Austin Bar Nickel City Decks Out as Moe’s Tavern From ‘The Simpsons’ Again

Central East Austin bar Nickel City donned its annual The Simpsons Halloween getup again this year for Halloween. This means the bar is serving as the cartoon’s iconic Moe’s Tavern, complete with Flaming Moe cocktails (not actually made with cough syrup), Duff beer, and other punnily named cocktails and shoots inspired by the series’ Halloween episode Treehouse of Horrors. On-site truck Delray Cafe turned into Krusty Burger once again, slinging Krusty Burgers, fried fish sandwiches called Fried Blinky sandwiches, and more. Expect decorations and bartenders in costumes, plus a new Flaming Moe’s neon sign. It opened on October 17 and will run through Halloween on Monday, October 31.

Car crashes into Tex-Mex restaurant

A car crashed into Crestview Tex-Mex restaurant Enchiladas y Mas on October 21, smashing through the front of the building. The restaurant’s Instagram post noted that no customers or staffers were hurt. The business was temporarily closed since then and reopened today, October 25.

Austin venue and bar is coming back

Shuttered Austin venue North Door is reopening in the same East Austin neighborhood, as reported by Chronicle. It’ll reopen at 908 East Fifth Street, the space right next to the cafe/bar Wright Bros. Brew & Brew. Expect drinks as well as food from the previous partner Pueblo Viejo. The venue closed at its original location on 502 Brushy Street in September 2020; that address is now home to another Austin music venue, the Parish.

New third-party delivery tortas

Austin Tex-Mex restaurant El Chile launched a new dedicated catering and delivery service. Las Tortas ATX debuted on October 5, and features, naturally, tortas ranging from braised pork to chorizo/eggs to eggs/mushrooms to avocado/refried black beans to shrimp, as well as roasted plantains, ancho-glazed sweet potatoes, salads, queso, and more. It is cooking out of ghost kitchen hub 5610 Interstate Food Co. Orders can be placed on third-party delivery apps Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash, with larger catering orders through email at lastortas@elchilegroup.com.​​

Tracking Austin-area events

Austin chef Damien Brockway of food truck Distant Relatives is cooking at historic space Neill-Cochran House Museum’s new dining series. The first dinner for Tasting Texas: Historic Foodways is the Fall Harvest, featuring dishes like Gulf shrimp salad, pecan wood-smoked pork belly and brisket, and sweet potato tarts. Funds raised from the dinner will go into the museum’s Reckoning With the Past project, which would seek to restore the city’s remaining standing slave quarters. Tickets are $150 for general admission and $125 for museum members. It takes palace on Wednesday, October 26 from 6 to 9 p.m.

The Girl Scouts of Central Texas is hosting a cocktail and baked goods competition where contestants will create sweets and/or libations using the notable cookies. The Cookies, Cocktails, & Confessions event takes place on Thursday, October 27 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Junior League of Austin’s Community Impact Center. Tickets are $50.