Texas Monthly BBQ Fest Recap; The Olivia Connection; Ramen Tatsu-Ya's Mom

ZOMB BBQ — The Texas Monthly Barbecue Festival was this weekend, and Zagat has a brief roundup of the delights from central Texas's other premiere meat festival. Ribs, brisket, and pitmasters abound. [Zagat]

SOUTH LAMAR — CultureMap takes a look at the Austin chefs who have passed through Olivia's kitchen on the occasion of the restaurant's five year anniversary. Andrew Wiseheart of Contigo, Sarah McIntosh of Epicerie, and Andrew Francisco of Mettle are all alums. In addition, longtime service industry vet Jerry Reid helped Holmes open the restaurant, and Reid is now on board for the forthcoming A-OK Chinese.

FAR NORTH — Edible Austin profiles Ramen Tatsu-Ya's Tatsu Aikawa while he makes a tofu salad for his mother, Makiko. His mother says when the brothers were growing up in Tokyo, "I worked fourteen hours, too, raising him and his brother, cooking for them. I made homemade udon, homemade bread?I was living in the kitchen." In other words, food runs in the family. [Edible Austin]