Cool River Café Closes

Got a call this morning from Cool River, the popular steakhouse and night spot on Parmer Lane. I was shocked to learn that they had closed the doors for good this past Saturday night.

The landlord had been marketing the property as Cool River’s lease was nearing expiration. Apparently it was difficult to properly run the restaurant while the property was being marketed.

We’ve had many enjoyable dinners at Cool River and it was a favorite with our Gonzo Gourmet Club as well. Randy was an excellent GM and he had a great staff. The good news is that the company will endeavor to rehire many of the employees at sister restaurants III Forks and Cantina Laredo while Randy and the other managers will likely move to one of the stores in the Dallas area. The bad news is that north Austin lost one of its few fine dining restaurants. There is some possibility that Cool River will look for land to rebuild in the Austin area but that’s not in the immediate future.