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
Famous Nashville hot chicken restaurant Hattie B's is opening a new Texas location, this time in Austin. The eatery at 2529 S. Lamar Blvd. is slated to open in fall 2023, giving the team ample time to get their third Texas location — and Austin debut — right. In a press release, cofounder Nick Bishop, Jr. said he has always wanted to open in Austin thanks to similar cultures between Austin and Nashville. The Austin location will seat 150 guests, who can test their palate against Nashville-level heat.
Nine months after changing hands, and right on time according to chain president Craig Haley, the barbecue joint Smokey Mo’s is expanding into Round Rock. When the first restaurant opened 22 years ago in Cedar Park, the founders were starting with 30 years of barbecue experience, so this is well-practiced. The new location at 17280 North FM 620 Road, Suite 100, is throwing a party to celebrate on October 25 from 6-8 pm. Stop and enjoy the DJ, photo booth, face painter, games, and giveaways.
Uproariously, the downtown location of Roaring Fork is returning to lunch service for the first time since the pandemic started. Weekdays from 11 am to 5 pm, the restaurant focused on wood fired cooking is offering a long menu covering soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and more. It’s not much different than the dinner menu (said by director of operations Brad Miller to contain “a little bit of everything”), but it opens up hours of service as the Congress Avenue restaurant sees more traffic.
Other news and notes
The extremely popular blogger Joy the Baker is issuing the 2022 fall and winter edition of her eponymous magazine, and her recipes are going on tour. Restaurants around Texas will be recreating favorite recipes by the baker on October 7, the day of the launch, including Austin’s Bakery Lorraine, which will be selling Tart Lemon Poppy Seed Bars. Also participating are Houston’s Fluff Bake Bar and San Antonio’s Extra Fine.
We should have more holidays around melted cheese, but for now, we have Quesoff, “a celebration of all things melted cheese.” On October 8 from noon to 3 pm, competitors and spectators will gather at The Mohawk to face off in four categories: meaty, spicy, veggie and wild card. Anyone can compete, but this year’s 35-40 teams represent many local restaurants, listed in part on Instagram. Tickets will be available at the door, benefiting the Central Texas Food Bank.
Whether you’re enjoying ACL Fest or saving money and relaxing for the weekend, the Carpenter Hotel has a special hookup for coffee and late-night snacks. The new Lil Carpenter food truck will be open at the hotel for the two festival weekends — October 7-9 and 14-16 — starting coffee service at 9 am (with donuts and breakfast sandwiches) and starting late food service (hot dogs, burgers, fries, and beer) right as the festival starts to wind down, at 9 pm.
Rambler Sparkling Water, a growing default in Austin restaurants and bars, now offers a new flavor, its third in four years: satsuma, a type of mandarin orange. It joins grapefruit, lemon lime, and an unflavored original in the Rambler lineup, easily recognizable for its charming can depicting a Texas spring. The brand uses a proprietary "Texas Limestone Filtration" system and has one of the more carbonated sparkling waters on the market, which gives some proceeds back to environmental protection.
