Restaurant Reinvention

Downtown Austin restaurant ditches original concept in favor of Southern gastropub

Revival Public House redfish dish sides 2015

This redfish dish from Revival Public House is complemented by Southern-focused sides.

Photo by Claire Hogan

From Austin's constantly evolving food scene comes a tale of rebirth. The Second Street location of Crave has been revamped with a new concept helmed by the same executive chef and restaurant group. Introducing Revival Public House, a downtown gastropub scheduled to open Thursday, December 17.

This restaurant reincarnation is owned by Minnesota-based Kaskaid Hospitality, who runs the national Crave chain. However, management allowed former Crave chef Frank Johnson "to grow and shape the concept into his own, which led to Revival Public House."

"I've always wanted to create a welcoming space where diners could experience familiar Southern dishes that are nostalgic yet have a modern and fresh twist," said Johnson in a release. "In a city like Austin that takes such pride in remaining local, it was important to me to keep a focus on that notion, from the carefully selected beer list to the ingredients in each dish."

Johnson has crafted a Southern-centric menu with an emphasis on Texas flavors. Highlights include kimchi Frito pie, Creole corn pups, and 512 Pecan Porter sticky toffee pudding. Revival Public House will also host 40 beers on tap with a wide selection from local breweries.

The evolution of Crave into Revival Public House is a new venture for Kaskaid Hospitality. "Our strategic growth plan for Crave is focused exclusively on retail environments, and the Austin location did not quite work with that model," said marketing director Zach Sussman in a statement. "We can't wait to see what [Johnson] is able to do with this exciting new concept."

Revival Public House will offer daily dinner service in addition to Sunday brunch. For more information, stay tuned to the restaurant's website.

craft-beer downtown openings dinner brunch

Refill, revere, rejoice

Austin distiller refills Kentucky Bourbon bottles for $1 in UT gameday stunt

Photo courtesy of Still Austin Whiskey Co.

Still Austin is filling up empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles and adding its own label in a display of Texas dominance.

Cheap bourbon isn't usually something people line up for, but in this case they know it's good. Still Austin Whiskey Co., a favorite Austin distiller, is offering $1 refills of its own Cask Strength Bourbon on empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles on November 23.

The promotion celebrates the Texas Longhorns vs. Kentucky Wildcats football match the same day. This is a highly anticipated game because the two teams have only been matched up once, back in 1951. Kentucky coach Mike Stoops reportedly also upped the ante by saying the Longhorns have "no weaknesses."

Essentially, this is a parallel challenge by Still Austin: Replace your Kentucky Bourbon with our Texas spirit and watch the Lone Star State win again.

"Why would I ever taint your bourbon with dried up Kentucky juice[?]" asked a (frankly, terrifying) customer on Instagram.

There is a misconception that bourbon has to be made in Kentucky. The Kentucky Distillers’ Association itself points out that, "According to the 1964 Congressional Resolution, in order to have “Bourbon” on the label it must be made in the United States of America and meet all other federal “standards of identity” for Bourbon."

Still Austin CEO and co-founder Chris Seals is setting the record straight with a little snark, inviting both fans and "skeptics" to stop by to take advantage of the deal.

“We’re deeply grateful to Kentucky for inventing the stuff, but after 200 years of the same old bourbon, people want something new,” said Seals in a press release.“The idea that great bourbon can only come from Kentucky is a myth based on decades of misinformation. We’re inviting everyone still holding onto this old guard notion to ‘Kentucky Fill Up’ to experience the difference for themselves.”

The product he's chosen to represent the brand, the Cask Strength Bourbon, is described as "a deeper more 'metal' version of our beloved straight bourbon." It's 116 proof (58 percent ABV) and has won double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition twice, in 2022 and 2023.

Still Austin will only refill 500 bottles. Here are the rules: The bottles have to be 750 milliliters, clean, intact (with the original cap on hand), and they must have originally contained bourbon from a Kentucky Distillery. There are two time slots for refilling at 9 am and 11:30 am. Patrons can get tickets ahead of time at stillaustin.com.

In addition to the fill-ups, Still Austin will host a watch party starting at 2:30 pm. More Texas-Kentucky crossover will include Frozen Texas Julep cocktails, Texas fried chicken, and an armadillo derby race. There will also be exclusive merch and giveaways. Still Austin is the official corporate partner of Texas Athletics.

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Fans of Austin sports and Austin food and drinks can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm December 12 at Distribution Hall. Find out more about it here.

whiskey university of texas longhorns