Texas Taproom Bill Passes, and More A.M. Intel

— Taproom bill HB 3287, which requires Texas breweries sell its barrels to distributors, and then have to buy those back from the companies in order to sell its own beer within its taprooms, was passed last night (notably without Governor Greg Abbott's signature). Under the new law, new breweries that produce 225,000 barrels of beer annually can't have a taproom (already-open breweries are exempt from this). The Texas Craft Brewers Guild plans to continue to fight.

— The original Bufalina on East Cesar Chavez now offers up pizza-filled lunch and brunch beginning tomorrow, Saturday, June 17, starting at 11 a.m. There will be a dedicated brunch menu on the weekends ( Swedish pancakes and coddled eggs), with a separate lunch one on the weekdays from Wednesday through Friday.

— Svante's, known for its stuffed burgers, closed up its Round Rock restaurant back in April.

— Otoko sushi wizard Yoshi Okai approaches cooking the same way he does with music: "I decided to put the same passion for music into cooking and becoming a chef," he told Food & Wine for his Best New Chef profile. He gets a kick out of breaking down an entire tuna in front of people.

— Facebook's new offices on West 6th Street will include a taco bar.

Bufalina/Official

— Texas Monthly noted that NBC anchor Megyn Kelly and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones dined at Rudy’s BBQ before filming their interview.

— Xian Sushi and Noodle owner Ting Lin talked about his menu for his upcoming Mueller restaurant, Bao'd Up. Bao happens to be his kids’ favorite dish, and he thinks it’ll work well for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Expect barbecue and dessert bao on the menu when it opens over the summer.

— Austin Monthly talked to Old Thousand, McGuire Moorman Hospitality, and Geraldine's about the importance of music to a restaurant and the dining experience. The three even offered a short suggested playlist.

— Pluckers Wing Bar co-founders Mark Greenberg, Sean Greenberg, and David Pull were named as Entrepreneurs of the Year for the Central Texas region within the food and beverage category.