Opening Alert

Barley Swine mastermind reveals new East Austin restaurant and beer garden

Sour Duck Market is the newest concept from chef Bryce Gilmore.

Top Austin chef Bryce Gilmore is heading east with his next venture. He'll open Sour Duck Market at 1814 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. this winter.

Sour Duck Market will be more casual than Gilmore's successful farm-to-table concepts, Barley Swine and Odd Duck, hearkening back to the days of the original Odd Duck trailer.

"Our mission with Sour Duck is to extend the reach of our craftsman's approach to cooking to the fast-casual market, while maintaining the integrity of our local-farm-supported supply chain," Gilmore says in a statement to CultureMap.

"We want to bring slow, high-quality local food to the masses. With the expansion we can buy even more from our local farmers and ranches and grow our support for them. It’s important for us to maintain this relationship and keep it at the core of what we do."

The menu and the restaurant layout will be designed to accommodate relaxed in-house dining and on-the-go meals. Expect counter service inside and table service outside in the courtyard and beer garden.

The lineup will include sandwiches, kolaches, sausages, baked goods, and more. As far as drinks go, look forward to 12 beers and four cocktails on draft, as well as a frozen drink machine.

Joining Gilmore in the venture are Mark Buley, Jason James, and Dylan Gilmore, all partners at Odd Duck. Look for Sour Duck Market at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Chicon Street.

openings chefs east-austin

spice on the sidelines

Melt your face off at habanero-infused tequila truck headed to Austin

Fiero Tequila/Instagram

These spicy tequilas will be used in tailgate cocktails.

Not that taco trucks aren't popular enough in Austin, but what if they also served spicy tequila? Fiero Tequila, a San Diego-based brand specializing in pepper infusions, is driving its spicy sips to Austin for a four-day, seven-location visit from September 18-21.

Good news for Austinites who don't quite feel fiery enough to go searching for the truck: it's chosen some popular locations that are independently worth a visit. Some of those include the buzzy new pool bar Swim Club; the new pickleball court-bar combo Drifters Social Coffee & Cocktails; and some local-favorite liquor stores.

It all leads up to a tailgate party hosted by social media savants When Where What, who will announce the location the day of the Texas Longhorns game against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. The truck will be a fun hangout spot with seating and games.

Fiero self-claims the title of "spiciest tequila in the U.S.," although it sounds like they have some competition in Ghost Tequila. Still, it seems only Fiero provides the Scoville Heat Units to back it up: the serrano tequila racks up 10,000-23,000 and is far outpaced by the habanero tequila with 100,000–350,000 SHU. For scale, these are the same ranges for the peppers themselves, meaning taking a shot should be a lot like taking a bite of the pepper.

According to Fiero, its spirts are distilled by the multi-generational industry family at Casa Don Roberto. They're led by Master Distiller Estella Anguiano, who is often introduced as a rarity as a female master distiller in Mexico. The agave is roasted for three days, infused with peppers that are sold at Jalisco farmers markets for three more days, and then filtered for the last time.

Mercifully, these tequilas will end up diluted in cocktails. However, a press release announcing the truck's arrival does not specify what cocktails it will serve, nor what kind of tacos will accompany them. Hints may be found on the brand's Instagram account, which is infatuated with spicy margaritas.

Fiero Fire Taco Truck Austin schedule:

Wednesday, September 18
12-3 pm – Revival Coffee, 1405 East 7th St.
6-9 pm – Drifters, 10630 Menchaca Rd., Building A
Thursday, September 19
4-7 pm – King Liquor, 5310 Burnet Rd., Unit 100
8-11 pm – Swim Club, 650 East 10th St.
Friday, September 20
12-3 pm – Austin Shaker, 420 North Pleasant Valley Rd.
6-10pm – Arte Agave Festival, 979 Springdale Rd., Suite #160 (ticket required)
Saturday, September 21
3pm – When Where What Austin Official Tailgate, address to be TBA

People who want to brag about their spicy cocktail tolerance have a chance to do so in the form of merch, which the truck will also be giving away.

More information about Fiero Tequila is available at fierotequila.com. More information about When Where What's tailgate location will be posted on Instagram @FieroTequila.

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