Summer of shutters

Summer of shutters continues as hip East Austin restaurant abruptly closes

Chicon is the latest Austin restaurant that has decided to call it a day.

Chicon/Facebook

Austin’s restaurant scene, already on edge from a slate of high-profile closures, received more bad news on June 18 with the announcement that East Austin’s Chicon is closing on June 23.

According to a release, owner Edgewise, an Austin-based hospitality group, has decided to focus on the concepts under its Contigo umbrella: the flagship restaurant, Contigo Catering, Contigo Ranch, and its Fareground location.

The neighborhood restaurant first opened in fall 2014 as Gardner, an upscale concept heavily focused on seasonal, locally sourced produce. Although the restaurant slowly evolved to include more meat dishes like a well-received burger, the small plates concept and the spare, Scandinavian design of the space never took hold.

In February 2016, the team announced a reboot for the space. “Ultimately, our goal is to serve our community well, and we are excited to work diligently to transform the Gardner space into a new restaurant that will accomplish that goal," said owner Ben Edgerton at the time.

After a short hiatus, the restaurant reopened in March 2016 as Chicon, serving a more approachable menu of beer-battered fish, shareable mains like steak and chicken, and pork rolls. The feel of the space was drastically different. Terra-cotta sconces, Equipale barrel chairs, and pillows crafted out of Mexican blankets were brought in to give the dining room a warmer feel, one that was closer to the flagship restaurant.

A second redesign opened up the main dining room to East Sixth Street and added reclaimed wood dividers decorated with vintage band posters and assorted bric-a-brac.

Although the release did not elaborate further on the reason for the shutter, the restaurant group did say that the space would be turned over to an unnamed local operator. Until the last day or service, Chicon will be open for dinner and brunch services.

closings

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.

openings food trucks bars burgers tacos ramen