San Antonio’s Best New Restaurant Is Coming to Austin for a Pork Event

Eater’s Best New San Antonio Restaurant Visits Austin
Wine & Swine, the annual pig-centric food event from Austin Food & Wine Alliance, is coming back this year. New to this year’s event is San Antonio chef Nicola Blaque, who is behind one of Eater’s best new restaurant of 2019 The Jerk Shack. The event will also feature a pop-up from Supper Club SZN (formerly Puli-Ra) chef Deepa Shridhar, but it’s not clear how the format will work. The organization is also making a point of offering a single vegetarian dish from TLV chef Berty Richter. Also on deck are a whole bunch of Austin chefs, like Foreign & Domestic’s Sarah Heard and Nathan Lemley, Franklin Barbecue’s Andrew Risner, Killa Wasi’s Kati Luedecke, Evan LeRoy of LeRoy & Lewis, and others. Guests will be able to vote for their favorite dishes, and the winning restaurant will receive $1,000. Wine & Swine takes place at Camp Mabry on Sunday, November 24 from 3 to 6 p.m. General admission tickets are $90, with VIP passes at $150, which include early entry, special tastings, and a Yeti tumbler.

Coming Attractions, Part One
The League Kitchen & Tavern is opening its fourth Austin-area location out in Bee Cave at the Hill Country Galleria sometime in early 2020. The restaurant will serve up a similar American menu full of burgers, sandwiches, steaks, and the such, plus cocktails, wines, and beers. The 13420 Galleria Circle, Suite A128 space, designed by Design Hound, will feature a patio. It’s run by TC4 & Co, under co-owners Tony Ciola and Creed Ford IV. The group is also expanding coal-fired pizzeria Tony C’s is expanding with a comparatively casual branch dubbed Tony C’s Pizza and Beer Garden in North Shoal Creek and Round Rock next year as well.

Coming Attractions, Part Two
Omaha-based company Flagship Restaurant Group already announced what will be its third Austin restaurant with the forthcoming expansion of Japanese chain restaurant Blue Sushi Sake Grill in the summer of 2020. The menu focuses on sushi, including vegan maki, as well as other Japanese dishes and sake. This new restaurant will be found with Flagship’s other restaurant expansion Plank Seafood Provisions in the Domain at 11410 Century Oaks Terrace, Suite 136. Flagship’s first Austin restaurant is the standalone Texas-Asian restaurant Anthem found on Rainey Street.

Aaron Franklin’s Food Festival Is Back
Hot Luck, the multi-day food and music festival from pitmaster Aaron Franklin, James Moody, and Feast’s Mike Thelin, is happening again next year for the fourth time. It’ll take place over Memorial Day weekend again from Thursday, May 21 through Sunday, May 24, 2020. The all-encompassing passes (aka the Whole Enchilada) are now on sale, which includes access to the Mohawk party and early access to all events, for $500 (it’ll jump up to $550 at the end of the year). Partial festival proceeds will go towards the Safe Alliance.

Of the changes to the festival, there are new types of tickets, though people can’t buy them yet. There are family packages (buy two passes, get two free passes for children 12 years old and younger), as well as student tickets and children passes for those 12 years old and younger, though exact prices aren’t available yet. The festival is also relocating the brunch event from Austin Speed Shop to further-away Wild Onion Ranch (where the Al Fuego already takes place. The chefs, events, and music lineup will be announced next spring.

Another Austin Taco Day
In light of the Austin-centric episode of United Tacos of America, which aired yesterday, the city mayor declared October 29 as United Tacos of America day. In the episode, taco journalists Jarod Neece and Mando Rayo explored the confluence of barbecue and tacos with Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ and Lampasas-based Johnny Walker BBQ. This isn’t the first time the duo nabbed an official taco day for the city: September 24 is known as Taco Day in honor of their most recent book Tacos of Texas.

Clean Those Smokers
Yes, smokers to get dirty, and yes, you’re supposed to clean them.