SWEET SUITE

2 prime Austin locations strike gold with new luxury short-term rentals

In a time when staying home is the norm and social distancing is a must, short-term luxury rentals provide a hotel-like experience without the hotel — and without the need for in-person contact.

New York-based Mint House, billed as an Airbnb-style hospitality concept targeted mainly at business travelers, has opened its first Austin location at The Hatchery, the massive “urban village” being erected on the east side just north of Lady Bird Lake.

Mint House is also planning to open a second Austin location on South Congress Avenue this spring, according to a release.

Essentially providing short-term, apartment-style living without the long-term lease, Mint House operates out of existing multifamily buildings and offers an assortment of amenities, from mobile check-in and check-out to keyless entry, a 24-hour concierge, pre-stocked groceries in the in-suite kitchens, smart TVs with streaming services, and all the high-speed Wi-Fi any technophile could ever need.

Mint House The Hatchery, which opened December 20, 2020 at 49 Navasota St., includes 30 units — standard to deluxe — with short-term and extended-stay options. The project is the newest to open at The Hatchery, a mixed-use development that will feature hundreds of apartments, as well as restaurants, retailers, and a public park, alongside the new home of local classical-music radio station KMFA and a renovated Rebekah Baines Johnson Center independent living community for seniors and people with disabilities.

Founded in 2017, Mint House currently boasts more than 500 units in 10 downtown locations in the U.S., and has plans to expand to 50 cities throughout the world by 2025. Those expansion plans include adding units at another location in Austin, The Muse at SoCo, located at 1007 S. Congress Ave. near East Riverside Drive, scheduled to open March 1. Mint House also plans to move into other Texas markets with its short-term luxe rentals, including Houston and Dallas.

Mint House opens its first luxury short-term rentals spot on the east side at The Hatchery.

Courtesy of Mint House

Mint House opens its first luxury short-term rentals spot on the east side at The Hatchery.

hotels downtown openings luxury east-austin

FC you at the bar

8 hot spots to cheer on Austin FC in the Western Conference Final this weekend

Courtesy of Austin FC

Away games are no match for Austinites, who have plenty of bars to gather at and cheer on the team.

Good news for this part of Texas: Austin FC prevailed against FC Dallas in the 2022 Western Conference Semifinal, which means they’re off to the Western Conferene Final on Sunday, October 30. Sad news for this part of Texas: the team is traveling to Los Angeles to do it. Still, away games are no match for Austinites, who have plenty of bars to gather at and cheer on the team.

Most Austinites likely already have a favorite bar — and who are we to tell you to go anywhere else? — but these eight venues are great places to branch out. These are fun, inclusive places to get deals, spice up the home couch routine, and hang out with non-soccer-loving friends and partners who are doing their best.

Austin FC maintains a list of official bar partners, who have committed to being official viewing locations throughout the season. Half of this list are bar partners. Check the list to see which bars in your neighborhood have committed, but keep in mind that these are all long-term partners, and may not plan anything specific for this game.

Live Oak Park (official watch party)
Not that there will be any penalties for going to another bar (offsides?), but this is the official watch party as declared by Austin FC. It promises the “biggest Watch Party in Austin FC history,” right at Q2 Stadium in Live Oak Park. Attendees who have beat the rest of the crowds (there’s limited space) will get special drink prices, a shot at playoff merch, and a chance to win a poster giveaway. RSVP on the Austin FC app.

Hopsquad Brewing Company
Hopsquad Brewing Company has been following the playoffs weekly, and is ready for the next with $5 beers all day. The brewer is selling its own jerseys and shirts — day-of sales get a free six-pack and a free pint, respectively. Peña Madridista Austin (the local Real Madrid supporters club) will be watching their game just before the AFC game, so it’s a soccer-heavy day for everyone. Things kick off at 10 am.

Little Woodrow’s
Little Woodrow’s, one of the local favorite equalizers for sports fans and revelers just looking for a good atmosphere, is one of the easiest places to catch a game. Each of the six locations is a little different, but the old hole-in-the-wall vibes are always perfect. If Austin FC scores three goals, patrons get $3 Michelob Ultra drafts.

B. D. Riley’s Irish Pub
Green supports green, and B. D. Riley’s Irish Pub is one of Austin FC’s loudest supporters throughout the season, advertising every game on social media. If this is your home bar it’s a no-brainer, but non-neighbors looking for a little more team spirit should stop by this bar partner (and get there early in hopes that space doesn’t run out).

Warehouse Billiard Bar
Yes, it’d be great to get the whole gang involved in the game, but if you always have some folks looking a little left out, a game of pool is a great way to make sure everyone’s having a good time. Plus, tables are always half off on Sundays. Patrons can also play foosball, darts, and other old fashioned arcade games, while enjoying frozen drinks.

Haymaker
One official bar partner, Haymaker, hosts frequent viewing events for many teams, and rarely misses an opportunity to turn something into a party. This bar is known for its sandwiches and poutine, which far outpace most standard bar food. Sundays mean $4 mimosas, sangria, and bloody marys, and there are plenty of craft and natural beers to choose from.

Austin Eastciders
Another official bar partner, Austin Eastciders brings a sweeter option than your typical game day brew. In fact, since last February, these are the official cider for the football club. The Barton Springs location will be serving its regular Sunday brunch until an hour into the game (3 pm), so it’s a great way to settle in before moving to the bar or patio for the long haul.

Bouldin Acres
For something more like tailgating vibes, visit the lawn at Bouldin Acres. This laid-back bar partner has lots of backyard seating, two pickleball courts, and is pet-friendly. There are also food trucks-on site, lawn games, and pretty much everything you’d need to entertain anyone tagging along for a fun outdoor day.

drinks beers cocktails lunch brunch sports

Movie Review

Real-world events make the message of Call Jane all the more relevant

Photo by Wilson Webb / courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Elizabeth Banks in Call Jane

The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court has sent shockwaves through much of American society, including Hollywood. For years since the initial 1973 decision legalizing abortion, the issue has remained a part of many stories in movies and on TV, especially as conservative states started to enact more and more restrictions on when and where a woman could get the procedure.

When the cast and crew of Call Jane started making their film in 2021, they likely thought they were just showing an interesting chapter in history and underscoring the importance of a woman’s right to choose. Instead, they find themselves inadvertently smack dab in the renewed debate over abortion, and perhaps demonstrating that history is repeating itself.

Photo by Wilson Webb / courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Elizabeth Banks in Call Jane

The film is a fictional story about Joy (Elizabeth Banks), a middle-class woman in 1968 Chicago who has a husband, Will (Chris Messina), and a teenage daughter, Charlotte (Grace Edwards). She’s also pregnant, but she has a heart condition that necessitates terminating the pregnancy to save her life. When the (all-male) board at her local hospital denies her request for an emergency abortion, she starts searching out other options.

After being advised of a number of poor-to-terrible choices, she finds a flier with a message to “Call Jane” if you’re pregnant and anxious. That leads her to a relatively safe place to get the procedure done illegally, one organized by a group of activist women headed by Virginia (Sigourney Weaver). Soon, Joy finds herself drawn into being part of the group, a role that becomes increasingly larger the more she learns about the women who need its services.

Directed by Phyllis Nagy and written by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi, the film is a surface-level examination of the abortion issue, but still an effective one. The shocking initial choices Joy faces – convincing psychiatrists that she is suicidal or “accidentally” falling down a staircase to induce a miscarriage – are now ones that may be a reality again for many women, giving the film even more heft than it already had.

The film is at its best when Joy is with the organizing group, as it depicts a diverse group of women – including a nun! – who are all there for one purpose: To help other women. The group has its disagreements, like what type of women should get priority treatment, but the dedication as a whole to the larger cause has a hopeful vibe despite the obstacles they collectively face.

The story falters a bit when it focuses on Joy’s home life. She explains her time away from home as her taking art classes, an excuse that’s laughable given the hours she spends with the group. The filmmakers try to create drama with Will complaining about the lack of home-cooked meals, Charlotte always on the verge of discovering her mom’s secret, and their neighbor Lana (Kate Mara) paying a bit too much attention to Will, but none of it lands compared with the main story.

Banks has tended to be a comedic actor in her 20+ year career, so it takes a bit of time to accept her as the buttoned-down character she’s supposed to be. But once Joy joins the group, Banks’ performance blossoms, especially in scenes with Weaver. Weaver is a grounding force for the film as a whole, feeling exactly like the type of woman who could lead a rebel group like this.

Call Jane is not a firebrand of a film, likely because the filmmakers didn’t know it needed to be. But its release at this particular moment in time can still be interpreted as a call for those who believe in its message to not give up the fight, even if right now the world seems to be against them.

---

Call Jane opens in theaters on October 28.

movies film

Pizza pizza

Restaurant industry stars dovetail on delicious new South Austin neighborhood pizza joint

Photo by Shanna Hickman, courtesy of Dovetail Pizza

Dovetail Pizza is coming to South First Street in mid-November.

Everything is better with friends, especially pizza; and for Austinites, especially when that pizza is created by friends. South Austin is about to receive that very blessing, a pizza collab from a veritable hall of fame of local industry veterans. Dovetail Pizza will open at 1816 S. First St. in mid-November.

The impressive roster behind the concept includes Ben Runkle, Joe Ritchie, and Natalie Davis of Present Tense Hospitality, along with Todd Duplechan (Lenoir, Vixen’s Wedding); Sidney Roberts (G’Raj Mahal); and Alex Manley (Swedish Hill). According to a release, the nostalgic, family-friendly menu will feature pizzas, salads, and pastas, paired with late-night vibes at the full bar.

Each member of the Dovetail team has personal ties to the South Austin neighborhood, according to the release. Duplechan, Manley, and Runkle are longtime friends, while Ritchie and Duplechan both spent time at Union Square Hospitality previously. Present Tense Hospitality operates Salt & Time and Rosen's Bagels in Republic Square, and recently partnered with Roberts to revive G'Raj Mahal.

“The idea for Dovetail Pizza stemmed from a desire to create a place that we would all personally enjoy and could easily go to for a weekly dinner, hang with some friends on the weekend, or just grab a drink after work,” says Runkle in the release.

“Likewise, I’m excited to work with friends old and new to bring a great neighborhood joint to Bouldin Creek,” adds Duplechan.

This new concept will aim to let ingredients speak for themselves, starting with sauce from organic Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes from Northern California. Manley brings her Swedish Hill experience to the project, developing a longer, cold-fermented dough for a light crust that can also hold up to the toppings. Gluten-free dough will also be available.

The menu will feature classic and adventurous pies alike, from spicy italian (tomato sauce, mozzarella, Italian sausage, chilis, onion) and meat (pepperoni, sausage, mortadella, coppa) to crab (with roasted corn, cherry tomatoes, chili crisp); bittersweet (arugula, sweet + hot peppers, smoked eggplant, ricotta); funghi (roasted mushrooms, taleggio, herbs); and seasonal one-off creations. Don't skimp on the drizzle, either: Instead of traditional shredded parmesan or red pepper flake toppings, Dovetail will offer a red (a housemade chile crisp) and green (herb, vinegar, oil) sauce for a finishing drizzle.

Lighter fare will include large salads, while the pasta section showcases classic spaghetti & meatballs, rigatoni a la vodka, and orecchiette. A fried ice cream sundae and soft serve will make it hard to skip dessert, while the beverage menu will round out the whole meal with seasonal cocktails, lower ABV offerings, beer, and easy-drinking natural wines.

Led by creative director Natalie Davis, the restaurant's warm interior incorporates earthy tones, natural wood touches, and local art from the likes of Elizabeth Chiles, Jules Buck Jones, Cheyenne Weaver, and Ft. Lonesome.

“We aimed to create a space that feels grounded with eclectic touches that make people smile, like the chain stitch wallpaper in the bathroom and the kids’ reading nook,” notes Davis in the release. “At the end of the day, we built a place that we wanted in our neighborhood and created an atmosphere that we hope guests want to return to again and again.”

For now, the spot will open for dine-in only from Wednesday through Sunday, 4pm to midnight, with indoor and patio dining, as well as bar seating (which features a late-night menu after 10 pm). The team plans to expand hours in the coming months, so check out dovetailpizza.com and follow @dovetailpizza on social for the latest.

Photo by Shanna Hickman, courtesy of Dovetail Pizza

Dovetail Pizza is coming to South First Street in mid-November.

SWEET SUITE

2 prime Austin locations strike gold with new luxury short-term rentals

Mint House opens its first luxury short-term rentals spot on the east side at The Hatchery.

BBQ Ramen Tatsu-ya quietly opens in former Contigo space in East Austin

Early voting begins October 24 for November 8 election in Texas

The Contemporary Austin unveils confrontational but celebratory new mural in the heart of downtown

FC you at the bar

8 hot spots to cheer on Austin FC in the Western Conference Final this weekend

BBQ Ramen Tatsu-ya quietly opens in former Contigo space in East Austin

Early voting begins October 24 for November 8 election in Texas

The Contemporary Austin unveils confrontational but celebratory new mural in the heart of downtown

Movie Review

Real-world events make the message of Call Jane all the more relevant

BBQ Ramen Tatsu-ya quietly opens in former Contigo space in East Austin

Early voting begins October 24 for November 8 election in Texas

The Contemporary Austin unveils confrontational but celebratory new mural in the heart of downtown

Pizza pizza

Restaurant industry stars dovetail on delicious new South Austin neighborhood pizza joint

BBQ Ramen Tatsu-ya quietly opens in former Contigo space in East Austin

Early voting begins October 24 for November 8 election in Texas

The Contemporary Austin unveils confrontational but celebratory new mural in the heart of downtown

SWEET SUITE

Mint House opens its first luxury short-term rentals spot on the east side at The Hatchery.

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FC you at the bar

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Movie Review

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Pizza pizza

CultureMap Emails Are AwesomeGet Austin intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Austin intel delivered daily.

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