Austin Bar, Restaurant & Retail News

[Echostatic]

I drive by that place all the time. Looked at their menu once. Some real odd stuff under the guise of a baked potato, but hats off for the creativity.

[kingkirbythe....]

Thief breaks into Austin's la Barbecue, steals more than 20 briskets

The award-winning restaurant says this is the fifth break-in

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/lo...t-17354035.php

The thief was either supremely hungry for la Barbecue's award-winning meats or did the math and figured that great brisket is — to Central Texans at least — essentially worth its weight in gold. Either way, an unnamed suspect hopped a fence, cut pit locks, and snagged more than 20 whole briskets, loading them into an SUV just after 4 a.m. on Thursday morning, August 4.

The restaurant figures that the suspect stole thousands of dollars worth of brisket in the break-in. Whole briskets go for $180, according to the restaurant's website. The restaurant told KVUE that this is the fifth break-in its had, and is asking anyone with information to contact Austin Police Department.

The barbecue joint was founded in 2012 by LeAnn Mueller after a public falling out with her brother, legendary Central Texas pitmaster John Mueller. Utilizing various food trailers before splitting space with the Quickie Pickie convenience store for a bit, la Barbecue exploded in popularity, signaling a renaissance of sorts of barbecue within city limits.

After multiple locations on East Cesar Chavez Street in East Austin, la Barbecue settled into its current location at 2401 East Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702 in April 2021. The same year, Texas Monthly named la Barbecue as an honorable mention to its Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints list. It's unclear if the thief follows barbecue news or figured that any hunk of beef would do.

[kingkirbythe....]

Austin's top ramen spills out new locations for far north and south Austin

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/r...-lane/#slide=0

Of all the things Austin is miraculously lucky to have, two more Ramen Tatsu-ya locations just popped up at the top of the list. The first location is planned for South Austin, way down South Congress near Slaughter Lane, and expected to open in late summer. The second, set to open later in 2022, is in Lakeline.

The Tatsu-ya restaurant group has been busy in the past few years, opening a hot pot restaurant called DipDipDip Tatsu-ya in 2019 and one of Austin’s most extravagantly fun bars, Tiki Tatsu-ya, in 2021; in March, it even promised an unnamed barbecue restaurant similar to Kemuri Tatsu-ya in the space formerly occupied by Contigo.

Two more of the flagship ramen restaurants, nearly doubling and flanking the existing three Austin locations, were a response to many requests from Austinites to expand. Owner Tatsu Aikawa says the team had “always” wanted to expand north and south. The only other Ramen Tatsu-ya is in Houston.

[kingkirbythe....]

Garbo's moving into Counter Cafe space on North Lamar, expands truck hours

https://www.statesman.com/story/ente...s/65397543007/

Almost two years after the shoebox-sized Counter Cafe closed at 626 N. Lamar Ave., the small building across the street from Bookpeople will have a new tenant in the months ahead.

A second location of Garbo's Fresh Maine Lobster is moving into the space occupied for more than a dozen years by the modern diner. The Garbo's folks also announced this week that its food truck currently parked in the building's empty lot will expand its hours of operation to include Sunday service beginning this week. The truck serves a to-go menu that includes lobster and crab rolls, smoked fish dip, crab salad and lobster grilled cheese from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.

Connecticut native Heidi Garbo started Garbo's as a truck in 2015 before opening her first Austin restaurant off Wells Branch Road. She relocated that restaurant to North Loop 1 in 2020, the same year that Debbie Davis closed the original Counter Cafe and opened another in the former Conan's Pizza space at 603 W. 29th St. in West Campus. That location remains open, as does a Counter Cafe on East Sixth Street.

Garbo's is slated to open in September inside the building on North Lamar Boulevard that also was once home to GM Steakhouse.

[kingkirbythe....]

Austin's cheesiest competition returns to crown the city's best queso

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/r...o-competition/

If you've lived in Austin for longer than five minutes, you've no doubt engaged in that age-old debate: Which Austin restaurant serves the best queso?

Well, in queso you didn't know, there's one way sure fire way to find out. Quesoff, a cherished annual celebration of all things melted cheese, is bringing together the top restaurants, hotels, chefs, home cooks, and more to crown Austin's best queso in four categories: meaty, spicy, veggie, and wild card.

The competition will take place at the Mohawk on Saturday, October 8, from 12 pm to 3 pm. Comprising this year's panel of judges are Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue), Luis 'Beto' Robledo (Cuantos Tacos), Matthew Odam (Austin American-Statesman), Rosa de Lima H (La Santa Barbacha), and Vanessa Fuentes (Austin City Council).

Competing this year are past champions Better Half, Eldorado Cafe, and Cheesus Queso, who will be joined by La Condesa, Trudy's Del Mar, Trudy's Tex Mex, Distant Relatives, Huckleberry, Team Fairmont Austin, Oseyo, Shady Villa Hotel, and many, many more.

DJ uLOVEi will furnish the soundtrack to the day's events, while Franklin Barbecue provides the Quesoff house queso and H-E-B supplies chips for Quesoff attendees. And best of all? Except for event expenses, 100 percent of ticket proceeds benefit the Central Texas Food Bank.

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, August 9 at 10 am on Eventbrite.

[kingkirbythe....]

Elevated Austin cocktail bar throws a heavenly week-long party

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/r...party/#slide=0

Sometimes a birthday just doesn't cut it: Not all your friends can make it on the same night, or you plan a separate celebration with family because there's no guarantee things won't get out of hand at the official party. Or maybe you just deserve to be celebrated all week long, which is likely Higher Ground's reasoning behind its upcoming week-long anniversary event.

Opened in 2021, the elevated cocktail bar in the historic space at 720 Congress Ave. in downtown Austin is unassuming from the outside, but like most things, it's what's on the inside that counts. One step inside transports guests to a space that's part cathedral, part Prohibition drinks lounge, part intimate night club: Quasimodo, Gatsby, and Jennifer Lopez would all feel at home here.

The interior decor was a group effort (Lauren Travis of All Collective, Taylor Clouse of Love Country Designs, and Alexis Williams) with a unified theme of salvaged church artifacts and iconography for a gothic yet playful nod to divine spaces. Downstairs, diners sit on church pews from a decommissioned West Texas church; upstairs, a 19th-century organ finds new life as an LED-lit DJ booth for the bar's best dance parties. Outside, a secret, ivy-covered enclave known as the Sanctuary serves cocktails and al fresco dining in a greenhouse-style atrium.

The ecclesiastic theme carries on in both the food and beverage menu, with Italian-inspired fare from chef Chris Gallucio (Michelin-starred Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Gramercy Tavern) and drinks from mixologist Steven Delgado. Signature cocktails are named after the seven deadly sins ("Pride" really does go before a fall, while absinthe and mezcal are the spiritual roots of "Lust"). Gallucio's small "offerings" feature equally sinful indulgences such as blistered shishito peppers and whipped ricotta bruschetta, while the Higher Burger ($5 on Wednesdays) is good for the soul if not for the heart. Don't skip the delectable drunken apple fritters, either.

[kingkirbythe....]

So sad to see it go. I had so many good times there.


Famed Southwestern restaurant sets closure date for iconic Sixth Street location

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/r...wn-restaurant/

Get ready for a bittersweet margarita toast. Austin-based Southwestern restaurant chain Z’Tejas now has a firm date for closing its original location on West Sixth Street.

Z’Tejas recently came to terms with its Sixth Street landlord on extending that lease until next March. The same month, Z’Tejas plans to debut a location at the 65-acre, mixed-use Dry River District in Kyle.

“We are excited to confirm that we’re able to stay in our historic location on Sixth Street for eight more months to be able to serve the community,” Robby Nethercut, chief operating officer at Z’Tejas, says in a statement.

Z’Tejas revealed in July that its original location at 1110 W. Sixth would shut down sometime between December 31 and March 31. The restaurant chain recently nailed down next March as the time when it’ll leave the iconic Sixth Street spot, which opened in 1989.

The owner of the Z’Tejas property, Larry McGuire of Austin’s McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality, plans to tear down the Z’Tejas structure. It’s unclear what will replace the restaurant.

Z’Tejas plans to relocate to a different site in downtown Austin, but details haven’t been finalized yet. The new Kyle and downtown Austin locations will join the chain’s Avery Ranch restaurant in Northwest Austin, as well as two eateries in the Phoenix area.

Z’Tejas shuttered its Arboretum restaurant last year.

[kingkirbythe....]

Austin's members-only Soho House spins out vinyl bar and Italian restaurant

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/r...ncept/#slide=0

There’s never not something happening at Soho House. The South Congress-based, members-only club opened in summer 2021, offering no shortage of curated programming, poolside parties, and creative gatherings ever since. Now, two of the swanky spot's newest additions are making even stronger case to consider membership: Club Cecconi’s and Dante’s HiFi.

Providing Soho House members and their guests with authentic, Northern Italian dishes, Club Ceconni’s is a new Italian all-day dining restaurant featuring the finest, fresh ingredients and handmade pasta on a regularly rotating menu. Also available at other Soho House outposts in Nashville, Paris, and Brighton Houses, one Cecconi’s is also a public restaurant in NoMad, New York.

[kingkirbythe....]

Smokin' wood-fired pizza chain sizzles into Austin for first Texas location

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/r...g-lake-travis/

The Lake Travis area is set to welcome a new wood-fired pizza franchise to the neighborhood in the coming weeks. Smokin' Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom will open its first Texas location in late August or early September.

The new Austin restaurant and self-pour taproom will be located at 8300 N FM 620, Ste. K200., operated by locals Tiffany and Gary Lauchlan and Tiffany's brother, Ed Juline. Also working with family are: architect Andrea Corn of Nuvu Interiors ATX, general contractor Robert Juarez of DKC Construction Group, and construction manager Ty Estes of ECR.

This will be the Lauchlan family's first Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom, with plans for additional locations in the near future. The longtime Lake Travis residents wanted to enter into franchising and instantly fell in love with Smokin’ Oak, founded in Rochester, Minnesota, in 2009 and franchising since 2017, as a perfect fit for Austin.

[kingkirbythe....]

Food truck Bummer Burrito opens 2nd location on Austin's East Side

The food truck serves up quesaritos, loaded tots, and more

https://www.mysanantonio.com/food/ar...-Editors-Picks

Bummer Burrito, the popular food truck adjacent to Rainey Street's tiny troublemaker Little Brother Bar, has a second location. Tucked behind Hotel Vegas and the Volstead, the East Side outpost of Bummer Burrito is open and now taking walk-up and online orders.

Many of the food truck's favorites are available at the Hotel Vegas location, including bean and cheese; the Bummer Burrito, with refried beans, "shrettuce," pickled onion, cheese, and bummer sauce; and the Frito 'Rito, essentially a vegetarian Frito Pie in a tortilla. All burritos have an option to "quesarito it," which includes an extra layer of queso and a tortilla inside the burrito. There is a vegan option, called The Vegan Situation, a burrito with calabacitas — little squashes — vegan cheese, rice, shrettuce, avocado, and more, plus for the first time, a vegan breakfast burrito with tater tots and tofu scramble.

Sides include jalapeño poppers, loaded tot-chos (queso, shredded cheese, sour cream, shrettuce, and pickled onions over tater tots), and chips and guacamole.

Bummer Burrito is known for experimenting with new, oddball flavors, so be on the lookout for collaborations, new flavors, and more. At a recent metal show held at Little Brother Bar, the food truck served up a hot dog burrito in what appears to be a one-off. The online order form for the Hotel Vegas location lists an item called Gas Station Burritos, listed as "two beef, bean, and cheese burritos deep fried to perfection. Just like Stripes or Shell."

You can find the original Bummer Burrito at 89 Rainey St., Austin, TX 78701. The new location is at 1500B E 6th St., Austin, TX 78702.

[chinchaaa]

Anyone got any tea around the new St Elmo Public Market? It’s looking like we may be approaching an opening date. Street and shrubs are going in and apartments are leasing soon.

[sewaneetigers]

Did I post something about Dirty's? There is a loser on here who wont shut up about a OT Special & Wings

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

Anyone got any tea around the new St Elmo Public Market? It’s looking like we may be approaching an opening date. Street and shrubs are going in and apartments are leasing soon.

Yea I've been wondering what the update is since I live near there.

[kingkirbythe....]

La Barbecue owner and manager indicted on workers' comp fraud charges

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/r...fraud-charges/

The owner and manager of the popular East Austin restaurant La Barbecue have been indicted on workers' compensation fraud charges.

La Barbecue owner LeAnn Mueller and manager Allison Clem, who is also Mueller's wife, have been ordered to appear in Travis County district court in late September, according to the Texas Department of Insurance.

Those charges go back to a 2016 incident when an employee was severely injured while using a piece of kitchen equipment. Both Clem and Mueller found out about the injury that day. Four days later, Clem contacted an insurance company to get workers' compensation coverage, per the Department of Insurance.

That was something the restaurant had been without since November 2014, the Department of Insurance reported.

Clem did not tell the agent about the employee's injuries and asked that the policy be backdated to July 1, 2016, three weeks before the employee was hurt, per an investigation by the Fraud Unit of the Texas Department of Insurance.

[H2O]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

Anyone got any tea around the new St Elmo Public Market? It’s looking like we may be approaching an opening date. Street and shrubs are going in and apartments are leasing soon.

https://austin.eater.com/2022/8/24/2...ignette-status

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by H2O

https://austin.eater.com/2022/8/24/2...ignette-status

Like what is going on? This has taken so long and everyone has pulled out.

[kingkirbythe....]

Austin establishments opening up in SA.



6 Austin-based restaurants to explore in San Antonio including Kerbey Lane, Pluckers and Via 313

https://www.expressnews.com/food/res...o-17399946.php

Austin.

There's no city San Antonians love to hate and hate to love more than the hip and trendy capital of Texas. But the fact is, our neighbors 80 miles to the northeast have made serious inroads to San Antonio's dining scene.

Over the last five years, at least a half-dozen Austin-based restaurants have opened and continue to operate here. In the past month alone, two spots, the Detroit-style pizzeria Via 313 and popular diner Kerbey Lane Cafe, have joined the fray.

Heck, the intersection of Fredericksburg and Wurzbach roads on the city's Northwest Side may as well be redubbed Little Austin, with three brands, Torchy's Tacos, P. Terry’s Burger Stand and Via 313, all sharing the same parking lot.

The Austin incursion is nothing new, with establishments such as The County Line, Chuy's and Thundercloud Subs all having a presence here for about 20 years or more.

If you'd like to strike out on an Austin-inspired tour of restaurants without leaving the Alamo City, here's our guide to six places that have opened since 2018. And if you can't stand the idea of crossing an Austin-born threshold, we've also provided a homegrown alternative for each.






The way to beat SA Express-News blocking without a subscription is to use reader mode. Works with lots of websites. Super easy.

[kingkirbythe....]

El Arroyo, Austin restaurant famous for funny signs, is expanding across Texas

The home of the iconic marquee sign will open multiple locations in the state in the next few years.

https://www.mysanantonio.com/food/ar...P-CP-Spotlight

One of Austin's most famous restaurants is moving its well-known sign far past the city limits—or, at least, a version of that sign. Tex-Mex restaurant El Arroyo plans to open multiple locations in Texas, the first of which in New Braunfels likely at the end of 2023, according to owners Ellis and Paige Winstanley.

El Arroyo has been an Austin staple for decades, mainly because of its humorous, sarcastic, and occasionally earnest marquee sign parked on Fifth Street. You may have spotted it on a trip to the state capital or on social media (or immortalized on greeting cards, postcards, coffee table books, Christmas ornaments or Tiff's Treats boxes). Each day without fail, the sign displays a new message, occasionally commenting on a current event or just offering up some snarky musing. Some recent examples: "If you don't buy her tacos, Pete Davidson will." "Yoga pose of the day: Downward spiral." Or, the serious "You haven't met all the people you'll love yet."

As part of the expansion plans, an El Arroyo location will open at tubing company Rockin' R River Rides in Gruene, underneath the water tower. The Winstanleys bought Rockin' R with a friend last year, and are turning an existing structure on the property into a two-story El Arroyo, with banquet facilities on the first floor and a restaurant on the second. As of this month, Rockin' R is already offering event planning and catering from El Arroyo before the restaurant is completed. They're also already scoping out sites for other locations across Texas, with plans to open "probably six" in the coming years.

[kingkirbythe....]

You can now get Texas French Bread delivered to your home

https://www.statesman.com/story/ente...e/65464265007/

It’s about to get a lot easier to have a Texas French Bread pastry with your morning coffee. The longtime Austin bakery that caught fire in the winter has started producing out of a ghost kitchen and now has more than a dozen baked goods available for delivery from Farmhouse Delivery.

Farmhouse is delivering TFB’s baguettes, raisin-pecan bread, banana nut muffins, blueberry muffins and more. Orders can be placed on the Farmhouse website. TFB, which has been selling a limited selection at the farmers market, is also restarting its wholesale program, so customers can purchase goods at Perky Beans Coffee, Blenders and Bowls, Houndstooth Coffee and more.

Owner Murph Willcott tells the American-Statesman he hopes to have a trailer operation on the site of the bakery’s former garden sometime in October, a little less than a year after a fire caused more than $1 million in damage to the campus-area stalwart.

[Jdawgboy]

The Express News minced no words in that article... I don't understand this negativity of Austin that at the least SA publications have. Even listing alternatives to patronizing Austin based eateries. Joking or not, it's more than evident and it doesn't put SA in a good light. What Austin publication does that to SA? None that I know of.


Okay rant over.