News You Can Eat

6 things to know in Austin food right now: Celebrated taco truck makes triumphant return

Asador Mexican BBQ street taco truck Austin

Asador has a new home.

Editor's note: We get it. It can be difficult to keep up with the fast pace of Austin's restaurant and bar scene. We have you covered with our regular roundup of essential food news.

Openings

One of the city’s best street taco operations has made a triumphant return. After a few soft opening weekends, Asador Mexican BBQ Tacos is now officially operating on West Sixth Street, behind Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden. Upgrading from a stand behind Las Perlas mezcal bar, which shuttered indefinitely last June, chef Joe Becerra’s new food truck menu introduces such enticing offerings as Modelo-habanero queso; quesadillas made with gooey asadero cheese; and, for the first time, pork shoulder al pastor sliced directly off the trompo.

“We’ve been consumed with perfecting this recipe all quarantine, taking notes on how they work the trompo in Mexico City,” Becerra says. Longtime fans of Becerra's simple yet elegant street tacos can also enjoy his grilled mushroom tacos with roasted pumpkin seed salsa, plus weekend specials like pozole, menudo, and birria. Becerra says Asador’s original location will reopen, but for now, get your fix at 700 W. Sixth St., Monday through Friday, 4 pm-2 am, and Saturday and Sunday, noon-2 am.

Other news and notes

Gabe Erales, executive chef of elevated Mexican eatery Comedor has parted ways with the operation. The acclaimed chef was let go for “repeated violations of [Comedor’s] policies and for behavior in conflict with our values,” according to an email from Comedor chef and partner Phillip Speer obtained by Eater Austin. Speer will lead the kitchen while Comedor searches for a new executive chef.

Watertrade, the intimate South Congress Japanese cocktail bar attached to Otoko, has launched its own casual izakaya-style menu. Acclaimed chef Yoshi Okai has designed an assortment of playful “highbrow and lowbrow" bar bites, including caviar served with Sansho-dusted Funyuns and escargot served with chips, shiso, and nanbanzuke. Pair them with Watertrade’s extensive menu of Japanese whiskies — the largest of its kind in Texas. Watertrade is open to parties of up to four Wednesday through Saturday, with seatings at 5:45 pm and 8:15 pm. Reservations for both Otoko and Watertrade can be made here.

North Austin seafood truck Huckleberry will relocate to Vista Brewing in Driftwood for a day-long paella pop-up to ring in the new year. On January 1, chef Davis Turner will be whipping up hearty bowls made with shrimp, mussels, clams, seasonal vegetables and chorizo ($15). Vista's team recommends pairing the paella with their easy-drinking Hansel Helles Lager, which will be offered for $1 off all day. Table reservations are required to dine in Vista’s outdoor beer garden, and they can be made via OpenTable. The pop-up is slated to run from noon until 6 pm, and the paella is first come, first served.

Going dry in January? A new line of non-alcoholic CBD cocktails has you covered. Sweet Crude, an Austin-based, women-owned brand, crafts its 8.5-ounce canned "cocktails" with relaxing 20 mg doses of hemp-derived CBD. Each offering is layered with “mood-benefiting” terpenes (a natural ingredient also found in lavender), and they are available in such flavors as a juniper-loaded OG Tonic and the ginger-forward Mellow Mule. The drinks are available on Sweet Crude’s website for $23.99 per four-pack, as well as at local retailers including The Meteor on South Congress and Quickie Pickie on East Cesar Chavez.

If your holiday plans involve copious amounts of carbs, then you’re in luck! Local foodies can now purchase three house-made pasta varieties from Austin's acclaimed Emmer & Rye, available exclusively at area Whole Foods Markets stores. Three pastas — Blue Beard Durum Spaghetti, Egyptian Emmer Rigatoni, and Rouge de Bordeaux Strozzapreti — are made from heirloom grains from Hayden Flour Mills in Arizona and Barton Spring Mill in Dripping Springs. Find them in the pasta aisle for $7.99 per package.

food-trucks news-you-can-eat

Omakase for Everyone

New South Austin restaurant swims against current of expensive omakase

Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Tancho Sushi keeps things simple.

Austin had no shortage of beautiful sushi restaurants, but a new one at Lantana Place is doing drawing the trend away from the center of the city and sticking a lower price tag on the experience. Tancho Sushi, offering "everyday omakase," is now open at 7415 Southwest Parkway.

The thought of casual omakase feels like a bit of an oxymoron in Austin, where the service style — which tasks the chef with choosing what the diner will eat — is almost synonymous with something fancy and expensive. Factor in the interior design at Tancho, which certainly doesn't look pedestrian, and it's hard to believe it's actually an everyday meal.

But all things considered, these prices seem reasonable: $29 for the lightest dinner option, and capping out at a $59 feast. Lunch is even less expensive, starting at $24.

Tancho Sushi interior The airy space takes advantage of its surroundings outside of the city.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

In some omakase experiences, the chef might factor in a diner's taste, the special ingredients that are available that day, and any number of other factors to determine what hits the table. But at Tancho, these prix fixe options are predetermined, doubtlessly contributing to the more accessible pricing.

The 50-seat restaurant also uses a clever marketing angle to get diners in who aren't necessarily experienced in sushi, or might otherwise be intimidated by letting a chef choose unfamiliar foods. "With thoughtfully curated preset menus, Tancho simplifies the dining experience by eliminating the guesswork so guests can focus on enjoying their meals," a press release announcing the opening says.

The release was sent November 22, but it looks like Tancho has been serving customers in a soft opening capacity for about a month, based on its Google reviews (which are stunningly high for a new restaurant at 4.7 stars).

Offerings at Tancho are simple.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Although each menu is different, there is a shared arc. All four experiences start with sunomono salad, a cucumber-based dish with red seaweed and sesame. Then there's tuna sashimi with smoked yuzu ponzu and scallions, and the rest depends on what the diner chooses.

Some standout items across the dinner service are sea bream on the light menu; akami (very red meat along the spine of a tuna) on the standard omakase menu; a lobster open hand roll on the rolls-only menu; and a tuna flight on the grand omakase menu.

No menu item is especially complicated. The focus is on doing each ingredient right, including the temperature the fish is served at and even the flavor of house-made soy sauce and ponzu.

“We keep the focus on the ingredients,” said co-founder Brad Van Otterloo in the release. “By stripping away unnecessary flourishes, we allow the quality of our fish to take center stage. This is a Texas-born concept through and through, and we’re proud to contribute to Austin’s growing sushi reputation.”

The open hand rolls are a signature for the restaurant.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Despite all this talk of omakase, it is possible to order à la carte items: some appetizers, nigiri (sliced fish on top of rice), and rolls. There's also a carefully curated beverage program, which largely focuses on sake. That includes the Kubota Manju or “Ten Thousand Celebrations" ($79), renowned in Japan for its complex layers and smooth mouthfeel.

“As Austin continues to grow, we wanted to introduce a fresh take on the sushi experience,” said Van Otterloo. “We’re here to make sushi approachable for Austinites while honoring the integrity of this cuisine. It’s about creating a space where everyone can discover and enjoy sushi at their own pace – no pressure, no pretense.”

Tancho Sushi exterior This restaurant is meant to be approachable.Image courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Tancho Sushi is located at 7415 Southwest Parkway, Building 4, Suite 300. It's open daily from 11 am to 10 pm, offering both dine-in and takeout. There are no reservations.

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