Chronicle readers endowed Launderette with Best New Restaurant honors last year in the annual “Best of Austin” poll, and we are perpetually wowed. Sweet lump crab toast, whole branzino, and burrata with black mission figs all induce audible sighs of bliss, but we’re most impressed by chef Rene Ortiz’s treatment of vegetables – his transformation of humble cauliflower using pickled pear, fresno chiles, and mustard vinaigrette is otherworldly. Laura Sawicki’s desserts are equally a special treat.
This article appears in May 6 • 2016.