East Austin Filipino-Vietnamese Truck Hosts Family-Style Boodle Fight Dinner

East Austin Filipino-Vietnamese truck Fil N’ Viet is celebrating its second anniversary by hosting a boodle fight dinner (it refers to the Filipino version of the kamayan, a family-style feast where dishes are eaten by hand) on Tuesday, March 28 at 6 p.m. Dishes include chicken inasal, bistek tagalog, whole fried fish, fruits, and much more. Tickets are $75.

Fundraising for injured bar employee

There’s a GoFundMe campaign to help support Troy Pruitt, the Hole in the Wall employee who was injured when two cars crashed into each other outside of the campus bar on the night of March 13.

Coming attractions

Austin cafe mini-chain Jo’s Coffee is opening its sixth location in South Austin in the spring of 2023. It’ll be found at 5532 Menchaca Road in the Garrison Park neighborhood.

Chef shuffle

Downtown’s Hotel Van Zandt has a new executive chef for the entire space, including its restaurant Geraldine’s and Cafe 605. Sergio Ledesma had worked in Mexico and consulted in restaurants in Houston and elsewhere. He owned and operated Monterrey restaurant La Central San Pedro and Calgary restaurant Xocolat Posh Mexican Cuisine

Tracking other Austin restaurant events

New American restaurant Emmer & Rye is hosting pop-up restaurant Slow Burn this week on Wednesday, March 22. Chefs Andy Doubrava (formerly of Santa Monica restaurant Rustic Canyon) and Tiffani Ortiz will offer five dishes alongside Emmer’s regular menu. Their food focuses on local food sourced from biodynamic farms and highlights food preservation. Reservations can be booked online or over the phone at (512) 366-5530; there are seatings between 5:30 to 10 p.m.

East Austin Mexican restaurant Suerte’s fifth birthday celebration will include dishes no longer on the menu as part of its regular dinner service on Wednesday, March 22. This includes chips with salsa served with a peanut salsa roja; the beet tostada; green chorizo tlayuda; duck and mole negro; and esquites in a cup. The specials will be available from 5 to 10 p.m. that evening.

South Lamar Oaxacan restaurant El Naranjo and executive chef Iliana de la Vega is hosting Mexico City chef Bill Maldonado of Fónico for a six-course dinner on Thursday, March 23

Five of the courses will be made by Maldonado and his team, including dishes like a corn tostada topped with a nut mole, tomatoes, and Ocosingo cheese; kampachi ceviche; and a pork chop. Then dessert (cafe de olla tiramisu) will be made by by El Naranjo chef de cuisine Ana Torrealba. There are three seatings, 5:30, 7, and 8:15 p.m. at $110 per person. Book reservations online.

West Lake Hills’s Hotel Viata is hosting its Long Table Dinner, where chef Tommy Sudeth will create a family-style meal with pairings by Treaty Oak Distilling. It takes place in the hotel’s courtyard on Thursday, March 23 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $125 per person

New members lounge in the airport

There’s a new members-only lounge that opened at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport this week. Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders can access the Sapphire Terrace as of March 20. It features indoor and outdoor spaces; grab-and-go food; free drinks from local spots like Austin Eastciders, (512) Brewing Company, and non-alcoholic items; and shuffleboard. There’s also artwork by muralist Rex Hamilton.