On the Menu
Highly anticipated East Austin restaurant reveals opening details
After teasing the concept last fall, Pitchfork Pretty, Austin's new east side restaurant and bar, finally has more details to reveal — including two big industry catches and an opening date.
Chef Max Snyder (an Austin native who hails from the San Francisco dining scene) and general manager Alexander Dubey (most recently from Otoko and Apis Restaurant and Apiary) have joined the Pitchfork Pretty team.
The restaurant is slated to open on East Cesar Chavez Street in March. "The name comes from the owner wanting to pay homage to the farmer (pitchfork) and convey the restaurant's role in taking the farm's rustic elements and raw bounty into our hands to respectfully refine it for diners (pretty)," a spokesperson told CultureMap in a previous interview.
Owner Seth Baas, who was behind the acclaimed Blanca restaurant in California, returns to his Texas roots with a passion for making high-end food accessible. The Lone Star State is a melting pot of international influences, from German to Mexican, and Pitchfork Pretty hopes to fuse all of these while incorporating old-world and wood-fired cooking methods.
"Our food will focus on seasonal ingredients, nutrition, and balance," says Snyder in a release. "We're preparing an imaginative menu of Hill Country cuisine using local produce, pastured meats, wild fish ... and sometimes fried chicken."
The restaurant is designed to be an open, contemporary space befitting the growing East Cesar Chavez neighborhood. The team tapped local firm Greig-Piercy Collaborative to craft the look.
"We want people to feel at home," says Baas. "The warm A-frame design, exposed trusses, and natural materials are meant to provide a convivial and humble atmosphere that complements the evolving east side community."
When Pitchfork Pretty opens, the restaurant will join several new dining spots in the area, including Grizzelda's, Tillery Kitchen and Bar, and the upcoming Austin Daily Press.