Competition Results; Drinking With Chefs

COMPETITIONWIRE— At the eighth annual TEXSOM conference, Uchi sommelier David Keck placed second in the Texas' Best Sommelier competition on Monday, losing to Ryan Tedder of Dallas' FT33 Restaurant. The three part exam covers service, blind tasting and theory. Keck takes home a $1,500 scholarship from the Guild of Sommeliers Education Foundation that he can use to study for Master Sommelier certification. Meanwhile, in Houston, Lindsay Heffron of Double Trouble won the local round of the Bombay Saphire/United States Bartenders' Guild "Most Inspired Bartender" Competition. Heffron's Salaam Bombay cocktail earns her a trip to Vegas where she'll compete for the national title. [Eaterwire]

MIDTOWN— Speaking of Double Trouble, former Anvil bartender Chris Frankel will host a series of chefs as guest bartenders there every Monday in September. Frankel emphasizes that the chefs won't be cooking, but the event, which he has dubbed "Drink with the Chefs," will result in interesting collaborations. The roster includes Grant Gordon from Tony's, Pappas R&D chef Justin Bayse, Plonk's Erin Smith and the Clark Cooper Concepts tandem of Coppa's Brandi Key and Brasserie 19's Amanda McGraw. [Eaterwire]

SPRING— The local output of Bikinis Sports Bar and Grill will participate in an effort to feed the homeless this Thanksgiving by collaborating with Operation Turkey, which is a Texas based charity that's been helping the homeless for more than 10 years. Last year, Bikinis served meals to 4,700 people, and they're aiming to hit 10,000 this year. Anyone interested in volunteering for the effort can register with the Operation Turkey website. [Eaterwire]

Lindsay Heffron wins! [Photo Courtesy of Bombay Saphire]