Bowled over with bread, lately, but still missing those soupy bread bowls at
Gourmands? Hang on, citizen – the patio of that bastion of culinary goodness is now open for
private party reservations, even while takeout and delivery continues. And
the same situation is true of Downtown's popular and vodka-friendly
Russian House, even though they're still refusing (no matter how often we nag them) to name any menu item "Ballroom Blintz."Meanwhile, on West Sixth, the
Key Bar welcomes
a six-month pop-up from the Eastside's agave-mongering
La Holly – featuring more tequila, mezcal, et cetera than you can shake a succulent at – accompanied by those Mexico City-inflected noms from the
Taco Flats food truck.And, no, the apple-forward savants of
Eastciders aren't abandoning
their elegant Collaboratory tap room on Springdale; but they're currently revamping the former
Uncle Billy's Smokehouse on Barton Springs Road, turning the joint into
Austin Eastciders BS – replete with wine, cocktails, coffees, limited-edition small-batch ciders (
fermented on-site, no less), and a full menu of noms. (It's maybe because we have a bit of a foodie crush on
chef Page Pressley that we feel compelled to mention:
He's the man behind the new menu that'll feature cider-brined cured meats, pizzas, sandwiches, and salads.): Hey, you a
Nutella fan? You know – that chocolatey hazelnut spread that's really popular in Europe? It's kind of like peanut butter, but it's made with, well,
hazelnuts instead? Then you'll be stoked to know that
Dolce Neve, those celebrated purveyors of traditional Italian gelato, have begun making and selling a jarred hazelnut spread. Yeah: An
artisanal Nutella sort of treat! And now it's available at
Sour Duck Market, too.: Also, the popular
Uncle Nicky's and
Juniper restaurants? They're among the Austin venues (see also
El Alma,
LORO, and more) giving that 50% capacity thing a go, and we'll be watching to see how that turns out.