In Fair Arboretum Where we Lay Our Scene

North Austin says benvenuta to second location of chic Italian restaurant

Juliet Italian Kitchen is opening later this month in North Austin.

This Juliet is swapping Verona for North Austin.

Juliet Italian Kitchen, the chic Barton Springs Road eatery, is opening its anticipated second location near the Arboretum on March 29. The opening date is a slight delay from its original projection of February 2021, but considering the city recently battled a natural disaster amid the ongoing pandemic, the new date is hardly surprising.

Fans of the original will feel at home in Juliet's second location, which includes similar food and drink menus and even boasts an expansive, happy-hour-perfect patio like its predecessor. And, like its Zilker location, Juliet says it believes the North Austin location will cultivate a similar neighborhood vibe.

“If this past year has taught us anything, it’s the importance of community. Our team is thrilled to join the Northwest Austin community and serve the residents of these neighborhoods just as we have for the past four years at our Barton Springs location,” said Gina Scott, general manager of the new Arboretum location. “The space was exactly what we wanted, and we knew
Juliet’s concept of great food in a relaxed atmosphere would be a perfect fit and welcomed addition to The Arboretum.”

Helmed by executive chef Wade Guice, Juliet's second location offers its trademark "traditional Italian American dishes," such as antipasti, pizzas, pastas, 12-layer lasagna, and weekly specials. The new spot also carries on the prix-fixe "power lunch," held Monday through Friday, as well as weekend brunch.

Considering newly minted GM Gina Scott is the former wine director for Juliet’s Barton Springs location, the restaurant naturally offers an elevated vino program. Italian, French, and American varietals round out a full bar menu, including fan-favorite spritzes and classic cocktails.

As part of the expansion, both restaurants will operate under the newly formed Veneto Hospitality, owned by Juliet's owners and husband-wife team Dan and Donna Wilkins.

“Like most small businesses and locally-owned restaurants, Juliet initially experienced setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dan Wilkins. “But, thanks to the community’s support and our incredibly dedicated team, we were able to continue our vision of expanding to a new Austin neighborhood. We’re thrilled Juliet’s second location at The Arboretum will not only create jobs during a difficult time but also provide a welcoming space for people to celebrate and enjoy a meal with their loved ones.”

Once open, Juliet's new location at 10000 Research Blvd. will be open Sunday through Tuesday from 11 am to 9 pm and Wednesday through Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm.

openings

Whoops

Michelin goofs on a few restaurants honored in first Texas guide

Kau Ba/Facebook

Houston's Kau Ba has been removed from the Michelin Guide.

Texans' reactions to the first Michelin Guide in the state have ranged from glowing to unimpressed, but a few notable mix-ups are more concrete than differences in taste. The November 11 ceremony honored more than 100 restaurants across the state, but at least two were in error. In Dallas the guide confused two restaurants with each other, and in Houston one of them had closed.

Starting in Dallas: The Guide's release announcing the list of restaurants who'd won awards included The Charles, an award-winning Italian restaurant in Dallas' Design District, as one of 57 restaurants that earned a "Recommended" rating.

The Charles is a surely deserving restaurant that opened in 2018, the first concept from acclaimed food & beverage group Duro Hospitality, which has since gone on to open other restaurants such as El Carlos Elegante, Sister, and Cafe Duro.

But the Guide got the wrong Charles: The real recipient was Mister Charles, a sibling Duro Hospitality restaurant that opened at 3219 Knox St. in early 2024.

The Charles specializes in Italian and Texas-inspired dishes.

Mister Charles features French and Italian-influenced dishes.

It wasn't just an incorrect name; it listed the accompanying (incorrect) address.

A spokesperson for Michelin Guide verified that Mister Charles was the winner and said that the listing of The Charles was a mistake.

“This was an internal error caused by our geolocation process. The problem will be corrected in the most expeditious manner,” the spokesperson said. The Guide website has since updated the list and replaced The Charles with Mister Charles.

Having a difference of opinion about a critic's choices is one thing — but having an error of this magnitude is something else entirely.

And blaming "geolocation" as the source of the error is a curious excuse. Geolocation refers to the ability to track the whereabouts of an electronic device using GPS, cell phone towers, WiFi access points or a combination of these.

The Houston mix-up was also disappointing, but only involved one restaurant: In a press release issued Thursday, November 14, the Guide announced that it had removed Montrose Vietnamese restaurant Kau Ba from the list of Bib Gourmand recipients.

The reason: "Upon further investigation, our team has discovered the restaurant has been permanently closed since our Inspection team's visits occurred," the statement reads.

As has been widely noted in local media, Kau Ba closed earlier this month. The restaurant’s Instagram account now belongs to Alora, which is described as “a fresh Peruvian-Vietnamese fusion concept inspired by travels to Saigon.” It is expected to open soon.

Open since 2018, Kau Ba served an innovative take on Vietnamese fare created by Nikki Tran. The restaurant built on the notoriety Tran had achieved after being featured in two Netflix series: Somebody Feed Phil and Ugly Delicious. It earned considerable acclaim, including a spot in the Houston Chronicle’s top 100 restaurants as recently as 2023 and a nomination for Best Neighborhood Restaurant in the 2021 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

The restaurant went through a number of iterations during its tenure. For three-and-a-half years, Tran partnered with Aya Sushi owners Minette Corpuz and Bruce Kish to oversee operations, but they parted ways in February 2023.

In an email sent to Houston Public Media, Tran expressed regret over Michelin's decision.

“But we understand and respect Michelin’s decision to remove Kau Ba from its selection,” Tran said to HPM. “Exercising an abundance of caution from a legal position, I am not able currently to share further details of our situation but I do hope to follow up soon with more information.”

“Until then, on behalf of the entire Kau Ba team, we want to thank the entire culinary community for the recognition and support,” Tran added. “Kau Ba is proud of the dishes we created and look forward to sharing very soon what’s next.”

Thankfully in Austin, things seem to be going okay. The capital city swept the competition with seven stars (one more than Houston now that the change has been made), and two green stars for sustainability — in fact, the only green stars in the state.

Austin also had four of the first-ever barbecue restaurants to be awarded stars. Houston also had one.

Austin's winning restaurants were Barley Swine, Craft Omakase, Hestia, Olamaie, InterStellar BBQ, John Bates, La Barbecue, Alison Clem, and LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue.

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