News You Can Eat

A visit from Tastemade, a popular pizza expansion, and tons of cheesy events top Austin's tastiest food news

Aviator Pizza & Drafthouse wine and pizzas

Aviator Pizza & Drafthouse is opening a fifth Austin location — its first with a full liquor license. It's also introducing a new private-label wine.

Photo by Katie Jameson

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

ICYMI: Pershing, the social club and event venue building an East 5th Street empire just added another property, acquired from Greater Goods Coffee. The coffee and staff remains the same, but the space now belongs to Pershing and is subject to all of its — usually wildly successful — marketing whims. Whataburger also announced this week that Austin is home to its first digital-only kitchen. Now Austinites can order a burger without standing on line, and can pick it up from a locker.

Aviator Pizza & Drafthouse is always in Austin's good graces, providing two irreproachable food faves: pizza and beer. The mini-chain has opened its fifth location, and is celebrating at a grand opening party on September 23. The first 100 guests at 1905 Aldrich St. Suite 115 (in the Mueller neighborhood) on opening day will receive free pizza, and all visitors can also enjoy beer samples and live DJ sets. This is the first Aviator location with a full liquor license, and the announcement pairs with the introduction of Aviator's new private-label Texas red wine blend, "Wake Up. Kick Ass. Repeat," made in partnership with Pedernales Cellars.

Other news and notes

Foodies scrolling on social media have surely seen some content by Tastemade, a massively popular network with nearly 7 million followers on Instagram, mostly sharing easy or unconventional recipes. A new series by the channel called Worth the Hype follows Chef Frankie Celenza around big cities as he discovers which popular restaurants have earned their ranks. Some of Celenza's stops in the Austin episode will include Juan in a Million, JP’s Pancake Company, Banger's, and Biscuits + Groovy. The show airs on September 13.

We don't usually do this, but we're putting the Antonelli's event calendar on blast. The popular cheese shop released dates for events through the end of 2023, and since these sell out all the time, Austinites need a chance to plan ahead! Luckily, there are lots of opportunities to stop by if you're flexible, with four or more events most weeks. Some interesting offerings include Cheese 101, Raclette Night, and a series that walks tasters through the cheeses of a certain country or region. Check them all out at antonellischeese.com.

An unexpected French-and-Texan fusion is coming together this month, courtesy of Austin Rotisserie. The French rotisserie experts will collaborate with JNL BBQ (September 9-10) and Cuantos Tacos (September 16) in two pop-ups with unique menus. The JNL masterpiece is called the "Texas Dip" sandwich, drenching Austin Rotisserie's French baguette with au jus, and inviting garlic aioli, JNL brisket, havarti, and pickled onion to the party. Then a luxe chilaquiles plate will combine Cuantos' nixtamalized chips with its refried charro beans, making a base for queso fresco, crema, raw onion, and Austin Rotisserie's chicken. Both collabs will be available at Austin Rotisserie and their respective partner creators until sold out.

People who don't really stock up on spirits at distilleries may not realize that there was previously a stringent limit on how much a visitor could purchase: just two bottles per purchaser per month. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) has loosened the rule and doubled how much shoppers can bring home in the same period. To celebrate on September 9, Austin's Fierce Whiskers Distillery has organized a "Four Bottle Party" with package deals starting at one bottle and one meal from the onsite food truck, Otoshi, for $70.

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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.