Culinary Happenings
This week in food: Launderette names location, conservative breastaurants and burgers
Here’s what's happened recently in the world of Austin fare:
Launderette announces location: Just a few short weeks ago, Rene Ortiz and his new restaurant group revealed plans to open not one but two new restaurants. After enduring widespread speculation, the group has finally revealed the location of its combination grocer-restaurant, Launderette, to Eater. The upcoming project will be housed in 2115 Holly Street, currently occupied by Kleen Wash Laundry. The project is slated to open in summer 2014.
The burger beat: If you haven’t already heard through the grapevine, I'll be the bearer of good news: P. Terry’s newest location (183 and Duval Street) opened last night to the burger-addicted masses. The ninth location on Burnet Road is still in the works.
A conservative breastaurant? - This week, CultureMap published some surprising news about breastaurant entrepreneur Doug Guller’s soon-to-open Bikinis, Texas. According to Guller, scantily-clad waitresses and bikini tops will be in short supply through the town, as a means of maintaining the Hill Country heritage the city (formerly called Bankersmith) is known for. “It is a big departure from what you see every day at a Bikinis, and we’re not going to have a full restaurant out there,” Guller admits. “…The only time you’ll see bikini-clad women is in pictures on the wall or around our big events of the year... Two times a year it will be staffed by bikini-clad women, but the rest of the time it will be staffed just like where you go into a local watering hole around the corner from where you live.”
Qui strikes again - Austin celebrity chef Paul Qui is in the news once more – this time for opening his second brick-and-mortar location of East Side King. On December 26, yours truly announced the opening of the ESK South Lamar Boulevard location. The new restaurant is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. til 10 p.m. and weekends from noon til 10 p.m. Curious about what type of food you’re in for? Check out the menu online.
Fancy feasts - Indie Chefs Week is just around the corner, y’all, and it’s time you bought your tickets. This is the second annual multi-day feast hosted by local favorite Foreign & Domestic. From January 7 through January 11, up-and-coming chefs from all over the country will prepare multi-course meals at the North Loop restaurant. For those of you who appreciate familiarity, there will also be an Austin-chefs-only night. For more information on the visiting chefs or to purchase tickets, visit the Indie Chefs Week website.
Chinese food - The Swift’s Attic team has announced plans to open a new Chinese restaurant – Wu Chow – in the new year. Housed in downtown Austin, the restaurant plans to feature a variety of authentic, modern Chinese cuisine. “We saw an opportunity to create a modern yet authentic Chinese restaurant that builds on some of my family’s recipes and incorporates what’s currently happening in progressive Chinese cuisine today,” C.K. Chin, general manager/co-owner of Wu Chow, said in a press release. Members of the Swift’s Attic team – including Callie Speer and Jeff Hammett – are assisting in bringing Wu Chow to life.
That's it for this week. See you in 2014!