Fantástico!

P. Terry's hot new taco joint quickly cooks up UT campus location

The recently opened Taco Ranch is already expanding to a second location.

Rendering by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

The inaugural location of Taco Ranch, the taco concept from the folks at the P. Terry’s Burger Stand chain, hasn’t even been open a month, but the company already is cooking up a second Taco Ranch restaurant in Austin.

Patrick Terry, co-owner of P. Terry’s, says Taco Ranch is taking over a shuttered Taco Cabana at 517 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Terry says this “one of a kind” location is attractive because of its proximity to the University of Texas at Austin campus.

“We’ve been discussing the MLK site for months and finally made the call toward the end of last year,” Terry tells CultureMap. “We are grateful to the landlord for allowing us to take the spot, as opposed to a big chain.”

The MLK restaurant is scheduled to open this summer, although Terry says that could change, as the project will involve remodeling an old building. The eatery will feature a Michael Hsu-designed dining room, as well as a patio and a double drive-thru.

The first Taco Ranch debuted in January at 5033 W. U.S. Hwy. 290 in Oak Hill. Terry says diners’ response to the Oak Hill joint has been “terrific,” with Taco Ranch attracting a number of return customers.

“People had a similar reaction when we opened P. Terry’s, so hopefully the end result for Taco Ranch will be the same,” Terry says.

Will Taco Ranch expand beyond the Oak Hill and MLK locations? “Two is it for now,” Terry says. “We’re a small company that mainly sells hamburgers, so there’s only so much growth you can handle in a short period of time.”

P. Terry’s, founded in 2005, operates 14 locations in the Austin area, with more on the way.

Terry describes Taco Ranch as a 1960s-style taco stand that focuses on just five main menu items: tacos, chalupas/tostadas, burritos, quesadillas, and taco salads. The restaurant also serves breakfast tacos, as well as sides of chips with condiments such as salsa and queso.

The kitchen prepares dishes with fresh ingredients, all-natural meats, real cheese, and some organic offerings, Terry says. The menu, he says, is “pretty basic, but that’s really what we are about.”

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.