Restaurant Week

The 5 must-try menus during Austin Restaurant Week

Austin Restaurant Week kicked off Sunday night giving hungry foodies a chance to dine at old favorites and new buzzworthy establishments. Produced by Tribeza, Austin Restaurant Week runs May 11 - 14 and May 18 - 21. $2 from each meal will be donated to Meals on Wheels and More.

With tons of options to choose from, we thought it appropriate to share five featured restaurant menus that fit a variety of palates — and budgets. Read on for our suggestions on where to brunch, lunch and enjoy a three-course dinner during Restaurant Week.

Foreign & Domestic
Situated on North Loop, Foreign & Domestic offers a charming environment for a low-key dinner as a couple or with a small group of friends. The Restaurant Week menu offers a variety of options, from the approachable to the adventurous. Choose three courses for $37.

Appetizers
Pea Soup: Flowers, balsamic, herbs
Pigs Head Rillette: Lime pickle, beer mustard, brioche
Local Greens, Lettuces, Herbs, Vegetables: Sherry lime vinaigrette, puffed rice

Entrées
Pork Belly: Peas, carrots, vinegar
Scallops: Strawberries, onions, brown butter
Baked Pasta: Cheddar, truffle, lemon

Desserts
Chocolate Cake: Mint ice cream
Butterscotch Pudding: Cocoa nibs, cream

Uchi
Uchi has been serving sought-after, Japanese-inspired cuisine since 2003. The Restaurant Week menu showcases Uchi's diverse offerings, from raw appetizers to highly praised desserts. Choose three courses for $37.

Appetizers
Hakujin: Salmon, Asian pear, white asparagus, pickled cauliflower
Uchiviche: Salmon, striped bass, tomato, garlic, bell pepper
Fukuoka Selection: Three piece chef’s choice nigiri

Entrees
Bacon Steakie: Pork belly, Thai basil, serrano chili, watermelon radish
Walu Walu: Oak-grilled escolar, yuzu, garlic
Hamachi Nabe: Baby yellowtail, koshi hikari rice, farm egg, soy broth

Dessert
Coffee Panna Cotta: Mango ‘yolk,’ coffee soil, white chocolate sorbet
Peanut Butter Semi-Freddo: Apple-miso sorbet, ringo crisp
Lemon Gelato: Pistachio, white balsamic, golden beet

Russian House
The atmosphere of the Russian House is authentic, as is the food. And while Russian House offers a dinner menu during Austin Restaurant Week, we suggest changing things up and giving the two-course lunch a try.

Appetizers
Blinis with Red Caviar: Traditional Russian crepes served with luxurious Russian red caviar
Pirozhki: Individual sized baked buns stuffed with a variety of fillings
Vinaigrette: Russian beet salad

Entrées
Uzbek Plov: A hearty rice dish cooked with lamb and vegetables
Pork Escalope: Bone-in, pan fried pork escalope served with mashed potatoes and homemade sauerkraut
Stuffed Vegetables: Bell peppers, zucchini or tomatoes stuffed with ground beef and pork

Salty Sow
This Manor Road hot spot offers two dinner menus during Austin Restaurant Week. For the price-conscious diner, the $27 option will give you a spot-on taste of Salty Sow's head-to-tail cuisine. Choose three courses for $27.

Appetizers
Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad: Candied almonds, dried cranberries, Caesar dressing
Truffled Deviled Eggs: Salty Sow bacon, chives
Eggplant Frites: Tomato gravy, Parmigiano-Reggiano

Entrées
Slow-cooked beef shoulder: Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, glazed root vegetables, fried egg
Genuine blackened redfish: Quinoa, lentils, smoked tomatoes, chipotle Tabasco lemon butter
Candied pork belly: Collard greens, soy balsamic syrup

Desserts
Butterscotch Budino: Salted caramel, sweet crème fraîche
Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake
Cornmeal Strawberry Shortcake

Winflo Osteria
Forget dinner and head to Winflo Osteria for a relaxing brunch. Featuring two courses — and a signature cocktail — this option is a steal at $17. Choose three for $17.

Cocktails
Basil Infused Bloody Mary: House-made Bloody Mary mix, basil infused vodka
Peach Bellini: Sweet peach puree, Prosecco
Blood Orange Mimosa: Prosecco, blood orange puree, a splash of Orange Juice

Entrées
Shrimp & "Grits": Grilled Shrimp over a bed of creamy fontina polenta, sauteed spinach, red onions
Pork Belly Benedict: Crispy roasted red pepper polenta cakes topped with braised kale, seared pork belly, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce
Spaghetti alla Carbonara: House-made pasta tossed with fresh farm eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, cracked black pepper, pancetta

Desserts
Yogurt Parfait: Low-fat vanilla yogurt layered with crunchy granola and fresh berries
Cranberry Scones: Homemade cranberry scones topped with sweet orange glaze
Espresso & Biscotti: Assorted biscotti served with fresh-brewed espresso

Brunch at Winflo Osteria.

Courtesy of Winflo Osteria Facebook

Brunch at Winflo Osteria.

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More sushi, more seats

Famous Austin omakase restaurant moves into bigger space with new bar

Photo courtesy of Sushi | Bar Hospitality

Sushi | Bar is moving into a new spot. (Photo from a Sushi | Bar location in another city)

Another day, another update from a sushi restaurant in Austin. This is a big one: Sushi | Bar Austin, a prestigious omakase spot with other well-known locations in Dallas, Chicago, and three other U.S. cities, is shaking things up with a move into the center of downtown. It'll also debut a new cocktail lounge concept in January of 2025, with help from some celebrated mixologists.

Sushi | Bar is currently located at 2600 E. Cesar Chavez St., and it's moving about two miles to 419 West 2nd St. The move places it across from Local Foods, Numero28, and the Violet Crown Cinema. A press release says it "represents an evolution for the Sushi | Bar experience," which includes more seatings.

This sushi counter has a very upscale reputation thanks to its exclusive accommodations — originally only 10 seats — as well as the intrinsic formality of omakase, which is a service style where the chef chooses what a diner will taste. In the new space, there will be two rooms that each seat 12 guests, more than doubling the chance to snag a reservation.

There, they'll enjoy 17 courses featuring imports from Japan, New Zealand, and California, among other markets. Nigiri options (sliced fish on top of rice) will change with the seasons.

$\u200bSushi | Bar$ This nigiri gets some texture sprinkled on top.Photo courtesy of Sushi | Bar Hospitality

Most notably, the new location will be connected to the cocktail lounge Golden Ace. According to the release, the idea to extend the experience past the omakase portion came from customer feedback. It'll be bigger than Sushi | Bar — about 1,400 square feet compared to 1,100 — and seats 35-40 guests.

The cocktail program will be led by Christian “Suzu” Suzuki-Orellana, who competed on the Netflix show Drink Masters and also draws in partners from Middlehouse, the group behind luxe local cocktail bars Here Nor There and In Plain Sight. He'll have the help of lead bartender Brett Esler, who co-founded Murray’s Tavern and was a nominee for Best Bartender in CultureMap's 2019 Tastemaker Awards.

They'll focus on "elevated yet approachable cocktails" with Japanese influences that "seamlessly blend tradition with modern mixology," the release says. Although Golden Ace is connected to Sushi | Bar, it will have its own unique atmosphere.

“This was a location that we came across moments after it became available on the market,” said Ryan Stock, co-founder of Adept Hospitality, the group behind Sushi | Bar, in the release. “We knew it was the perfect fit for the next iteration of Sushi | Bar in its hometown. It’s a premium experience, and this is a premium location, right at the center of Austin’s exciting downtown development. We’re thrilled to bring our elevated omakase experience to such a vibrant area."

$\u200bSushi | Bar$ With 17 courses, there will be lots to try.Photo courtesy of Sushi | Bar Hospitality

The release traces this Austin history back to 2020, in a collaboration between Ryan Stock, Josh Tohl, and Jonathan Husby of Adept Hospitality and Steve Michaels of Asylum Entertainment Group. Phillip Frankland Lee was also part of the business as a chef and minority stakeholder, it says, until leaving in 2021.

Sushi | Bar also highlights some of its current team members: lead sushi chef Bryan Williams, director of culinary strategy at Sushi Bar Hospitality Anthony Martin, hospitality group vice president Justin Sanford, and the new general manager, John Sizemore.

Now business relations extend to the family behind Terry Black’s BBQ, which Stock explains came out of a mutual culinary admiration with Mark Black and his family. So far, the release does not detail what the collaboration will entail.

“An organic love for each other’s operations turned into a friendship, which ultimately led to this collaboration," he said. "Sushi | Bar’s DNA certainly begins in Austin, and Terry Black’s is the staple and standard when it comes to Austin BBQ. A new project in downtown Austin was the perfect opportunity for the two great Austin names to finally collaborate together.”

Reservations for Sushi | Bar open on the first of every month.

omakase sushi openings closings

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Famous Austin omakase restaurant moves into bigger space with new bar

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