Where to Drink

New Congress Avenue hot spot, The Townsend, scores badass guest bartender

Adam Bryan is behind the bar at The Townsend through July 23.

Photo by Matt McGinnis

It’s fairly common for music venues like the Continental Club and Cactus Café to have an artist residency with guest bands playing shows on consecutive nights or weeks. It’s not a common thing to have a guest bartender residency, but newly opened cocktail bar The Townsend is doing just that.

The cocktail lounge and live music venue situated on Congress Avenue kicks off its bartender residency program with Adam Bryan running the show through July 23.

It’s not new to have guest bartenders, but this is the first week-long residency at a bar in Austin. For the three-week-old Townsend, it’s quite a coup to land such a buzzworthy bartender. Bryan is well-known in Austin for launching the cocktail program at East Side Show Room, working behind the stick at Midnight Cowboy, and serving as bar manager at Bar Congress.

“People have been asking me who was going to be the first guest bartender,” says Justin Elliott, The Townsend partner and food-and-beverage wrangler. “We wanted to take our time to get the right person, because this is a part of who we are. We knew when it’s right, it will be right to offer a residency."

“I was the guy that showed up,” says Bryan.

Elliott continues, “Adam and I have spent a lot of time working together at East Side Show Room and Midnight Cowboy and have an in-the-trenches mentality. He called and said he was coming through town. The timing worked out. It works really well for Adam to be our first, because we are bringing in someone we trust and with whom we share values.”

Bryan was attracted to the residency because he and Elliott value simplicity in drinks. The Townsend’s approach to doing things differently with a classic cocktail lounge in the heart of downtown also caught his attention.

“For six or seven years the culinary landscape in this town has put on its big pants,” says Bryan. “To see the people involved in making that happen now establishing their own programs in their own spaces is really great. To be able to come back to Austin after being gone for a handful of months and see someone I respect doing just that is a great fit for me.”

Steven Weisburd, principal partner at The Townsend, dreamed up the residency program as a way to bring in talent from the hospitality industry and shake up the creative cocktail menu for customers. It’s a part of The Townsend’s royalty program in which bartenders earn a 1 percent royalty fee each time a drink they created is ordered.

“Our residency program won’t be limited Austin-based bartenders,” says Weisburd. “We want to be innovative with ideas at the Townsend so that we are not just another in a sea of bars. The way we approach our royalty program, the way we do art and music, all are a part of how we are respectful of talent and craftsmanship in several areas. It is a way to celebrate talent in an innovative way.”

Bryan has created a special three-drink menu that will be available from 7-11 pm during his residency. The menu incudes the Rosella Reyes, made with Ancho Reyes; the Velpar, made with Treaty Oak Rum and St. George Absinthe; and the Pedro y Lola made with Tequila Ocho Reposado and Pedro Ximenez Sherry. Each drink is priced at $12.

“The Velpar is an old drink from the early days of the East Side Show Room,” says Bryan. “I wanted to use a local spirit, and Treaty Oak had just been released. I appreciated those guys’ gumption and wanted to showcase that taste. There is a good story behind the name, too. Treaty Oak Rum is named for the Treaty Oak tree in downtown Austin, which someone had attempted to destroy with Velpar poison ... At the time the drink was made, absinthe was misunderstood, so that fits in there, too.”

Bryan’s cocktails will only be available for a short time, but Elliott thinks they may make a cameo appearance after the residency. He is toying with fun ideas to bring back various recipes from guest bartenders in an end of the year roundup or something like a throwback Thursday.

The Townsend is currently in discussions with several notable bartenders from around the country to take over the bar for future residencies.

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Stay Pressed

Canada's first Michelin-starred sushi restaurant opens Austin to-go spot

Photo courtesy of Aburi Oshi Sushi

Aburi Oshi Sushi will specialize in flame-seared, pressed sushi.

Austin has established itself as a sushi city, but it's time to accept a newcomer from an unexpected neighbor up north. Aburi Oshi Sushi is a new to-go concept by a group called Aburi Restaurants that has achieved regional dominance operating Aburi Hana, the first sushi restaurant in Canada to receive a Michelin star. It opens September 20 at 5610 N. Interstate Hwy. 35 at the edge of the North Loop neighborhood.

This pickup spot is a part of CloudKitchens, a national chain of ghost kitchens — commercial kitchens used by restaurant concepts without a dining space. It'll also offer delivery and catering.

Although this particular takeout concept is new, Aburi restaurants share a style, with some variations in each venture. A release touts Aburi's flame-searing technique, which it applies to pressed sushi (not rolls, but usually bite-sized rectangular cakes) doused in house sauces.

Aburi Oshi Sushi flame-sear Sushi receiving a sear.Photo courtesy of Aburi Oshi Sushi

Guests can try it in the Aburi Salmon Oshi, a fan-favorite menu item featuring Sockeye salmon, Aburi's unique Miku sauce (which home chefs have attempted to replicate with miso and mayonnaise as main ingredients), jalapeño, and black pepper. A new item in Austin is the Aburi Yellowtail Oshi with cilantro, avocado sauce, and serrano.

The oshi (pressed) sushi is the main draw — and presents great in photos — but there are also plenty of rolls on the Austin concept's menu. Those don't get too fancy, featuring combos like tuna and cucumber; yellowtail and scallion; and the all-vegetable Shojin Roll with avocado, carrot, and cucumber. The obligatory California Roll shows up in a more traditional form, plus Miku sauce and a flame-sear dress up a specialty version.

In addition to running an acclaimed group of restaurants in Canada, Aburi Restaurants owns and operates two restaurants in Tokyo, Japan, including Aburi TORA Futako Tamagawa, one of Tokyo’s most famous sushi restaurants, and nine properties in Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario.

"We are honored to introduce our flame-seared style of sushi to Austin, and to add to the vibrant food scene here," said Aburi's corporate chef, Kazuki Uchigoshi, in the release. "Our expansion outside of Canada marks a significant milestone for us, and we’re thrilled to be a part of the Austin and overall Texas dining community."

All these rectangular sushis look very neat in a row.Photo courtesy of Aburi Oshi Sushi

Before founder Seigo Nakamura was making sushi in Canada, he was making it at 20 years old in Miyazaki, Japan, following in his father's footsteps. But he later took a less traditional path, opening nine locations showing off his flame-seared creations, eventually leaving Japan at age 32.

During his travels abroad in his late 20s, Nakamura was inspired by how sushi had evolved into a global phenomenon, particularly in its embrace of salmon as a top sushi topping. In Japan, raw fish (sashimi) is more commonly consumed, so this discovery sparked his desire to craft something new that would appeal to international palates. Aburi Restaurants is based in Canada — specifically Vancouver and Toronto — but it also owns and operates two restaurants in Tokyo.

Aburi Oshi will be open daily from 11 am to 9 pm. Pickup and delivery are available via 5610foodco.com. Catering inquiries should be directed to catering@aburioshisushi.com. More information about the concept is available at aburioshisushi.com.

sushi japanese cuisine openings takeout