Temple of Texas hospitality Green Pastures has been welcoming Austinites and visitors to their elegant Victorian Home since 1946. Founded by reknown hostess and cookbook author Mary Faulk Koock, the restaurant has been a fine dining destination for decades, and is most reknown currently for their brunch buffet, complete with their iconic milk punch. A bit of background on Koock, from a Chronicle profile of the restaurant in 2012:
She was known for expansive hospitality and exceptional food - enjoyed by friends and relations, Texas politicians, and visiting celebrities. Her parties grew in size and stature, she catered events around the state, and - in partnership with her husband, Chester Koock - she turned the family residence into Green Pastures Restaurant in 1946.
During Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency, Little, Brown and Company publishers asked J. Frank Dobie who should write the definitive Texas cookbook. They acted on his recommendation and dispatched none other than James Beard to help Mrs. Koock plan the book. The Texas Cookbook was published in 1965; it included Koock's recipes, as well as many others gathered from every region of the state.
Eater photographer Robert J. Lerma stopped by on a recent weekday evening, and has a look at new chef Keith Karp's spin on the classic menu.
