A new blueprint

Anticipated Japanese restaurant finally opening in downtown Austin

One of Austin’s long-awaited new restaurants is finally opening. Japanese eatery TenTen, which first announced in April 2018, makes its debut January 13 in the newly refurbished Miller Blueprint building at 501 W. Sixth St.

According to a release, the concept comes from a team of longtime restaurateurs, including Nova Hospitality founder Jack Zimmerman and Philippe Moullet, a vet of the international Zuma/Roka Restaurant Group. Pat and Sara Lee, the husband-and-wife team behind popular local chain PhoNatic, also partnered on the project.

The kitchen is being helmed by executive chef Jon Oh, whose resume includes stints under culinary heavyweights Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Marcus Samuelsson, and Geoffrey Zakarian. Executive sushi chef Yasuo Fujimori and executive sous chef Harvard Aninya round out the team.

Diners can expect a variety of shareable plates focused on sushi and robota, a Japanese cooking method similar to barbecue in which food is cooked over charcoal. The technique will lend smoky depth to offerings like mushrooms in wafu dressing, bronzino with ginger and cucumber, black cod with miso and yuzu, and teriyaki pork ribs with pecan and chili.

The sushi menu boasts maki like spicy tuna with serrano peppers, hamachi with jalapeño and cilantro, and king crab with Fuji apple and avocado. The nigiri includes such decadent options as A5 Wagyu with sweet soy and scallion, salmon toro with tomato and red caviar, and hamachi belly with chili ponzu.

The ingredient forward approach of the cuisine extends to the beverage program, where the team updated classic cocktails with Japanese flavors. Wasabi adds bite to a Caipirinha made with rum, honey, apple, and pineapple while a delicate spritzer keeps the octane low with Cocchi Americano aperitif, jasmine tea tonic, and peach purée.

In addition to the boozier selections, the bar also carries a curated wine list and an extensive sake collection featuring sought-after pours like Tozai “Snow Maiden,” Fukucho “Moon on the Water,” and Kuboto Senju “1000 Long Lives.”

Los Vegas-based designer Lisa Escobar outfitted the minimal space with plenty of texture. Curved banquettes and a lighting system from Austin-based Ketra gives movement to the main dining room while art by Ysabel Lemay — known for her dreamy floral photography — adds a touch of color.

Starting January 13, TenTen will be open daily. Hours are 4:30-10 pm, Sunday through Thursday and 4:30-11 pm, Friday and Saturday with extended bar hours for drinks only.

Curved banquettes give movement to TenTen's dining room.

Photo by Letitia Smith

Curved banquettes give movement to TenTen's dining room.

downtown openings

Bill's Oyster team to debut new Southwestern bar and grill in Austin

Teddy's Texas Red Chili with Bone Marrow

Photo courtesy of Teddy's

Teddy's will bring Southwestern flavors to Tarrytown, like this Texas Red Chili with Bone marrow.

From the team who brought us Bill's Oyster comes a new restaurant called Teddy's Restaurant & Bar. This Southwestern-inspired bar and grill is set to open in east Tarrytown in November. Both its design and menu will celebrate the Southwest; inside, this 80-seat restaurant will be a mix of dark woods and copper, and outside will be an enclosed, temperature-controlled patio for year-round use.

Dishes will blend the unique flavors of Texas and Mexico, with a heavy dash of the Southwest. Some menu items that already have mouths watering include filet mignon with chile relleno, Parker House rolls with cinnamon ancho butter, and blue crab tostadas.Of course, there will also be a full bar for regular happy hours, serving up craft cocktails, martinis, a curated wine list, and frozen drinks.

"The inspiration for doing a Southwestern menu came from my love of Texas and its melting pot of cultures and cuisines," says Teddy's owner Daniel Berg. "When I first moved to Houston from New York City in 2017, I was naive to all that Texas' food scene had to offer beyond Tex-Mex or BBQ. My first real exposure to Southwestern cuisine was in Houston where I worked alongside James Beard award-winning Chef Robert Del Grande, who is considered one of the godfathers of Southwestern cooking."

Berg is referring to a project between Del Grande and Berg's brother Ben Berg, who worked together to spruce up and reopen Houston's Annie Cafe & Bar. Daniel Berg worked with Del Grande on establishing the new menu, exposing the relative Texas newcomer to a much deeper pool of knowledge about the region's cuisine. He says Teddy's will focus on Mexican, German, and Czech traditions' influences on Texas cooking.

A crab tostada and Lone Starr Martini at Teddy's.Photo courtesy of Teddy's

Operating partner Dylan Salisbury adds he's "excited" for the opening, because "while Austin has an abundance of incredible Mexican cuisine, the bold and unique flavors of Southwestern food are somewhat underrepresented."

"I believe this concept will not only bring something fresh and exciting to the city but also challenge our team to do the food justice," he says.

The entire team behind this Southwestern style restaurant are veritable A-listers in the restaurant world. Before teaming up here in Austin, both Berg and Salisbury ran a slew of successful restaurants. Berg (a talented chef, himself) started out in New York, working under James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini. He opened several restaurants with Carmellini, and eventually opened his own restaurants in both New York and Houston before coming to Austin.

Salisbury has helped to open over 20 restaurants over the years, from Texas to New Orleans, including Austin's beloved Tiki Tatsu-Ya.

In 2023, Daniel Berg and Dylan Salisbury teamed up to create Bill's Oyster on Third Street; CultureMap has included it in multiple lists since then, including the best seafood snacks in town and the fan-voted Best New Restaurants category of the 2024 Tastemaker Awards, which also had to make it past a panel of past winners.

Aside from the delicious seafood (especially the raw bar), Bill's Oyster includes a beautifully designed interior. Austinites can only imagine that these two will deliver once again on that front.

"I worked with local architecture and design firm Steinbomer," says Berg. "My task for them was to create a small bar [and] restaurant that guests would dream of wandering into in the Hill Country. Think 'Fredericksburg': nothing pretentious but warm dark woods, patinaed brass, and maybe even some longhorns. ... It’s the kind of place you can bring your kids early and not worry about them running around, but also perfect for date night and casual enough to sit at the brass inlay bar and watch a game."

Let's not forget the man behind the menu. Teddy's executive chef is Rene Garza, formerly of local heavyweights Uptown Sports Club, Este, and Suerte. Garza started his cooking career early, working in various hotels and restaurants in the San Antonio area. In 2015, he moved to Austin and landed a job at Uchiko; since then, he has helped open James Beard Award-nominated Suerte and worked his way up to chef de cuisine.

In 2021, he helped open Suerte's sister restaurant, Este, and in 2023, he opened New Orleans-inspired restaurant and bar Uptown Sports Club. At Teddy's, his dishes will "celebrate the unique flavors of Texas, blending the bold and rich influences of Mexican cuisine with a modern Southwestern twist," according to a press release.

Teddy's is located at 1601 W. 38th St., Suite 1. It will be open daily for dinner only, to start, with breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunches on the way. More information is available at teddysaustin.com.

openings seafood dinner