National Love for Austin Food Scene

Austin hot spots land on Bon Appetit's list of best new restaurants

Austin proves its culinary chops once again. Three local restaurants have made a big-deal list: nominees for Bon Appetit's Best New Restaurants 2013. Restaurant editor Andrew Knowlton "spent countless hours and traveled thousands of miles" crossing the country to compile the list of 50 contenders.

The list — mercifully available at a single glance — spreads its wealth from California to New York and includes a surprisingly robust six from Texas:

FT33 (Dallas)
Jeffrey's and Josephine House (Austin)
The Pass and Provisions (Houston)
Ramen Tatsu-Ya (Austin)
Spoon (Dallas)
Sway (Austin)

In his write-up for Jeffrey's, Knowlton comments that fine dining is alive in Austin, thanks to "empire-builder" Larry McGuire, who gave this local institution and its sibling new life:

These are places where the flowers matter, the customer matters, and — of course — the food matters, whether it's lunch and cocktails at Josephine House or a 35-day dry-aged Texas porterhouse for dinner at Jeffrey's. The attention to detail at is evident in every little thing, from brass valet parking tickets to a roving Martini cart to laser-cut leather-bound menus.

At Sway, Bon Appetit loves the off-the-menu "Moo Sway"— a family-style meal of raw oysters and a whole, slow-roasted Thai-style pork shoulder — at this "stunningly designed" new restaurant:

The outdoor patio with its modern chairs and tables is straight out of Dwell, while the lively interior glows with warm wood and the buzz of hungry diners. The menu is full of sophisticated, Thai-inspired noodles, grilled meats and curries from Austin's beloved Rene Ortiz, best known for his Mexican cooking at La Condesa.

Knowlton calls Ramen Tastu-Ya a "Japanese gem" hidden in a strip mall and advises ordering "kaedama" — extra noodles — to add to bowls of broth:

The dining room's bright red chairs and red-accented lamps set a fun, energetic vibe, but it's the steaming bowls of ramen with hunks of pork belly that cause fans to line up outside the door.

On August 14, the magazine will reveal its list of the 10 best new restaurants and the editor's pick for the best new restaurant in America.

Bon Appetit calls Ramen Tatsu-Ya a "Japanese gem."

Photo courtesy of Ramen Tatsu-Ya

Bon Appetit calls Ramen Tatsu-Ya a "Japanese gem."

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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.