Once More into the Breach: John Mueller is Back
Listen up BBQ fans, one of the local legends of the pit, John Mueller, is back again at 2500 East 6th St. After the well-publicized split with his sister, I predicted that the well-traveled Mueller would be back soon. This time it’s the John Muller Meat Co.. Different name but still the best beef ribs […]
Pieous Opens at 12005 Highway 290
A new pizza plus joint named Pieous has opened at 12005 Highway 290 W. just before Nutty Brown’s. Stopped in for a quick bite, and was impressed enough that I’ll be making a dinner out of it again within the next week. Curious location for such a neat little place (site of former Cartwright’s BBQ), […]
Tokyo Steakhouse on Burnet Opens for Lunch
It’s funny how some people have trouble with restaurant ownership transitions. Case in point is the old Benihana on Burnet Rd. which became Tokyo Steakhouse after the sale. The new restaurant is every bit as good as the old; indeed their sushi chef hails from the very successful Kenichi. The Teppanyaki concept is healthy and […]
Willie G’s Opens at Site of Former McCormick and Schmick’s Downtown
The building that used to house McCormick and Schmick’s at 4th and Congress has now given way to upscale Steak and Seafood chain Willie G’s. I, for one, am very glad to see it because the empty space, large as it is, stood out like a sore thumb for over a year. I suspected that […]
Winflo Osteria Opens on W. 6th
A new pizza and pasta emporium called Winflo Osteria has opened at 1315 West 6th. The menu is much more diverse than your normal East Coast pizza parlor (usually pizza, and maybe a salad, or clams on the half shell) and is more reflective of an Osteria one would find in Italy. One thing that’s […]
The Meat House in Westlake Closes
It was a store that on paper, should have worked in the high-income market of Westlake. Quality meats with an old fashioned butcher available along with wines and various other goodies. But after a run of a couple of years, the Meat House in Westlake has closed. It was in the infamous strip center at […]
Cannoli Joe’s To Close on January 31st
Just received confirmation from the top guys at County Line that their sister restaurant, Cannoli Joe’s is closing this Thursday. The concept was a kind of Italian buffet with the interior resembling a street in an Italian town. However, each food station on the “street” was supported by a cook responsible for that section. Nothing […]
Hot Off the Presses: News from the Local Food Scene
We blogged last month about the “strange case of Eddie Nimibutr” who owned or worked at (depending on who you’re talking to) the Thai Noodle House on Guadalupe. He was the unfortunate Facebook poster who went nuclear about the Newtown shootings, and claimed that the media only cares when white kids are killed. But he […]
Another Westlake Restaurant Failure: Lion and Rose Closes
I don’t know what dark voodoo vibes pervade the HEB shopping center in Westlake at 360 and Bee Caves. But the place has been an ongoing disaster zone for restaurants, both locally-owned and chains, over the past 7-8 years. The latest casualty is the Austin version of the pub grub and grog chain the Lion […]
Fore in Lakeway Updates Menu Under New Chef
New Chef Robert Snow will roll out updated lunch and dinner menus at Fore in Lakeway beginning February 20th. Snow, whose credits include Fix at Bellagio in Las Vegas, Fleming’s and most recently Judge’s Hill in Austin, has his eye on some new dishes that have got my attention. How about hand-cut steaks, from an […]
Hill’s Cafe: Demise of an Austin Icon?
I have known Bob Cole as a friend and industry colleague for over 30 years. I was pleasantly surprised when he ventured into the restaurant business about a decade ago after he acquired the venerable Hill’s Cafe on South Congress. I ate there several times and always enjoyed it for the Hill Country roadhouse that […]
Restaurant Patios: To Smoke Or Not to Smoke
I was on the original committee that gave input to the city on banning smoking in restaurants. I am not a smoker, and I dislike being around it while eating. But my input was based on a more pragmatic point of view: no mandates or impositions on restaurant owners. Just letting the marketplace rule. If […]
Heard on the Street: New Developments in the Restaurant Biz
Mizu to Seque into the 2nd “Grove”? The ill-fated Mizu in Lakeway, which closed on New Year’s Day, and which had one of the most spectacular views in Austin, may soon house the 2nd iteration of Reed Clemon’s highly successful Grove in Westlake on Bee Caves Road. Reed, who first hit paydirt with his Granite […]
