Launderette and Juniper Nab Spots on Texas Monthly’s Best New Restaurants List

Almost half of Texas Monthly’s annual ten best new restaurants list, released today, are Austin restaurants. There is neighborhood cafe Launderette, northern Italian Juniper, small plates Vox Table, and locally-obsessed Emmer & Rye. Executive editor and food writer Patricia Sharpe described Launderette:

"Modern Mediterranean" is a good label for 41-year-old chef-owner Rene Ortiz’s menu, with over-the-top flavors mellowed by creamy cheeses and yogurts. His toasts are a legend in their own time: think crusty bread slathered with French feta, capers, and golden raisins.

She then said of Juniper’s Italian theme:

Chef-partner Nicholas Yanes and chef Kyle Barker take classic Italian notions and run with them. They turn ricotta into a kind of smoked-cheese porridge and pair it with bacon-y lamb and roasted heirloom carrots.

Both Vox Table and Emmer & Rye also made the list for the former’s techniques, as seen with the creation of squid-ink cracklings that taste just like pork, but still "light as a cloud and midnight-black," and the latter’s pure hearted approach to absolute freshness. Bullfight, Fukumoto, Italic, and Monger's were all honorable mentions.

Last year, Olamaie and Odd Duck earned spots on the list, with Qui, (now-closed) Arro, and Sway making it the year before.