Here’s some of what’s happening in Austin’s culinary scene, as wrangled from numerous PR releases, words on the digital street, and even the occasional (verified) IRL eavesdroppings.
Yes, citizen, it’s your Food News Buffet for the second week in October, Year Two of This Lousy Plague …
So, the community-enriching Austin Restaurant Weeks deals are almost over, and Tiki Tatsu-ya has finally opened, ACL is selling noms and bevs like gangbusters, and, alright, what else have we got?
Oh! Canje is open, too! The new restaurant from Emmer & Rye Hospitality – the 100-seat dining room with a kitchen helmed by Tavel Bristol-Joseph (one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2020) – the Caribbean-focused eatery that will explore the cooking techniques, ingredients, and expressions of food from Jamaica to Puerto Rico – is now ready to serve you, seven days a week, at 1914 E. Sixth …
Home, sometimes, is where the food grows. The vodka-fueled philanthropists of Love, Tito’s Block to Block have teamed up with the Austin Parks Foundation for their new Austin project (part of a larger national program spanning 28 cities). These folks are dedicated to maintaining and improving Austin’s parks, trails, and green spaces – and, on Wed., Oct. 13, they’ll be making significant enhancements to both the Heartwood Community Garden in South Austin and the North Austin YMCA Community Garden …
You know South Austin’s Far Out Lounge – where the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival recently went down – continues to rock the live-music scene and support an array of food truck options around & about their popular premises, right? It’s true – but be aware that the chicken-centric Fowl Mouth truck has closed …
We also note, with much greater sadness, the death of Jeffrey Weinberger, founder of Austin’s iconic Jeffrey’s Restaurant. The man responsible for so much dining pleasure in this city – including Clarksville Café, Tortugas, Wiley’s, Shoreline Grill, and Cipollina – passed away on Sept. 22, at the age of 74 …
Meanwhile Brewing Co.’s got a wild plethora of stuff going on in October, because it’s their first anniversary, like featuring live music from badass locals and superloading their tap wall of beer with new releases and crowd favorites, so you’ll want to check that action out. But what really snagged our palate’s eye is this: One of Meanwhile’s several resident food trucks? Bésame? They’ve concocted something called My Jam: It’s a pretzel-milk-infused ice cream swirled with fresh strawberry jam, and it’ll be available on their new seasonal menu, starting Oct. 14 …
Bento Picnic on East Cesar Chavez, already rocking the specialty wines via their Saba San’s program, has rolled out a variety of new sake offerings – including options by the glass and the carafe, flights, and even a private, guided sake tasting experience on their lovely patio …
The quadrumvirate of viticulture behind Texas Fine Wine – Bending Branch Winery (in Comfort), Duchman Family Winery (in Driftwood), Pedernales Cellars (in Stonewall) and Spicewood Vineyards (in guess where) – are offering a virtual Wine Talk & Tasting (Thu., Oct. 7, 6-7pm), to let you know what’s up with the 2021 harvest and the Texas wine industry in general …
The Garrison Brothers out in Hye have released their most sought after, limited-edition Cowboy Bourbon for 2021: An uncut, unfiltered 131.3 proof spirit from barrels hand-selected by the company’s master distiller Donnis Todd. Note: Each bottle comes packaged in a custom-built solid wood gift box lined with a satin pillow and a weighty medallion emblazoned with the release year around the bottle’s neck. Yeah, you won’t need to get a second mortgage or anything, hoss, but one of these elixir’d vessels will definitely ding your budget …
The Blanco-based Milam & Greene Whiskey distillery has released its own limited-edition sippable: Distillery Edition Batch 2 Straight Bourbon Whiskey, pot-distilled, by master distiller Marlene Holmes, in a 300-gallon copper still. Why so good, so powerful? It’s non-chill filtered and bottled at barrel proof …
In advance of our next Booze You Can Use round-up, let’s just mention that the one-man (!) distilling operation known as A.W. Craft Distillery has released Georgetown Gin, and – good heavens, it’s nice to have a decent representation of imbibable spirits coming from north of the city for a change, isn’t it? What could possibly be next, we wonder. Some kind of, like, Pflugerville Pfalernum?
Also, have you been to Aviary yet? That wine-forward, farm-to-table eatery across the street from Loro, at 2110 S. Lamar? We’ll tell you more, later, but … wow, y’know? Place like that, food like that, it only intensifies our growing South Lamar addiction …
Now eat as well as you can, tip like it’s going out of style, and watch out for those lingering ‘ronas.
This article appears in October 8 • 2021 and October 1 • 2021.