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 final week of July.
It’s Free Cheese Week at Antonelli’s (4220 Duval St.), omg! That’s right, the first 50 people in line at the local cheesemonger’s each day (through July 30) will get a free piece of cheese. And, if you’re at all familiar with the amazing array of turophilic delights this renowned retailer purveys, then – what? Oh, what time, you say? Antonelli’s Cheese Shop opens at 11am daily. You’re welcome…
Chef Lorin Peters of Cookie Rich fame has taken over Tarrytown’s old Fleet Coffee space to launch her company’s new savory concept, Goldy’s (2401 Winsted), featuring locally sourced ingredients – mmm, baby, check that Texas French Bread focaccia hugging the roasted chicken panini – in a menu that spans breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all served up in a family-friendly atmosphere. Bonus: Peters is moving her Cookie Rich business right next door, to Littlefield’s, bringing the West Austin neighborhood a double dose of sweet and savory goodness…
The local owners of Gabriela’s Group (who’ve previously brought us Gabrielas, Taquero Mucho, Revival Coffee, Seareinas, and more) are opening a new nightclub. Mala Fama (422 E. Sixth) will open for a sneak peek on Fri., July 28, 17 9pm, transforming the former Buckshot shot bar into a “three-story, multiconcept Latin music paradise.” The venue is 8,000-plus square feet inside, with another 3,000-plus square footage on the outdoor rooftop, and will be open Thu.-Sun., 9pm-2am…
Speaking of things that have to do with booze, look: Whiskey distillers Milam & Greene have just released their latest potent expression, Rattlesnake Single Barrel Bourbon… and the superlative whiskey masters of Garrison Brothers have debuted their oldest and rarest spirit: Laguna Madre, a bourbon aged four years in white American oak barrels and another four years in Limousin oak casks…
Diner Bar and the Grey Market in the lobby of the Thompson Hotel (506 San Jacinto) are launching the Austin Family Kitchen dinner series this August and September, featuring chefs Mashama Bailey and Kristine Kittrell in collaboration with Stephanie Wyatt (Jeffrey’s), Philip Speer (Comedor), Todd Duplechan (Lenoir and Vixen’s Wedding), Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel (Birdie’s), Sarah Heard (Foreign & Domestic), and Alex Manley (Swedish Hill). Yeah, we’re excited, too: What a stunning slate of team-ups! (And, hey, did we say Vixen’s Wedding? Last time we were in that bastion of Goan-inspired food, we had the best new cocktail we’ve enjoyed in years: the Chai Old Fashioned. How good was it? Good enough to match the primo deliciousness of the acclaimed kitchen’s best entrées, that’s how good it was)…
Not to keep heaping even more Duplechan on your plate, but, listen: On Monday, July 31, Lenoir (1807 S. First) will kick off new Monday hours by officially adding a cheeseburger to the menu. Yes, but it’s a “secret,” see; it’s not, like, listed? So you’ll be able to get that new smash-burger with cheese, jalapeño relish, shredded lettuce, and special sauce and a side of fries for $12 all night that night, available only by request…
And if you’re anywhere along South First and hungering for some of the finest vegan fare in the city? You know, of course, that Bouldin Creek Cafe is your culinary huckleberry – and it’s old-school Austin AF, besides…
Let’s see – what else, what else? You can beat the Texas heat in spirited style as Evan Rodriguez rounds up “Austin’s Essential Frozen Cocktails”… and/or rally ’round the cee-ment pond with such delicious bevvies, as Food Editor Melanie Haupt champions “Five Austin Hotel Pool Happy Hours to Cool Your Heels” (including your current reporter’s personal fave, the excellent Wax Myrtle’s rooftop oasis)… and salute Counter Culture’s 14th anniversary at owner/DJ Sue Davis’ birthday bash on July 27… experience the first-ever plated dinner from Bat City Pies on July 28… elegantly devour the chef’d up surf-and-turf at Supper Friends’ Midsummer Night’s Dream Supper this weekend… and don’t miss those live, in-person Stories About Comfort Food from Color Arc Productions on July 29…
WUXTRY! Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden (79 Rainey) will be celebrating their 11th anniversary on Sat., Aug. 5, 11am-11pm, with a plethora of food specials and mafficking and so on. And we’re sure the noms will be doubleplusgood, citizen, but what’s got us as excited as Eric Puga is the debut of Banger’s four exclusive beer collaborations with Pinthouse, St. Elmo, Southern Heights, and Zilker Brewing, all ready to cool you off in the midst of this long, hot summer…
Now eat as well as you can, tip like it’s going out of style, and remember that it costs nothing to be kind.
This article appears in July 28 • 2023 and July 21 • 2023.