News You Can Eat

8 things to know in Austin food right now: New barbecue and beer joint fires up in Sunset Valley

The new Slab BBQ & Beer location will also house Nomadic Beerworks on a "ranch-like" property.

Photo courtesy of Slab BBQ & Beer

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

Slab BBQ & Beer, known for its piled-high sandwiches, is expanding southward, but not alone. The restaurant and Nomadic Beerworks are teaming up to launch a new location in Sunset Valley, just under the intersection of U.S. 290 and Mopac. A press release describes the new space as “ranch-like,” aiming for the feel of “old school Austin.” The brewing company is starting a cocktail program and periodically switching up what’s on tap from other local brewers. Doors open on October 19 at 6218 Brodie Ln. It will be open Wednesday and Thursday from 4 pm to 9 pm, Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 9 pm, and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm.

A new Texas-Vietnamese food truck fusion is coming from Chef Bianca Frasier, former sous chef at Foreign & Domestic. Opening on September 30 at Gibson Street Bar (1109 South Lamar Blvd.), Bisous serves Southern classics like corn fritters alongside thit kho, braised pork belly, and eggs. The menu is long by truck standards (five appetizers, four entrees, two desserts), and entrees come on rice or Bao buns. The mission promises to balance "the academics of the culinary arts and the reality of everyday life." Bisous is open Tuesday through Thursday, and Sunday, from 4-11 pm; Friday and Saturday from 4 pm to midnight.

Drive-thru P. Terry’s Burger Stand continues to conquer the Austin area with a new location in Kyle, filling the gap between Austin and San Antonio with a fourth pit stop on I-35. Although P. Terry’s is, when it comes down to it, a fast-food chain, it has thoroughly won Austin over with its local business charm, low prices, and high-quality ingredients (including a house-made vegan burger that blows away any similar efforts). It’s open for business now at 18940 I-35 Frontage Road, from 7 am to 11 pm, extending to midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Other news and notes

Houston-born Local Foods made a splash when it opened a permanent Austin eatery in June, and has come around three months later to launch a brunch service. The restaurant is known for its sandwiches, and they’re not veering far for brunch with a peach and ricotta brioche toast, or a smoked salmon sandwich on rye with house pickles and cream cheese. The brunch menu, along with cocktails, will be served Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 3 pm.

Well, it’s time for neighborhood favorite The Well, a very chic nutrition-focused eatery, to kick things up a notch. A new happy hour offers nine dishes in diverse styles including vegan queso, smoked deviled eggs, and peach bruschetta. Weekdays from 4-6 pm, diners can try these discounted plates while enjoying half-off cocktails — made with natural sugars and house-made juices, bitters, and more — and select wines.

If it's hard to tear yourself from your fall-scented front porch now that temperatures have dropped, Favor will bring even more autumnal spirit to you with no delivery fees from October 1-18. Add up to four pumpkins by H-E-B Blooms to your cart to waive the fee and enjoy a variety of seasonal gourds, including carving pumpkins. Soak the seeds and toss them on a baking tray with olive oil and other seasonings for a crunchy snack while you carve.

Fever-Tree, the carbonated mixer maker known for its tonic water, is operating a mobile bartending truck from September 30 to October 2, handing out free mocktails to anyone who wants to try. Well-known bartenders from each neighborhood the truck stops in will make creative, high quality drinks, while handing out free four-packs and totes. Check Instagram to see the truck’s schedule through South Congress, Barton Springs, and East 7th Street.

Field Guide Festival, described as a “local food system festival” is creeping closer this November. An earlier event called At The Pass on October 1 introduces some of the ideas and players at St. John Studios. Chefs Philip Speer, Laura Sawicki, Jo Chan, Fiore Tedesco, Nayan Desai, and Giovanni Pujol are giving demonstrations, home cooking tips, and tastes using local ingredients in a one-night mini-festival from 6-9 pm. Tickets ($100) available on Eventbrite.

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Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.