Blackbird and Henry Shuttered Quietly Without a Word

Blackbird and Henry, the campus restaurant from chef Mark Schmidt, is closed, as reported by Austin 360. It seems to have been out of service since early to mid-November, according to various tipsters. One noticed a sign on the door stating that "due to unforeseen equipment issues," the restaurant was closed for dinner at the time. There has been no word from Schmidt about the closure.

Update, December 15: Mark Schmidt told Eater that the restaurant closed down because he couldn’t afford to keep it open any longer. The restaurant’s last official day was Tuesday, November 10.

Both Blackbird and Henry’s Facebook and Twitter accounts appear to have been deactivated. However, the restaurant’s Instagram account is still up, with an upload from three weeks ago. The website is still functioning, too.

The British and Texas-tinged restaurant opened on 3016 Guadalupe in February 2014, serving brunch, lunch, and dinner to the neighborhood. Schmidt ran Cafe 909 in Marble Falls for six years until the fine dining establishment shuttered in 2009. He also worked in various kitchens, including Houston's Rainbow Lodge, AquaKnox in Dallas, Santa Fe's Compound Restaurant, and Max's Oyster Bar in Connecticut.

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