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Barbecue boats return and bonbons beckon in Austin's tastiest food news

Barbecue boats were so popular in their limited time at Kemuri Tatsu-ya that they're back on the menu.

Photo by Brianna Caleri

A new restaurant is almost always something to celebrate, but let's not overlook the anniversaries. Two Austin staples are celebrating years of success this week, and another is holding its 17th annual cookoff. Meanwhile, a new chocolate shop rolls up and a bakery shuts down.

Openings and closings

Golden Eye Chocolates has just opened its first independent brick-and-mortar store at 3010 W. Anderson Lane. Suite E., although some may recognize the products from Ghostline Kitchens. This shop specializes in bonbons, often in bright colors and interesting flavor combos: milk stout float, spicy margarita, lemon lavender, caramelized banana and rum (cheekily titled There's Always Rum In The Banana Stand"), and more. It's ready to serve up some Valentine's Day orders, and some items can also be shipped. Golden Eye Chocolates is open Mondays from noon to 7 pm; Tuesdays through Thursdays from 11 am to 7 pm, and Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 8 pm.e

A breakfast chain called Eggs Up Grill is bringing a total of eight locations to Austin: four on the north side, and four on the south side. Michael and Rana Boselah, who also run Levant Café & Grill in Cedar Park, will take charge of the northern franchises, with Round Rock first in line in late 2024. Megan Hood and Omar Thompson will be responsible for the Southern locations, starting in New Braunfels. Reviewers in Dallas liked the straightforward breakfast food and the welcoming atmosphere and staff.

According to local reports, the Easy Tiger bakery location on East 7th Street is shuttering. Although a spokesperson gave some quotes to confirm the closure, the business does not seem to have acknowledged it on social media. The remaining locations do not seem to be affected, and bread production will also remain the same, since the 7th Street location did not have a bakery on site.

ICYMI: A double bar concept is working on renovating a South Austin property, complete with pickleball courts. Drifters Social Coffee & Cocktails and The Pickle Pub are aiming to match the area's laid-back and outdoorsy attitude, but with upscale cocktails. Speaking of upscale cocktails, it doesn't get much more avant garde than at The Guest House, which will be taking inspiration from Alice in Wonderland for its "aromatic fog" and "theatrical teapots."

Other news and notes

One of the most reliable spots in Austin for exotic snacks celebrated its 7th anniversary this week. Kemuri Tatsu-ya (by the same group as the very popular Ramen Tatsu-ya) shared some of its greatest hits with CultureMap to mark the occasion and make sure diners are up to date on the winter menu. Most notably, the popular limited-edition barbecue boats are back for good, featuring some of the best fatty brisket in town, and combined with a bento box for making hand rolls. A smoked tuna plate with yuzu, amazu sauce, karashi mustard and marinated daikon was one of the most luxe sharables. If the exotic angle is calling, try the ray fin jerky, which is grilled at the table. A mirin marinade gives this chewy meat with crispy edges a sweet taste.

Hotel San José and Jo’s Coffee are bringing back their famous Chili Cook-Off + Benefit for its 17th year on February 4. Proceeds will support the magazine and food access advocacy group Free Lunch. There will be a Quick Fire Competition, music, a raffle, and other festivities. Presiding over the competition will be local food experts, from chefs to critics: Jess Pryles (Hard Core Carnivore), Matthew Odam (Austin American-Statesman), Chef Kirk (Ocho + Hotel Havana), Joaquin Ceballos (Este), and Ali Clem (La Barbecue). Attendance is free, but tasting is $25. More information at bunkhousehotels.com.

Anniversaries abound! Antonelli's Cheese is turning 14 and celebrating with "Free Cheese Week." The first 75 visitors each day from February 5-9 will win a cheese wedge, with a new selection every day. Winners can come back the next day and win again, for a total of five different tastes. No purchase is necessary. Antonelli's is also giving away some free tickets to cheese tastings: Enter by posting a picture of yourself in the shop from February 5-11 and adding the right tags. More information at antonellischeese.com.

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Peak Plates

7 Austin restaurants make OpenTable's top 100 for 2024

Jeffrey's Restaurant/Instagram

Jeffrey's Restaurant is a great example of the type of fancy, well-established restaurant that made the list.

Restaurant reservation website OpenTable has issued its new list of the top 100 restaurants in America for 2024, and seven Austin restaurants have made the list. That's already impressive at a glance — 7 percent of the entire national list in just one city — but compared to other Texas cities, it's huge. Austin is the only Texas city to have more than one restaurant on the list.

The "2024's Top 100 Restaurants" list is a compilation of the most sought-after and top-ranked restaurants in the U.S. based on 14 million verified reviews on OpenTable from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. Restaurants are not ranked, but arranged in alphabetical order by state.

Austin's seven restaurants (including several repeats from OpenTable's 2023 list) are:

Aba: Known for its laid-back, yet fancy patio and being a popular spot for visiting celebrities
J Carver's: Known for a commitment to the classic steakhouse experience and legitimately fancy dining
Jeffrey's Restaurant: Known for fine dining, a connection to Austin before its boom, and a fantastic wine program
Red Ash Italia: Known for approachable, yet high-quality Italian food with rustic touches
Sammie's Italian: Known for its romantic take on the archetype of an East Coast Italian joint
Uchi: Known for bringing Austin into the national sushi conversation and defining the scene
Uchiko: Known for a cool atmosphere and getting creative with sushi and other small plates

Austinites will probably not be surprised by this list, which names some very well-established restaurants that are all upscale. These qualities tend to appeal to similar lists, regardless of who's curating them.

It is interesting, given that the list was democratically based on user ratings, that there were not more beloved food trailers or casual spots. However, other factors that led to high rankings included alerts set and reservations made ahead — things that don't really apply to even the most awesome taco truck.

Mediterranean food was a trend among the Austin picks. Red Ash Italia and Sammie's Italian are, as the names would imply, completely dedicated to Italian food, while Aba covers a wider swath of the Mediterranean. There were also two steakhouses: J Carver's and Jeffrey's Restaurant.

As list-perusers may have guessed, Uchi and Uchiko are in the same family of restaurants, with Uchi being the more formal and Uchiko being a bit more accessible for drop-in meals and cocktails. But are two more incognito duos of sibling restaurants on the list: J Carver's and Red Ash, and Jeffrey's Restaurant and Sammie's Italian.

That could be a coincidence. It could also be a reflection of the utility of money and experience in opening a good restaurant, or a lesson about the effects of good (and expensive) marketing. Whatever it is, it doesn't sound like hospitality groups had any direct sway on how OpenTable made its choices.

This list was different from the inaugural list of OpenTable Icons, which launched in 2024. The "Icons" list chose restaurants that are getting a lot of buzz, which ended up being more subjective. It also seemed to let in — as a side effect of the process, rather than a hard eligibility rule — more new and Mexican restaurants. Two restaurants are on both lists: Red Ash and Jeffrey's.

Restaurants outside of Austin that made the Top 100 list, organized alphabetically, are:

Hudson House — Dallas
Steak 48 — Houston
Signature — San Antonio

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