Erica Beneke, of MAX's Wine Dive Austin, Sous Chef
* Chef Camero, of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Austin, Student
* Chef Trysh Gonzales, of Art Institute of Austin, Student
* Chef Jason Hardacker, of Silver Whisk Cooking School, Kitchen Manager
* Chef Tanner Harris, of Thai Fresh, Chef
* Chef Tonni, of Hinospices, Executive Chef/Proprietor
* Chef Chad Holt, of Wandering Chef, Owner/Chef
* Chef Deegan McClung, of Jeffrey's Restaurant, Executive Chef
* Chef Renee Morgan, of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Austin, Student
* Chef Steve, of Southern's Fine Dining, Owner
* Chef Byron, of TRIO at Four Seasons Hotel, Cook 1

“As you can see from the list of chefs we are up against some large and extremely popular restaurants in Austin,” stated Stanley. “ We need every vote we can get so this little David can take on an Austin Goliath.”

Chefs Under Fire is national competition, open to professional chefs in the United States (all 50 States and the District of Columbia). Regional finalists will be asked to prepare 4 identical plated dishes on site under a time restriction for the judges. Dishes will be judged on taste (50%), presentation (25%), and originality (25%). Regional finalists will be annouced September 2, 2010. One contestant will be selected as a Finalist to move on to the CUF Final Competition that will be held at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center in Austin, TX on October 25, 2010.

These CUF Finalists will then be asked to prepare a pre-developed 4 serving dish (entrée and side dish) to be judged by a Celebrity Chef Judging Panel. The dish must use all specified secret ingredients which will be announced no later than 14 days prior to the competition date (October 25, 2010). Finalists’ dishes will be judged on taste (50%), presentation (25%), and originality (25%). An overall winner, (chosen by the Judges Panel) and a Fan Favorite (chosen by voting via text and online public polling) will be named at the Final event.

Tea Party with Zhi Tea Saturday May 22, 2010 3:00 - 5:00 pm