Omelettry's New Home

The Omelettry announces its new home on Airport Blvd., coming in late 2014

Hearts broke across Austin when news broker earlier this year that the Omelettry would be forced to close its Burnet Road shop, the restaurant's home for the past 36 years. Owners Kenny Carpenter and his son, Jesse, looked for a nearby location to serve their breakfast fare, and now the new Omelettry location has been confirmed.

In a press release, Carpenter confirms that the new location will be at 4631 Airport Blvd., in the Concorde Center just north of In-N-Out. The new spot offers room for a larger kitchen, a spacious parking lot and more space for booths and counter seats.

“We were urban pioneers when we first opened the Omelettry in 1978,” says founder and co-owner Kenny Carpenter in the press release. “Burnet Road was full of shuttered businesses and our building had seen a number of failed restaurants before we got there. So we’ll be urban pioneers again on Airport. We see great potential there — that area is so underserved.”

Carpenter also promises that there will be a mix of upgrades while maintaining the charm that made the Omelettry something special. “We won’t be using those weird wait list pagers — we’ll still have our host hollering out your name when your table is ready. But we’ll no longer be cash only. You’ll be able to use credit cards at the Omelettry.”

The Omelettry was forced to find a new home after its landlord declined to renew the longstanding lease on Burnet Road. The current one expires in June 2015. Owners are expecting to move into the new location well before that deadline, and plan to open the new location in October 2014. Customers can keep up with any related news and updates on the restaurant's Facebook page.

unspecified

Fierce Competition

Austin distillery hosting bourbon cocktail showdown with $12,000 in awards

Photo by Preston O'Shea

Fierce Whiskers is looking for the perfect cocktail to show off its Texas Straight Bourbon.

With something as nuanced as bourbon, it might be impossible to nail down the definitive best way to showcase it. Austin's Fierce Whiskers Distillery is not deterred. It'll task a dozen local bartenders with creating the best cocktail for its Texas Straight Bourbon in the Third Annual Austin Bourbon Battle on October 26.

This is a serious competition with big prizes paid out by the distillery (which has hosting help from partners Liber & Co and Virtue Craft Spirits). A people's choice award will end in a $2,000 prize, and the expert judges will award $10,000 to their favorite creation. Stakes are higher this year; the people's choice prize is now doubled, and the grand prize is the biggest of any year so far. Fierce Whiskers is only four years old, making this third year of event organizing overachievement all the more impressive.

Of course, if the people are going to choose a cocktail, they have to taste it. And if 12 sample-sized sips are just a warm-up, there will also be full portions of "select cocktails" to purchase, according to a press release. Food trucks Tru Luv Empanadas and Midway Dogs will be on hand with snacks, and live music will complete the evening. Rivian Electric Vehicles, which recently opened an Austin showroom, will also be there showing off its latest model and offering test drives and VIP shutter service.

Guests can come to support their favorite bartenders or find somewhere new to hang out next time they've got a hankering for a great bourbon cocktail. The following mixologists will be representing their bars:

Fletcher Wright – UpRoot
Ben Robinette, Brian Bounds – Kinfolk Lounge & Library
Trenten Relles – Meanwhile Brewing
Matthew Owoseni – Stella San Jac
Jarad Crowell – Il Brutto
Zachary Moore – Hillside Farmacy
Trever Fehrenbach – Dumont’s Down Low
Kevan Ash – Roosevelt Room
Rick Routh – Higher Ground
Franceska Akel – Equipment Room
Jessy Rae – Taco Flats
Matthew Le – Nickel City

The judges also have some recognizable names: whiskey writer Gabby Pharms, OMG Squee owner Sarah Lim, and Foliepops owner and Top Chef finalist Kevin D'Andrea.

“The competition continues to get more and more fierce,” said Fierce Whiskers founder Tri Vo in the release. “We’ve seen some incredible creations come out of Bourbon Battle each year and are always blown away by the creativity of each mixologist. It’s a privilege to showcase their creativity to the Austin community and we just hope folks come out to see what they can do!”

The Austin Bourbon Battle will take place at 5333 Fleming Ct. on October 26 from 3-7 pm. Tickets ($40) are available on Tock.

cocktails bartenders competition whiskey bourbon food trucks