Mother’s Cafe & Garden Credit: Photo By John Anderson
Mother’s Cafe & Garden (4215 Duval St., 451-3994) co-owner Cameron Alexander spent last Thursday and Friday in a makeshift structure outside the badly burned restaurant, dealing with insurance adjusters, cleanup crews, and a steady stream of friends, neighbors, and customers who came by in concern. “The show of support is really heartwarming, and we appreciate it so much,” Alexander told me last week. Although the serious fire destroyed the popular garden dining area and there is extensive heat and smoke damage to the indoor dining room, the restaurant’s kitchen and offices survived unscathed. Alexander and his partners hope to have the kitchen up and running again soon; one idea has them selling takeout food via delivery, and another plan calls for tented dining in the parking lot. Either way, they definitely plan for Mother’s to rise from the ashes, and we’ll keep you posted with developments. When asked to share the most important lesson he’s learned from this experience with fellow restaurant owners, Alexander quickly replied, “Read the fine print and any addendums to your policy regarding fire coverage, especially the difference between replacement value and actual cash value.” Considering how many restaurant fires we’ve already seen since the first of the year, that sounds like very good advice…
The rumors are true: Aster’s Ethiopian (2804 N. I-35, 469-5966) is back in business! Longtime fans of her delicious cuisine had seen a banner on the cinder-block building at the corner of Dean Keeton and the southbound freeway access road and e-mailed us with inquiries. We’re happy to report that when we spoke to Aster last week, she was anticipating her final health-department inspection in a matter of days and expected to be serving this week, just in time for South by Southwest…
To the reader who inquired about the abrupt closing of the Schlotzsky’s outlet in the Littlefield Building at Sixth and Congress: The public-information director in their corporate office explained that their lease was up, and they were not able to negotiate what they considered to be an affordable rent for the space. All of the employees of that location were absorbed into other Schlotzsky’s outlets around town, however…
If you’re curious about what chef David Garrido has been up to since going to work for the Comida Deluxe outfit, just check out the new 8-ounce USDA Prime burger on the menu at Shady Grove (1624 Barton Springs Rd., 474-9991). The $9.95 specialty is flying out the door, as are the tasty new brisket tacos. We also hear the Alamo Drafthouse folks would love to have the popular Garrido as a competitor in their next Iron Chef competition movie event…
While the lineup of national chain restaurants at the elegant new Domain shopping center might be impressive, I’ll have to say the new business there that interests me most has to be Sur la Table (11410 Century Oaks Terrace, 833-6905). The Seattle-based cookware retailer has nearly 5,000 square feet of quality merchandise in their new store; contemplating all those goodies has me positively giddy with excitement!…
Kim and Vera Gilbert Credit: Photo By John Anderson
I spent part of last Sunday afternoon at Dolce Vita (4222 Duval St., 323-2686) at the launch party for a new dessert business called Vera’s Pies (877/841-7247, www.whosvera.com). Owner Kim Gilbert grew up making pies with her grandmother and decided to name her new business venture in Vera’s honor. Currently, Gilbert is leasing kitchen space in the Dolce Vita kitchen to prepare her pies, which will be available to the public via pickup or delivery and to restaurants and coffee shops through wholesale sales. The product line now includes four deep-dish, 9-inch meringue pies – coconut cream, lemon, pineapple cream, and chocolate – for $15 each. Gilbert plans to add a new pie to the menu every month and eventually hopes to have her own storefront… The owners of the Dream Bakery (9422 Anderson Mill Rd., 219-1235) invite you to celebrate the Persian New Year, March 21, with authentic Persian foods and pastries from their shop. After a successful career in scientific research, owner Azar Owlia finally realized her dream of opening a bakery a year and a half ago here in Austin. The charming shop has an international ambience and offers both European and Middle Eastern pastries, cakes, pies, kolaches, and box lunches. Dream Bakery is open from 7am to 6pm weekdays and 8am to 6pm on Saturday.
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