Tides are Turning

South Austin neighborhood wine bar shutters and coastal Italian restaurant surges in

Barile will make all their pasta in house.

If at first you don’t succeed, try something completely different. At least that’s the lesson Austin restaurateurs seem to have learned as the dining scene becomes increasingly crowded. Instead of trying to fill seats with new promotions and menu items, restaurants like Gardner (now Chicon) and Juliet Ristorante (now Juliet Italian Kitchen) have chosen to retool with entirely new concepts.

The latest to get makeover bug is Flour & Vine. Bar manager Jacob Hinojosa told CultureMap that the South Austin eatery will close after brunch service May 6. But the doors won't be locked for long. On May 11, the team will begin the soft-opening phase of a new concept, Barile.

Flour & Vine first opened in 2013 in the former home of Hugo’s Restaurant y Tequila Bar in the bottom floor of the Cole apartment building at 300 S. Lamar Blvd. Austin was then in the throes of Prohibition mania (see Péché, East Side Show Room, Midnight Cowboy), and although New American comfort food with vague Mediterranean influences was on the plate, the rest of the operation went full flapper.

The bar program focused on classic cocktails as much as wine, dining was frequently accompanied by live piano music, and the (singing) servers wore fringed dresses with long beads. The effect was very "Le Jazz Hot."

Over the years, the restaurant dropped the costumes and tinkered with the menu, increasingly favoring Italian-inspired dishes like eggplant rollatini and risotto. In 2017, chef Vangel Bylyku acquired the restaurant, remodeling the patio, upgrading the wine list, and introducing new programming like music nights.

Barile will continue in that vein. Hinojosa says the rebranding reflects a shift to coastal and southern Italian cuisine (Barile is a town in the Italian region of Basilicata). The menu focuses on house made pasta and seafood. Cheese boards and flatbread will also be available for snacks.

The bar will also undergo a few minor adjustments. Wine and mezcal flights will be available and Texas liquors and beer will play a strong role. The bar will also extend its hours to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and introduce daily happy hours.

On May 18, Barile will officially have its grand opening. To celebrate, Hinojosa says the restaurant will offer live entertainment, complimentary snacks, and extra drink specials throughout the month.

closings openings

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.