culinary seniority

Texas celebrity chef sets the table for Georgetown's hottest restaurant in unlikely setting

Alma interior at The Hacienda at Georgetown

Chef Stephan Pyles is launching Alma, an independent restaurant, at The Hacienda at Georgetown early in 2023.

Rendering courtesy of Alma

It’ll be a little hard to explain in the group chat: yes, it’s a hot, new restaurant, and yes, it’s at the senior living center. But according to chef Stephan Pyles (whose 12 James Beard Award nominations say he can open a restaurant wherever he wants), it’s just a regular restaurant. Well, maybe a little nicer.

More specifically, this is his answer to the truckstop café he was “raised in.” That was in Big Spring, Texas, out by Midland, and while that location and very niche restaurant genre is a point of pride, Pyles is transcending it, not unlike the common perception of retirement home dining.

“It was the last thing that I wanted to do — it was the last thing my parents wanted me to do — was to get into food,” says Pyles. “So I got a degree in music, and then took a trip to France, and fell in love with food after college. This, in essence, is returning …. This is what my truckstop café would have been like if I weren't 10, if I had more taste, and if I had money. It's going to be a real Texas experience.”

Pyles mentions the phrase, “Dance with the one that brung you,” twice, referring to his Southwestern roots. He didn’t connect it to the restaurant’s locale, but it’s not far-fetched to consider Texan seniors the progenitors of the culture the chef is hoping to redevelop. While he maintains that the senior living center, Hacienda, is just where the restaurant happens to be, press releases draw an immediate connection to the “loneliness epidemic” that disproportionately affects seniors. Further, Pyles has worked on a similar project in the past few years, at Dallas’ Ventana by Buckner community.

The difference is the clientele. While Pyles spent the Ventana project advising daily, residents-only dining options, Alma at The Hacienda at Georgetown is more akin to any city restaurant on the ground floor of an apartment building: connected, but independent. There will be some programming for residents including cooking classes, wine dinners, and food festivals, but ultimately, this is a regular night out for anyone who enters. That means it might get a little crowded, which is actually a great organic outcome for a less-isolated community.

“Honestly, I think that's a perk,” says Pyles, weighing the possibility that reservations may become scarce as word gets out about the restaurant to people around Austin and beyond. “There probably will be a time at some point it might be hard to get into, and [the residents will] have to just walk in from the back door. VIP treatment.”

The Hacienda, set to open in early 2023, is spread over 13 acres, with 231 accommodations from independent to assisted living. Marketing takes an urban, luxury slant, and a video of building progress so far shows a sprawling compound that looks like many downtown Austin residences, without the vertical crowding.

Pyles is widely credited as the father of Southwestern cuisine, and this being his return to his roots, there won’t be a better place to get to know the influential chef. He promises the “menu and the style and ambiance” are all deeply aligned with his culinary identity “decades in the making.” Ingredients for the familiar menu — with tacos, pizzas, ceviches, sharables, barbecue, and more — will largely be locally sourced, and the food will embody the surrounding region of Texas.

“I'm calling it Hill Country soul food, which to me is sort of just the next evolution for modern Texas,” Pyles says.

Alma is set to open in late January or early February of 2023. More information is available at haciendageorgetown.com.

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Omakase for Everyone

New South Austin restaurant swims against current of expensive omakase

Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Tancho Sushi keeps things simple.

Austin had no shortage of beautiful sushi restaurants, but a new one at Lantana Place is doing drawing the trend away from the center of the city and sticking a lower price tag on the experience. Tancho Sushi, offering "everyday omakase," is now open at 7415 Southwest Parkway.

The thought of casual omakase feels like a bit of an oxymoron in Austin, where the service style — which tasks the chef with choosing what the diner will eat — is almost synonymous with something fancy and expensive. Factor in the interior design at Tancho, which certainly doesn't look pedestrian, and it's hard to believe it's actually an everyday meal.

But all things considered, these prices seem reasonable: $29 for the lightest dinner option, and capping out at a $59 feast. Lunch is even less expensive, starting at $24.

Tancho Sushi interior The airy space takes advantage of its surroundings outside of the city.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

In some omakase experiences, the chef might factor in a diner's taste, the special ingredients that are available that day, and any number of other factors to determine what hits the table. But at Tancho, these prix fixe options are predetermined, doubtlessly contributing to the more accessible pricing.

The 50-seat restaurant also uses a clever marketing angle to get diners in who aren't necessarily experienced in sushi, or might otherwise be intimidated by letting a chef choose unfamiliar foods. "With thoughtfully curated preset menus, Tancho simplifies the dining experience by eliminating the guesswork so guests can focus on enjoying their meals," a press release announcing the opening says.

The release was sent November 22, but it looks like Tancho has been serving customers in a soft opening capacity for about a month, based on its Google reviews (which are stunningly high for a new restaurant at 4.7 stars).

Offerings at Tancho are simple.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Although each menu is different, there is a shared arc. All four experiences start with sunomono salad, a cucumber-based dish with red seaweed and sesame. Then there's tuna sashimi with smoked yuzu ponzu and scallions, and the rest depends on what the diner chooses.

Some standout items across the dinner service are sea bream on the light menu; akami (very red meat along the spine of a tuna) on the standard omakase menu; a lobster open hand roll on the rolls-only menu; and a tuna flight on the grand omakase menu.

No menu item is especially complicated. The focus is on doing each ingredient right, including the temperature the fish is served at and even the flavor of house-made soy sauce and ponzu.

“We keep the focus on the ingredients,” said co-founder Brad Van Otterloo in the release. “By stripping away unnecessary flourishes, we allow the quality of our fish to take center stage. This is a Texas-born concept through and through, and we’re proud to contribute to Austin’s growing sushi reputation.”

The open hand rolls are a signature for the restaurant.Photo courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Despite all this talk of omakase, it is possible to order à la carte items: some appetizers, nigiri (sliced fish on top of rice), and rolls. There's also a carefully curated beverage program, which largely focuses on sake. That includes the Kubota Manju or “Ten Thousand Celebrations" ($79), renowned in Japan for its complex layers and smooth mouthfeel.

“As Austin continues to grow, we wanted to introduce a fresh take on the sushi experience,” said Van Otterloo. “We’re here to make sushi approachable for Austinites while honoring the integrity of this cuisine. It’s about creating a space where everyone can discover and enjoy sushi at their own pace – no pressure, no pretense.”

Tancho Sushi exterior This restaurant is meant to be approachable.Image courtesy of Tancho Sushi

Tancho Sushi is located at 7415 Southwest Parkway, Building 4, Suite 300. It's open daily from 11 am to 10 pm, offering both dine-in and takeout. There are no reservations.

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