Supper Club

Josephine House taps top Chicago talent for raucous, boozy dinner

On January 25, Clarksville darling Josephine House plays host to some of Chicago's top talent for a dinner billed as raucous and boozy. Chef Hunter Moore, of Parson's Chicken & Fish, and Chad Hauge, beverage director of Longman & Eagle (both from Chicago restaurant group Land and Sea Dept.), will craft a multicourse experience with Texas roots.

Collaborative dinners like this aren't new to the McGuire Moorman Hospitality group, but this is a special one for Josephine House chef Alexandra Manley. She was a guest of the group's From Good Stock supper club last fall, and now she's returning the favor as Moore steps in to devise a menu featuring Texas heritage meats and root veggies from Boggy Creek Farm.

Just like his philosophy at Parson's Chicken & Fish, Moore's menu for the Sunday supper will showcase high-quality, local ingredients. "The vibe for the food at Parson's is shack food with a twist of Southern and coastal, fried chicken and fish, but also a mix of light and refreshing items to keep it well-rounded," Moore says.

"We strive to use local farmers and sustainable products as much as possible. I've worked with local farmers in Chicago for many years, and I'm excited to see the bounty of what Texas has to offer in January. My general approach is to find a quality ingredient and show it off."

The four-course meal ($55) will feature a crudo of Gulf red snapper, heirloom tomatoes and cauliflower three ways, Peach Creek Farm pork belly, and sweet potato rum cake. Hauge's beverage pairings (available for an additional $25) promise to complement the dinner with a Texas twist.

"Stylistically the beverages will be similar [to Longman & Eagle], ranging from whimsical to classic with an emphasis on local product," Hauge says. "I designed the cocktail pairings with what I know works that I can get here, and I've left open the flexibility in the recipes to adjust for variance in style, acid and sweetness levels that local Texas booze and produce will have."

Tickets for the January 25 dinner are still available. For more details, visit the Josephine House website.

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pour one out

Longtime Austin Tex-Mex staple Trudy's closes final location

Photo courtesy of KVUE

Trudy's Tex-Mex is closing its final location on Burnet Rd. after 40 years.

After serving up queso, Mexican martinis, and more for decades, Trudy's Tex-Mex is closing its final Austin location.

The restaurant group announced on Monday that it is saying goodbye to its North Star location on Burnet Road. Trudy's did not state an end of operations date for the location, and a KVUE phone call to clarify went unanswered.

"This spot has been so much more than a restaurant — it's been a place where memories were made, margaritas were shared, and the spirt of Austin came to life," Trudy's wrote on social media. "To our amazing team and loyal customers, thank you for making North Star so special."

North Star's closure is the latest blow for Trudy's, which first opened in Austin in 1977. The company was purchased out of bankruptcy in 2020 by equity firm Hargett Hunter. The acquisition included three Trudy's locations (a fourth closed in 2019, according to KVUE's partners at the Austin American-Statesman) and South Congress Café.

At the time, Hargett Hunter said it hoped to keep the brand alive and reinvest in Trudy's locations and teams, including the group's temporarily closed Texas Star location near the University of Texas campus. But after the acquisition, the Statesman reported that Hargett Hunter said property damage and other issues made reopening Texas Star unfeasible. The firm sold the West 30th Street property in 2022.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of Trudy's hard times.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

restaurants closures austin