Opening Alert

Favorite downtown kitchen and bar sets opening date for Domain Northside

Second Bar and Kitchen dish Austin restaurant

Second Bar + Kitchen will make its debut in North Austin on August 30.

The Domain Northside is becoming quite the hot dining destination. The latest addition? Second Bar + Kitchen's highly anticipated second location, which will open at Archer Hotel Austin on Tuesday, August 30.

The new outpost from the La Corsha Hospitality Group will be helmed by chef David Bull. Expect a similar menu to the original downtown locale, with expanded breakfast service and new offerings specific to a second-story terrace and the hotel's expansive pool deck.The LK Architecture-designed dining area seats 144 people.

Bull and the La Corsha team also are responsible for food service in the hotel, from in-room dining to banquets. A signature cocktail program comes from expert barman, and recent CultureMap Tastemaker winner, Jason Stevens; acclaimed sommelier Paula Rester has curated a well-rounded wine list.

"[Second Bar + Kitchen] is honored to be able to serve our guests a vast array of unique food and beverage offerings," said Bull in a statement. "It's a really exciting partnership with the Archer that allows us to create specific moments of Texas hospitality."

This year, La Corsha has expanded the original Second Bar + Kitchen space and will add an additional location at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The hospitality group also is renovating Green Pastures Restaurant and constructing a new east side hotel. La Corsha's long-awaited Boiler Nine Bar + Grill opened in the Seaholm development this summer.

Second Bar + Kitchen at Domain Northside will debut on August 30 with breakfast and lunch. Starting September 3, regular hours are 6:30 am to 11 pm Sunday through Thursday and 6:30 am to 2 am Friday and Saturday. Service on the terrace and the pool deck will follow on September 7 and 10, respectively.

breakfast wine dinner chefs hotels cocktails openings lunch

Fierce Competition

Austin distillery hosting bourbon cocktail showdown with $12,000 in awards

Photo by Preston O'Shea

Fierce Whiskers is looking for the perfect cocktail to show off its Texas Straight Bourbon.

With something as nuanced as bourbon, it might be impossible to nail down the definitive best way to showcase it. Austin's Fierce Whiskers Distillery is not deterred. It'll task a dozen local bartenders with creating the best cocktail for its Texas Straight Bourbon in the Third Annual Austin Bourbon Battle on October 26.

This is a serious competition with big prizes paid out by the distillery (which has hosting help from partners Liber & Co and Virtue Craft Spirits). A people's choice award will end in a $2,000 prize, and the expert judges will award $10,000 to their favorite creation. Stakes are higher this year; the people's choice prize is now doubled, and the grand prize is the biggest of any year so far. Fierce Whiskers is only four years old, making this third year of event organizing overachievement all the more impressive.

Of course, if the people are going to choose a cocktail, they have to taste it. And if 12 sample-sized sips are just a warm-up, there will also be full portions of "select cocktails" to purchase, according to a press release. Food trucks Tru Luv Empanadas and Midway Dogs will be on hand with snacks, and live music will complete the evening. Rivian Electric Vehicles, which recently opened an Austin showroom, will also be there showing off its latest model and offering test drives and VIP shutter service.

Guests can come to support their favorite bartenders or find somewhere new to hang out next time they've got a hankering for a great bourbon cocktail. The following mixologists will be representing their bars:

Fletcher Wright – UpRoot
Ben Robinette, Brian Bounds – Kinfolk Lounge & Library
Trenten Relles – Meanwhile Brewing
Matthew Owoseni – Stella San Jac
Jarad Crowell – Il Brutto
Zachary Moore – Hillside Farmacy
Trever Fehrenbach – Dumont’s Down Low
Kevan Ash – Roosevelt Room
Rick Routh – Higher Ground
Franceska Akel – Equipment Room
Jessy Rae – Taco Flats
Matthew Le – Nickel City

The judges also have some recognizable names: whiskey writer Gabby Pharms, OMG Squee owner Sarah Lim, and Foliepops owner and Top Chef finalist Kevin D'Andrea.

“The competition continues to get more and more fierce,” said Fierce Whiskers founder Tri Vo in the release. “We’ve seen some incredible creations come out of Bourbon Battle each year and are always blown away by the creativity of each mixologist. It’s a privilege to showcase their creativity to the Austin community and we just hope folks come out to see what they can do!”

The Austin Bourbon Battle will take place at 5333 Fleming Ct. on October 26 from 3-7 pm. Tickets ($40) are available on Tock.

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