Mettle's New Lunch Menu; Malverde To Close

EAST SIDE — Mettle, the new restaurant from Bridget "Queen of Rainey Street" Dunlap with chef Andrew Francisco in the kitchen, has officially launched its lunch menu featuring starters from the on-site garden, a grilled cheese sandwich with crispy green tomato and a pork belly quesadilla. [Eaterwire]

QUI NOTES — Ulterior Epicure blogger Bonjwing Lee is taking a whirlwind tour of Austin and environs with Paul Qui and Deana Saukam, who appear to keep their most important awards in the pantry. Keep an eye on his Twitter and Flickr accounts for delicious, food-porny updates. [@UlteriorEpicure]

DOWNTOWN — Malverde, the bar and club atop La Condesa downtown, is closing to the public this weekend to focus on revamping as a private events-only space. [Austin360]

Mettle. [Photo: Spencer Selvidge/EATX]