Discount Supermarket Aldi Opens First Austin-Area Store, and More A.M. Intel

— German discount supermarket chain Aldi is opening its first Austin-area store up in Pflugerville on Thursday, November 2.

— Franklin Barbecue raised $15,525.04 during its two-day pop-up at Mohawk for Global Giving's Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. The restaurant is still closed while it undergoes renovations after it caught on fire in August.

— Uchi/Uchiko’s parent company Hai Hospitality is auctioning off private dinners with chef/owner Tyson Cole to benefit the Greater Houston Community Foundation’s Hurricane Harvey Relief efforts. Each dinner will be paired with the corresponding restaurant chef de cuisine: Alex Astrani at Uchi Dallas (Monday, November 6), Kaz Edwards at Uchiko (Monday, November 13), and Lance Gillum at Uchi (Monday, November 20 at 6:30 p.m.). The 12-person, ten-course dinners with beverage pairings begin at 6:30 p.m. with happy hour. The bids began at $4,000 and will continue up until each respective dinner.

— Texas Monthly took a look at Lone Star state-inspired restaurants across the world, which include a honky tonk in Estonia, barbecue in China, tacos in South Korea, and others.

— Paul Qui’s restaurant Kuneho added an izakaya service to its bar, the Borough, with late night food and drink from midnight to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.