Prized plumbing

Swanky Austin restaurant competes for title of best restroom in the U.S.

Eberly is one of 10 finalists vying for this year’s America’s Best Restroom crown.

Photo by Merrick Ales

A South Austin restaurant hopes to flush the competition in the pursuit of the 2022 title of the best restroom in the U.S.

Eberly, which serves contemporary American cuisine, is one of 10 finalists vying for this year’s America’s Best Restroom crown, which will be bestowed by Cintas Corp. Cincinnati-based Cintas supplies corporate uniforms, along with related products and services.

Eberly, which opened in 2016 at 615 S. Lamar Blvd., is the only Texas finalist. Voting in the contest ends August 31.

In a news release announcing the finalists, Cintas emphasizes Eberly’s centerpiece — the Cedar Tavern bar, rescued from New York City’s Greenwich Village — and notes the restroom’s “nod to the bygone era when those bars were in vogue.”

“Each stall has an illuminated old-school New York tavern vacancy light outside the door that turns off when you lock it. The restroom includes images from Grammy-winning music photographer Alan Messer,” Cintas says.

The winner of the 2022 edition of the America’s Best Restroom contest will receive a Cintas UltraClean deep-cleaning service for its award-winning restroom, along with $2,500 worth of facility services or restroom cleaning.

“The public holds higher standards for the cleanliness and technology used in public restrooms, which is why we’re proud to recognize these businesses that maintain clean and exceptional facilities,” says Julia Messinger, marketing manager at Cintas.

If Eberly slams the stall door on its competition, it won’t be eatery’s only claim to fame this year. The restaurant’s former executive chef, Jo Chan, competed in the Houston-set 19th season of Top Chef but was eliminated in the seventh episode. That episode aired in April, the same month that Chan left Eberly.

In 2016, CultureMap anointed the bar at Eberly as one of the year’s 14 best new bars in Austin. The business is named after Angelina Eberly, an Austin innkeeper who stood up to Texas President Sam Houston and his Texas Rangers by firing a cannon in 1846 to hold off a rebellion and preserve Austin as the state capital.

where-to-eat

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.