Where to eat now

Where to eat in Austin right now: 3 trendy new restaurants to try this fall

She's Not Here is a stylish edition to the Downtown dining scene.

Photo courtesy of She's Not Here

Austin may be one of the largest cities in the country, but in some ways it is still a small town. So when an idea enters the zeitgeist, expect it to stick. As when fashion designers suddenly decree that printed midi dresses or socks and sandals are back, half of the fun is in seeing how the trend is interpreted.

Over the past few months, Austin has seen an influx of new restaurants combining approachable Asian-influenced cuisine and a major focus on cocktails. Below are three new spots adding their own creative twists to this trend.

Anthem
There’s food made to be paired and food made to be enjoyed while drinking. This Rainey Street newcomer may not serve food designed to bring out the nuances of a Gruner Vetliner, but it knows what it is — a place to gossip with your pals before heading out into the madness of the district (or, more sensibly, to head home to binge watch 30 Rock for the fifth time).

That doesn’t mean that food is made without thought, but don’t expect subtlety. Anthem goes for the jugular, whether that is in the poppy Polynesian decor, a dessert-like banana daiquiri, or taquitos with queso, jack cheese, and applewood smoked bacon.

The maximalist approach hits its zenith with the Yummy Fries. In a city famous for its loaded fries, from Chi’Lantro’s kimchi version to Hot Mess’ namesake sausage and pork-topped monstrosity, Anthem manages to stand out. Adding (take a deep breath now) two kinds of aioli, sweet soy sauce, furikake, scallions, pickled ginger shoots, sesame seeds, bonito, and shredded nori to sweet potato waffle fries should not work, but sometimes bells and whistles combine to make a symphony.

Last Straw
I’ll admit it took me a few visits to warm up to this east side spot. Since Gardner closed in 2016, I have carried a grudge through each successive remodel of the space. I grumbled when Chicon took a detour to the Southwest and louder still when it added shipping crate dividers. The last straw (sorry) came when the previously monastic shell was blasted with Trapper Keeper colors.

Maybe it’s all the overproof rum, or that the place seems hopping even if you get there before the crowd, but the cold shoulder soon turned into a warm hug. Then, I tried the kimchi grilled cheese with sambal and apples, and realized how seriously the bar took its fun.

The small menu may be as tongue-in-cheek as the photo of the Golden Girls hanging on one wall. But there is a sincerity in there, too. The fried rice with beef tongue is the sort of dish a chef might work up after shift. As Austin gets ever more fancy, we need more easy, unpretentious food — even if it’s at the cost of old memories.

She’s Not Here
The older I get, the easier it is to succumb to immediate pleasures. Why struggle with convincing yourself you like Björk’s latest release when you can happily be chair-dancing to Ariana Grande? And why front at the dinner table when you can repeatedly dip a crab-stuffed hand roll in brown butter?

Like a good pop hit, She’s Not Here’s best Pacific fare gets stuck in your head. Halfway through an email, I’ll find myself craving its thin slices of wagyu, snuggled up with herbs and beefed up with a garlic tallow sauce, or marinated yellowtail shocked with green apple vinegar and pickled Asian pear.

The drinks impress as well, offering a more nuanced take on Austin’s roaring tiki trend. Start with the Smoke, a mezcal and pineapple crusher with a salty and sweet almond rim that acts as a cocktail and amuse-bouche all in one. Then make a dessert out of the Matcha, a vodka-based treat with honey, lemon verbena, and just enough coconut milk to turn the bright tea powder powder into a creamy mint green.

where-to-eat

Dinner and a Show

Voxtrot plays acoustic set for dinner series making a name in Austin

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop

Photo by Brynn Osborn

Voxtrot played as a trio to a small crowd of lucky fans.

As much as entertainment gigs dry up in December, the iconic Austin band Voxtrot was busy. A few days before playing the Holiday Hootenanny — a mini festival at Radio East with other big names like Of Montreal and Danny Brown — the band appeared in Bastrop for an intimate acoustic set and a bit of storytelling after a multi-course dinner.

The dinner on December 10 was attended by locals who won tickets in a free raffle, but there will be more chances for Austinites to purchase tickets for future parties in 2025. Eric Weiner, the main organizer of the series, says he has "big plans for Austin" this upcoming year, but he keeps events under wraps until about a month out to maintain the mystery.

There were also videographers on-hand capturing the performance, so fans who keep up with Voxtrot will be seeing those videos in the coming months.

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop The band showed up in smart suits.Photo by Brynn Osborn

Weiner is the founder of the Wild Honey Pie, formerly a popular music blog that's turned into a creative agency. They're based in New York, and have hosted events in Seattle, the Catskills, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles. But this wasn't the first event in Austin.

Most recently, the Wild Honey Pie hosted a dinner at Chef Mashama Bailey's now-closed Grey Market, featuring a concert by Zella Day. But first-ever dinner in Austin in 2019 was catered by local chef Sonya Cote at Eden East; the Voxtrot show was a chance to reunite at Cote's current digs, Store House Market and Eatery.

"Ever since, I've been just trying to find any excuse to work with Sonya again, and this kind of fell into our laps," said Weiner in a call with CultureMap ahead of the event.

He added that his relationship with Voxtrot — whose lo-fi, semi-retro song "The Start of Something" may be familiar to many Austinites — started simply because he was a fan. He estimates that the song has been on every romantic playlist he's made since college.

Remembering past parties with lead singer Ramesh Srivastava, Weiner says, "He's so artistic. His music means the absolute world to me. ... If we like working with an artist once, we're not going to stop there."

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop Voxtrot joined in on the food festivities.Photo by Brynn Osborn

Voxtrot famously broke up in 2010, which made their surprise return to the stage in 2022 all the more exciting. Srivastava doesn't shy away from talking about the period in between, and broached the subject with a couple of jokes during the Bastrop show. It's clear how an audience of dozens crowded around a few chairs changes the tone of the performance — not to mention that Voxtrot played as a trio that night, with drummer Matt Simon and bassist Jason Chronis.

In the lighthearted "stage" banter — which was necessary not just because of the size of the audience, but because the show was in a tent outside and the instruments needed almost constant tuning in the cold air — Srivastava also mused that at age 41, he might be approaching his days as a crooner.

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop The group dinner format meant fans could spend some time chatting with the band.Photo by Brynn Osborn

Among the vignettes he told to introduce songs was a Bastrop County connection: Srivastava grew up in Austin and remembers creating a mythology around Smithville's Norma Jean Boulevard, which he spotted through the window on car trips. Part of that fiction included who might live there, but he never guessed he'd be in a band with a bassist who fit the bill. He dedicated the following performance of "Long Haul" to the fateful street.

The Wild Honey Pie dinner series has gained popularity for its laid-back approach to an exclusive outing. Shared tables mean people get to chat during dinner — and as fans of whoever is playing at the end of the night, they already have something in common. Weiner met his wife through someone he befriended at one of the parties.

"The whole setup of the event is to make friends," he said. "So it's hard to go and not make new connections."

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop Eric Weiner and Sonya Cote.Photo by Brynn Osborn

An interesting menu also meant there was plenty to discuss, including "Crostini" Bastrop with pâté, parsley, pickled vegetables; a toasty Bon Fire Soup with pumpkin, coconut carrot "bacon," and crispy crickets; and a wild venison pie. (Vegans were welcome to the party, with a parallel menu.)

These bites were accompanied by creative drinks featuring Tito's Handmade Vodka: the Raised By Wolves, a black vodka daiquiri thanks to charcoal in the simple syrup; and The Start of Something, a refreshing pink lemonade-like cocktail with blueberry simple syrup and honey liqueur. Brand partners are a big part of keeping these events going, and in this case, Tito's was the reason people were able to attend for free.

Wild Honey Pie Voxtrot dinner party in Bastrop This is quite a few steps above finding a snack somewhere before a concert.Photo by Brynn Osborn

If Austinites want updates on the next Wild Honey Pie Dinner Party in town, they can check the lineup at thewildhoneypie.com, or sign up for the newsletter on the same page. There are also announcements on Instagram, plus videos of acoustic performances at other parties.

According to Weiner, it sounds like the next event isn't too far away. "We love Austin too much to only come once a year," he said.

concerts live music dinner bastrop chefs