Above: The huitlacoche (corn smut tamales) at Fonda San Miguel are UNBELIEVABLY good. Pair that with 1998 Tondonia Rosado by López de Heredia (at a more than reasonable price) and you’ll see why I love living in Austin, Texas.

Tracie P and I love eating at the bar. We love talking to bartenders and sharing wines with our neighbors.

Lately, our guilty pleasure has been the bar at one of our favorite restaurants in the world: Fonda San Miguel in Austin. Especially because they’ve recently added López de Heredia to their wine list (at more-than reasonable prices, one of the weird anomalies of living in Texas where most wine is more expensive than elsewhere but certain otherwise-unknown-to-Texans wines are sold for less).

Believe me when I tell you that the huitlacoche corn smut tamales alone would be worth the trip to Austin.

Above: To our palate, López de Heredia wines are among the greatest food-friendly wines on the planet. They’re not for everyone (with their highly oxidative style and to-some off-putting nose). To us, they are near perfection in a glass. Paired above with the excellent tortilla soup at Fonda.

Thanks again, bartender James (below) and wine director Brad for keeping those wines in stock! WE LOVE IT!

In other news…

I had a really crummy day yesterday but my Facebook friends and family got me through it with a flood of thoughtful messages. I can’t say how much I appreciate it. THANKS SO MUCH TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT. IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME.

Jason, you know what’s playing on my jukebox today as I type away? Yep, you got it: DOUG SAHM.

I really cannot begin to explain how addicted I’ve become to the music of Doug Sahm. At first listen, the music may seem a little rough around the edges but once you scratch through its surface, you’ll find some real Texas soul and groove (“where the Cosmic Cowgirls play”).

My band The Grapes will be performing his ode to Austin, “Groover’s Paradise,” next Wednesday in La Jolla.