Go East, Young Man

Team behind Austin's hottest restaurant reveal details on new east side concept

Suerte ATX Sam Hellman-Mass and Fermin Nunez

The team behind Suerte is opening a new east side restaurant.

Photo courtesy of Suerte

Details about one of Austin's most anticipated restaurants (perhaps the most anticipated restaurant) are finally being revealed. More than a year after taking over the long-running Eastside Cafe, Este, the second concept from Suerte owner Sam Hellman-Mass and chef Fermin Nuñez, is scheduled to make its debut in late 2020/early 2021.

Este, which means east in Spanish, will be a "Mexican-inspired seafood restaurant," notes a release. True to contemporary dining trends, dishes are cooked on a charcoal grill, with fish and shellfish sourced from sustainable purveyors and ingredients sourced from local farmers.

Though no menu details have been revealed, the team said the cuisine is inspired by recent travels through Nuñez's native Mexico.

"We have been working on this concept for over a year now and Fermín and I are really excited about Mexican seafood," said Hellman-Mass in a release. "We spent time traveling through Mexico going to Guadalajara, Ensenada, and Puerto Escondido exploring coastal Mexican cooking and seafood."

This is, of course, the duo's second East Austin restaurant. Their first, Suerte, has achieved wild acclaim, landing on best-of lists and even earning a 2019 James Beard Awards nomination. In addition to leading Este, Nuñez will remain executive chef of Suerte.

"We're thrilled to bring what we've learned from our travels to Austin and the east side in a totally new restaurant," Hellman-Mass added.

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Burger Birthday

San Marcos bar famous for its burgers is throwing 30th birthday bash

The Taproom/Facebook

The Taproom is turning 30 at the end of this year.

The Taproom, a longtime San Marcos bar and eatery, is celebrating 30 years with a 90s birthday bash. A party on December 28 — three days before the actual anniversary on New Year's Eve — will have Central Texans partying like it's 1994. It's all going down at 129 E Hopkins St. from 11 am to 10 pm.

With so much to do, it's hard to know where to start, but the bar is a safe bet. The first 100 guests will get a commemorative 30th anniversary pint glass.

True to form, The Taproom will be serving up hourly drink specials that feature specific breweries or distilleries including Starbase Brewing, Saint Arnold’s Brewing, Meanwhile Brewing, Altstadt Brewing Company, New Belgium, Shiner, and Garrison Brothers Whiskey, according to a release. There will be some tastings and glass giveaways, too.

Plenty of food will keep the energy up for the all-day party, including "throwback retro menu items," says the release, plus birthday cake and a chance to win free burgers for a year. Hopeful burger-lovers can get started now by signing up for the Taproom newsletter, but they'll have to wait until the live drawing at 8 pm on December 28 to find out if they won.

On top of those base offerings there will also be a 90s photo booth, 90s R&B and hip hop courtesy of DJ Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice, flash tattoos, and a game of Wingo Wango Bingo Bango, in which guests can win prizes from breweries and Happy Clouds Smoke Shop.

Finally, The Taproom is welcoming two guests of honor: bartender and original Taproom owner David Dishman and the bar's first "regular" Kenneth Fitzgerald, who installed the draft lines that helped get business started.

The Taproom is now owned by Samantha Strahan and Sara Chavez, who purchased it in late 2021.

Just a couple of blocks from Texas State University, this bar became popular with college students. However, it's more than a college bar, especially thanks to its reputation for a great burger. On the other end of the building is The Porch, a sister space for live music that opened in 2013. The Porch is hosting an afterparty for late-night anniversary revelers.

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