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 of August.
Skull & Cakebones returns! Well, sort of? Yauss Berenji and Sascha Biesi’s acclaimed vegan bakery, long shuttered and sorely missed, is back on the scene with a private dining experience they’re calling High Tea: A delicious four-course dinner, carefully curated “to explore the hemp plant from leaf to cannabinoids, balancing both psychoactive and non-psychoactive properties.” And the first of these weedy wonderments will take place in the Yard at St. Elmo (440 E. St. Elmo) on Sun., Aug. 27, at (of course) 4:20pm…
Lee’s Kitchen + Cocktails out in West Lake Hills (701 Capital of Texas Hwy. S.) – a family-owned-and-operated restaurant focusing on Asian cuisine – is hosting a grand opening party on, what a coincidence, Sun., Aug. 27, 3-5:30pm. Yes, Lee’s has been open since April, but now comes the time for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a lion dance, with guests enjoying small bites from the menu, gratis, along with a full slate of family-friendly activities…
Austin Proper (600 W. Second), that Downtown luxury hotel, is making variations of their fifth-floor La Piscina menu available at the venue’s street-level grab-and-go space for a limited time only: Aug. 14-23, 11am-8pm. We’re talkin’ about Gulf snapper, lobster tostada crudo, rotisserie chicken tinga, and other such Texas-inflected delights – any of which you can snag as you’re walking from whatever gung ho biz meeting’s got you amped up with the hungries…
Juliet Italian Kitchen (1500 Barton Springs Rd. and 10000 Research), already a standout in a town blessed with the Italian goodness of L’Oca d’Oro and Intero and Mandola’s and Patrizi’s and Il Brutto and more, has added new items to their menu – including wild boar ravioli, lamb ragù on pappardelle, clams casino, and other delicacies. But let’s also note their upcoming wine dinner series that’ll feature unique chef-driven food and wine pairings, kicking off with a “Seaside & Mountain” feast at the Arboretum location on Wed., Aug. 16…
Let’s see – what else, what else? The Yard at St. Elmo levels up the goodness with a citrus-themed Walkabout on Sat., Aug. 12… 1417 French Bistro (1417 S. First) is doing a collab with Chicago’s Moody Tongue brewery for a Beer Dinner Pairing on Tue., Aug. 15… Geraldine’s and the Hotel Van Zandt (605 Davis St.) is bringing in Brooklyn’s own chef Sammy D on Wed., Aug. 16, to chef up a night of elevated comfort food like you’ve never imagined… L’Oca d’Oro’s longtime sous chef Karl Self is throwing a Bollito Misto party on Mon., Aug. 28, at 6pm, featuring a traditional boil like those served in Northern Italy alongside the broth, fresh baked bread, and several traditional condiments, and seating will be at one long table for sharing and partying… Devil May Care (500 W. Sixth) is teaming up with Bill’s Oyster Bar to host an Oyster Social on Tue., Aug. 22, 5:30-8:30pm (and Aug. 29 and Sept. 5), which boasts a bespoke menu of specialty cocktails; an unlimited raw bar featuring fresh oysters, clams, and shrimp; a condiment station of more spices and sauces than you can dream of; and passed bites of hand-cut steak tartare, falafel hush puppies, scallop ceviche, fried oysters, and more… it’s almost back-to-school time, and Kerbey Lane Cafe is featuring an appropriate special: Kids younger than 12 eat free (with the purchase of an adult entrée), Aug. 14-25… and the Chronicle‘s Taylor Tobin tells us about an East Austin shop of oenophiles that focuses on wines from South Africa…
WUXTRY! We hear that Idlewild, the full-service takeaway coffee bar that started in the No-Comply Skateshop back before the ’ronas came to town, has moved into the SXSW Center building (1400 Lavaca) and will be opening for business, stocked with all the tasty caffeine and carbs necessary to fuel your get-’er-done dreams, sometime in the fall of this year…
Now eat as well as you can, tip like it’s going out of style, and go where you need to be.
This article appears in August 11 • 2023 and August 4 • 2023.