There’s a lot of news going on in the Austin food scene right now, so here are five openings, two festivals, and some other sales and offers this week.
opening and closing
This is two in one. First Austin Eastsiders Collaboratory has announced the closing of its last taproom at 979 Springdale Road in St. Louis. 130. They still make cider, but the taproom is no longer available. But the space was almost immediately publicly claimed by artists Moya McIntyre and Colin McIntyre, owners of event venue Springdale Station and spearheading a new concept called Stargazer. We offer a wide variety of drinks, from cocktails and mocktails to coffee, draft beer and cider. It’s also drawing in other local businesses, including scoops from Rick Honest Ice Cream, takeout items from Lucky Lime, tacos from Santo Patio and fried chicken from Dipping Springs Tender Company. Pizza place Bambino is already next door and using the code QR Stargazer makes ordering easy. The opening date has not yet been determined, but business hours will be from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
We told our readers back in July that our luxury cheese shop and cafe was moving to Cherrywood this fall, and now we’re here just in time. Spread and Co., located at 2406 Manor Road, Suite B, quietly opened on October 15th with beautiful charcuterie platters, as well as freshly brewed coffee, grab-and-go sandwiches, and a rich but classic American breakfast. and a lunch menu. The concept is not new, coming from Jefferson Square, but the new location is much easier to find, so this will likely be the first experience of the shop for many customers. Business hours are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Those looking to get in the holiday spirit can find a Christmas pop-up in droves at The Eleanor’s Christmas Pop-up Miracle on Fifth Avenue, a small bar adjacent to the Roosevelt Room. The management goes all out with the decorations, covering the bar with lights, garlands, ribbons, and more. Playful themed drinks include the Snowball Old Fashioned made with Jim Beam Rye Whiskey, gingerbread syrup, Angostura and mugwort bitters, and orange oil. and the Christmas Politan with Gray Goose vodka, St. Germain, elderflower liqueur, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, spiced cranberry sauce, lime, rosemary and absinthe mist. Served in playful glassware or tiki-inspired mugs. Tickets (starting at $12.50) are required for admission, except during happy hour from 2pm to 5pm daily. Soft opening date is November 14th.
It’s going to hurt my eyes. Photo courtesy of The Eleanor
ICYMI: We’ve been covering four restaurant openings and closings since last week, so I’ll give you a quick rundown. First, we brought the news that Mian & Bao, a Sichuan/Shanghai comfort food hybrid restaurant by the acclaimed San Antonio Group, has opened in The Triangle. And Serenade, an absolutely beautiful brasserie serving classic French cuisine, opened on 2nd Avenue on October 27th. We also heard that Baby Acapulco (colloquially known as Baby A’s) suddenly closed its Barton Springs location, leaving fans with no more Purple Margaritas. swimming. Finally, the owners of upscale sports bar Cover 3 announced they are opening a new bar and restaurant in Driftwood called Whiskey Ridge.
CultureMap also announced that it will host a tailgate party in late fall featuring tailgate-inspired bites from top local restaurants. Attendees at The Tailgate try samples and vote on their favorites. Plus, a pre-event bracket-style tournament will reveal Austin’s favorite chicken wings. Details can be found here. Tickets are currently on sale at a discounted price.
Other notices and notes
Thursday’s City Council meeting was dominated by more than eight hours of testimony regarding the proposed police association agreement and budget increase (which ultimately passed), so naturally people were at the Cherrywood Coffee House zoning (see item 80) where you may not have been aware that the property containing the address was for sale. Whatever this means for the cafe, and the people of Austin, who appear to be divided on whether or not to save the cafe, the hearing has been postponed to November 21, 2024.
Our readers were very interested in the 40th anniversary celebration of North Austin Mexican restaurant Manuel’s. It was one of the top stories of the week. This is to remind our readers that this sale will soon end on October 27th. That means a special three-course menu for $40 per person. However, if guests miss this, there will be several more days of drink specials and giveaways benefiting Farm Share Austin and Hill Country Conservancy until the end of the month.
There’s something about Italian brunch that Austinites are obsessed with, and Poeta, named Best New Restaurant of 2024 by CultureMap readers, is fueling a new brunch menu obsession. What’s even better is that it’s available all day long. Dishes include roasted beets and farro with avocado, orange, almonds and dill. Arancini (fried rice balls) with lamb confit, tomato butter and poached egg. Crepes with homemade ricotta, orange and hazelnut caramel. The full menu is available at poetarerestaurant.com.
Poeta’s signature Waffle Gato with maple gelato and espresso butter is on the all-day brunch menu. Photo credit: Jessia Attie Photography
Hot Luck, a music and food combination festival led by pitmaster Aaron Franklin, is a save-the-date event for foodies heading into Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25, 2024 I sent you. Read below to find out what this festival is all about. In short, the food portion includes lots of tastings at a vast event filled with booths. The music portion is held as a showcase at regular venues around the city. What’s surprising is that the first and second half of the festival have almost nothing to do with each other, except for the musicians and chefs spending time together at the end. More information and early bird tickets are available at hotluckfest.com.