All You Knead is Biscuits

Celebrated biscuit spot expands into newly vacant Mueller space

Little Ola's Biscuits is moving into the space left by Halcyon in mid-August.

Photo by Nitya Jain

Plenty of fancy Austin restaurants have more approachable sister concepts, but Little Ola's Biscuits is in a class of its own; not just for making its connection to fine dining restaurant Olamaie explicit, but also for how popular it is. In fact, it's so popular it's now opening a second location in Mueller sometime in early 2025.

As the name suggests, this pop-up-turned-restaurant deals in flaky buttermilk biscuits, served with a variety of ingredients as sandwiches or just a dressed up pastry bite. Lead by pastry chef Jules Stoddart of MaieB Hospitality, it also includes a few more pastry snacks like cinnamon rolls, hand pies, and cookies.

It'll be located at 1905 Aldrich St., Suite 110, which very recently housed the neighborhood cafe Halcyon. Known for its popular events, the space closed in mid-August. Another location still remains on 4th Street.

If Mueller locals miss the causal drinks, they may find solace in Little Ola's beverage menu, including espresso, artisanal teas, house-made lemonade, and a full bar. The new location will bring some new menu items into the fray, but the release doesn't specify what exactly they'll be.

“I'm thrilled to bring our beloved biscuit to a new yet familiar corner of Austin," said Stoddart in a press release. She was honored in CultureMap's 2024 Tastemaker Awards as one of Austin's top 10 pastry chefs,. “I can’t wait to create a welcoming space where the community can come together and create lasting memories over delicious biscuits.”

Little Ola's Biscuits Austin Sometimes it's best to just keep it simple.Photo by Nitya Jain

This expansion is important for MaieB Hospitality as the first time the group has cloned a concept into a second location rather than spinning one off. Although some of its restaurants, like Olamaie and Maie Day, represent a more upscale side of dining, the group is no stranger to a casual meal.

MaieB also recently helped revive an Austin classic, Contigo, only about a mile from the new Little Ola's location, under the new name Redbud Ice House. MaieB executive chef and founder Michael Fojtasek looks forward to getting more involved in the Mueller area.

“We're overjoyed to be bringing Little Ola's Biscuits to Mueller," said Fojtasek in the release. "My young family loves The Thinkery, the park, and all the incredible local restaurants like L'Oca D'Oro. The community embrace of Redbud Ice House has us pumped to be doing more for the neighborhood and we can't wait for them to meet our biscuiteers.”

More information about Little Ola’s Biscuits is available at littleolasbiscuits.com.

Refill, revere, rejoice

Austin distiller refills Kentucky Bourbon bottles for $1 in UT gameday stunt

Photo courtesy of Still Austin Whiskey Co.

Still Austin is filling up empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles and adding its own label in a display of Texas dominance.

Cheap bourbon isn't usually something people line up for, but in this case they know it's good. Still Austin Whiskey Co., a favorite Austin distiller, is offering $1 refills of its own Cask Strength Bourbon on empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles on November 23.

The promotion celebrates the Texas Longhorns vs. Kentucky Wildcats football match the same day. This is a highly anticipated game because the two teams have only been matched up once, back in 1951. Kentucky coach Mike Stoops reportedly also upped the ante by saying the Longhorns have "no weaknesses."

Essentially, this is a parallel challenge by Still Austin: Replace your Kentucky Bourbon with our Texas spirit and watch the Lone Star State win again.

"Why would I ever taint your bourbon with dried up Kentucky juice[?]" asked a (frankly, terrifying) customer on Instagram.

There is a misconception that bourbon has to be made in Kentucky. The Kentucky Distillers’ Association itself points out that, "According to the 1964 Congressional Resolution, in order to have “Bourbon” on the label it must be made in the United States of America and meet all other federal “standards of identity” for Bourbon."

Still Austin CEO and co-founder Chris Seals is setting the record straight with a little snark, inviting both fans and "skeptics" to stop by to take advantage of the deal.

“We’re deeply grateful to Kentucky for inventing the stuff, but after 200 years of the same old bourbon, people want something new,” said Seals in a press release.“The idea that great bourbon can only come from Kentucky is a myth based on decades of misinformation. We’re inviting everyone still holding onto this old guard notion to ‘Kentucky Fill Up’ to experience the difference for themselves.”

The product he's chosen to represent the brand, the Cask Strength Bourbon, is described as "a deeper more 'metal' version of our beloved straight bourbon." It's 116 proof (58 percent ABV) and has won double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition twice, in 2022 and 2023.

Still Austin will only refill 500 bottles. Here are the rules: The bottles have to be 750 milliliters, clean, intact (with the original cap on hand), and they must have originally contained bourbon from a Kentucky Distillery. There are two time slots for refilling at 9 am and 11:30 am. Patrons can get tickets ahead of time at stillaustin.com.

In addition to the fill-ups, Still Austin will host a watch party starting at 2:30 pm. More Texas-Kentucky crossover will include Frozen Texas Julep cocktails, Texas fried chicken, and an armadillo derby race. There will also be exclusive merch and giveaways. Still Austin is the official corporate partner of Texas Athletics.

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Fans of Austin sports and Austin food and drinks can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm December 12 at Distribution Hall. Find out more about it here.

whiskey university of texas longhorns