NY cocktail bar with divey vibes opening in Austin

Beloved NYC bar Mother's Ruin opens its fourth location on East 6th. Photo courtesy of Mother's Ruin

Mother's Ruin, a beloved cocktail-meets-dive bar founded in New York, is opening up its fourth location right here in Austin on March 7, just in time for spring breakers and SXSW visitors.

So named after the mid-18th century nickname for gin, Mother's Ruin already has locations in New York, Nashville, and Chicago, and according to a recent press release, Mother's Ruin partner TJ Lynch is "really excited to bring Mother's Ruin to Austin, a city that we feel has the energy, creativity, and inclusivity that define Mother's Ruin."

Lynch adds in the press release, "We’re also excited to bring a new late-night option to the East 6th neighborhood where everyone can enjoy great cocktails and awesome bar food from early until last call, every single day of the year. At Mother’s, we never close because we’re committed to being a central and welcoming part of the neighborhoods we serve."

What Lynch is referring to here are the unique hours that Mother's Ruin is known for: It's open 365 days a year from 11 am to 2 am, with a kitchen that stays open just as late as the bar.

Mother's Ruin spicy chicken sandwich is one of many menu items available until 2 am.Photo courtesy of Mother's Ruin

Some favorite menu items include Cholula honey wings, Thai brussels sprouts, the Mother's Smashburger, and other bar food favorites. Uniquely, Mother's Ruin will also offer a brunch menu within a few weeks of opening, everyday until 4 pm. Brunch will include classics like French toast, chilaquiles, avocado toast, and "breakfast burritos." (Which we believe is a misspelling of "breakfast tacos," but, hey, they're new in town.)

Specialty cocktails include the Slushy du Jour, the "Cybercuck," something called an "Emergency Confetti" with rum, lime, kiwi, watermelon, and aperol, and several other drinks with equally irreverent names. Mother's also features a full beer and wine list as well as several alcohol-free options. According to the press release, Mother's Ruin offers "the quality of more pretentious cocktail bars but with a faster and more fun approach."

Mother's Ruin is open everyday from 11 am to 2 pm starting March 7, at 1401 E. 6th St.

Roy Choi is traveling to promote his new book, The Choi of Cooking. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Austin's First Light Books often hosts author events within the cozy green and white walls of their bookstore, but this time they're hosting an author with a name so big, they're taking things to The Paramount's Stateside Theater. Celebrity chef Roy Choi will present his new book in conversation with pitmaster Aaron Franklin on April 22.

Choi is a celebrated chef based in Los Angeles, and now he's celebrating the release of The Choi of Cooking.

This cookbook focuses on healthy foods that fuel the body, and is described as Choi's "magnum opus" by publisher Penguin Random House. "When Choi realized that falling victim to his greasy cravings was not sustainable, he began to eat more nutritious foods — but he did it his way, to build a more realistic lifestyle not based on extreme dieting or deprivation," says the book's description.

Both Choi and Franklin are known for having great screen and stage chemistry with other chefs and presenters. First Light Books must be preparing for a big crowd, because this venue change marks a significant increase in capacity.

Choi trained at the Culinary Institute of America and worked with Le Bernardin and the Beverly Hills Hilton, but he's best known for opening up a taco truck combining Korean and Mexican flavors back in 2008. This food truck, Kogi, used Twitter to let Angelenos know where it would be parked next, and grew so wildly popular that Newsweek called it "the first viral eatery."

Suddenly, Choi was in the spotlight. He was all over the media and even acted as the culinary advisor in Jon Favreau's film, Chef.

Choi highlighted details like this in his first book, a memoir and cookbook called L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food, which he co-wrote with Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan in 2013.

More than a decade has passed since the release of this first book, and a lot has happened. Choi has since starred in Netflix's The Chef Show, he's opened a brick and mortar restaurant in Las Vegas, and now, he's partnered up with Tien Nguyen and Natasha Phan once again for The Choi of Cooking.

For the First Light Books chat, guests can either purchase a ticket that includes a signed copy of The Choi of Cooking ($53), or simply buy a ticket to the event without purchasing the book ($21). Aside from a lively conversation between two friends and culinary icons, First Light Books promises some additional "fun things to make this more than your typical author talk."

The Choi of Cooking, A Conversation with Roy Choi and Aaron Franklin will be held at the Paramount's Stateside Theater on April 22 at 7 pm.

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Mother

NY cocktail bar with divey vibes and late-night food opening in Austin

Mother

NY cocktail bar with divey vibes and late-night food opening in Austin

Chef Talk

Chef Roy Choi brings new cookbook to Austin for talk with Aaron Franklin

Chef Talk

Chef Roy Choi brings new cookbook to Austin for talk with Aaron Franklin