Meatless butcher

Central Market debuts plant-powered 'Meatless Butcher' at Austin store

Plant-based fajitas are now available at the Meatless Butcher in Central Market.

Photo courtesy of Central Market

A contradiction in terms no longer, the Meatless Butcher has arrived at Central Market’s Austin Westgate location.

Appropriately operating out of the produce department, the new Meatless Butcher, debuting Friday, April 22 at the high-end grocer, will provide many of the options a typical butcher would, but all the items will be plant-based and prepared daily by Central Market’s talented chefs.

The Meatless Butcher will offer a variety of plant-based items, including meatless chicken wings, featuring tofu, seitan, vegan chicken stock, and garlic. These are fried and ready to toss in your favorite sauce such as buffalo or sticky garlic before game time — or any time.

Additionally, there’s meatless brisket that permits Texans to enjoy all the smoky flavor of their national food without the beef. This plant-powered protein features jackfruit, seasoned with vegan beef stock, red miso paste, tahini, vegan Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and an assortment of spices. It is then topped with vegan barbecue sauce to complete the experience.

And no Meatless Butcher in Texas would be complete without Tex-Mex choices including meatless chicken and beef fajitas. They come marinated in Central Market’s signature Southwest spice blend and ready to be loaded up with fajita fixings. Or, mix things up with the meatless chorizo, wrapped in freshly made tortillas with creamy avocado for some delectable breakfast tacos.

Beyond the barbecue options, other meatless essentials include meatless pepperoni to add that long-missing ingredient to your vegan pizza, meatless chicken and beef kabobs, and meatless marinated chicken breast.

A division of H-E-B, Central Market opened its doors in Austin, Texas in 1994, and now has 10 store locations across Texas. The Westgate store is located at 4477 S. Lamar Blvd.

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Noodle News

Vegan ramen joint from Los Angeles visits Austin for 2-night pop-up

Ramen Hood/Instagram

Los Angeles' Ramen Hood will be in Austin for a two-night pop-up.

This Thursday and Friday, the Loren Hotel Austin is teaming up with Los Angeles vegan ramen restaurant Ramen Hood for a two-night pop-up dinner on November 7 and 8.

The dinner on both nights will include a multi-course prix fixe menu featuring some of the restaurant's best-selling dishes. Guests will see broccoli with soy, chili glaze, and scallions; Ahi "Tuna" crisps made from spicy beets, crispy rice shells, yuzu avocado puree and sesame seeds; Avocado Toast with crispy rice cakes, yuzu avocado puree, herb salad, togarashi, and chili threads; and ramen with sunflower seed broth, bean sprouts, scallions, bok choy, and king oyster mushrooms.

Dinner is priced at $45 per person, plus an additional $45 for sake and cocktail pairings.

Dinner will include this simple but savory broccoli dish, along with several other courses. Photo courtesy of Ramen Hood

Ramen Hood was founded in 2015 by chef Rahul Khopkar and Ilan Hall, as a vegan and plant-based ramen option in L.A. This will be the first time Ramen Hood is teaming up with The Loren, but it's not the first pop-up the hotel is offering. This is part of an ongoing chef series, where The Loren Hotel partners with chefs from all around the country to showcase their specialty dishes to Austin eaters.

A portion of the proceeds from The Loren Chef Series benefits The Loren Roots Imperative, a nonprofit that has big goals in terms of carbon footprint. Currently the Roots Imperative aims to acquire and regenerate over 50,000 biodiverse acres of land and plant 10 million hardwood trees to offset its own carbon emissions.

Ramen Hood's pop-up vegan restaurant will be at The Loren's Nido Lounge from 6-9 pm on Thursday November, 7, and Friday, November 8.

The Nido Lounge at the Loren Hotel Austin. Photo from thelorenhotels.com

The Loren Hotel is located just south of the Colorado River at 1211 W Riverside Dr. Aside from the Nido Lounge, the hotel a Milk + Honey spa, an extensive fitness center, cafe, rooftop terrace, infinity pool, and plenty of other luxurious amenities in its 108 guest rooms and suites overlooking Lady Bird Lake.

More information and tickets are available at thelorenhotels.com.

ramen vegan hotels pop-up