Restaurant news, dining events and suggested bites from Statesman restaurant critic Matthew Odam.
Two brands that launched in Austin are teaming up, as My Fit Foods, purveyor of healthy grab-and-go meals, is now serving a flat iron steak cloaked in Stubb’s Legendary Bar-B-Q sauce. The limited time offer, available only in Texas and Oklahoma, comes with cauliflower mash and corn and is listed at 480 calories.
Find My Fit Food stores on the company’s official site.
Related, from the archives:
Colorado-based Snarf’s Sandwiches will open at 1400 S. First St. (at the corner of Elizabeth Street) on Monday. In addition to oven-toasted sub sandwiches, Snarf’s also serves fresh salads and a gluten-free menu. This will be the second Austin location of Snarf’s, which opened in 2014 near UT.
For hours and menu at the new location, click here.
P. Terry’s crowning achievement, it’s long-considered space age flagship location at 5701 N. I-35 (near U.S. 290) opens Wednesday morning at 7 a.m.
The 13th location, designed by Michael Hsu, will feature inside dining and two drive-thru lanes.
In addition to announcing the opening of its flagship, P. Terry’s has also announced it will open its 14th location, at Lake Creek Parkway off U.S. 183, later this year.
The new P. Terry’s is open all day, with late-night drive-thru hours till 3 a.m. on weekends. For complete list of hours, visit P. Terry’s official site.
After helping establish Freedmen’s as one of the barbecue restaurants in Austin, pitmaster Evan LeRoy has left the campus-area spot that he helped open in December 2012
The Austin native had returned to Austin from New York City, where he worked at Hill Country BBQ. LeRoy, known for his brisket, tangy pulled pork and thoughtful side dishes, says he has plans to open his own restaurant in town.
“A barbecue joint plus a lot more,” he said cryptically.
In the meantime he will participate in collaborative dinners and pop-ups in the coming months, the first in Portland, Oregon in late September with Matt’s BBQ.
Christopher McGhee, a three year Freedmen’s veteran who has been working as co-chef with LeRoy, according to restaurant owner Cuatro Kowalski, has taken over full duties as executive chef and pitmaster.
McGhee previously worked for John Lewis during the first year of business at La Barbecue, so he steps into the smoky spotlight with some solid experience.
“Nothing is changing about the restaurant,” Kowalski said via text. “We don’t expect a dip in quality at all and look forward to continuing what we’ve always been doing.
State officials posted signs at John Mueller Meat Co. at 2500 E. Sixth St. early Friday saying that the business was closed due to non-payment of taxes.
The barbecue trailer from the grandson of late Texas barbecue scion Louie Mueller is now closed, though Mueller says he plans to be back open and operational by Thursday of next week.
Shawn Cirkiel’s Spanish tapas restaurant Bullfight (4807 Airport Blvd.) gets into the brunch game this weekend, when it rolls out brunch service for both Saturday and Sunday.
The restaurant will serve brunch on Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m., with a menu from executive chef Ryan Shields that includes Baked Eggs ($12) with chickpeas, spinach and braised lamb; Sunnyside Eggs ($12) served with patatas bravas, hot and sweet pepperonata and serrano ham; and revueltos ($10), a dish of chopped eggs served with fresh mushrooms and perfectly charred tomato.
Tapas brunch offerings include smoky Escalivada ($10) with peppers, eggplant and rosemary; Roasted Mushrooms ($11) with garlic, jamón-cured eggs and migas; and the classic Paella Tapa($8) with saffron rice, chorizo and sweet peas.
In an exclusive interview with the American-Statesman, Austin chef Paul Qui talks about what happened the night he was arrested in March and his plans for the future. Those plans include closing his namesake restaurant Qui in the first week of September and reopening later this year under a new name and with a clearer vision.
The new name, Kuneho, means “rabbit” in Qui’s native Tagalog, and Qui says the restaurant will be a Japanese kitchen with a sushi bar. The restaurant will mark Qui’s return to the quest that defined his drive at Uchi and Uchiko: creating the perfect bite.
Diners at Kuneho should expect Japanese technique with global influences and, a Qui hallmark, major flavor. That could mean catfish unagi, sea urchin, foie gras, aged beef tongue, chilled sunchoke dashi, raw ora king salmon, lamb larb, savory cupcakes, oyster with nam jim or tuna poke.
