Kerlin BBQ Is Bringing Back its Barbecue Kolache Truck

Austin barbecue truck Kerlin BBQ is bringing back its kolache truck this year. The truck will focus on the business’s barbecue-stuffed klobásníky created by co-owner Amelis Kerlin — think brisket and cheddar, smoked sausage, jalapeno, and cheddar, and vegetarian ones. (The truck is using the term “kolache” as a catch-all for the Czech pastry when typically, “kolache” usually means sweet, fruit-filled pastries and “klobasnek” used for savory, meat-filled iterations.) The new Kerlaches truck will open sometime this year in a different location. Kerlin’s kolaches started in 2014, and they opened the dedicated truck in 2017, which had been parked with the original location on East Cesar Chavez at the time.

Hot dog restaurant shutters

Hot dog shop Mission Dogs closed its physical restaurant location on East Cesar Chavez last month. According to the Instagram post announcing the shutter, it closed because of increased costs of goods, higher rents, and having to maintain a small staff in order to pay people properly. The business will continue to run as a roaming food trailer.

Pizza benefit for restaurant nonprofit

Austin pizzeria Southside Flying Pizza is raising money for nonprofit and restaurant advocacy group Good Work Austin on Wednesday, February 9. All locations will offer ten-dollar large cheese and pepperoni pies for takeout and deliveries, and 25 percent of those sales will go towards GWA. The pizzeria is also giving away 100 large pepperoni pies from its South Congress address starting at 3 p.m. that day.

South Congress cafe and shoe store is shutting down

Charitable shoe company Tom’s is closing down its shop and cafe on South Congress this month, as reported by Austin Business Journal. The last day of the 1401 South Congress Avenue business will be on Monday, February 14. This was the retail company’s only-existing location that included an on-site cafe serving drinks. It opened ahead of South by Southwest in March 2014.

Austin bakery hosts Russian dinner

Eastern European bakery and restaurant cafe Ovenbird is hosting a Russian dinner this week. The five-course meal will include dishes such as tvorog cheese pancakes, pelmeni soup, and birds milk cake, plus wine pairings and non-alcoholic beverage options. Tickets are $75 per person, wine pairings $40, and reservations have to be made for two to four people. There are two seatings on Friday, February 11, one at 6 p.m., and the other at 7:30 p.m. Email hello@overnbirdatx.com. The meal is being prepared by head chef Sarah Koslosky, sous chef Drew Lott, head baker Anabel Bautista, and beverage director Steven Kresena.

Texas’s best bread is in Austin

Food & Wine highlighted the best bread bakeries in every state, and the Texas pick was Austin’s ThoroughBread, calling out its naturally-leavened loaves by owner and baker Ryan Goebel.

Austin Italian restaurant opens another ghost kitchen spot

Italian restaurant Juliet is opening a second ghost kitchen spin-off this month. Little Juliet focuses on a similar Italian menu with dishes such as meatballs, chicken parmesan, pastas, lasagna, pizza, salads, vegetables, desserts, and drinks. Everything is available for pickups and deliveries from Wooten hub Kitchen United Mix on 8023 Burnet Road. Just last summer Juliet’s parent company Veneto Hospitality opened up a similar ghost kitchen restaurant, Benvolio’s, which focuses on Italian comfort food, which operates out of the same Kitchen United space.