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Tiki'd off

7 trends that defined Austin's restaurant scene for better or worse in 2018

Brandon Watson
Dec 28, 2018 | 1:55 pm

To borrow a sentiment from Miranda Priestly’s infamous cerulean rant in The Devil Wears Prada, food trends don’t happen by accident. Before a particular ingredient or cooking technique hits the plate, before influencers stage pics, and before writerly types attempt to give them a catchy headline, chefs are in conversation with suppliers, wine reps are holding tastings, and restaurateurs are doing the thankless task of trying to determine what the fickle public actually wants.

As it turns out, what they want right now is comfort. More than ever, restaurants and bars offer respite from the turbulent world. This year’s most prevailing food trends are all escapist, whether that be a return to midcentury diner foods of yesteryear or beachy pastiche. Though many of them are eye-roll-inducing, there's no denying that that ability to transport is hospitality’s greatest gift.

All-day restaurants
There are plenty of reasons to keep a local restaurant open in the daylight hours. Ingredient costs are lower, the dining public increasingly expects casualness, and Austinites have a never-ending thirst for day drinking. Still, the idea is not a charm that can instantly banish the dark forces of cynicism and unoriginality. Some Austin newcomers got the balance right (Better Half, Joann’s Fine Foods) and some substituted style for substance (Hank’s).

Breakfast sandwiches
Breakfast tacos aren’t likely to fall off their throne soon, but the subject is so fraught with drama that it might as well be fodder for a Real Housewives reunion. The breakfast sandwich offers a gentler narrative, free of intercity rivalries (for now). Get it as a dense biscuit piled with chicken sausage, cheddar, and basil pesto at Bird Bird Biscuit; an English muffin layered with a crispy hash browns, arugula, and a smoked paprika aioli at Better Half; or a beignet with fried egg and gooey cheese at Full Circle Bar’s Bacchus & Brown.

Carbs
The gluten-free backlash hit hard in 2018. Seemingly overnight, Austin hospitality was rolling in the dough. Sour Duck Market wowed with a pork rillette danishes, Bakery Lorraine brought impossibly flaky croissants, and everyone from Aviary Wine & Kitchen to Dai Due Taqueria went gaga for grains from Barton Springs Mill. The standalone bakery is also experiencing a local renaissance at places like Zilker’s sourdough-obsessed ThoroughBread and the charming Lady Quackenbush’s Cakery in Mueller.

Hotel restaurants
It remains to be seen if this is a good trend or not. It’s undeniable that restaurants like the Line Austin’s Arlo Grey, the Fairmont Hotel’s Garrison, the Four Season’s Ciclo, and the Carpenter Hotel’s Carpenters Hall raised the bar in a category once more likely to produce bland breakfast buffets than memorable dining experiences. But just as often, hotels bring duds like the tastefully beige (in cuisine and decor) Osteria Pronto inside the JW Marriott. And it's worrisome that the outsized staffing demands of the projects will squeeze the independent eateries that are the backbone of the Capital City food scene. We’ll soon find out as projects like La Corsha Hospitality Group’s East Austin Hotel — complete with three restaurant and bar concepts — gear up for 2019 openings

Natural wine
There’s no legal definition for these trending wines, just a set of generally agreed criteria like organically grown grapes; minimal manipulation; and a lack of added sugars, cultured yeasts, and additives. Rigorous rules or not, the funky category is taking the wind out of the fussy oeniphile world with volatile flavor profiles ranging from earthy to pleasantly sour. Try them yourself at Bufalina, Texas French Bread, and Apt 115.

Tropical
On any given night, one can find an assortment of millennials at Last Straw cosplaying as Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Flamingo prints and monstera leaves have replaced flocked damask as the bar wallpaper du jour. In 2018, island vibes were all the rage as Austinites sought an escape from, well, everything else in 2018. The best examples of the trend, like downtown’s She’s Not Here, caught the breeze with subtle touches like openwork furniture and ocean palettes.

Wood-fired cooking
In a town so known for barbecue that is even has a signature butcher paper, it’s perhaps not a surprise that local chefs would see the smoke signals. This year, wood-fired cooking was everywhere, from Tyson Cole and Aaron Franklin’s Loro to the Jake Maddux’s beer-focused The Brewer's Table. Expect even more restaurants to feel the primal urge in 2019, like the Emmer & Rye team’s Hestia and Carve American Grille from Perry’s.

ThoroughBread was one of several new bakeries on the scene in 2018.

ThoroughBread Austin
Photo by Sara Strick
ThoroughBread was one of several new bakeries on the scene in 2018.
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Meet Your Maker

New designer showroom brings Austinites closer to their new favorite brands

Brianna Caleri
Nov 3, 2022 | 2:28 pm
Showroom interior Austin
Photo courtesy of Showroom
Showroom is a new store opening on November 10 at Domain Northside.

Although clothes are meant to express personality, wearers rarely get to meet designers. Showroom, a new store opening on November 10 at Domain Northside, brings a more personal touch to a luxe shopping experience, inviting designers to make appearances and closing the gap between maker and wearer. This is the store's second location, joining the original on Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

The aesthetic focuses on feminine American, Scandinavian, and British design; a comb through Showroom’s catalog shows the muted colors, knitwear, and practical shapes someone might expect from this particular blend of sensibilities, but with little dips into exuberance in the form of a feathered hem or a metallic fabric.

It’s a unique mix for Austin, and the store plans to break ground in bringing many brands to the city for the first time. As the name suggests, it is a store, but visiting to browse will get many Austinites acquainted with unfamiliar styles and designers they love. (Although, ironically, it was a figurative name when the business was initially just e-commerce.)

Still, the curation is not obscure. Visitors might spot Victoria Beckham, Derek Lam, Joseph, and most of the silhouettes are overall traditional. Sizing appears to be inclusive, to a predictable limit; there are a few 2X items available on the online store that may or may not fit true-to-size. The store offers styling services by appointment, which automatically enrolls customers in a VIP program providing first access to new styles and even custom orders.

The showroom itself is designed in a modern and neutral style, with lots of whites and golds, by North Carolina design firm Lucy & Company. The more standout materials — custom oak and quartzite along the counter and cabinets — come from Austin’s own Edwood Studios, which, as a press release points out, particularly values sustainably sourced wood.

Showroom founder Erica Hanks is a paragon of the simple-but-not-uptight style found at the store, and has been featured by the New York Times. She developed her styling ethos working with athletes, and now works with other professionals in mind.

More information about Showroom is available at shopshowroom.com. The grand opening is scheduled for November 10 from 4-7 pm.

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New $65 million project aspires to bring affordable housing and more resources to Northeast Austin

400-acre surf park deemed 'biggest' on the planet rides a wave into Austin

Austin cozies up as No. 2 best winter travel destination for warm-weather lovers

Beautiful Day

Brené Brown joins Bono for an intimate conversation at Austin's Paramount Theatre

Hannah J. Frías
Nov 3, 2022 | 1:39 pm
Brené Brown joins Bono for an intimate conversation at Austin's Paramount Theatre
Photo by John Hewson

Bono will join Brené Brown for a conversation about his new memoir.

What do you get when you put one of Ireland's most famous rockers with one of the world's leading researchers on vulnerability? Austinites are about to find out. U2 frontman Bono and Texas' own Brené Brown are chatting live at the Paramount Theatre on Thursday, November 10.

Presented by ACL Fest's Bonus Tracks, the live conversation is in support of Bono's new memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. Tickets for the evening will go on sale Friday, November 4, at 10 am, and each ticket will include a hardcover copy of the book.

The event itself will take place from 4 pm to 5:30 pm, and may become part of Brown's award-winning Unlocking Us podcast, though those details are still forthcoming. The podcast features Brown in conversation with guests across multiple research disciplines, creative pursuits, and positions of influence — Barack Obama, Dolly Parton, and Melinda Gates, to name a few — exploring topics that unlock the deepest universal experiences of being human.

Brown is also the author of six #1 New York Times bestselling books, each centered around her research on courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. Her research first reached the public eye after her 2010 TED Talk on the Power of Vulnerability, which is one of the most-viewed TED Talks in the world with over 50 million views.

While U2's lead singer hardly needs an introduction, some facts that may come up in conversation include his 22 Grammys and ongoing activism. Bono co-founded sister organizations ONE and (RED), which are both leading the fight against HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty around the world. He has received numerous awards for his music and activism, including the Freedom of the City of Dublin (with U2), an honorary British knighthood, the Fulbright Prize for International Understanding, and TIME magazine’s Person of the Year in 2005 (along with Bill and Melinda Gates).

Tickets for this event go on sale at 10 am on Friday, November 4, at austintheatre.org.

Bono

Photo by John Hewson

Bono will join Brené Brown for a conversation about his new memoir.

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New $65 million project aspires to bring affordable housing and more resources to Northeast Austin

400-acre surf park deemed 'biggest' on the planet rides a wave into Austin

Austin cozies up as No. 2 best winter travel destination for warm-weather lovers

News You Can Eat

7 things to know in Austin food right now: Hot chicken concept pops up for one night only

Brianna Caleri
Nov 3, 2022 | 12:59 pm
The Bird & Crown trailer in Austin
Photo courtesy of The Bird & Crown

The one-night-only Bird & Crown pop-up is on November 19 at Central Machine Works.

Editor’s note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of Austin’s restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our regular roundup of essential food news.

Openings

Chef Laila Bazahm, who landed in Austin at Eberly after her own restaurant, Hawker 45, earned international acclaim, is branching out for a one-night-only pop-up on November 19 at Central Machine Works. The Bird & Crown serves hot chicken in three sandwiches inspired by Filipino, Korean, and Indian flavors. These sandwiches have the basics — namely crispy chicken and something to cool things down — with big twists in flavor like pickled papaya slaw, gochujang, and mint chutney. The pop-up opens at 4:30 pm and closes when it sells out.

It’s a lovely idea to spend more time with senior citizens, but not always at the top of everyone’s mind. Plus, is it weird to show up for a meal just because? Chef Stephan Pyles, a staggering 12-time James Beard Award nominee, is opening his next restaurant in a luxury senior living center: the Hacienda at Georgetown. Called Alma, the restaurant’s goal is to bring organic traffic across many age demographics to the community, closing the social gap many seniors feel with the rest of the community and adding real culinary value to the experience.

High-tech shuffleboard barElectric Shuffle opens on Rainey Street on November 4, making Austin the second US location for this London venue. The proprietary technology makes scoring tournaments easy for large groups, and injects some novelty into an old tradition. This bar is designed to accommodate plans for the whole night, with upscale cocktails and bar food, including seven types of pizza and an elaborate brunch (charcuterie and a whole lot of prosecco). Book at electricshuffleusa.com.

Other news and notes

A “hyper-seasonal” menu hits Local Foods as fall progresses, with at least a dozen new options, many featuring nearby vendors. HiFi Mycology continues to take Austin by storm, this time with lion’s mane mushrooms in a “Fall Power Bowl.” The “Autumn Mac & Cheese” sounds like the ultimate comfort food with Mill-King Mornay and apples, and things take a German twist with Falcon Lake Farms pork schnitzel. To celebrate, take 25 percent off all food and beverage after 4 pm, from now until November 15. Online orders use code “dinner” at localfoodstexas.com.

Loro, the Asian smokehouse and bar by chef Tyson Cole and pitmaster Aaron Franklin, also added some permanent new menu items. Like many barbecue joints, Loro offers an à la carte list of meats, sandwiches, and sides, so these won’t really compete with most favorite orders. That includes Thai peanuts with nam tok and lime leaf, a smoked three bean salad with chilies, a key lime pie, and a caramelized onion-cheddar burger available for a discount during happy hour.

I thought the Christmas memes would start after Thanksgiving, but at 11:59 pm on Halloween, they were already here. Black Rock Coffee Bar is right on schedule, it seems, with a new roster of four holiday drinks, from a caramel and eggnog latte to a more surprising orange marmalade energy drink. Also on the list are a peppermint white mocha and a “Christmas cookie cold brew” with macadamia, vanilla foam, and holiday sprinkles. Heartwarming, but chilled.

November 8 is a big election day, with more than 50 races on some ballots. Voters can fuel up at Kerbey Lane Cafe — but only after voting — if they bring their “I Voted” sticker to claim a free pancake. (Those stickers are for reminding others to vote, so make sure yours is visible even after the pancake is gone.) Early voting ends on Friday, November 4, so any stickers saved from that round are valid to trade in as well. All locations are participating in the voting incentive.

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New $65 million project aspires to bring affordable housing and more resources to Northeast Austin

400-acre surf park deemed 'biggest' on the planet rides a wave into Austin

Austin cozies up as No. 2 best winter travel destination for warm-weather lovers

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