Opening Alert

New kind of Mexican restaurant coming to the heart of East Austin

Suerte is all about masa.

Photo by Brooke Taelor Photography

A new Mexican-inspired restaurant is coming to the east side, courtesy of an Austin industry vet. Sam Hellman-Mass, founding partner of Barley Swine and Odd Duck, has announced a solo venture, Suerte, which he will open in the former Dario's space.

Hellman-Mass purchased the property at 1800 E. Sixth St., which formerly housed the East Austin Tex-Mex institution and has been vacant for three years. Construction began last week, and the new restaurant is slated to open by the end of 2017.

Suerte's menu will highlight masa, made in-house daily. "Over the past few years I have really fallen in love with Mexican flavors and the quest for perfect masa," says Hellman-Mass in a release. "So far the search has led me to New York, San Francisco, Mexico City, Oaxaca, the Yucatan, and more. I'm not sure only one perfect tortilla exists, but I am certain that our team is going to make some delicious food inspired by our travels."

While Hellman-Mass is looking abroad for inspiration, he will continue his commitment to local farmers. Suerte will source many of its ingredients from Central Texas, including heirloom corn for the masa.

The new restaurant will join a slew of Mexican eateries on East Sixth Street, including Licha's Cantina, Cisco's Restaurant, and Tamale House East, as well as Joe's Bakery, Takoba, and Juan in a Million, all located in the surrounding neighborhood.

Hellman-Mass remains a partner in Barley Swine and Odd Duck, but he is not involved in the daily operations. That restaurant group recently announced its plans for a casual East Austin concept called Sour Duck Market.

openings east-austin

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.