2022 Austin360 Dining Guide

2022 austin360 DINING GUIDE
AUSTIN’S
TOP 27
+3
MORE
added to the
Hall of Fame
MATTHEW ODAM’S ANNUAL DINING GUIDE LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT

THIS YEAR, MUCH LIKE OUR CENTRAL TEXAS RESTAURANT SCENE
DINING GUIDE CONTENTS
Dan’s Hamburgers on Sept. 20. MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN
THE TOP 27 Thai Kun............................................ 46
Odd Duck ......................................... 48
L’Oca d’Oro......................................... 8 Olamaie............................................. 50
Dai Due ............................................. 12 Diner Bar........................................... 52
Birdie’s .............................................. 16 Foreign & Domestic ....................... 54
Suerte ............................................... 20 Launderette..................................... 56
Nixta Taqueria ................................ 24 Better Half ....................................... 58
Bufalina Due.................................... 28 Red Ash............................................. 60
Lenoir................................................ 30 Eldorado Cafe ................................. 62
Canje ................................................. 32 Qi Austin: Modern Asian Kitchen 64
Interstellar BBQ.............................. 34 Emmer & Rye ................................... 66
Barley Swine.................................... 36 Aviary Wine & Kitchen................... 68
Tsuke Edomae ................................ 38 Bartlett’s........................................... 70
Franklin Barbecue.......................... 40
APT 115............................................. 42
Otoko ................................................ 44
AUSTIN360 HALL OF FAME
Three new restaurants are added to the Austin360
Dining Hall of Fame launched in 2021 ................... 72
ABOUT THIS SECTION
Matthew Odam visited each of the restaurants listed
here (and many more) at least once in the last 15 months, AMERICAN
and he accepted no free meals in doing so. Restaurants STATESMAN
must have opened before June 1 to be considered for inclusion. FILE PHOTO
Editors: Sharon Chapman and Michael Barnes
Designer: Michelle Lauzon
On the cover: L’Oca d’Oro photo by Briana Sanchez.
2S | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | AUSTIN AMERICANSTATESMAN
ACO37273733
010170,,2,
w:4.88i h:7.88i
TOP: Restaurant critic Matthew
Odam's father, John Odam, seen
here at Barley Swine with daughter
Paige Odam Barnett, left, and
daughterinlaw Elizabeth
ManieriOdam, was one of his son’s
biggest fans and supporters.
BOTTOM: Peggy Odam, seen here
at Barley Swine with her son,
Matthew, left, and soninlaw
Chip Barnett, loved words and a
great family meal. PHOTOS BY
MATTHEW ODAM/AMERICANSTATESMAN
supporting my dad in law school,

was a grammarian of the highest or
der. They were both gifted storytell
ers with a passion for their commu
nity. They loved what I did, how I did
it and why I did it.
Dining out at restaurants played
an important role in family celebra
tions and as part of daytoday life.
Whether it was a visit to James Co
Austin’s best
ney Island after Post Oak Little
I could have made a case for 30 or League games in Houston, celebrat
32, but 27 has always been an im ing major milestones over a paired
portant number to me and my fam tasting menu at Barley Swine in
restaurants ily. My mother gave birth to me at

3:27 on March 27, and my dad would
call me each year on my birthday at
that time. The number 27 pops up in
our family all of the time.
Austin, or exploring foreign cultures
through meals in places like Scot
land and Italy, my family always
bonded around the table, sharing
bites, telling stories and, most im
WHY 27? An explanation and dedication My next birthday will include no portantly, making each other laugh.
Matthew Odam Austin AmericanStatesman | USA TODAY NETWORK such call. I lost both of my parents in When we shared meals, we shared
2022 and am dedicating this dining love.
My top restaurants list has appeared Peggy and John guide to them. It is a tiny way in My parents were wonderful din
annually in our dining guide since 2012 Odam, center, which I can acknowledge them in ner company, and they loved Austin
and, except for pandemichit 2020 and celebrated their my professional life. restaurants, from Matt’s El Rancho
2021, has always included a Top 50. Given 50th anniversary My parents, both lovers of the to Emmer & Rye. And they never had
the tenuous nature of an industry beset by with family at the written word, always encouraged a problem with me ordering for the
labor shortages, higher cost of goods and sinceshuttered LaV my desire to be a writer. My dad once table. I miss them terribly and think
supply chain issues, that number felt like a in East Austin. harbored an interest in being a jour of them each time I raise a toast or
stretch this year. But I just couldn’t keep MATTHEW ODAM/ nalist, and my mother, who briefly sit down to write.
myself from breaking 25. AMERICANSTATESMAN taught junior high English while Cheers, Mom and Dad. I love you.
4S | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | AUSTIN AMERICANSTATESMAN 2022 austin360 DINING GUIDE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | 5S

Olamaie’s Jefferson red rice, top,
lamb terrine, right, and smoked
beef belly, bottom. AARON E.
MARTINEZ/AMERICANSTATESMAN
increased pay and benefits to remain

competitive, and the weight on restau
rants is considerable. A great shaking
out is still taking place.
But most hungry diners don’t see the
unease behind the scenes, or if they do
notice long waits for dishes, overcooked
food or higher prices, they likely aren’t
as mad about it as they would have been
in the before times. People are excited
to be back in restaurants. How excited?
Try finding a reservation at your favor
ite restaurant a week out from your pre
ferred dinner date.
Despite the state of flux, the time was
right to get back to a ranked list with my
annual dining guide. It’s hard to rank
places in good times; doing so in an era of
such upheaval feels strange. But people
are spending good money and energy to
eat out, and they want to know who’s on
top of their game right now; who’s telling
interesting stories with food; and who is
2022 bringing quality service to demanding
butsupportive customers.
DINING The first year of the pandemic sent This Top 27 list attempts to capture the
GUIDE The best restaurant owners scrambling to stay

open and kept many diners at home.
restaurants that have answered that call,
places that represent where Austin dining
restaurants
The second year offered a tentative re stands and where it is headed. And “best”
turn amid waves of variants, as restau doesn’t mean most expensive or fanciest.
rant owners struggled to staff up to You’ll find casual allday places on this
meet the renewed demand. list, along with a few bigticket spots re
in
AUSTIN
Things feel more normal now than served for a onceayear splurge. I hope
they have since February 2020. But look you find something new, or are reminded
closely and not all is as it was. Help of an old favorite to revisit.
wanted ads fill online job boards and can Fine print: As with every dining
be seen in businesses throughout the guide I’ve written over the past 10 years,
Matthew Odam Austin AmericanStatesman | USA TODAY NETWORK city. Even some of the city’s most well I’ve visited each of the restaurants list
regarded restaurants are struggling to ed here (and many more) at least once
The past 33 months created chaos for restaurant find even footing, as the pandemic saw in the last 15 months, and I accepted no
many industry veterans flee kitchens free meals in doing so. Restaurants
owners and employees and reshaped a dining and dining rooms and never return. must have opened before June 1 to be
landscape still settling into place. Throw in the high costs of goods and considered for inclusion.

1 L’OCA D’ORO
(1900 Simond Ave. 7372121876,
locadoroaustin.com)
The pandemic clarified that restau

rants are more than places that offer a
place to dine or a stylized escape from
everyday life. At their best, restaurants
beat with the pulse of the community;
they strive to make people’s lives richer.
And, yes, they put passion, care and
personal history into the food coming
out of the kitchen.
RIGHT: L’Oca d’Oro makes mozzarella in
house and flavors it with the season.
BELOW: The tiramisu at L’Oca d’Oro is
the best in Austin. PHOTOS BY BRIANA
SANCHEZ/AMERICANSTATESMAN
L’Oca d’Oro lived up to that ideal dur they mobilized to get meals to the food
ing the early days of the pandemic and insecure across the city, partnering
beyond, picking up on the work they with chef José Andrés’ industryleading
started with advocacy group Good World Central Kitchen.
Work Austin, of which restaurant chef L’Oca’ d’Oro’s established relation
owner Fiore Tedesco and his partner ships with local government agencies
Adam Orman are foundational ele allowed them to close their dining room
ments. for an extended period of time and fo
The restaurant organized with other cus on their community efforts, while
local businesses to continue to feed at protecting their employees and diners.
risk families and those experiencing The hiatus from normal operations gave
homelessness in the pandemic. In the the owners clarity about their role going
midst of a historic winter storm in 2021, forward.

“It really put into focus and pushed
Adam and me into having conversations
about who we wanted to be as operators,
who we wanted to be in owning a restau
rant — if we were to have the opportunity
to reopen, how do we want to be differ
ent, how do we want to be better than we
were,” Tedesco said. “We wanted to be a
more equitable place, we wanted to be a
more diverse environment.”
Creating safe spaces, structuring op
erations to provide a living wage to all
employees, and dedicating resources to
local organizations that share their be
lief system are all commendable. Those
reasons alone are not enough to earn a
spot atop a list like this.
That’s where the food, and the pride
staff has in it, comes in. Tedesco previ
ously ran out a menu with more than 20
savory dishes. The belttightening of
the pandemic made him curtail it to
about a dozen, and fewer options led to
quality in every bite.
The juicy meatballs have no equal in
town. Chicken liver agnolotti, the firm
sawtooth pouches swirling in cherry
gastrique, tasted like the essence of
chicken and was the best pasta dish I
ate this year. A tomato salad respected
the simple beauty of summer. Start a
meal with milky homemade mozzarella L’Oca d’Oro partners Fiore

that nods to Tedesco’s Neapolitan roots Tedesco, left, and Adam
Chicken liver with herbdraped zucchini alla scapece Orman served atrisk
agnolotti at L’Oca and end it with a thoughtful play on tira communities during the
d’Oro is savory misu. That’s about as well as you can boo pandemic and worked with
and sweet and kend a meal. Good Work Austin to create
one of the best “As we were getting back ready to re guidelines for safe
pasta dishes you open, I found touch points that got me ex reopening of restaurants.
will eat in Austin. cited. I found a lot that I was able to attach AMERICANSTATESMAN FILE
BRIANA SANCHEZ/ myself to and get excited about,” Tedesco
AMERICAN STATESMAN said. “I love cooking. It’s the truest way I
know how to express love for people.”
Message received.
2 DAI DUE ABOVE: Dai Due
executive chef
Janie Ramirez.
(2406 Manor Road. 5125240688, daidue.com)
OPPOSITE PAGE:
Jesse Griffiths bet on Texas and won. The Coffeecured
hunterfishermanchef opened his East Austin Nilgai antelope leg
restaurant determined to source solely from the filet with red
Lone Star State. And not just from local farms winemulberry
and ranches. Dai Due’s sourdough starter orig tallow and a bottle
inated from wild grapes foraged in an alley of Bending Branch
across the street. Tannat at Dai Due.
Griffiths also stood by Texas wines, serving PHOTOS BY MIKALA
juice only from the state when its wine reputa COMPTON/
tion was still ascending. The chef who launched AMERICANSTATESMAN
Dai Due as a farmers market stand also bet on
Janie Ramirez, another wise move.
Ramirez has risen from line cook
to executive chef at the locavore fa
vorite and under her guidance, the
restaurant is as strong as it’s ever
been. And while the commitment to
Texas remains unflinching, under
her direction, Dai Due has added a
bit more flavor of Ramirez’s home
state of Louisiana. So, yes, you’ll still
get the best pork chop in town and
find wild boar confit in various iter
ations, but you’re also going to dig
on grilled artichokes spilling forth
with fried crawfish tails and a grilled
quail stuffed with spicy wild boar
boudin, a perfect blend of Texas and
Louisiana.
Grilled achiotemarinated carrots green garlic crema at Dai Due. Boudinstuffed quail at Dai Due nods to executive chef Janie
PHOTOS BY MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN Ramirez’s Louisiana roots.
3 BIRDIE’S
(2944 E. 12th St. birdiesaustin.com) After working and marinating in the
scene here for a couple of years and
Married couple Arjav Ezekiel and looking at the way Austinites ate, they
chef Tracy MalechekEzekiel moved to decided to go a more casual route. They
Austin several years ago with the inten were astute in sensing the dining
tion of opening a fine dining restaurant trends. The laidback Birdie’s feels like
that reflected their previous stops in a perfect expression of our times thanks
Washington, D.C., and New York City, to its communal feel and the excitement
where they met. the food and wine programs engender.
Chef Tracy MalechekEzekiel and husband Arjav Ezekiel considered opening a fine
Tomatoes and peppers surrounding perfectly seared fish at Birdie’s let you know dining restaurant but changed course when conceptualizing the counterservice
it’s summertime. MATTHEW ODAM/AMERICANSTATESMAN Birdie’s. MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN
Birdie’s rigatoni Amatriciana will transport you to Rome.
MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN
While the vibe is casual, the derful peppers, and at the sea
cooking and thoughtfulness be son’s height Birdie’s smoked
hind the beverage program are sweet and spicy ones, sur
serious. A clean and direct ex rounded them with creamy
pression of the seasons. That is beans and then finished the
what drives Mediterranean summer picnic with the florality
cooking and it’s what fuels the and citrus of Fair Isle Brewing’s
kitchen at Birdie’s. Waltrude saison beer.
Emerald green pesto hits you Searing a fistsized piece of
Cold chickpea soup right in the face with its classic rock fish to a crunchy finish
at Birdie’s is a nice combination of basil, garlic, while leaving the ivory shards
answer to Austin’s salty cheese and pine nuts. No soft and melty and then serving
summer heat. tricks, no secondary greens. it in a tomato broth studded
MATTHEW ODAM/ Just a Platonic ideal of pesto with a summer harvest of corn
AMERICANSTATESMAN matched in brightness and sa tomatoes and Jimmy Nardello
voriness by Bourgogne Aligote peppers seems so simple, but if
from Pascal MarchandTawse. it’s so easy, why aren’t more
Texas summers give us won people doing it?
He celebrates and plays tricks on his
staff, having a laugh at his own expense and
rallying the hospitality industry and diners
during the dark days of the pandemic by
letting everyone know that “Es Gonna Be
Ok.” It’s an entire vibe, as the kids say. But
it’s also genuine sentiment and not con
trived marketing.
Those positive feelings extend to the
dining room at Suerte, the restaurant he
and partner Sam HellmanMass have
turned into one of the most fun places to
dine. But it’s not all fun and games, as Nu
ñez is one of the city’s best chefs.
The plate of suadero tacos
topped with avocado salsa
cruda has been one of the
defining dishes of the Austin
restaurant scene over the
past several years.
Executive chef
Fermín Núñez and
Sam HellmanMass
4 SUERTE
have created a
sensation with (1800 E. Sixth St. 5129530092,
Suerte. AMERICAN suerteatx.com)
STATESMAN FILE PHOTOS
Some chefs use Instagram to exhibit
their exquisite plating, humblebrag about
celebrity friendships and showcase fancy
trips (it is social media, after all). But Suerte
chefowner Fermín Nuñez tends to stand
on the Instagram soap box to have fun.
There’s thought given to the sim
ple pairing of sweet peaches and
salty feta; chilaquiles are executed
to textural perfection, with salsas
that don’t hold back; the suadero
(brisket) tacos with their avocado
salsa live up to the hype on their lit
tle rounds of housemade masa; and
a carrot and scallop aguachile
makes summer bearable.
That scallop dish also presaged
HellmanMass and Nuñez’s sea
foodcentric Este, which opened on
Oct. 3 in East Austin after much an
ticipation among restaurant lovers.
RIGHT: A summery dish of scallop
crudo with carrots likely portends
what diners can expect at Suerte
owners’ new seafoodcentric Este.
CONTRIBUTED BY SUERTE
BELOW: Suerte nixtamalizes
corn in house to create tortillas
for dishes like a beet tostada
made with smashed avocado
and nutty yum yum sauce.
AMERICANSTATESMAN FILE
5 NIXTA TAQUERIA
(2512 E. 12th St. nixtataqueria) Rico’s capturing of the James Beard
Award for the country’s top emerging
What started as a shoeboxsized ta chef in 2022 only added gas to the fire,
queria in East Austin has exploded into turning a local hit into a sensation fre
a daily outdoor celebration of the Mex quented by outoftowners straight
ican culinary palette. Chef Edgar Rico from the airport. And in early fall, Time
and partner Sara Mardanbigi quickly named the chef to its Time 100 Next list,
outgrew their indoor space thanks to which celebrates people “shaping the
exceptional tacos and tostadas, a sur future and defining the next generation
prising wine list and thoughtful service. of leadership.”
Partners Sara Mardanbigi and chef Edgar Rico are the dynamic
duo behind East Austin sensation Nixta Taqueria.
A summer special of okra tostada shows off the season’s harvest at Nixta
Taqueria. PHOTOS BY MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN
Consider: a taco of grilled
green beans and pickled
rounds of the beans laced with
shaved onions, all set on a pert
costeño amarillo salsa; grilled
okra, popped amaranth and
bursting roasted tomatoes
brightened with mint, basil
and cilantro; a tuna tostada
that’s as good as any tuna dish
at any Mexican or seafood res
taurant in town; and a migas
taco with eggs that look like
they came out of a French
kitchen and will make you re
consider the form. And the ta
co art is complemented by a
strong sense of community, as
evidenced by the community
refrigerator stationed outside
of the restaurant.
The hype is deserved. The Culi ABOVE: The tuna tostada at
nary Institute of America gradu Nixta Taqueria is one of critic
ate, who previously worked in the Matthew Odam’s favorite
kitchens of the celebrated Son of a dishes in town.
Gun, Sqrl and Trois Mec in Los An
geles, has exploded many people’s RIGHT: Nixta Taqueria has
understanding of what a taco can many excellent tacos, but the
be. Yes, it can be centered simply duck confit may be the small
on sumptuous meat like confit restaurant’s signature.
duck. But Rico’s attention to detail PHOTOS BY MIKALA
and his layering of flavors and tex COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN
tures on housemade corn tortillas
will give you pause and make your
eyebrows pop up.
of green beans and Texas peach
es spritzed with lemon vinai
grette and milky burrata dressed
with salsa macha and golden zuc
chini. Simple, beautiful, cravable.
Note: As this guide was going
into production, the new location
of Bufalina was set to open at
2215 E. Cesar Chavez St. in Octo
ber, with Olamaie founding co
chef Grae Nonas as executive
chef, just down the road from
where the original Bufalina oper
ated from 2012 to 2021.
TOP: Salads at Bufalina Due are
simple expressions of the season.
MIDDLE: “Fresh” isn’t usuallty the
first word that pops into mind
when thinking about pizzerias,
but it is at Bufalina Due.
Not only does Bufalina serve the best Neapolitan pizza in Austin, it also has one of BELOW: Pickle pizza with added
the city's best wine lists. PROVIDED BY NICOLAI MCCRARY prosciutto at Bufalina Due.
PHOTOS BY MATTHEW ODAM /
AMERICANSTATESMAN
6 BUFALINA DUE
(6555 Burnet Road, No. 100. changed at Bufalina Due.
5122158662, bufalinapizza.com) The woodburning oven that resem
bles a brick igloo turns out light, puffy
Those lucky folks in Crestview and edged pies with a nice blend of flop and
Allendale. Bufalina Due is the kind of tug. Go simple with a Margherita to ap
neighborhood restaurant that anyone preciate the quality of ingredients and
would want for their own. I left a recent the flavor and texture of the dough.
meal there proclaiming I’d darken its Then work your way through the menu
door once a week if I lived nearby. I still overseen by executive chef Matt Lester,
might consider doing it. from classics like sausage and peppers
Steven Dilley opened the original to a pie made with pickled vegetables
(and sinceshuttered) Bufalina on East that don’t try to steal the show.
Cesar Chavez in 2013 (kind of mind bog The rest of the menu takes the same
gling to this longtime, 40something Italian cues as the pizza: seasonal, qual
Austinite) with a tight menu and great ity ingredients presented without much
wines. Besides the address, little has fuss. That’s how you get a vibrant dish
7 LENOIR
The Lenoir dining room received some elegant and modern updates during the
pandemic. PHOTOS BY MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN
Fortunately, the married chefs didn’t Married couple Jessica Maher and
change their approach to cuisine or ser Todd Duplechan, who met
(1807 South First St. 5122159778, vice. The cuisine hops warm weather working in New York City’s
lenoirrestaurant.com) climes around the globe for inspiration restaurant scene, opened Lenoir
and the service remains detailed and in South Austin in 2012.
This perennial datenight favor elegant.
ite received a refresh during the Mexico represents on the menu’s
pandemic. Jessica Maher and Todd promise of “hot weather cuisine” with a
Duplechan removed the long tall ta shrimp and pecan salsa matcha that taurant finger food champion of 2022.
ble that bifurcated their dining gives surprising earthiness to tuna car The braised beef cheek tagliatelle
room and gave the space a touch of paccio; fennel purée tempers the ga takes cues from closer to home and
modern refinement. Next to their miness of nilgai carpaccio that waves at shows off chef de cuisine Matt Swee
dreamy wine garden, they con Africa; crispy cylinders of duck lumpia ney’s pasta skills cultivated at Hous
structed a large tented area that Lenoir serves what the owners call “hot dip into sweet chili sauce and Southeast ton’s Coltivare, and one of the city’s
served as a welcome openair re weather cuisine,” locally sourced food with Asian flavors; and the dual hemisphere most efficient and onpoint wine lists
spite during the most nervous of flavor profiles that match those from crab fingers in piquant and fragrant cur complements the restaurant’s multi
pandemic days. climates around the world similar to Texas. ry leaf leche de tigre were the Austin res tude of influences.
8CANJE
(914 E. Sixth St. 5127069119, canjeatx.com)
It’s hard to relate to a city when you
don’t see yourself reflected in its culi
nary offerings. That’s what chef Tavel
BristolJoseph thought when he moved
to Austin almost a decade ago to open
Emmer & Rye with partner Kevin Fink.
Chef Tavel BristolJoseph and his
partners in the Emmer & Rye Hospitality
Group opened Canje in fall 2021.
Canje serves Caribbean cuisine inspired by chef Tavel BristolJoseph’s native
Guyana. PHOTOS BY SARA DIGGINS/AMERICANSTATESMAN
The Georgetown, Guyana, native

took note of Austin’s lack of Caribbean
dining options and filed it away for later.
The pandemic gave to the awardwin
ning pastry chef and his partners the
opportunity to finally develop the long
gestating concept that became Canje.
The Guyanese staple pepperpot
brims with warm winter spices and the
allure of bittersweet cassareep. Dial up
the heat with a fiery jerk chicken that
might require you to order a refreshing
dish of tropical melon. Given the Em
mer & Rye chefs’ previous work, you
know to expect smart touches like a
meaty vegetarian dish of smoked avo
cado laced with pomegranate seeds,
and firegrilled tiger prawns made with
a green seasoning of celery, cilantro and
green peppers traditionally used as a
marinade in Guyana.
You might learn about the prove
nance of that sauce during dinner, but Canje’s Caribbean flavors extend to a
The melon salad at Canje serves as a refreshing antidote to the restaurant’s spicy you just as likely won’t: Canje is more beverage menu that includes a cocktail
jerk chicken. PHOTOS BY SARA DIGGINS/AMERICANSTATESMAN about a feeling than an education. made with curryinfused gin.
Interstellar BBQ claimed a spot in Austin’s upper echelon of
barbecue when it opened in 2019. RICARDO B. BRAZZIELL/
AMERICANSTATESMAN
Bates and partner Brandon Martinez
surprised some (this writer included)
when they shuttered what seemed to be
Chef John Bates worked at restaurants like Asti and Wink before opening Noble a successful sandwich concept to move
Sandwich Co. PHOTOS BY RICARDO B. BRAZZIELL/AMERICANSTATESMAN into the smoked meat business. But
Bates applied his years of craftsman
ship to the barbecue milieu and quickly
9 INTERSTELLAR BBQ rose to the top tier of the game not just
in Austin but in Texas.
There’s the impressive bark and rip
pled heft of brisket, the smokeinfused
(12233 FM 620 N. Suite 105. 512382 pulled pork, and cleverness of a peach
6248, theinterstellarbbq.com) teaglazed jiggle of pork belly, but what
puts Interstellar in rare company are
John Bates chats up lunchtime cus the exciting touches and the from
tomers at the cutting station in his scratch ethos applied to every corner of
Northwest Austin barbecue restaurant the menu. Tender lamb tacos deserve
with the affability of a country cousin. their own taco cart; cheese oozes from
But don’t let the folksiness fool you: The the jalapenoflecked housemade beef/
guy has serious swagger. How else do pork sausage; housemade pickles glow
you describe a chef who deftly changes with the shine of lemon peel; the
lanes from upmarket dining (Asti, Wink) Interstellar BBQ makes great smoked smoked scalloped potatoes dish could
to craft deli wizard (Noble Sandwiches) Whether you’re looking for the meat by the pound, but guests should be served at a fine dining restaurant;
and then makes the bold decision to en smoked staples or creative specials, make sure to grab one of the rotating and the chopped beef sandwich is
ter the competitive and crowded world there's always something good on tacos on the menu. MATTHEW ODAM/ hunks of lean and fatty brisket chopped
of Central Texas barbecue? the menu at Interstellar BBQ. AMERICANSTATESMAN coarsely at the point of sale by Bates.
10 BARLEY SWINE the late Odd Duck Farm to Trailer before
epitomizing the casual contextualiza
tion of fine dining at his tiny Barley
Swine, originally on South Lamar Bou
(6555 Burnet Road, #400. levard.
5123948150, barleyswine.com) It might be hard to wrap one’s head
around the fact that the first word that
A case can be made that Bryce Gilmore comes to mind when considering a tast
is as emblematic of the Austin dining ing menu restaurant is “comforting,”
scene as any chef over the last 10 years. but that’s the nifty trick Gilmore pulls
The native Austinite and son of an off with Barley Swine. Dryaged ribeye is a regular part of the
Austin Dining Wave One leader (Jack The kitchen blends technique with tasting menu offerings at Barley Swine.
Gilmore) helped legitimize food trucks playfulness to create a version of Texas PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY RICHARD CASTEEL
as valid places of experimentation with cuisine you won’t find elsewhere,
whether that’s topping a snack of duck
leg confit with a nutty dukkah and zip hand, like the beef tartarefilled gruyere
The shitake dumplings and eggs ping it with watermelon hot sauce, per popover. And the smart wine pairings
dish at Barley Swine has been on fuming peaches with a chamomile bru and cocktails are as consistent and ex
the menu for several years now, lee and setting them against a velvety citing a bet as any in town.
and with good reason. MATTHEW yellowtail crudo, or turning roedotted A staff that includes team members
ODAM/AMERICANSTATESMAN deviled egg mousse on a seedy crisp in both front and back of house that
into a highend riverside camp snack. have been with Gilmore for a decade
The kitchen can play it straight, with reinforces Barley Swine’s personality
an airy softshell crab with herbed tar and mission and gives the restaurant an
tar sauce and funky dryaged ribeye, or institutional knowledge hard to find at
come at you with unexpected sleight of many modern Austin restaurants.
Seared duck breast with fried peanut crumble and hot sauce pressed
watermelon is the kind of creative dish you can expect at Barley Swine.
CONTRIBUTED BY RICHARD CASTEEL A meal at Barley Swine might conclude with a gentle dish of tres leches.
11 TSUKE EDOMAE
Chef Michael Che creates pieces of nigiri sushi at Tsuke Edomae.
scends that of an artist for his instru
ment, more closely approaching a re
ligious experience. He displays the
fish to diners on elegant china and
Chef Michael Che scores his fish at closes his eyes and sways gently as he
Tsuke Edomae, allowing it to unfurl shapes the fish and polished, robust
across the large pearls of rice. PHOTOS rice into sublime bites.
BY MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN The fish undergoes various levels
of curing and aging depending on the
bite, and Che, who got his start at a
(4600 Mueller Blvd., No. 1035. street food trailer outside of a North
5128253120, tsukeedo.com) Austin brewery, shows restraint with
minimal adornment. One of the few
While some restaurants rely on ex bites of flash comes when Che uses
pensive buildout, gussying them charcoal to render decadent otoro
selves up to impress, Tsuke Edomae (fatty tuna) into edible liquid smoke
goes in the opposite direction. Almost wafting up from the sea.
all ornamentation has been eliminat The depth of flavor in each bite be
ed, leaving a clean slate for chef Mi Whether lean or lies the fish’s and restaurant’s seem A piece of kasugodai (sea bream)
chael Che to present his sushi. fatty, all of the tuna ing simplicity. topped with salted egg yolk is one of
Chef and trained cellist Che’s rever at Tsuke Edomae Note: Che will take a hiatus to train the few bites at Tsuke Edomae to
ence for his fish (and the melon he hap is delicious. in Japan and close his restaurant at receive adornment. MATTHEW ODAM/
pily pays $150 for wholesale) tran the end of the year until summer. AMERICANSTATESMAN
People stand in the famously
long line to get a taste of the leg
endary brisket, but they come
back for the experience. The
Franklins know that if they make
a bad first impression, the hur
dles to enjoy their smoked meats
will prevent the opportunity for a
second. The brisket never disap
points, nor do the ribs, which
also have few Texas rivals, or the
tangy piles of pulled pork and
tender turkey. The consistency
astounds. Maybe the wait en
hances the flavor, but just as
likely, the flavor, not the hype, is
the cause of the wait.
Aaron and Stacy Franklin
opened their East Austin
restaurant in 2011.
CONTRIBUTED BY WYATT MCSPADDEN
Brisket is far from the only star at Franklin Barbecue. MATTHEW ODAM/
AMERICANSTATESMAN
12 FRANKLIN BARBECUE
(900 E. 11th St. 5126531187, years. The Bryan native, and his wife,
franklinbbq.com) Stacy, inspired a sea change in the bar
becue world when they opened their
Aaron Franklin’s bespectacled vis trailer in 2009, and their refusal to coast
age has come to symbolize Austin’s din on the success of their name has se
ing scene and the city’s hospitality as cured their place in the upper echelon of The long wait at Franklin Barbecue is rewarded with exceptional brisket and
much as any other image over the last 13 the craft barbecue business. equally good service. RICARDO B. BRAZZIELL/AMERICANSTATESMAN
13 APT 115
(2025 E. Seventh St. 7373330780,
apartmentonefifteen.com)
The pandemic wreaked havoc on the restau
rant world, but it also helped usher in some wel
come changes. It’s hard to imagine a place like
APT 115 existing three years ago: A chef who has
spent time in some of the country’s most inven
tive restaurants choosing to run a oneman
band operation with a tasting menu out of a wine
bar that looks like a 1970s Wisconsin basement.
Thank the dining gods for silver linings.
Chef Charles Zhuo worked at Barley Swine for
several years before making his way to Jose An
APT 115’s crab, served with turmeric
curry and topped with zucchini. PHOTOS
BY AARON E. MARTINEZ/AMERICANSTATESMAN
dres’ Minibar in Washington, D.C. You

can see the thread connecting those
stops in Zhuo’s creativity, playful but
artful platings, and adherence to sea
sonality.
He transforms a snack of buttered
corn sandwiched between crunchy corn
creations shaped like butterflies to
something approaching the lush rich
ness of foie gras; nods to Spain and his
former boss with a piece of Santa Barba
ra uni painted with jamón Ibérico emul
sion; and expresses his Chinese heritage
with a chestnut mushroom and creamer The uni with jamón Ibérico sauce is
pea cassoulet that plays like a French a nod to chef Charles Zhuo’s
Chef Charles Zhuo worked at Barley Swine in Austin before spending time in version of hot and sour soup. The food is former boss, José Andrés. AARON E.
kitchens in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. exciting, smart and personal. MARTINEZ/AMERICANSTATESMAN
ABOVE: Chef Yoshi Okai created a Japanese play on aguachile
for a dish of ocean trout. MATTHEW ODAM/AMERICANSTATESMAN
BELOW: Matcha oil gives a vegetal purr to clean madai at
Otoko. CONTRIBUTED BY ANDREW REINER
A reverence for ingredients and a rockandroll attitude represent the
JapanmeetsTexas sensibilities of Kyotoborn chef Yoshi Okai of Otoko.
CONTRIBUTED BY NEW WATERLOO him cranking – maybe nopales – and
his colorful personality jumps across
the 12seat bar), but he trains his focus
14 OTOKO on the 20 courses he presents in the Ku
brickian lightbox space tucked at the
back of the South Congress Hotel.
That meal might start with kanpachi
(1603 S. Congress Ave. 5129940428, aged to resemble cured ham and run all
otokoaustin.com) the way to a refreshing chilled water
melon soup marbled with apple that is
Intimate restaurants catering to echoed in a pairing of semisparkling
sushi lovers and “sushi bros” have start orange wine from Greek producer Do
ed to proliferate in recent years. And maine Glinavos.
while they can be fun for people looking In between sit the meal’s stars, nine
to crush some sake and watch torches sushi offerings that will always include The price point startles ($325 after
render marrow bones into luges (and, the chef ’s beloved Hokkaido uni freck tax and tip and before drinks, which can
yes, get their fingers on some high You will always find uni on the menu at led with white sturgeon caviar. Rotating include selections from the largest Jap
quality fish), if you want an apprecia Otoko. CONTRIBUTED BY ANDREW REINER selections might include madai anese whisky collection in town from
tion for a kaiseki experience with a clos brushed with cherry blossom sauce or adjacent bar Watertrade), but the
er connection to Japan than Instagram, the sweet nuttiness of a Hokkaido scal knowledge, engagement and sense of
Otoko is the move. Yoshi Okai doesn’t like to have fun (po lop contrasted with charred and smoky occasion make Otoko a unique offering
That doesn’t mean Kyoto native chef litely pick his brain for topics that get broccolini that rides atop the white disc. in Austin.
So, it’s a testa
ment to its quality
that Thai Kun in
spires me to brave
the shopping and
boozing hordes (the
free parking helps)
in order to eat its
excellent brand of
Thai food. Chef
Changthong owner Thai Chang
thong, an Uchi and Several of the dishes at Thai Kun, like
Uchiko veteran who originally spun Thai the pad ka prow, hide a searing heat
Kun off as a trailer under the East Side that can intimidate some softer palates.
King umbrella popped by chefs Paul Qui
and Moto Utsunomiya, told me years ago scratch cooking can be tasted in the
that he makes “O.G. Thai,” with the initials depth of flavor in his panang curry and
standing for “Original Grandma.” its searing heat, matched in his larb and
I love that Changthong brought his per pad kra prow, proof that he has little in
sonal, fiery and authentic cooking to an terest in pandering to timid palates. If
area that feels like it could exist in any ma you’re hesitant about heat, stick to the
jor city. He didn’t bend his flavors to meet smoky umami of the pad see ew with
mass appeal, but the masses have been pork and start with a chive cake that is
coming since Thai Kun opened in 2016. soft on the inside and panfried to a
Changthong’s commitment to crunchy finish on the exterior.
15 THAI KUN Thai Kun
makes its pad
see ew with
homemade
(11601 Rock Rose Ave. 5123945550, thaikun.com) rice noodles
that absorb
It takes something bordering on an act of god plenty of
to lure me to the Domain Northside. The bars smoky umami
make the shopping district feel like a (slightly) flavor.
sterilized version of West Sixth Street, and one of MATTHEW ODAM/
those is probably enough. But I guess there can AMERICAN
never be too many watering holes with oversized STATESMAN
Jenga and sound systems stuck at 11. (Insert old A long marinade in a mixture that includes coconut milk, soy, garlic and white
man shaking fist at sky emoji.) pepper impart a bonedeep flavor. PHOTOS BY RICARDO BRAZZIELL/AMERICANSTATESMAN
16 ODD DUCK
(1201 S. Lamar Blvd. 5124336521,
oddduckaustin.com)
If you’ve got Texas in your blood,

you’re probably going to feel comfort
able at Odd Duck. The state’s DNA runs
through the restaurant that chefowner
Bryce Gilmore started as a food truck in
the same spot in 2009, when South La
mar was home to more auto body shops
than restaurants.
Odd Duck isn’t afraid to
surprise you with combinations Corn ribs sprinkled with nuts and seeds make for great finger food
like corn, scallops and sausage. at Odd Duck. PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY RICHARD CASTEEL
The restaurant reminds me of what
might have happened if my grandmoth
er, a great cook and expert gardener,
and my grandfather, a hunter and
shrimper, worked in professional kitch
ens and became as big of fans of gour
met munchies as they were of puzzles.
The food just says Texas: corn, peach
es, melon, pork, beef, cucumber, corn
bread. But the chefs at Odd Duck trans
late the country into playful psychedelia,
putting earth into corn ribs dressed with
shiitake and dusted with a seedy crum
ble. The creamy peanutlime dressing
electrifies already expressive melon and
cucumber. You might think of Central
Texas when pondering peaches and A piping hot skillet overflowing
pork, but your mind probably doesn’t with cornbread is classic Odd
wander to a place where soft crescents of Duck comfort food.
the tender fruit are set against the crack
le of crunchy chicharrones. cornbread pulled straight from a wood
How adaptable is that summer har fired hearth at the restaurant’s heart.
vest of corn? A summer meal at Odd Add to the mix some of the city’s best
Duck might start with the smoky ribs cocktails, a smart wine and beer list and
and then reintroduce the kernels as the knowledgeable staff who feel connected
Odd Duck knows when to get out of the way and let the ingredients do all of the creamy base for scallops and Cajun sau to what they’re serving, and it’s a place
talking. PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY RICHARD CASTEEL sage, and knock you out with a skillet that just hums with the warmth of home.
Chef Amanda Turner was named chef
de cuisine at Olamaie when the
Southern restaurant reopened in
November 2021 after a long
pandemicrelated hiatus. PHOTOS BY
AARON E. MARTINEZ/AMERICANSTATESMAN
Heritage red rice and Gulf shrimp at Southern food without getting an ap

Olamaie is a dish that takes inspiration preciation for much of its roots in Afri
from Gullah Geechee culture. AARON E. ca, and Olamaie continues to find beau
MARTINEZ/AMERICANSTATESMAN tiful and intense ways to showcase
many ingredients and traditions that
can be traced across the Atlantic.
17 OLAMAIE A glaze of cane syrup glows across

beef belly that is slowly smoked, trans
porting the modest cut into luxurious
ABOVE: Smoked delicacy. A zip of tabasco and the snap
(1610 San Antonio St. 5124742796, beef belly glazed of onion and celery cut into the sumptu
olamaieaustin.com) with cane syrup ous butter poached shrimp and red rice
at Olamaie. of a dish that has ties to Low Country
Chefowner Michael Fojtasek and Gullah culture. And a candybar sized
his team, led by chef de cuisine Amanda terrine of curried lamb neck, crunchy on
Turner, continue to help diners under LEFT: The curried the outside and lush through its middle,
stand what Southern food is and can be. lamb terrine is one sits on a bed of pearly field peas, which
The story of Southern food is the sto of the stars of the arrived in the U.S. from West Africa.
ry of America in ways connected to both Olamaie menu. The food here is rich with flavor and
the land and the people forced to work history, and Olamaie frames it with ele
that land. You can’t fully understand gance and power.
18 DINER BAR Diner Bar sources fish from the Gulf
for dishes like trout in brown butter.
(500 San Jacinto Blvd. 7372573047,
thedinerbaraustin.com)
Outoftown chefs have not found

great success opening outposts in Aus
tin. I don’t know if that’s due to our pro
vincialism and skepticism of outsiders,
or if it’s just because we have so many
talented chefs here that we don’t feel
the need for contributions of outsiders.
Savannah chef Mashama Bailey has
broken that pattern. And it’s not due to
the fame of the former Prune (New York
City) chef who won the James Beard
Award for most outstanding chef in the
country in 2022 after winning best chef
in the Southeast in 2019.
Born in New York City and steeped in
the culinary traditions and kitchens of
France and NYC, the chef who has fa
milial roots in Georgia brought to Austin
a clear vision and voice that represents Chef Mashama Bailey, left, and her
the port city she has called home for al partner, John Morisano, right, tapped
most a decade. longtime Austin chef Kristine Kittrell,
center, to run the kitchen at their fine
dining restaurant Diner Bar.
CONTIBUTED BY HA LAM
Diner Bar plays some of the hits from
Bailey’s famous Savannah restaurant
The Grey, such as seared foie gras and
grits topped with a dollop of strawberry
mostarda; nods to Bailey’s French
training with a lamb crepinette; and
draws a line from African to American
cuisine with fried ugali. While it echoes
her original restaurant, Diner Bar, un
der the stewardship of chef de cuisine
and longtime Austinite Kristne Kittrell,
differentiates itself with Texasinspired
The lamb crépinette at Diner Bar nods Gulf dishes like a seafood boudin that
to executive chef Mashama Bailey’s will make any skeptic happy that a ce
French training. SARA DIGGINS/ lebrity chef has landed with purpose on Diner Bar in Austin plays some of the hits of Mashama Bailey’s The Grey in
AMERICANSTATESMAN Austin’s shores. Savannah, like foie gras and grits. PHOTOS BY SARA DIGGINS/AMERICANSTATESMAN
Foreign & Domestic delivers
big, bold flavors.
A dish of Thai red curry shows that Foreign & Domestic
looks beyond Texas and France for inspiration. PHOTOS
BY MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN
19 FOREIGN
& DOMESTIC cheese and the peppery afterglow of
arugula; and cheese gives richness to
(306 E. 53rd St. 5124591010, homemade tomato leaf casarecce that
fndaustin.com) speaks to the kitchen’s sense of craft.
You’re never in doubt that you’re in
If you’re looking for a taste of Texas the heart of Texas when dining at the
amped up and unafraid, you’ll dig For spare restaurant with a long counter
eign & Domestic. The restaurant from that resembles a highend diner,
married chefs Sarah Heard and Nathan though a seared hunk of swordfish
Lemley is about as subtle as a horse kick swimming in red Thai curry with rafts
to the chest. of roasted cucumber and cubes of but
Even a dish as seemingly dainty as ternut squash may make you think
strawberries and greens comes hard twice.
with a licorice lash of fennel and the Ironically, the most restrained dish
perfumed breath of smoky pecan vinai on a recent visit came at dessert. And it
grette. turns out the digestivolike properties
There is a maximalist French bistro Foreign and Domestic’s sweet Fenugreek custard is gentle after a big of a silky fenugreek custard were the
sensibility applied to dishes like lush pepper risotto with tomato, arugula meal at Foreign & Domestic. PHOTOS BY noteperfect denouement to the din
sweet pepper risotto tingly with goat and goat cheese vinaigrette. MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN ner’s boisterous flavors.
restaurant is a celebration of flavor and with chimichurri put one foot in Japan
a testament to Ortiz’s curious mind. and one in Argentina, while winking at
There are the Middle Eastern influ France and the United States with duck
ences of the bright red beet hummus fat tater tots in béarnaise.
and labneh, a staple since the restau Whether it’s baked yams rich with ca
rant opened in 2015; Southeast Asia is shew butter or a slice of French silk pie,
acknowledged in sambalslicked ribs the one thing all the dishes have in com
served with lemon nam jim; and a re mon at Launderette: big flavors pointed
cent kojimarinated steak brightened directly at diners’ pleasure centers.
LEFT: Bright, delicate
flavors are hallmarks of
the coconutlime
pavlova at Launderette.
BELOW: Southeast Asian
influences can be seen at
Launderette in dishes like
sambalslicked sticky ribs.
PHOTOS BY MIKALA COMPTON/
Launderette’s menu reflects chef Rene Ortiz’s eclectic culinary interests. AMERICANSTATESMAN
20 LAUNDERETTE
(2115 Holly St. 5123821599,
launderetteaustin.com)
Chef Rene Ortiz moved back to Texas
from New York City, where he served as
the longtime executive chef of La Es
quina, and created what would become
one of the city’s best Mexican restau
rants – La Condesa.
He opened the excellent Sway with
partners a few years later, bringing Thai
cuisine into a modern, stylized setting
and proving that his talent defied cate
gorization.
Launderette reinforced the idea that
the chef who has consulted with other
restaurateurs for decades could feel at Even vegetarian dishes at Launderette,
home exploring myriad culinary tradi like baked yams, have big flavor. PHOTOS
tions. The East Austin neighborhood BY MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN
21 BETTER HALF
(406 Walsh St. 5126450786,
betterhalfbar.com)
Thoughtful design and style that

doesn’t feel overwrought. Attentive ser
vice that still feels laidback. Bar food,
but make it smart. Rosemary lavender
lattes and an appreciation of an ice cold
Miller High Life. Better Half has found a
way to be polished without looking like
it’s trying too hard.
The restaurant and bar built out of an
The burgers at Better old rental car agency is the perfect place
Half, whether chicken or for breakfast and also happy hour, an
beef, are hard to beat. other hard needle to thread.
Chef Rich Reimbolt makes one of the
best cheeseburgers in town (hot take:
his chicken burgers might be even bet
Executive chef Rich Reimbolt brings a
chefy sensibility to the bar food served
at Better Half and Hold Out Brewing.
CONTRIBUTED BY BETTER HALF
ter) and pulls inspiration from Japan

and Southeast Asia with soba and ver
micelli noodle bowls. And despite being
a bar that serves food suited for soaking
up booze, Better Half also makes excel
lent salads that include smart touches
Culinary inspirations range from Italian like the sweet corn purée and creamy
Salads at Better Half are fresh and bountiful. PHOTOS BY MATTHEW ODAM / to Southeast Asian at Better Half. cotija chimichurri in a bowl of late
AMERICANSTATESMAN MATTHEW ODAM/ AMERICANSTATESMAN summer bounty.
Red Ash sources beef from Chicago.
RICARDO BRAZZIELL/AMERICANSTATESMAN ABOVE: Cappelletti
in brown butter
shows that Red
22 RED ASH Ash's maximalist
approach extends to
its pasta program.
(303 Colorado S. 5123792906, LEFT: Hot chocolate
redashgrill.com) gianduja cake is the
kind of dessert you
Despite our evolution and increas expect at Red Ash.
ingly diverse culinary offerings, Austin PHOTOS BY RICARDO
still has major steakhouse tendencies. BRAZZIELL/
Maybe it’s the parade of lawmakers, AMERICANSTATESEMAN
lobbyists and litigators, but there’s a
reason downtown bursts with them.
Red Ash brings an urbane sensibility Villavaso created and sold Eddie V’s dente tagliolini with hunks of blue crab
to the concept, replacing the plush ex and founded Z’Tejas, and the duo cer and fierce spikes of Calabrian chili and
panses often home to steaks and marti tainly have a concept here ripe for du smokecheesefilled cappelletti in
nis with high ceilings and concrete. The plication or expansion. After all, who brown butter and you have a recipe for
menu hallmarks remain familiar, ac doesn’t love massive steaks, here dry maximalist satisfaction. This is no
Spaghetti alla chitarra is as close as you centuated with a strong roster of pas aged and handcut, cooked over a place to go light, but you can try with
might get to a light dish at Red Ash. tas. woodfired grill? spaghetti tossed in a simple and clean
MATTHEW ODAM/AMERICANSTATESMAN Restaurateurs Larry Foles and Guy Add to that big, rich pastas like al sauce of tomatoes, garlic and basil.
23 ELDORADO CAFE
(3300 W. Anderson Lane, No. 303.
5124202222, eldoradocafeatx.com)
Those of us who love Eldorado Cafe
— and there are many, just try to get in
on the weekend — like to say that it rep
resents what was great about Old Aus
tin: friendly and familiar servers, good
portions, comforting food, no pretense,
fair prices.
That’s not quite an accurate assess
ment, however, because Eldorado is
better than what we loved and miss
about the kinds of places it reminds us The arbol chileglazed ribs at
of in Old Austin. It is the 2.0 iteration, Eldorado Cafe are named after
with more exciting flavors and better Austin band Shinyribs.
Eldorado Cafe owners Joel and Joanna Fried have a long history in the Austin
restaurant scene. AMERICANSTATESMAN FILE PHOTOS
execution than the old TexMex haunts
many fondly remember or cling to.
Part of that is because it’s not quite
TexMex. It would be more accurate to
classify Eldorado as Southwestern
food, dancing between Texas, Mexico
and New Mexico. The restaurant from
chef Joel Fried, a 30year Austin restau
rant veteran with stints at Vespaio and
Tacodeli, pays attention to the details,
roasting tomatillos to give them depth
and a complex balance of acid and
smoke for a plate of chicken enchiladas.
The short ribs are a smart play on beef Lemon garlic chicken at Eldorado Cafe.
enchiladas and taste like they came out
of an actual oven and not a can.
Mild dusky sweetness of ancho chil adobo. It’s much better than anything
ies swaths hunks of stewed sirloin in you remember from restaurants in or
Carne adovado at Eldorado Cafe carries an impressive depth of flavor. tender carne adovado, and chicken tin adjacent to its genre. In fact, Eldorado
AMERICANSTATESMAN FILE PHOTOS gas shimmering with vibrant red chili may be a genre unto itself.
24 QI: MODERN
ASIAN KITCHEN
(835 W. Sixth St. 5124742777, qiaustin.com)
If you tasted chef Ling Qi Wu’s soup dumplings at

Wu Chow when that restaurant opened, you likely
bought season tickets. Meaning: whatever she was get
ting up to in the future, you were going to be there.
The Fuzhou native, who worked at La Tra
viata and Chinatown after moving to Austin
from New York City, brought her fans with
her to Lin Asian Bar in 2018, and the
opening of Qi in 2020 really paid off on
the promise of those early bites.
You will likely start with the soup
dumplings, but make sure your dim
sum order includes plump lobster
dumplings bulging against gelatinous
wrappers decorated like tiny bunnies,
ABOVE: Chef Ling Qi Wu has two
restaurants to her name with plans
for two more.
RIGHT: Dim sum service is offered each
ABOVE: Ora day at Qi: Modern Asian Kitchen. PHOTOS
king salmon BY MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN
set aglow with
turmeric is one
of the entrée crispy chicken and basil potstickers,
highlights at and scallop shumai dotted with roe.
Qi: Modern As for the larger format dishes at the
Asian Kitchen. modernist restaurant, you’ll want to in
dulge in the creamy pecan shrimp,
crack into the crisp skin of Peking duck
and load your plate with sizzling strips
of Akaushi beef striped with chives and
peppers.
Qi: Modern Asian Kitchen serves a strong roster of dim The beautiful restaurant also offers
sum dishes, like scallop shumai with salmon roe. PHOTOS one of Austin’s best patios, and service
BY MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN is always hospitable and consistent.
Handmade pasta
dishes are some But the group’s touchstone remains that be the classic cacio e pepe; durable
of Emmer & Rye’s the restaurant for which the group is but delicate eggplant ravioli in a pool of
specialties. named. With its attention to sourcing, ricotta; or voluptuous al dente strozza
CONTRIBUTED educated service, clean lines and preti twirled among sausage and
scratchbased cooking that leans on popped with the soft sour and citrus of
fermentation and the seasons, Emmer purslane.
& Rye serves as a foundational concept The kitchen feels just as at home
for the group. with meat as fish, and knows that less
You can always expect good things can be more, as with a seared slab of
from the pasta program of a restaurant halloumi cheese sweetened with straw
named after wheat varieties, whether berry. And Emmer & Rye’s versatile and
exciting wine lists, one of my favorites
in town, make for the perfect comple
BELOW: Emmer & Rye has an eye ment to a menu that has such a breadth
for dramatic and artful plating. of layered flavors.
25 EMMER & RYE
(51 Rainey St. 5123665530, emmerandrye.com)
The Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group has proven itself to be
one of the most inventive, eclectic and curious restaurant ABOVE: Chefs Tavel BristolJoseph and Kevin
groups in the history of Austin dining. Fink, right, met in Arizona and now operate six
As the company founded by chefs Kevin Fink and Tavel concepts in Austin with their partners Emmer &
BristolJoseph has expanded, it has put its mark on livefire Rye Hospitality Group. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
fine dining (Hestia), Caribbean (Canje), Israeli street food
(TLV), the Spanish tapas bar genre (Kalimoxto), and more LEFT: You’re probably going to want to order
(check out what they’re up to in San Antonio). two of the haloumi dishes at Emmer & Rye.
Aviary Wine & Kitchen chef Andre Molina does a lot with
little space. JAY JANNER
From left, beverage director Alex Bell, coowner John Coronado and executive
chef Andre Molina at Aviary Wine & Kitchen. CONTRIBUTED BY CASSANDRA KLEPAC wine bar to restaurant, and Molina
helped complete the vision.
The former chef de cuisine at Intero
26 AVIARY doesn’t stay in a specific lane, generally
turning to the seasons for menu inspi
ration, but a Mexican influence is usu
WINE & ally easy to find, whether with cauli

flower painted with almond mole or
pork ribs glazed with achiote and freck
KITCHEN led with pineapple. Don’t expect stan

dard wine bar fare, but do anticipate ex
citing and rich things done with vegeta
bles, such as roasted and confit green
(2110 S. Lamar Blvd. 5129164445, beans fattened with fondue, and sump
aviarywinekitchen.com) tuous and tangy cabbage, farro and
confit mushrooms glowing with fer
Andre Molina has secured a firm mented funk.
place in the doingalotwithalittle And since you are in a wine bar, after Aviary Wine & Kitchen has grown from
niche in Austin. Not many chefs have all, when you get that rosy New York home goods store to wine bar to
figured out how to serve restaurant strip bright with Chilean pebre and ex restaurant. CONTRIBUTED BY ANDRE MOLINA
quality food in a tight galley kitchen in ploded sungolds, the person serving
side a former home decor store. you will know that the pepper and fruit
Aviary founder Marco Fiorilo, who Brie cheese gives a fatty of the Lebanese cab/syrah blend from Canadian R&B (Rhye), to Australian
opened the store in 2006, brought on counterbalance to roasted and Domaine des Tourelles will make a per electronica soul (The Avalanches) and
culinary director John Coronado about pickled green beans at Aviary. fect companion. Bonus points for a New Zealand psych pop (Unknown
a decade ago to transform Aviary from CONTRIBUTED BY ANDRE MOLINA soundtrack that sways from dreamy Mortal Orchestra).
27 BARTLETT’S Make 10 visits and that smoked
salmon appetizer will have the same
level of smoke and velvety texture ev
ery time; the spinachartichoke dip will
be cheesy and creamy but somehow
still let that iron pop of spinach through
the decadence.
When Bartlett died in 2013, his part
ner and longtime general manager,
Alan Thomas, continued the service
and culinary traditions, including the
restaurant’s famous French dip sand
wich.
The dinner formerly known as the
Hawaiian ribeye has lost the moniker,
but that pineapplesesameginger
marinade remains the same, as do
those wicked crosshatched grill marks
that will give you a Pavlovian response Don’t overlook the pork chop at
as soon as that steak hits the table with Bartlett’s when thinking about ordering
a bottle of CaymusSuisun petit sirah. yet another delicious steak.
The French dip at Bartlett’s comes with a beefy broth and a mayobrushed roll.
CONTRIBUTED
(2408 W. Anderson Lane. 5124517333,
bartlettsaustin.com)
Tim Bartlett opened Houston’s in

Austin in 1990 after helping open the
American grill’s first location in Nash
ville. He changed the name in 2010, but
he wisely did not change much else.
You keep going back to places like
Bartlett’s (and there are very few of
them), because you know exactly what
you’re going to get and what you’re go
ing to feel: consistent execution and the
warm embrace of professional and
friendly service.
Bartlett’s hasn’t changed much
over the past couple of decades,
and that’s a good thing. MATTHEW The club salad at Bartlett’s features tempura fried chicken.
ODAM/AMERICANSTATESMAN PHOTOS BY MATTHEW ODAM/AMERICANSTATESMAN
Dining Guide
Hall of Fame Matt Cisneros, grandson of Rudy “Cisco” Cisneros, bought Cisco’s in 2017 with a
group of partners. KARINA LUJAN/AMERICANSTATESMAN
Cisco’s
‘Nobody’s better for money or fame. Everyone’s an individual’
(1511 E. Sixth St. 5124782420, Butter for the biscuits comes in squirt
ciscosaustin.com) bottles, and steam billows from plates of
Matthew Odam cial occasion destinations. Restau migas and huevos rancheros. Cisco’s vet
Austin AmericanStatesman rants must be open for 20 years and In the first half century after Rudy eran server of 33 years, Lydia Guerrero,
USA TODAY NETWORK still in business to be considered for “Cisco” Cisneros opened his eponymous still greets customers with a smile. And
inclusion. bakery and cafe on East Sixth Street in everyone’s treated as equals.
Austin grabs plenty of national We honored Hoover’s Cooking, 1950, there were no credit card machines, That was the biggest lesson Matt
headlines for our new restaurants, and Matt’s El Rancho, Chinatown, Dirty breakfast dishes were the restaurant’s Cisneros learned from his famous
diners can be obsessed with chasing Martin’s and Fonda San Miguel with lifeblood, and if you wanted a Bloody grandfather, who ran the restaurant un
the new shiny objects on our scene. our inaugural class. This year we shine Mary it had to be a furtive one. til he died in 1995.
But Austin has a rich history of lo our light on a TexMex icon founded by The restaurant now has a website and “Everyone was equal, regardless of
cally owned businesses that have one of the city’s great characters, a be point of sales system, and serves dinner color or economic background,” Matt
helped shape the city’s culture and fed loved hamburger destination that has and liquor (legally). But from most ap Cisneros said. “Seeing that in my child
its communities. We started the Aus spawned multiple locations over its al pearances, things remain largely the same hood was super valuable because I had
tin360 Restaurant Hall of Fame in most 50 years in business, and a farm under an ownership team that includes friends everywhere, whether it was East
2021 to acknowledge stalwarts that totable trailblazer that is both special Cisneros’ grandson, Matt, who purchased Austin or West Austin. It’s important to
have helped make Austin “Austin,” occasion restaurant and neighbor Cisco’s from his uncle and longtime oper have that instilled early. Most kids don’t
whether they be daily drivers or spe hood hang spot. ator, Clovis Cisneros, in 2017. get that because it’s hard to teach it.”
The inside of Cisco’s, seen on
Sept. 7. The bakery and cafe Dan’s
opened in 1950. KARINA LUJAN
PHOTOS/ AMERICANSTATESMAN Hamburgers
‘We know each other. We
take care of each other’
For Matt Cisneros it was a lesson
learned every time he stepped into the
restaurant, whether it was to get a talk (4308 Menchaca Road. 5124436131;
844 Airport Blvd. 5123852262; 5602 N.
ing to from his father if he was in trouble Lamar Blvd. 5124593239; 610 Old San
as a child or to show up for a shift buss Antonio Road, Buda. 5123125361;
ing tables in high school. danshamburgers.com)
If he wasn’t patrolling the floor, rib
bing customers (or his staff), the cigar Dan Junk started receiving calls on
chomping Cisco could be spotted holding his home phone, the number he offered
court at the large round table in the cor for customer feedback, sometime in the
ner of the back dining room that hides early 1990s. He had changed the onion
behind the dinerstyle counter up front. ring recipe at his Dan’s Hamburgers lo
Dubbed the “Mayor of East Austin,” While the buildings around Cisco’s cations. A new batter had replaced the
Cisco operated in the same manner may have changed over the years, handbreaded cracker meal. People
whether talking to construction workers many of the faces inside the restau were not pleased.
or his famous friends and regulars like rant have not, on both sides of the The calls continued for a week before
Darrell Royal, Willie Nelson, Ben Cren counter. Some employees, like Guer Junk reached out to his daughter, Katie:
shaw and President Lyndon Johnson. rero, have worked at Cisco’s for as “Tell the managers to change it back
Pictures of those wellknown regulars long as Matt Cisneros can remember. ASAP!” he told his oldest child, who had
line the walls of the building originally And the thirdgeneration owner says by that time been working for her dad
constructed for a meat market in 1914. he regularly sees longtime customers for almost 20 years.
“Nobody’s better for money or fame. who started coming to the restaurant The beloved original onion rings re
Everyone’s an individual,” Matt Cisne in their youth now bringing in their turned.
ros said of the approach his grandfather children and grandchildren. “That’s the thing about my dad —
modeled for him. “It’s a mutual respect “The generational connection is people knew they could call him and he
that would not have existed without something you can’t recreate,” said would answer the phone,” Katie Cong
four walls and some eggs.” Migas has been a centerpiece dish at Cisneros, who credits the community don said, sitting in a booth at the re
Matt Cisneros was enamored of the Cisco’s for decades. and faithful customers as the main vamped Menchaca Road location of
restaurant his entire life, calling it “this reasons behind the restaurant’s stay Dan’s Hamburgers this fall.
majestic, really cool spot.” When his un ing power. The lesson stuck with Congdon.
cle, Clovis, who had threatened retire make minor tweaks and guide Cisco’s As for the influx of new faces into Since 1998, she’s been running the mul
ment for about a halfdozen years, into the future, Matt Cisneros partnered both Austin and Cisco’s, Cisneros tilocation burger operation her father
came to the table with what Matt con with high school friend Will Bridges, says he believes many new folks just started in 1973 on South Congress Ave
sidered a reasonable sales price, the who had already successfully taken over want to tap into what makes Austin nue (there’s a Torchy’s Tacos on the site
Austin High School graduate knew the stewardship of legacy Austin brands “Austin.” He takes seriously the re now), just a few blocks down from the
time had come for him to carry the man Deep Eddy Cabaret and Antone’s; Rick sponsibility of helping to maintain old King Burger where Dan got his start.
tle as the thirdgeneration of Cisneros McMinn, a commercial builder and co the character of the city his family has Congdon arrives at one of the four
to steer the business. owner of historic Hoffbrau Steakhouse; called home for almost 100 years. Dan’s locations each morning, while
Austin looks a whole lot different and local business and real estate inves “If we don’t do it, somebody else diners are enjoying table service, along
than it did when Cisco died in 1995. To tor Bryan Schneider. will,” Cisneros said. with scratchmade omelets, huevos
That original Dan’s on South Con tionship) continued to spend holidays
gress Avenue eventually became a together. Frances even went over to
Fran’s Hamburgers. The monosyllabic Dan’s house and made him dinner on
and rhyming burger monikers led to no occasion.
small amount of confusion and specu “They just couldn’t live together,” Ka
lation, but the split wasn’t as juicy as tie says with a laugh.
one of Dan’s burgers: Dan and Frances Katie worked at her dad’s restaurants
divorced in 1990. Frances got the origi throughout her time at William B. Travis
nal store, along with the location on High School and St. Edward’s Univer
Cameron Road (which Dan ran briefly sity, starting at the bottom and eventu
as a barbecue restaurant before moving ally moving to the top of the org chart.
back into his lane); Dan kept the re “He told me I had to learn everything
maining three. in the store first,” Congdon said.
The split may have fueled rumors She took over ownership of the three
and confusion, but Congdon says there stores when Junk died in 1998, opened a
was never bad blood among family new location in Buda near her home in
members surrounding the divorce or Kyle in 2005, and rebuilt the Menchaca
the decoupling of businesses. Road location in 2014, giving it the time
Frances and Dan still went to movies less feel of a ‘50s diner. That’s 48 years
together after their divorce. The family in the burger business, many of them
(the couple had five children, and spent with others who have given dec
Frances had two from a previous rela ades of their lives to Dan’s, like Mencha
ABOVE: Owner Katie Congdon at Dan’s
Hamburgers on Sept. 20.
LEFT: Dan Junk opened the original
Dan’s Hamburgers on South Congress
Avenue in 1973. AMERICANSTATESMAN FILE
unpaid shifts at her parents’ nearby res
taurant. Junk, a Shawnee, Oklahoma,
native, started making cheeseburgers
rancheros and pancakes before the bur in the early 1960s on South Congress
ger crowd crashes in. She checks in with Avenue at King Burger, two blocks from
her many longtime employees and cus the middle school, before branching out
tomers to make sure everything’s hum on his own.
ming along nicely and everyone’s hap Congdon says her father’s success
py. She doesn’t need a repeat of the from his concern for quality products
Great Onion Ring Kerfuffle of the Early and never compromising, even when
‘90s. times were tough.
She learned that handson manage “He was always very true to the prod
ment style at her parents’ side from the uct. He’d never serve anything to cus
time she was a 13yearold student at tomers he wouldn’t eat himself,” Cong
the old Fulmore Middle School, working don said about her late father. Dan’s Hamburgers on Sept. 20. MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN
ca store manager Marcos Alcantara, Wink manages
who has been with the company more to be both a
than 35 years. And two of her own chil neighborhood
dren returned to Texas in recent years to hangout and a
learn the business. spot for special
“We’re a family. That’s something occasions. Here,
our mom and dad instilled in us,” Cong the restaurant’s
don said. “We all work together elbow to antelope with
elbow. We know each other. We take quinoa, trumpet
care of each other.” mushrooms,
And if you want to complain about compressed
the onion rings (you won’t want to), you Dan’s Hamburgers on Sept. 20. celery and cherry
can call Congdon at her office. MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICANSTATESMAN balsamic in 2015.
AMERICAN
STATESMAN FILE
Wink (1014 N. Lamar Blvd. 5124828868,

winkrestaurant.com)
inside a strip mall on Lamar Boulevard
in June 2001, serving a rotating menu
that proudly listed its farm and ranch
‘We’re throwing a dinner party, and everybody is a guest’ Wink owners Stewart Scruggs and partners and featured items like duck,
Mark Paul lean against their wine bar foie gras, and game.
dancing that conversational tango that Scruggs, who is the elder Wink
only couples who’ve been together for statesman by about a decade and a
decades can navigate, interrupting graduate of St. Stephen’s High School,
each other here, finishing the other’s said it was easier to open an indepen
sentences there, a smirk, a nod, a laugh. dent restaurant 20 years ago.
They’re business partners, mind “Austin’s attitude was different in the
you, not romantic ones: They’ve owned sense that they appreciated and sup
and operated Wink together for more ported restaurants opening on a shoe
than 20 years. The men have weathered string. That was the norm,” Scruggs
several massive cultural calamities over said. “The vibe was more communal.
the life of Wink but still love showing up There weren’t as many of us. There
to work everyday. Their passion and wasn’t so much at stake, so you could
personal investment (of time, of money, afford to help other chefs. And there
of faith) keep them going. That, and was an almost engrained suspicion for
“We’re goddamn insane,” Paul says with highfalutin, corporate big money sud
a laugh. denly moving into town and opening a
The two chefs, both Austin natives, restaurant.”
first worked together at Brio Vista on It wasn’t easy for long. Wink’s open
West Sixth Street in 1998, but their ing came just three months before 9/11,
friendship predates that by a halfdoz the first of what would be several times
en years to Valentine’s Day 1992 when the world changed. They debated
Paul brought his nowwife into Zoot, whether to open that night. But they
which Scruggs helped open and which did. It was the only thing they could
the men later purchased and ran for al think to do, and a friend had a dinner
Mark Paul and Stewart Scruggs helped elevate Austin’s dining game when most a decade. party for 12 booked.
they opened Wink in 2001, and the duo is still going strong. MIKALA COMPTON/ Scruggs and Paul opened their farm The night started very slowly, they
AMERICANSTATESMAN totable fine dining restaurant tucked say. Crickets. But within a few hours, it
felt like the entire Clarksville neighbor
hood had descended on the small res
taurant. The swelling of community is
what Paul and Scruggs have always
loved about restaurants.
“It was unbelievable. Every single ta
ble was talking to everybody else,” Paul
said. “What you have to understand
about what we do here is when the cur
tain goes up, we’re throwing a dinner
party, and everybody is a guest. And
people want to have that interaction.
That’s the romanticism of this busi
ness.”
The ensuing decade saw Wink pull Lemon meringue pot, a tart lemon
off the nifty feat of becoming both a be curd in a crisp meringue cup with
loved hangout for regulars, especially candied lemon zest and berries, from
after the Cheerslike wine bar opened in 2015 at Wink. AMERICANSTATESMAN FILE
the adjacent space in 2004, as well as a
destination for couples and families
celebrating special occasions. the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Wink’s influence can be seen The partners closed their restaurant
throughout a restaurant scene now ob for more than a year, made some inter
sessed with local and seasonal cooking. nal improvement, regrouped and came
Scruggs’ and Paul’s kitchen served as a back to work determined to keep their
training ground for several chefs who iconic restaurant on course for another
now operate top Austin restaurants, decade. They acknowledge that most of
such as John Bates at Interstellar BBQ their contemporaries in the relatively
and Bryce Gilmore of Barley Swine and young Austin scene are gone save a
Odd Duck. handful like Sharon Watkins at Chez
Few restaurants with Wink’s price Zee; Bick Brown at Hyde Park Bar &
points can boast such a strong number Grill; Larry Foles and Guy Villavaso (Red
of longtime regulars, and several of the Ash, ATX Cocina); Larry Perdido and
faces inside the restaurant have been Chuck Smith (Moonshine Grill); and
around longer than any customer. Chefs Reed Clemons (The Grove). But they
Eric Polzer and Rogelio Pelagio have have no interest in stepping away from
been with Wink since the restaurant the industry they love, regardless of
opened. Chef Parker White has led the challenges that come from competition,
kitchen for 10 years while also leaving rising costs and staffing shortages.
his artistic mark on the wine bar with “I don’t even know what the word re
his colorful portraits of musicians, tirement means, and it’s not because of
chefs, actors and other notables that money, it’s because I don’t want to,”
line the walls. Paul said. “You want to be mentally
Having escaped the economic ca stimulated and you want to be part of
lamities brought on by 9/11 and the the game. When you’re in an artistic
stock market collapse at the end of that profession, which I think this is, you
decade, Scruggs and Paul found them have to be passionate about what you
selves navigating another disaster, do. And if you question that for one sec
along with every restaurant owner, in ond, then you shouldn’t be there.”
80S | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | AUSTIN AMERICANSTATESMAN

2022 Austin360 Dining Guide

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

2022 Austin360 Dining Guide

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

2022 austin360 DINING GUIDE

MATTHEW ODAM’S ANNUAL DINING GUIDE LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT

supporting my dad in law school,

restaurants ily. My mother gave birth to me at

4S | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | AUSTIN AMERICAN­STATESMAN 2022 austin360 DINING GUIDE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | 5S

increased pay and beneﬁts to remain

GUIDE The best restaurant owners scrambling to stay

6S | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | AUSTIN AMERICAN­STATESMAN 2022 austin360 DINING GUIDE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | 7S

The pandemic clariﬁed that restau­

8S | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | AUSTIN AMERICAN­STATESMAN 2022 austin360 DINING GUIDE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | 9S

meal with milky homemade mozzarella L’Oca d’Oro partners Fiore

The Georgetown, Guyana, native

dres’ Minibar in Washington, D.C. You

If you’ve got Texas in your blood,

Heritage red rice and Gulf shrimp at Southern food without getting an ap­

17 OLAMAIE A glaze of cane syrup glows across

Out­of­town chefs have not found

Thoughtful design and style that

ter) and pulls inspiration from Japan

If you tasted chef Ling Qi Wu’s soup dumplings at

WINE & ally easy to ﬁnd, whether with cauli­

KITCHEN led with pineapple. Don’t expect stan­

Tim Bartlett opened Houston’s in

Wink (1014 N. Lamar Blvd. 512­482­8868,

80S | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | AUSTIN AMERICAN­STATESMAN

You might also like

4S | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | AUSTIN AMERICANSTATESMAN 2022 austin360 DINING GUIDE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | 5S

increased pay and beneﬁts to remain

6S | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | AUSTIN AMERICANSTATESMAN 2022 austin360 DINING GUIDE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | 7S

The pandemic clariﬁed that restau

8S | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | AUSTIN AMERICANSTATESMAN 2022 austin360 DINING GUIDE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | 9S

Heritage red rice and Gulf shrimp at Southern food without getting an ap

Outoftown chefs have not found

WINE & ally easy to ﬁnd, whether with cauli

KITCHEN led with pineapple. Don’t expect stan

Wink (1014 N. Lamar Blvd. 5124828868,

80S | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022 | AUSTIN AMERICANSTATESMAN