Hiya Hyatt

Downtown Austin hotel unveils fancy dining after surprising closures

Dishes by The Tradition at Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue

The Tradition, An American Kitchen and Heydey Social Club replace Luminaire and Las Bis.

Photo by Jane Yun

After the sudden departure of Chef Steve McHugh’s Luminaire and Las Bis earlier this year, Austin’s Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue is ready to share details on the new food and beverage concepts taking their place. Set to open on September 27, 2024, a new first-floor restaurant and eighth-floor rooftop bar will soon welcome guests to the luxury property.

Starting from the ground up, the new restaurant will be The Tradition, An American Kitchen, which will offer delicious and approachable all-day dining options to Austin locals and visitors alike. Upstairs on the eighth floor, Heydey Social Club will feature both indoor and outdoor dining, with gorgeous terrace views down Congress Avenue. Open until midnight, Heydey will be an ideal destination for happy hour hangouts and late night snacks after a show at the historic Paramount Theatre next door.

“We can’t wait to welcome everyone to Heydey Social Club and The Tradition, two exciting new additions to Austin’s downtown restaurant and bar scenes,” said hotel general manager Harrison Compton via release. “Each concept is designed to create a relaxed atmosphere that reflects the vibrant spirit of Austin, where guests can enjoy delicious dishes and drinks while experiencing the essence of our city.”

Helming both concepts is executive chef Iain Reddick, who joined the hotel team earlier this year after previous stints at Austin’s Driskill hotel around the corner and other Hyatt properties in Clearwater Beach and Tampa, Florida.

Dishes by The Tradition at Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue The Tradition goes with artsy plating.Photo by Jane Yun

Rooted in American cuisine with global influences, The Tradition’s menu will celebrate the essence of Americana with a playful twist, adding international flair to classic staples such as the horchata overnight oats and the brisket omelet. For lunch and dinner, guests can choose from lighter fare like the Texas wedge and rotisserie chicken chinois salad, or heartier mains like steak frites and Lone Star braised short ribs.

Other highlights include a salmon Oscar with crab, hollandaise, and poached asparagus, or the BBQ board with jalapeño cheddar sausage, brisket, barbecue chicken, slaw, pickles, barbecue-spiced corn on the cob, and Dr. Pepper sauce.

Meanwhile, Heydey will serve as the hotel’s new European-inspired cocktail bar, offering a variety of light bites such as the shareable Heydey Sampler (local meat and cheese, marinated olives, artichokes, pickled mushroom, spicy relish, and pickled peppers); whipped herbed ricotta with spicy hot honey and warm bread; steak tartare with truffle chips; and more.

Dishes by Heydey at Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Heydey is similarly upscale, and shaareable.Photo by Jane Yun

The beverage program will feature some twists on classic cocktails highlighting Texas spirits, as well as beer, wine, and other non-alcoholic beverages.

Open from 7 am to 9 pm, The Tradition, An American Kitchen, will serve breakfast from 7 am to 11 am, lunch from 11 am to 3 pm, happy hour from 3 pm to 5 pm, and dinner from 5 pm to 9 pm. Heydey Social Club will be open from 3 pm to midnight. While not required, reservations for the restaurant can be made via OpenTable.

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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.