One-year birthday dinners, new venues, exciting chef shuffles and a variety of other happenings dominated the food news of the week. Read below to see what you missed.
Bikinis strikes again
After managing music venues, creating a famous breastaurant chain (Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill) and buying a whole town (Bikinis, Texas), Texas entrepreneur Doug Guller and his company ATX Brands are expanding their trademark footprint even more. This week, Guller purchased Schroeder Hall, Texas’ second-oldest dance hall. The Goliad destination has hosted some of Texas' finest musicians, including Willie Nelson and Pat Green, since its inception in 1890.
"ATX Brands is very interested in preserving historical venues in Austin and throughout Texas," Guller told CultureMap. "There's a good fit with Schroeder Hall and tying it in with our other music venues. Our goal is to keep the space the same, [but] we intend to add more events and concerts for the surrounding communities."
Winner winner chicken dinner
Starting Monday, June 23, La Condesa is embracing a rare bird throughout the summer. La Condesa will host Pollo Caliente! (spicy chicken) every Monday, with Executive Chef Rick Lopez showcasing the unique, Nashville-style dish during dinner service. The family-style dish, which feeds two to four people, comes with a heaping of house-pickled vegetables, creamy potato salad, Easy Tiger bread and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Seize the zesty bird while you can!
Radio Coffee & Beer opens
After hinting at a summer debut in one of last month's columns, Radio Coffee & Beer has softly opened its doors. The South Austin neighborhood space features a vast selection of local craft beers, coffee beverages and dishes from the Veracruz All-Natural trailer, East Side Pies, Texas French Bread and a variety of other purveyors and artisans.
Steven Cak finds a new kitchen
Steven Cak, former executive pastry chef of Parkside, Chavez and Olive & June, has found a stomping grounds to showcase his talents. Cak will helm the sweet side of the menu at Contigo and the upcoming Gardner as the restaurants' executive pastry chef. Starting Friday, guests can enjoy Cak's new dishes at Contigo, such as Texas Blueberry Parfait, Texas Pecan and Cardamom Coffee Cake and Blueberry Cake Doughnuts.
More fried pastries!
Grab your stretchy pants: Gourdough's is unleashing more fried pastries. The famed Austin doughnut trailer announced this week that it has added a new trailer to its growing brood. The popular trailer institution has found a home near the University of Texas campus behind the University Co-op store at the corner of 23rd Street and San Antonio Street.
Qui celebrates first birthday
To celebrate its first birthday, Qui will host a multi-course birthday feast. On Wednesday, June 25, guests will enjoy a curated dinner selection of Qui-centric fare, consisting of such dishes as Filipino peanut curry and cheddar cheese ice cream sandwiches, at the intimate space. "I am grateful for having such a talented and committed team and to everyone for letting us grow organically as a restaurant over this past year," Paul Qui told CultureMap. The dinner is expected to fill up quickly, understandably so, so make your reservations by emailing reservations@quiaustin.com.
Easy Tiger hosts Slow Food
Interested in learning more about the Slow Food Movement and how you can embrace locally grown fare? Slow Food Austin will host an informal-yet-informative happy hour at Easy Tiger this upcoming Tuesday, June 24, from 5:30 - 7:30 pm for those who are curious about the movement and its pillars; though the gathering is free of charge to any who want to attend, for a $5 donation fee, patrons can enjoy a selection of Austin-based drinks and bites.
The owner of Bikinis has struck again, this time buying Texas' second oldest dance hall.
