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Where To Eat In Austin Right Now, January '13

by Andrea Grimes
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by Andrea Grimes
9 comments / new

Tipsters, readers, friends and family of Eater Austin always want to know: Where should I eat right now? What are the buzziest new restaurants? What haven't I heard of? What's everyone talking about?

To answer those questions, we present our nineteenth edition of the Eater Austin Heatmap, welcoming two artisan-focused, crafty spots serving their own kinds of Southern comfort: French-Louisiana-inspired épicerie in Rosedale and barbecue cocktail bar Freedmen's Bar in West Campus.

IN: épicerie, Freedmen's
OUT: Bar Mirabeau, Swift's Attic

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Eden East at Springdale Farm

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Chef Sonya Coté's name is inextricably associated with the term "locavore" and related buzzwords, and she comes by it honestly. Her new Eden East restaurant—open weekends dinner service and brunch—sources ingredients directly from the surrounding Springdale Farm.

755 Springdale Road, Austin, TX 78702
(512) 428-6500
(512) 428-6500

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Mettle

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Mettle, the east side restaurant venture from Bridget "Queen of Rainey Street" Dunlap, opened in early June at the tail-end of East Sixth Street at Calles. Chef Andrew Francisco's menu is diverse—diners will find everything from bone marrow to tacos—but if anyone can pull it off, it's this Olivia veteran.

507 Calles Street, Govalle Shopping Center, Austin, TX 78702

Searsucker

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San Diego cheflebrity Brian Malarkey's first sartorially named Austin venture, Searsucker, is part of his "fabric of social dining" concept, an anything-goes style of eating and drinking, from a menu of "approachable and unpretentious dishes." [Note: Due to a kitchen fire, Searsucker closed briefly during the first week in June, but is set to reopen promptly.]

415 Colorado St, Austin, TX 78701

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Jeffrey's

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This nearly forty-year-old Clarksville wine-and-dine institution has been reimagined as a kind of Wes Anderson-meets-Junior League retreat by cheftrepreneur Larry McGuire. Will Austin take to the martini carts, seersucker-clad valets and pricey steak cuts?

1204 West Lynn, Austin, TX 78703

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Pieous

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It's easy to tell when a restaurant has been opened with equal parts ambition and love: that's what's up with Joshua Kaner's Pieous, where patrons can find wood-fired pizzas, house-baked bread and a family-friendly atmosphere perfect for southwest Austin.

12005 U.S. 290, Austin, TX 78737
(512) 394-7041
(512) 394-7041

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John Mueller Meat Company

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Feisty meat cook John Mueller is back in action behind the Kellee's Place dive bar with his new John Mueller Meat Co. truck. Yes, there will be a line. Yes, there will be beer.

2500 E 6th Street, Austin, TX 78702
(512) 571-6509
(512) 571-6509

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Daruma Ramen

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This cozy little downtown spot from Komé's Take and Kayo Asazu softly opened in early April, serving a somewhat lighter take on traditional ramen than other noodle shops in town. They're currently the only ramen restaurant in Austin that serves vegan ramen on the regular.

612 B E. 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701

Salt & Time

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After impressing Austinites with their farmers' market offerings, Salt & Time has finally gone brick-and-mortar on the east side. Grab a hearty sandwich at lunch and take home a nice cut of meat for dinner later on.

1912 E 7th Street, Austin, TX 78702

Also featured in:

Epicerie

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Thomas Keller-trained chef Sarah McIntosh, formerly of Olivia, opened her artisan grocery, cafe and bar to serve the French-Louisiana inspired food she loves making at home with her friends and family.

2307 Hancock Drive, Austin, TX 78756
(512) 371-6840
(512) 371-6840

Also featured in:

Freedmen's

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Freedmen's features a stunning antique bar, craft cocktails and show-stopping barbecue from pitmaster Evan LeRoy, who smokes everything from brisket to banana pudding.

2402 San Gabriel St, Austin, TX 78705

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Buzz Mill Coffee

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The Buzz Mill serves coffee, booze and beer 24 hours a day on up-and-coming East Riverside, while out in the sprawling yard, the Blue Ox barbecue truck serves smoked meats and a see-and-be-seen brunch for the tattoos-and-Ray Bans crowd.

1505 Town Creek, Austin, TX 78741

Also featured in:

Winflo Osteria

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This family-owned Italian restaurant serves a "simple, comprehensible" menu of wood-fired pizzas, pastas and classic entrees. If you're thirsty, they offer a selection of all-Italian wines and a variety of "hand-crafted" cocktails.

1315 W 6th St., Austin, TX 78703

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Eden East at Springdale Farm

755 Springdale Road, Austin, TX 78702

Chef Sonya Coté's name is inextricably associated with the term "locavore" and related buzzwords, and she comes by it honestly. Her new Eden East restaurant—open weekends dinner service and brunch—sources ingredients directly from the surrounding Springdale Farm.

755 Springdale Road, Austin, TX 78702
(512) 428-6500
(512) 428-6500

Mettle

507 Calles Street, Govalle Shopping Center, Austin, TX 78702

Mettle, the east side restaurant venture from Bridget "Queen of Rainey Street" Dunlap, opened in early June at the tail-end of East Sixth Street at Calles. Chef Andrew Francisco's menu is diverse—diners will find everything from bone marrow to tacos—but if anyone can pull it off, it's this Olivia veteran.

507 Calles Street, Govalle Shopping Center, Austin, TX 78702

Searsucker

415 Colorado St, Austin, TX 78701

San Diego cheflebrity Brian Malarkey's first sartorially named Austin venture, Searsucker, is part of his "fabric of social dining" concept, an anything-goes style of eating and drinking, from a menu of "approachable and unpretentious dishes." [Note: Due to a kitchen fire, Searsucker closed briefly during the first week in June, but is set to reopen promptly.]

415 Colorado St, Austin, TX 78701

Jeffrey's

1204 West Lynn, Austin, TX 78703

This nearly forty-year-old Clarksville wine-and-dine institution has been reimagined as a kind of Wes Anderson-meets-Junior League retreat by cheftrepreneur Larry McGuire. Will Austin take to the martini carts, seersucker-clad valets and pricey steak cuts?

1204 West Lynn, Austin, TX 78703

Pieous

12005 U.S. 290, Austin, TX 78737

It's easy to tell when a restaurant has been opened with equal parts ambition and love: that's what's up with Joshua Kaner's Pieous, where patrons can find wood-fired pizzas, house-baked bread and a family-friendly atmosphere perfect for southwest Austin.

12005 U.S. 290, Austin, TX 78737
(512) 394-7041
(512) 394-7041

John Mueller Meat Company

2500 E 6th Street, Austin, TX 78702

Feisty meat cook John Mueller is back in action behind the Kellee's Place dive bar with his new John Mueller Meat Co. truck. Yes, there will be a line. Yes, there will be beer.

2500 E 6th Street, Austin, TX 78702
(512) 571-6509
(512) 571-6509

Daruma Ramen

612 B E. 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701

This cozy little downtown spot from Komé's Take and Kayo Asazu softly opened in early April, serving a somewhat lighter take on traditional ramen than other noodle shops in town. They're currently the only ramen restaurant in Austin that serves vegan ramen on the regular.

612 B E. 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701

Salt & Time

1912 E 7th Street, Austin, TX 78702

After impressing Austinites with their farmers' market offerings, Salt & Time has finally gone brick-and-mortar on the east side. Grab a hearty sandwich at lunch and take home a nice cut of meat for dinner later on.

1912 E 7th Street, Austin, TX 78702

Epicerie

2307 Hancock Drive, Austin, TX 78756

Thomas Keller-trained chef Sarah McIntosh, formerly of Olivia, opened her artisan grocery, cafe and bar to serve the French-Louisiana inspired food she loves making at home with her friends and family.

2307 Hancock Drive, Austin, TX 78756
(512) 371-6840
(512) 371-6840

Freedmen's

2402 San Gabriel St, Austin, TX 78705

Freedmen's features a stunning antique bar, craft cocktails and show-stopping barbecue from pitmaster Evan LeRoy, who smokes everything from brisket to banana pudding.

2402 San Gabriel St, Austin, TX 78705

Buzz Mill Coffee

1505 Town Creek, Austin, TX 78741

The Buzz Mill serves coffee, booze and beer 24 hours a day on up-and-coming East Riverside, while out in the sprawling yard, the Blue Ox barbecue truck serves smoked meats and a see-and-be-seen brunch for the tattoos-and-Ray Bans crowd.

1505 Town Creek, Austin, TX 78741

Winflo Osteria

1315 W 6th St., Austin, TX 78703

This family-owned Italian restaurant serves a "simple, comprehensible" menu of wood-fired pizzas, pastas and classic entrees. If you're thirsty, they offer a selection of all-Italian wines and a variety of "hand-crafted" cocktails.

1315 W 6th St., Austin, TX 78703

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