Rainey Street Smokin’ on Sunday Night
Our first instinct was to head down to my friend Brian O’Neills place Bangers on Rainey St. I mean how crowded could it be on a Sunday night? Slammed was the word. So we tried No Va and then El Naranjo with the same result. The street was teeming with masses of people: some bar […]
Hudson’s on the Bend to Have Last Service Saturday night.
One of Austin’s most iconic restaurants, Hudson’s on the Bend, will have its last service Saturday night. Jeff Blank’s incredible 32-year run will come to an end and he will be sorely missed. The restaurant will close for a time and will reopen at an undetermined date under new ownership.. Nonetheless, as a tribute to […]
Darryl Wittle to Return as GM to Bob’s Steak and Chop House.
Darryl Wittle, the beloved former GM at Fleming’s has returned to Bob’s Steak and Chop House as GM. Wittle is an exemplary restaurateur who set a very high bar during his tenure at Fleming’s . Great to have him back on the downtown scene.
Mixed Reviews for Restaurant Traffic at SXSW
So the mammoth combination of intellect, music and enormous crowds known as SXSW has once again enveloped Austin in its heady brew. Some restaurants love this festival and others wish it would take a long walk off a short pier. The interactive part of the festival, which comes first, tends to attract those with expense […]
Salt Traders Coastal Cooking to Open in Round Rock.
Jack Gillmore and Tom Hamm will be opening their fourth restaurant at the site of the former Mesa Rosa at 2850 N IH 35. This is a stone’s throw from Jack Allen’s Kitchen in RR. The highly successful duo who now have three Jack Allen’s Kitchens are going to focus on a menu a bit […]
Street by Chinatown to Open in Early Summer
Spoke to Ronald Cheng today and he’s buzzed about his coming venture: Street by Chinatown. It will be downstairs at the Greystone location. The name pretty much sums up the intended cuisine. Ronald wants to do a casual Izakaya-like concept featuring Asian street fare. Ronald has never introduced anything he has not meticulously planned out […]
Cafe Blue to Move
One of my long-time favs, Cafe Blue at the Galleria, is moving to new digs within the vast Bee Cave complex. They’ll be at the old location just down from Hill Country Cinema for another couple of weeks. I’ve been craving Chef Ben’s fabulous clam chowder anyway so it’s high time for a visit.
Napa Flats Opens on 620
A new restaurant called Napa Flats Wood Fired Kitchen has opened on 620 across from Concordia College. The idea, as the name suggests, is wood-fired cooking: from pizzas and pastas (recipes from Damian Mandola) to steaks, seafood and homemade gelatos. The notion is that California flavors with an Italian flair will light a fire under […]
Another Dining Out Austin Podcast
Just finished taping another weekly Dining Out Austin podcast with my friend Don Pryor. Our guest was Jeff Barnett (center) of Pacific Star and Oyster with locations on Research and off 79 in Round Rock. In the front is Todd Jeffries who took the selfie. You can find the podcasts on 590jklb.com and Dining Out […]
Thai Kitchen on Bee Caves To Give Way to 2nd Location of Sway
Finally, after an uneventful run on Bee Caves for years, Thai Kitchen is making room for the 2nd location of Sway, the fabulous Thai fusion restaurant on S 1st. I love Sway but as always with the quixotic Westlake dining crowd, I’m holding my breath. The opening should occur sometime in mid 2016.
Rob’s New Top 25 Coming Soon
For years one of the most popular sections of DOWR has been our Top 20 list of fine dining restaurants in Austin. For the first time we are expanding to a Top 25 list. The reason is simple: there are more great restaurants in this city than we’ve ever had before. We could not do […]
Dallas based Cane Rosso Pizza takes over the shuttered St. Phillip
News from Sunset Valley. St. Philip, the Uchi group’s ambitious project closed late last year, and Dallas based Cane Rosso pizza is going to open there sometime in the next six months. The Uchi group acknowledged that they overreached and this created the opportunity for Cane Rosso which has had Austin on its radar for […]
La V Closes
In the wake of the unfortunate closing of the exquisite La V on E 7th, one wonders just how much room there is in Austin for high end dining spots like this. Owner Ralph Eads, in a gracefully written closing release, said that he would rather close than fail to provide the exceptional dining experience […]
Rob Joins 590 KLBJ’s Don Pryor for New Weekly Restaurant Podcast
Dining Out Austin is the name of Rob’s new weekly Podcast with Don Pryor, co-host of the Todd and Don Show on 590 KLBJ. The Podcast debuted with three recorded tracks and more to come. You can also listen to the Podcast here: “I’m buzzed about this show,” Rob said. It’s like a […]
