The Year In Culture

Organic, sustainable, local: The words that now dominate food

It's all about where your dinner came from these days.
Haven has its own garden and it proudly prints on its menu where the dishes havebeen sourced.
Photo by Barbara Kuntz
Big or small, growing your own, is all the foodie rage.

Editor's note: This is first in a series of articles CultureMap will be running this last week of 2010 on The Year in Culture. The stories in this series will focus on a few key points, things that struck our reporting team about the year rather than rote Top 10 lists or bests of. First up: The words that changed food.

For wine enthusiasts, it’s fun to order a bottle at a local restaurant from a winery that you’ve been to, whether it was in Napa Valley or vineyards in Spain. For local food lovers, it’s even more exciting to eat a whole meal from ingredients that might have come literally from the chef’s backyard.

The focus on using locally grown ingredients and eating foods where the origins and nutrient patterns are revealed (and often printed on the menu) peaked in 2010. It was more prevalent this year for restaurants to showcase changing menu items to pair with what they found at the farmers market or what their suppliers were selling that week. The terms “locally grown”, “organic” and “sustainable” were definitely the foodie buzz words of the year.

At Haven, Chef Randy Evans and his menu have local ingredients italicized to let patrons know where their food came from. Haven proudly shows off which ingredients are from Texas farmers, ranchers, artisans or boatmen (is that a new term for fishermen?). In addition to using local foods, Evans’ dishes are created so elegantly that each ingredient is displayed at its best.

Monica Pope’s t’afia is probably the most well known restaurant when it comes to supporting local. Not only can you trust that her menu items will be innovative, colorful, and feature nearby fresh ingredients, but she supports Texas businesses by hosting The Midtown Far mer’s Market every Saturday morning.

The Highland Village Farmers Market (HVFM) and City Hall's Urban Harvest Farmers Market are two of the newest players to the weekly farmers market circuit around town, featuring fresher versions of your grocery store favorites. Everyone who participates in shopping at a farmers market is a winner — the vendors get to sell directly to the consumer, and the consumers get to see where their food comes from. Eggs really do have a different color when they come straight from the farm. All HVFM growers practice organic and sustainable farming.

Houston restaurants and farmers markets make it easy for you to know where your food comes from and help you make a well-educated decision on what you’re eating. Dining really becomes a different experience when you trust your food source and can enjoy each ingredient knowing it's served in its purest form straight from the farm.

unspecified

cheers to that

Texas bourbon named one of 2024's top 10 whiskies

Still Austin Whiskey Co. Red Corn Bourbon Whiskey

Still Austin Whiskey Co./Facebook

Now if only we could snag a bottle...as a Christmas gift, of course.

Three cheers for Still Austin Whiskey Co.! The distillery's Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon Whiskey was recognized as one of Whisky Advocate'sTop 20 Most Exciting Whiskies of 2024.

Every year, Whisky Advocate's expert panelists rank hundreds of whiskies based on their quality, availability, value for the price, and "X-factor," meaning an excitement-inducing component like a unique flavor or an innovative idea. An international panel also reviews contenders through several blind taste tests without knowing each whisky's producer, origin, age, or price.

The magazine ranked Still Austin's five-year Red Corn Bourbon No. 7 on the list with a prestigious score of 94 points. The Red Corn whiskey, which was released in June 2024, has mash bill consisting of 36 percent Jimmy Red corn, 34 percent white corn, 25 percent rye, and 5 percent barley.

According to panelist Shane English, tasting notes start big and bold with cracked pepper, dusty leather, and cocktail cherries, before moving on to a palate of chile pepper, caramel, and buttery cornbread.

"Each sip is electric — the pepper gives this whiskey a zing balanced by poundcake and glazed doughnuts," English said. "Charred oak fades to chocolate, coffee, and pecan pie on the finish."

Still Austin had the only Texas product on the list, which was fitting given the brand's recent boasting that it could match any Kentucky Bourbon. As a game day stunt when the Texas Longhorns played the Kentucky Wildcats in November, Still Austin refilled empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles with its own Cask Strength Bourbon for just $1.

When the brand isn't playfully antagonizing Kentucky fans, its Red Corn Bourbon sells for a retail price of $85 per 750-milliliter bottle, falling nearly in the middle of the price category out of all 20 bourbons on the list, with eight others priced for less.

For additional context, none of the top five bourbons fall under a $100 price tag. In fact, the most expensive bottle on the 2024 list is the Angel's Envy 2023 Cask Strength Port Wine Barrel Finished Bourbon, which ranked No. 12 and retails for $230 per bottle.

"Our top 20 whiskies represent a curated collection that deserves your attention. Each whisky on the list stands out for its superb taste, representing the pinnacle of a year filled with remarkable tastings," said executive editor David Fleming in a release. "This list features whiskies offering exceptional value, leaders in their respective styles, and superbly made expressions that are well worth seeking out."

Whiskey Advocate's 2024 Whiskey of the Year is Laphroaig Elements 2.0 Cask Strength Scotch Single Malt, which earned 95 points and retails for $165 a bottle.

whiskey bourbon distilleries awards lists