Food news

7 things to know in Austin food right now: Popular east side restaurant sets sail for Hyde Park

Photo courtesy of Monger's Market + Kitchen

Editor's note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of Austin's restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our regular roundup of essential food news.

Openings and shuffles

Two popular Mexican-style food truck operations have found new homes at Arbor Food Park at 1108 East 12th St. in East Austin. First up is Cuantos Tacos, a Mexico City-style street taco operation from Le Cordon Bleu grad Luis “Beto” Robledo. Cuantos Tacos moved to the location after Robledo’s former landlord, Edward Banks of Fast Eddie’s Automotive Repair, was told to vacate the premises by the property’s owner (despite Banks being in the middle of a lease). At Arbor Food Park, Robledo plans to eventually move his operation into a larger truck, and introduce an expanded menu that will include al pastor tacos cooked on a traditional trompo.

Also moving onto the site is ceviche truck from Baja-style catering company operation Rosarito. CultureMap first reported back in February that the operation, which serves traditional lime-pickled shrimp ceviches as well as more exotic, sashimi-style fish specials sourced from Mexico, first set up shop at 1812 E. Sixth St., in the parking lot beside Whisler’s, but was forced to pivot in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rosarito’s owner, chef Carlos Acosta, tells CultureMap he hopes the truck will remain the cevicheria’s permanent home.

Mongers Market + Kitchen, the seafood restaurant that has docked on East Cesar Chavez since 2015, is setting sail for Hyde Park. The restaurant will take over the former Vino Vino space on Guadalupe Street, and says that while it "enjoyed a robust business at its East Cesar Chavez Street location ," it's looking forward to settling into its new neighborhood and welcoming more families. A release notes that Monger's reopening date will be announced soon.

“The Absolute Würst” is making its way to North Austin. Dog Haus, the California-based, craft-casual concept opened its first Texas location at Austin’s Kitchen United facility. In addition to nitrate-free sausages, dogs, and patties conceived by Würstmacher Adam Gertler, the new location will also offer menu items from three of The Absolute Brands' delivery-only concepts: Bad Mutha Clucka, Plant B, and Bad-Ass Breakfast Burritos. Created by Dog Haus’ founders, The Absolute Brands is a new restaurant group comprised of nine unique concepts. Located at 8023 Burnet Road, Dog Haus Kitchen is open every day from 11 am to 10 pm. Delivery and pickup orders can be placed online through kitchenunited.com and third party delivery apps.

A month after shuttering its San Antonio River-walk location, doughnut shop Gourdough’s filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy last week. According to KVUE, the company’s ill-fated expansion into the Alamo City left Gourdough’s with "substantial debt,” which has only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chain’s bankruptcy lawyer, Kareem Hajjar, says Austinite’s need not worry about losing their comically indulgent donuts any time soon. "I am confident that by using the tools that exist in the Bankruptcy Code, Austinites will continue to enjoy Gourdough’s donuts, burgers, and cocktails for many years to come," Hajjar told KVUE. Gordough’s two remaining locations — a brick-and-mortar on South Lamar Boulevard and the original food truck on South First Street — are currently both open for to-go orders.

South Austin breakfast taco fixture El Primo will re-open at its South First location on July 1, a representative tells CultureMap. The food truck, beloved for its breakfast and street tacos, closed temporarily on May 30 for a then indefinite amount of time. Since then, El Primo owner Jose Luis Perez has worked to move his operation into a larger truck to keep up with increased demand. Perez and his team will begin serving customers from the new truck beginning Wednesday, July 1, and are planning to resume their regular hours going forward. After Wednesday, the truck will be open 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Thursday; 8 am-8 pm on Friday; and 8 am – 4 pm on Saturday.

Other news and notes

Thanks to the recent allocation of city funds, as well as support from Austin Ed Fund, the Austin Independent School District is partnering with local restaurants to provide meals to students and caregivers. Meals are being prepared by local restaurant partners, including Henbit, Easy Tiger, L'Oca d'Oro, Colleen's Kitchen, and Contigo. "Before COVID-19, 67 percent of Austin ISD students relied on school meals," says Michelle Wallis, executive director of Austin Ed Fund via press release, "so we are especially grateful to the City of Austin for this support and honored to work with our partners to support our local economy.” Meals are provided five days per week along with a Friday pack that includes meals for the weekend. Caregiver meals are available to the adults accompanying children at meal sites or with documentation of the children they are picking meals up for. Food is available until it runs out. Find Austin ISD meal sites, times, and more information at austinisd.org/covid19/meals.

news-you-can-eat

Omakase for Everyone

New South Austin restaurant swims against current of expensive omakase

Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Tancho Sushi keeps things simple.

Austin had no shortage of beautiful sushi restaurants, but a new one at Lantana Place is doing drawing the trend away from the center of the city and sticking a lower price tag on the experience. Tancho Sushi, offering "everyday omakase," is now open at 7415 Southwest Parkway.

The thought of casual omakase feels like a bit of an oxymoron in Austin, where the service style — which tasks the chef with choosing what the diner will eat — is almost synonymous with something fancy and expensive. Factor in the interior design at Tancho, which certainly doesn't look pedestrian, and it's hard to believe it's actually an everyday meal.

But all things considered, these prices seem reasonable: $29 for the lightest dinner option, and capping out at a $59 feast. Lunch is even less expensive, starting at $24.

In some omakase experiences, the chef might factor in a diner's taste, the special ingredients that are available that day, and any number of other factors to determine what hits the table. But at Tancho, these prix fixe options are predetermined, doubtlessly contributing to the more accessible pricing.

The 50-seat restaurant also uses a clever marketing angle to get diners in who aren't necessarily experienced in sushi, or might otherwise be intimidated by letting a chef choose unfamiliar foods. "With thoughtfully curated preset menus, Tancho simplifies the dining experience by eliminating the guesswork so guests can focus on enjoying their meals," a press release announcing the opening says.

The release was sent November 22, but it looks like Tancho has been serving customers in a soft opening capacity for about a month, based on its Google reviews (which are stunningly high for a new restaurant at 4.7 stars).

Although each menu is different, there is a shared arc. All four experiences start with sunomono salad, a cucumber-based dish with red seaweed and sesame. Then there's tuna sashimi with smoked yuzu ponzu and scallions, and the rest depends on what the diner chooses.

Some standout items across the dinner service are sea bream on the light menu; akami (very red meat along the spine of a tuna) on the standard omakase menu; a lobster open hand roll on the rolls-only menu; and a tuna flight on the grand omakase menu.

No menu item is especially complicated. The focus is on doing each ingredient right, including the temperature the fish is served at and even the flavor of house-made soy sauce and ponzu.

“We keep the focus on the ingredients,” said co-founder Brad Van Otterloo in the release. “By stripping away unnecessary flourishes, we allow the quality of our fish to take center stage. This is a Texas-born concept through and through, and we’re proud to contribute to Austin’s growing sushi reputation.”

Despite all this talk of omakase, it is possible to order à la carte items: some appetizers, nigiri (sliced fish on top of rice), and rolls. There's also a carefully curated beverage program, which largely focuses on sake. That includes the Kubota Manju or “Ten Thousand Celebrations" ($79), renowned in Japan for its complex layers and smooth mouthfeel.

“As Austin continues to grow, we wanted to introduce a fresh take on the sushi experience,” said Van Otterloo. “We’re here to make sushi approachable for Austinites while honoring the integrity of this cuisine. It’s about creating a space where everyone can discover and enjoy sushi at their own pace – no pressure, no pretense.”

Tancho Sushi is located at 7415 Southwest Parkway, Building 4, Suite 300. It's open daily from 11 am to 10 pm, offering both dine-in and takeout. There are no reservations.

omakase sushi openings south austin