Bento Picnic Is Closing, Diner Bar Is Boosting Bailey, There’s a Republican With a Cafe for You, Salt & Time and El Chile Enter the Brunching Brawl, Farmer’s Fridge Brightens the Friendly Skies, and So! Much! More!
All the news that’s fit to get your taste buds quivering
By Wayne Alan Brenner, 3:55PM, Wed. Feb. 8, 2023
Here’s some of what's happening in Austin's culinary scene – as wrangled from numerous PR releases, words on the digital street, and even the occasional (verified) IRL eavesdroppings.
Yes, citizen, it’s your “Food News Buffet” for the week that includes Valentine’s Day here in the burgeoning modern metrop we increasingly drive to from the cheaper suburbs. And if you’re looking for some lovey-dovey dining action in town, why, we’ve got a decent wrangling of options for you right here…
Bento Picnic is closing. WHUT? Yeah, how’s that for some miserable internal rain? Bento Picnic, the wonderful restaurant run by Leanne Valenti at 2600 E. Cesar Chavez, will be shuttering on Sat., Feb. 18th. “After eight years of Bento Picnic and three years of Saba San’s,” Valenti recently divulged via email, “I’ve come to the decision to take a sabbatical – to create space for what’s next. I’m thankful for all the support that Austin has shown me over the last eight years. It has been an incredible story to live. I promise to be in touch and keep you posted about whatever may come next. We’ll still be making bentos with as much love as ever between now and the 18th – and I hope that you’ll stop by for a meal and a hug!” Note: During this sabbatical, the Bento team will still be available for catering events and private dinner parties. Click here to learn more about that…
In all-around happier news, the Diner Bar has released the schedule of this year’s special dinner series from James Beard award-winning chef Mashama Bailey. The Diner Bar, mmhmm, that’s in the Thompson Austin hotel (506 San Jacinto), the same property that includes Wax Myrtle’s (that poshly casual restaurant we’re so damn gung-ho about). As if there weren’t already enough reasons to visit the place, chef Bailey’s showcasing Black winemakers in “The Ones to Watch” in February, will be doing a high-powered collab for the Hot Luck Festival in May, and will be celebrating “Female Chefs + Purveyors” in September. Of course we’ll have those events listed and keep y’all updated as the dates draw ever closer…
Former Texas State Representative Dan Huberty (R, FWIW) and his daughter Brianna have debuted the Capitol Cafe at 1001 Congress, a beverage-and-snacks bar to serve people in general and especially those going about their governmental bidness in that politico-riddled area of Downtown. Yes, there’s much good beer and wine in addition to the incessant flood of coffee. Considering some of the legislation being fomented lately, we could all prolly use a drink or two…
In honor of Black History Month, vegan-forward Next Level Burger (525 N. Lamar) is donating 5% of sales to the NAACP every Friday in February. Yes, citizen, you can nom delicious plant-based burgers, chik’n, fries, and shakes while supporting grassroots activism for civil rights and social justice! (We recommend doing a lot of both.)
In distinctly nonvegan news, the marvelous meatmongers of Salt & Time (912 E. Seventh) are celebrating their 10th anniversary this month, which means they’ve got specials set to make your mouth water and your budget smile – and their weekend brunch has returned (starting at 10am), and those daily 3-6pm happy hours are ongoing, so now’s an excellent time to visit…
Speaking of weekend brunch, El Chile Cafe & Cantina (1900 Manor) has relaunched its own brunch program with chef Giovanny Gonzalez-Diaz leading the kitchen in culinary maneuvers sure to fulfill your happiest coffee-saturated Tex-Mex fantasies. (Or maybe that’s just our fantasies? We totally love that place.) That’s happening every Sat.-Sun., 10am-3pm – and, for anyone with a sweet tooth, the Bananas Foster Pan Frances is our hottest tip…
Let’s see – what else, what else? The Chronicle’s Jessi Cape brings a good, long look at how to be “Gluten-Free Without (Much) Misery” in Austin… that same Cape also highlights the agave-based Andean spirit known as Chawar… our Food Editor Melanie Haupt checks in with Quack’s and Julio’s and Curra’s, to see how they dealt without power for too damn long… frequent correspondent A. Richmond has the goods on Texas Wine Revolution’s upcoming high-ticket auction… your current reporter heralds a Valentine’s Day chocolate party and suggests a chaser of some Garrison Brothers… and, hey, didn’t we tell you about Snap Kitchen’s home-delivery plan a few weeks ago? We’re mentioning it again post-storm, because, tell you what, it’s a boon to modern living and healthy dining at home…
WUXTRY! Farmer’s Fridge, that bright congeries of modern vending machines that dispense fresh salads (and grain bowls, breakfast bowls, and other snacks) instead of candy? As if these ol’ United States were finally catching up with Japan, vendingwise? Now the healthy-eating initiative (Rachael Ray called ’em “the World’s Smallest Restaurant”) have an outlet at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. How ’bout that? Not that there’s been any lack of food – local and fresh – at AUS since it opened; but, hey – the more, the tastier…
Now eat as well as you can, tip like it’s going out of style, and try to remember what love is all about.
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March 22, 2024
