Olamaie Wins Big

Austin culinary duo named among Food & Wine's Best New Chefs

Michael Fojtasek and Grae Nonas can be found on this year's Best New Chef list from Food & Wine magazine.

Austin's hottest chefs keep raking in the titles. On Tuesday, Food & Wine magazine announced its Best New Chefs for 2015, including a local culinary duo. Chefs Michael Fojtasek and Grae Nonas of Olamaie join nine other chefs on the esteemed list.

"The duo — who met while working at one of LA's hippest restaurants (Son of a Gun) — share a passion for classic Southern cooking, locavorism and innovation," says the magazine. "This magical combination results in dishes like whey-caramel-glazed sweet potatoes with popped sorghum and crudo with puffed black rice, benne seeds and pickled watermelon rind."

Food & Wine calls Olamaie's chilled North Carolina crab salad its signature dish and shares an insider tip about those much-loved, off-the-menu biscuits. "If we put them on the menu, we'd be doing nothing but making biscuits all day long," Fojtasek says.

To qualify for the prestigious honor, chefs have been in charge of kitchen operations for five years or less. Olamaie is the only Austin representative on this year's list. Fojtasek and Nonas join Paul Qui, who received the title last year.

Look for Fojtasek and Nonas in the July issue of Food & Wine.

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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

Olamaie Wins Big

Austin culinary duo named among Food & Wine's Best New Chefs

Cat's Out of the Bag

Classic Austin dive bar Mean Eyed Cat opens new Driftwood outpost

New East Austin coffee and beer haven opens weeks after cidery closure

Affordable housing complex opens in Austin with rent starting at $600

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