Lone Star Dining

Legendary Central Texas restaurant reopens after year-long closure

A Central Texas dining legend is back in business. After a year-long renovation, the restaurant at Stagecoach Inn in Salado reopened Wednesday, June 14.

At 156 years old, Stagecoach Inn remains one of the longest running hotels in the Lone Star State. The historic space, located off I-35, first opened as the Shady Villa Hotel in 1861; the restaurant debuted in 1943.

Developers Clark Lyda, Austin Pfiester, and David Hays tapped La Corsha Hospitality Group (the celebrated team behind Second Bar + Kitchen, Boiler Nine Bar + Grill, and the new Mattie's at Green Pastures) to handle operations of the restaurant.

"Stagecoach Inn has been a sacred retreat for locals and travelers and we're thrilled to welcome everyone to the renewed and restored restaurant," says Lyda, who purchased the property in 2015, in a release. "This project has been such a gratifying experience and we're anxious for guests to see how our team has preserved the property's history while improving its atmosphere of gracious hospitality."

The restaurant is now open for lunch and dinner. With the help of La Corsha's David Bull, executive chef Justin Holler has crafted a prix fixe menu that pays homage to Stagecoach Inn's legacy. Fans will delight in the revamped chicken-fried steak and sweet Strawberry Kiss dessert. Diners can also look forward to brand-new a la carte options like deep-fried bacon, as well as a beverage lineup that includes craft cocktails and wine.

Renovations are still underway for the hotel portion of Stagecoach Inn. Seventy-five guestrooms and two event spaces, the Sam Houston Room and the Longhorn Room, will open spring 2018.

Some of the same developers are also behind the revamp of another Austin icon, Commodore Perry Estate, which will welcome a new boutique hotel operated by Auberge Resorts Collection in 2019.

The restaurant at Stagecoach Inn is now open.

Photo by Cody Graham

The restaurant at Stagecoach Inn is now open.

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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.