News you can eat
Beloved Austin burger bar hops into new location and more food news
Editor's note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the what’s what and who’s who of Austin food. We have you covered with our regular roundup of the freshest Austin restaurant news.
Cedar Park burger lovers won’t have to travel so far with the November 4 opening of Hopdoddy Burger Bar at 1320 East Whitestone Blvd. To celebrate, the Austin-based chain is staging a grand opening party on November 9 from 3-6 pm, complete with live music; $5 cocktails, craft beer and wine specials, and a giveaway for free burgers for a year to the first 100 guests in line.
The League Kitchen & Tavern is continuing its Austin expansion with a fourth location opening in early 2020 in Bee Cave’s Hill Country Galleria. According to a release, the menu will be the same as the other outposts, offering approachable fare like salmon deviled eggs, lobster roll sliders, freshly ground hamburgers, and steaks. The restaurant will also have a full bar with an extensive selection of cocktails.
The fall festival season kicks into high gear with the return of Austin Food & Alliance’s annual pork-centric party Wine & Swine on November 24. This year’s event will feature dishes from top chefs like Gabe Erales (Comedor); Sarah Heard and Nathan Lemley (Foreign & Domestic); Evan LeRoy (LeRoy & Lewis); Michael Fojtasek (Olamaie); and Nicola Blaque (Jerk Shack, San Antonio — named by Eater as one of the 16 best new American restaurants in 2019). Wine & Swine will also include a special pop-up from Deepa Shridhar of Puli-Ra and an exclusive vegetarian dish from Berty Richter of TLV. Tickets are $90-$150 and benefit the nonprofit’s culinary innovation grant program.
The foodie calendar continues to fill with the release of Whole Enchilada passes for the 2020 edition of Hot Luck. The fiery festival from Guerilla Suit principal James Moody, Feast Portland co-founder Mike Thelin, and barbecue guru Aaron Franklin, will once again take place during Memorial day weekend, May 21-24, 2020. The Whole Enchilada ticket, which gives guests early entry to three signature grand tastings and other events will be discounted for a limited time.
Acclaimed Austin restaurants Barley Swine and Emmer & Rye have partnered with environmental organization Zero Footprint to become the first Texas restaurants to go carbon neutral. Each restaurant will take into consideration all aspects of their operation, from ingredient sourcing to equipment, to evaluate the total emissions impact. Any carbon emissions that can’t be eliminated will be counteracted by the purchase of offsets.
ESPN is zooming into Banger's Sausage House & Beer Garden for Formula 1 weekend. On November 2 from noon to midnight, the sports network will take over the Rainey Street restaurant with games, live music, drinks, and grub. Guests can also win vouchers for various prizes, including admission to Pink's November 3 performance after the race.
Seven Capital City restaurants received accolades on October 23 as part of travel website TripSavvy’s Editor’s Choice Awards. Little Deli & Pizzeria, Granny’s Tacos, Burrito Factory, and Bouldin Creek Cafe made to the unranked Best for Quick Bite list, while Arlo’s, Cafe Jose, and Fabi + Rosi were deemed Best for Food Obsessed.
Restaurateur Shawn Cirkiel has named Amy Brown as the new executive pastry chef at downtown gastropub Parkside. Brown hit the ground running with a seasonal menu of tweaked classics like a pumpkin creme brulée with poached pears, whipped cream cheese, and spiced pecans and brownie a la mode with Vietnamese coffee ice cream, cardamom, and banana.
Trace at the W Austin appointed a new pastry chef, general manager, and chef de cuisine on October 24. Pastry chef Wade Greenwood has deep culinary roots in San Francisco, including a stint at renowned hotel The Cliff House. Chef de cuisine Tim Crittenden, meanwhile, cut his chops in Washington, D.C. at respected restaurants like Zaytinya and Charlie Palmer Steak. General manager Elizabeth Power also spent some time in D.C. at The Graham Georgetown and was most recently the bar manager at Oxon Hill, Maryland’s MGM National Harbor.
Could sit in this airy shop all day.Photo by Chad Wadsworth
Eberly's Atrium will host a creative dinner with visual artists.