Coronavirus News

Texas restaurants may sell beer, wine, and cocktails to-go 'forever,' says governor

Cocktails to-go could become permanent in Texas.

Photo courtesy of Gueros Taco Bar

One of the few restaurant-related bright spots in the coronavirus pandemic may become a permanent part of dining in Texas: Gov. Greg Abbott recently tweeted his support for continuing to allow restaurants to sell alcohol to-go "forever."

In March, the governor signed a waiver allowing restaurants to sell beer, wine, and mixed drinks for both to-go and delivery — providing that the drinks are served with food and the alcoholic beverages remained in their original packaging.

Restaurants had already been permitted to sell alcoholic beverages through a delivery service. Abbott's waiver allowed consumers to pick up their drinks without utilizing a third party, and expanded which establishments could offer them.

Waiver in place, bars (that serve food) and restaurants across the state started selling cocktails to go. The offerings have been a hit, providing not only a little comfort to customers but also financial relief to establishments reeling from lost revenues.

Of course, if Abbott really wanted to be a hero to Texas tipplers, he’d allow bars and restaurants to sell pre-mixed cocktails. If that situation did come to pass, diners could purchase properly portioned, mixed, and diluted drinks rather than being given a bunch of ingredients and told to figure it out on their own.

In addition, all of those restaurants selling frozen cocktails in sealed plastic jugs would suddenly be in compliance with the law instead of risking a fine to earn some much needed dollars.

Alas, making those changes would likely require action by the legislature, and it won’t meet again until 2021.

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Near and Deer

Vespaio-trained chef serves venison from trailer at Austin's Sign Bar

Photo courtesy of Sign Bar.

Born and Braised, specializing in native ingredients and braised meats, is now open at Sign Bar.

Born and Braised, a food trailer specializing in native ingredients and braised meats, has just opened for business at Sign Bar. Chef and owner William Woodland, a.k.a. Woody, says so far things are going great.

"They're doing a great job promoting us at Sign Bar. I feel really special," says Woodland.

This is a big change from several years ago when sign bar first opened and Woodland says he "pestered" the folks behind the cool new space.

"I think at that time they wanted to see a couple of years of good experience," says Woodland. "And now my reviews are insanely good — so I think that helped!"

Born and Braised started out at Lustre Pearl back in 2022, and then quickly moved over to Sage Brush where it stayed for more than a year. More recently, Woodland has been operating out of Bastrop and is happy to be closer to town again at Sign Bar, which is located in East Austin. It's still a bit of a drive for many, but not as far south.

Some of the menu items include birria tacos, homemade birria ramen, and multiple venison-based dishes: chili, a smash burger, and bratwurst. There's also grilled cheese, street corn, and other sides.

"I think it's one of only a couple of places in town where you can get venison any time," says Woodland. He adds that the main focus of any foods he prepares is minimal waste and using good, quality, native ingredients. "I'm kind of an ingredient hippie," he laughs.

These cooking roots can be traced back to Woodland's days at his grandparents' out in the country, where his uncles butchering deer in the garage was the norm, and venison was always on the table. As an adult, Woodland got his "formal" education in the kitchen at Vespaio under the tutelage of Ryan Samson.

"He gave me his culinary book from when he went to school and quizzed me everyday; basically took me to culinary school through that job," says Woodland. "I cry thinking about him all the time. Great guy; a really good mentor."

Born and Braised is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 pm to 2 am, and Saturdays from 11 am to 2 am, at Sign Bar Austin (9909 FM 969, Bldg. 3). The bar, decorated with more than 75 retired signs from legendary local businesses, offers a variety of beers, wines, and cocktails.

Sign Bar Holiday Tree This miniature Zilker Tree is the newest permanent installation at Sign Bar. Photo courtesy of Sign Bar

As of early December, guests can enjoy all Sign Bar has to offer next to the Sign Bar Holiday Tree. This 64-foot tall tree is an homage to the Zilker Tree, and unlike most holiday displays, this tree will be up year-round. Guests can even spin under this mini-Zilker Tree — but may want to give it a minute after a bowl of venison chili.

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