When one door closes, another opens…
Old Thousand, a hip Chinese restaurant on East 11th, announced that it would open an outpost in the space recently occupied by Noble Sandwich Co. on Burnet. Sunrise Mini-Mart announced plans to open a natural wine and tapas bar next door on West Anderson Lane in the spot East Side Pies recently vacated. We’ll soon have a closer source for Elgin sausage when Southside Market & Barbeque opens on NoNoBu (north, north Burnet) in the Shops at Arbor Walk. Sadly, Cielo closed this past October. Although the space was louder than an angry divorce, the food and margaritas were first rate. Also closing is Doc’s Motorworks at 38th and Medical Parkway.
We’re still waiting for Honest Mary’s, Tony C’s, Tea Amo, Pho Saigon, and Happy Chicks to open, although the Happy Chicks space on Burnet is making progress (see photo above). And be careful parking near the food trailer park on Burnet: social media channels are reporting cars receiving $100 boots at Longhorn Trophies.
Austin’s (ahem) second-best restaurant reviewer (Matt Odam at the American-Statesman) released his annual best-of list and included Barley Swine (#7), Le Bleu (#21), Bufalina (#26), Eldorado (#42), and Veracruz All Natural (#44). Too late to make it into his Top 50 list, he recently gave dipdipdip tatsu-ya a 9/10 rating, surely earning it a top 10 spot next year. Austin Monthly included dipdipdip as one of its best new restaurants of the year. Texas Monthly gave dipdipdip and Rosedale Bar+Kitchen two-star reviews. The Austin Chronicle’s Readers’ Poll listed dipdipdip as the best new restaurant, Jack Allen’s Kitchen as the best weekend brunch, JuiceLand as the best juice/smoothie, Hopdoddy Burger Bar as the best burger, Torchy’s Tacos as the best tacos, and Amy’s as the best ice cream.
Austin CultureMap included The Peached Tortilla and Rosedale Bar+Kitchen as two of the “7 High-End Austin Restaurants with Cheap Burgers at Happy Hour.” The Thrillest listed The Peached Tortilla, Lala’s, Barley Swine, Bufalina Due, Yard Bar, and Pinthouse Pizza as part of their “Best Happy Hours in Austin.” The purple-pilled people at Eater Austin listed Brentwood Social House and Upper Crust Bakery as part of “Austin’s 25 Outstanding Bakeries,” The Peached Tortilla and Haru Ramen & Yakitori as part of “Where to Find Great Bowls of Ramen in Austin,” Rosedale Bar+Kitchen as one of “11 Hottest New Brunches in Austin Right Now, ” Edis Chocolates and Chocolaterie Tessa as part of “13 Great Candy and Chocolate Shops in Austin,” and Brama and Biderman’s Deli as part of “28 Comforting Soups in Austin.”
In a sign of the times, Barley Swine and Emmer+Rye announced that they were the first two restaurants in Austin to be certified as carbon neutral. And with a splash of redemption, Philip Speer’s new place, Comedor, located downtown in a Kundig-designed space, was named one of the best new restaurants in the US by Esquire (and ranked #6 in town by the second-best restaurant reviewer in town). Speer, if you recall, opened the before-its-time Bonhomie on Burnet.
I wrote this for the Allandale Neighbor.
austin wanderlist 