Out of steam

Number's up for downtown Austin restaurant as payment issue boils over

February 23 will be the last service at downtown's Boiler Nine Bar + Grill.

Photo courtesy of Boiler Nine Bar + Grill

A payment issue between the owners and operating managers of a mainstay Seaholm District restaurant is bubbling over. On February 19, La Corsha Hospitality Group president Jeff Trigger announced that Boiler Nine Bar + Grill will be shuttering on February 23 after a less than three-year run.

According to the statement, La Corsha — who served as the management and consultants on the project — decided to close the eatery due to unpaid management fees from owners Boiler Nine Partners Ltd. The partnership, who own the Boiler Nine name, is in ongoing conversations with the landlord, Columbia Texas Seaholm Office Properties, to decide if the eatery will ultimately carry on under different management.

Boiler Nine was one of the splashiest entries into the dining scene when it debuted in July 2016. The ambitious project included three separate concepts: the main Boiler Nine Bar + Grill, a casual rooftop lounge named Deck Nine Observatory Bar, and a subterranean tavern deemed The Boiler Room.

It also came with some major talent from the trio of executive chef and Second Bar + Kitchen alum Jason Stude, acclaimed barman Jason Stevens, and lauded sommelier Paula Rester. Inspired by the building’s power plant roots, the savory menu heavily used wood-fired cooking, helping the technique it into vogue in the Capital City.

In the statement, Trigger says La Corsha is working to immediately place all of Boiler Nine’s employees in new positions across the company.

Meanwhile, business will continue as usual at the groups popular Austin restaurants, including three locations of Second Bar + Kitchen and Mattie’s at Green Pastures. La Corsha’s East Austin Hotel is also set to open in late February with three food and beverage concepts.

closings downtown

Cat's Out of the Bag

Classic Austin dive bar Mean Eyed Cat opens new Driftwood outpost

Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

There ain't no grave can hold Austinites down when it's time to break in this new dive bar.

An Austin bar with a lot of personality has its eye on a new location. The Mean Eyed Cat is opening in Driftwood on Thursday, November 21.

This Johnny Cash-inspired bar has certainly always had the country aesthetic: the weathered wood, the live oak-shaded picnic tables, the black-and-white photos on the wall, and even the occasional taxidermy specimen. The same rustic vibes continue in Driftwood at 8750 W RR 150, Bldg. 100, according to a short press release.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior This new bar already looks like it's been collecting antiques for decades.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Good luck getting there on Google Maps. Right now, it drops a pin at the intersection of Ranch to Market Road 150 and Elder Hill Road. However, it appears to be next to Mad Rooster's Liquor Store — we can see the side of the building through the window and the same road signs. We've reached out to a spokesperson to get the proper directions.

The Austin original has been around since 2004, and this offshoot is only its second location. The promises "the same laid-back, offbeat charm that made the original bar an icon."

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior What's a dive bar without a pool table?Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Before the Austin location was a bar, it was a chainsaw repair shop that was aptly featured in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Chris Marsh was who converted it to a watering hole and Christened it the Mean Eyed Cat, and he later sold it to current owners Matt Luckie, Max Moreland, and Jed Thompson, placing it in a lineage that also includes Lavaca Street Bar & Grill, Sign Bar, Lala’s Little Nugget, and more locally beloved staples and oddities.

All the proper references are there in Driftwood, including several saw blades on the wall, Johnny Cash memorabilia, and lyrics on every available surface, including a picnic table that ominously says "HURT." First and foremost on the menu are whiskeys and classic cocktails, keeping things as simple as anyone would expect at a dive bar.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood patio A spacious patio takes advantage of the Hill Country surroundings.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Despite the relatively remote location, commenters on Instagram have already spotted people inside and started chomping at the bit. It sounds like opening day will be a lively affair.

The Mean Eyed Cat in Driftwood will be open Mondays through Thursdays from 2 pm to 2 am, and Fridays through Sundays from noon to 2 am. Happy hour will be weekdays from 4-7 pm.

dive bars whiskey cocktails openings driftwood