Open Table came out with their 10 Best Restaurants in Austin list. Here are the ten:
Quick thoughts: Obviously this list leans heavily on the type of fine dining venue Open Table serves, so you’re not going to see cheap hole-in-the-walls and such. Jeffery’s, Uchi and Uchiko are long-time residents of this type of list. Truluck’s deserves it’s reputation. I wasn’t impressed with my one trip to the Arboretum Eddie V’s, but that was many years ago, and perhaps they’ve improved (or, alternately, found a way to stuff the ballot box). Cafe Josie was a long-time favorite but several years back they changed the menu enough that we weren’t as wild about it anymore. I hear consistently good things about Garbo’s, but I’m not as big a lobster fan as some people. Lonesome Dove has been on our to-try list for a while. La Volpe I’m unfamiliar with, and would be quite interested in making a visit next time we’re in the mood for high-end Italian.
Anything you think is conspicuously missing from this list?
Someone knows how to throw a party. With other people’s stuff:
Items Stolen From Foreign & Domestic
150-pound half pig
Approximately 45 pounds of assorted cuts of meats
69 beers
15 wine bottles
23 Mexican cokes
3 gallons of milk
Several pans
Eater Austin has links to F&D’s Facebook page, with video of the theft. I’ve never eaten there, so I have no real stake in this beyond wanting to see the thief caught and punished for their crimes. If you do recognize the person, F&D says “We will treat you real nice.”
Threagill’s World Headquarters, the south Austin location that opened in 1996, will close after Thanksgiving:
The veteran businessman that helped catalyze Austin’s vaunted music culture as owner of the Armadillo World Headquarters (1970-1980) confirms that Threadgill’s Riverside location will close after Thanksgiving. His staff, some of whom have worked there for decades, have been notified of the closure. The original Threadgill’s, “Ol’ No. 1” on North Lamar, will remain in business.
Wilson says paying over $40,000 in monthly rent has become “untenable.” According to him, his landlords, the Crockett family – with whom he’s enjoyed a “great relationship” over the years – don’t want to sell the land and property taxes dictate a higher rent than inexpensive chicken-fried steaks and Five-Vegetable Plates can provide for.
Yeah, $40,000 a month for a comfort food restaurant seems pretty steep.
I liked them for their chicken fried steak and their ham steak with Jezebel sauce, but otherwise found them overrated. I think Dwight still hates both locations.
The Statesman is reporting that Hill’s Cafe on South Congress is closing.
According to the report, the closing is temporary: the owners of the property are planning to convert it into a “mixed-use development” and say they plan to re-open Hill’s as part of that: “a process that could take at least two years”.
I know it’s historic and all that, but just like the Frisco, I’ve always found the food to be mediocre at best. There were some folks who liked it (though it also always seemed oddly empty on Saturday nights): as Lawrence said when I told him: “I guess the first Earl Cooley Memorial Hill’s Cafe Dinner was also the last.”
At least for the next two years. After that…
Because if you do, the Old Spaghetti Warehouse is coming back to Houston. Sort of. They were flooded out of their old location by Harvey, but are re-opening…
…as “a new concept that pays tribute to the old Spaghetti Warehouse menu” called Warehouse 72.
Which is fine, I guess. But when they say “pays tribute to the old Spaghetti Warehouse menu”, does this mean that they’re going to have the cheese sauce and the mushroom/butter sauce? Because if they do, I’m thinking road trip. And if they don’t, what’s the point?
According to Eater Austin, “Venezuelan food truck Four Brothers is opening another food truck within South Congress spot Hotel San Jose.”
Wait a minute. Actually, “Expect the usual array of arepas, patacones, and cachapas.” Cut and paste error. My bad.
In other news, Sweetish Hill Bakery has been sold to “McGuire Moorman Hospitality Group”, the people who run Jeffrey’s, Clark’s, Perla’s and a bunch of other places.
I’m not sure how to feel about this. I don’t get down that way very often these days, but Sweetish Hill had really good pastries when I used to go there. Also, I used to pick up one of their Dutch chocolate cakes on a regular basis, and those were to die for. I’m hoping Moorman doesn’t screw it up.
So sayeth the owners, though the timeline is vague. They say Hut’s, which they also own, will remain open. I imagine the Frank and Angie’s site will be the location of a new condo or office building.
Can’t say this breaks me up, as I never cared for their crust (though I disliked it a bit less than that The Brick Oven). And if you’re going to keep one of those restaurants open, Hut’s is the one to keep…
News that’s a couple of days old, but I haven’t seen spread that widely, and worth commenting on anyway:
Noon Mediterranean filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday.
Noon was famously and formerly known as VertsKebap, and started here in Austin. I remember going there once and thinking it was…okay. But as I’ve written before, that’s a style of food that really doesn’t resonate with me. I knew people, including some of my cow orkers, who loved the original Verts and ate there regularly.
Then, sometime last year, they decided to:
Of course, Chapter 11 is just a reorganization, not a termination. But:
Boyd indicates in court documents that Noon Mediterranean intends to use bankruptcy to “reject” leases for underperforming locations.
“The debtor intends to use the streamlined footprint to pursue a strategic transaction (whether via further investment, financing or other means) which maximizes the value of the debtor’s assets for the benefit of stakeholders,” Boyd says in court documents.
Noon Mediterranean says it intends to work with Griffin Financial Group to help weigh its options going forward.
One hopes that the options they are weighing include selling people good food that they want, and not spending money on expensive restaurant consultants.
