Italian on the East Side

Two trendy restaurants opening in hip East Austin development

The Arnold East Austin development Sixth and Comal rendering

Two new Italian restaurants are coming to East Sixth Street in 2016.

The team behind Sway, La Condesa and Paul Qui's hit restaurants is trying its hand at Italian cuisine with two new restaurants. Coming to East Sixth Street in 2016 are Gatto Nero and Enoteca Gattino, trendy new eateries from the New Waterloo hospitality group.

"We've been wanting to create an Italian restaurant since we opened La Condesa seven years ago," New Waterloo partner Jesse Herman said in a press release. "In fact, we thought about doing it in the South First Sway location a few years ago; however, now we have the perfect location for the Italian restaurant we've been wanting to build in Austin for so long."

Gatto Nero will be the more upscale of the two. The spacious bar and restaurant will serve regional Italian dishes and wines, as well as accessible Neapolitan-style pizza. Next door, Enoteca Gattino will offer a more relaxed atmosphere with lighter fare like salads, sandwiches, and cheese plates.

Both restaurants will be located at The Arnold, a new mixed-use development from New Waterloo and Transwestern real estate firm. In addition to the restaurant space on the first floor, The Arnold will be home to residential apartments and hip offices for the likes of Live Nation and C3 Presents.

It's been a busy year for New Waterloo. In addition to South Congress Hotel — which includes Café No Sé and the soon-to-open Otoko, Central Standard, and Mañana — the restaurant group also announced plans for two more Sway locations.

Gatto Nero and Enoteca Gattino are scheduled to open spring of 2016.

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Taste of 2025

Austin's Wine & Food Foundation announces 3 big events for 2025

Photo by Erica Wilkins Photography

Theses Wine & Food Foundation events raise funds for local initiatives.

Austin's food scene is booming, but smaller businesses could always use support. The Wine & Food Foundation is one of Austin's leading industry protectors, and it's just announced three events to help support its mission over the next year.

The three events — Big Reds and Bubbles, Toast of Texas, and the Rare & Fine Wine Auction Gala — are spread out between March and November of 2025, and all offer something a bit different.

They'll all benefit the Wine & Food Foundation and, by extension, the local organizations it supports. Those include Keep Austin Fed, which diverts food surpluses from grocery stores, catered events, and other sites of professional food service; and Sustainable Food Center, which helps Texans access healthy food through SNAP and WIC incentives, hosts farmers markets, connects farmers with resources, and more. The Wine & Food Foundation also offers scholarships for hospitality professionals.

Big Reds and Bubbles, held Friday, March 28, will bring together more than 100 red and sparkling wines for a tasting event. In addition to comparing wines back-to-back, guests will get to try them with bites from popular Austin restaurants to discover interesting new pairings. They'll also get to dress to impress and see the new LZR space — formerly La Zona Rosa, an old Austin music venue that had its last official performance in 2013.

Next up is Toast of Texas on June 8. This is another tasting event that focuses instead on 20 local wineries. The food menu at this event is also more specific, featuring local barbecue and paella, among other local tastes. It'll be located at Assembly Hall, an event space on East 7th Street adjacent to the East Austin Hotel.

Finally, there's the premier event: the Rare & Fine Wine Auction Gala on November 8. This is a big fundraising opportunity not just because of potentially high auction tickets, but the chance to experience something truly out of the ordinary for the wine industry. Guests will also enjoy "an elegant dinner" according to the press release and wines by a featured maker. It'll all happen at the JW Marriott Austin.

The release counts more than 50 other events slated for the year, so there are plenty more opportunities between the big three. Some of these include wine tasting courses, which will be available again soon.

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