News you can eat

6 things to know in Austin food right now: Paris-inspired crepe shop flips into the Domain

Sweet Paris Creperie toasted bueno crepe

Sweet Paris Creperie and Cafe appears on track to open its first Austin location in 2020.

Photo by Shannon O’Hara Photography

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 and closings

The Domain will soon have a French accent when Houston's Sweet Paris Creperie and Cafe makes its Austin debut. According to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the concept will begin renovations of the former Steeping Room space at 11410 Century Terrace., Ste. 112 in late February with an estimated June completion date. Still, there's no word yet when the cafe will start flipping its assortment of sweet and savory crepes. CultureMap has reached out for further information.

Chef Deepa Shridar is starting the new year with a new name and a new home for her Indian-Texan dinner club. Formerly known as Puli-Ra and Supper Club Szn, the acclaimed concept will be settling into Eden East through January under rebranded monicker 33Tigers. True to the name, the series will only offer 33 seats per dinner. Check out the concept's Instagram for future dates and tickets.

Vegan favorite BBQ Revolution has escaped Austin's mild winters for Los Angeles' even warmer winters. In December, the food truck announced it was departing East Fifth Street to look for a new home. In the meantime, owner Blake Newman will be serving meatless pulled pork sandwiches and other popular dishes during a North Hollywood pop-up.

Hill Country brewery Last Stand Brewing is on track to open its anticipated location at 7601 S. Congress Ave. by the end of 2020. A company rep says they cannot give an exact date at this early stage of permitting, but promises the team will be "shouting from the rooftops once [they] know a timeline."

Other news and notes

Loro has teamed up with Skull Mechanix Brewing to create a new barbecue-friendly beer. Smoke N Brew, a Bohemian lager using Czech malt smoked on-site, will go on sale at 5 pm January 16 for $8 a glass. Those wanting to try it, however, shouldn't twiddle their thumbs. Only 30 kegs were brewed, and the first 500 purchases will come with a complimentary branded glass.

The Austin chapter of international women's culinary leadership organization Les Dames d'Escoffier opened applications for its annual scholarship program on January 6. The $20,000 in funding include grants for culinary students, educators, beverage professionals, and an "a la carte" stipend for those looking to engage in the hospitality industry in unique ways. Central Texas women looking to take the next step in their careers can apply here through February 3.

craft-beer news-you-can-eat openings charity

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.