NOTABLE EDIBLES

WORDS BY AVA MOTES

BUFALINA RETURNS TO EAST AUSTIN

After a two-year hiatus from East Austin, beloved pizza joint Bufalina has reopened on East Cesar Chavez. The restaurant’s new home is about a half-mile east of the original location, which first got its start in 2013. With a new 20-year lease, Bufalina will continue to serve the neighborhood for decades to come.

Photo by Bufalina

“The core pizza menu is the same, but we have some new dishes,” says owner Steven Dilley.

Bufalina first made a name for itself with its variety of classic and innovative Neapolitan pizza flavors. The new Cesar Chavez location features the same popular pizzas with an expanded, revolving pasta and salad portion of the menu. These new dishes are created by Bufalina’s new chef, Grae Nonas, who was a co-founding executive chef at both Olamaie and Carpenters Hall.

Pizzas at the new location will still be prepared in the original oven, and guests can enjoy many of the same furniture and fixtures that have carried over from Bufalina’s first home. Their menu still features an extensive wine list and decadent desserts like a torta di ricotta (ricotta cake), pistachio ice cream and chocolate mousse.

Bufalina is here for the long haul at 2215 E. Cesar Chavez St. Stop by for new dishes and nostalgic favorites.

For more details, visit bufalinapizza.com.

GREAT NEWS! TEXAS FRENCH BREAD MAKES A COMEBACK

After a fire destroyed Texas French Bread a year ago, the restaurant and bakery has reopened with an outdoor garden space next door to its original location on Rio Grande Street. This garden bakery features a ‘70s airstream trailer that sells coffee and tea. There is also a table with sweets, pastries, breads, soups, sandwiches, and breakfast and lunch options. Customers can enjoy the best of the beloved bakery at communal tables with ample shade.

This new venture from Texas French Bread is led by co-owners Murph Wilcott and Carissa Ries, who were dedicated to resuming operations after the loss of the original location. Six months after a mechanical fire devastated the popular bakery, they returned to baking in a commercial kitchen hub space at PREP ATX. This allowed them to sell baked goods at local farmers markets as they developed the garden space for outdoor service.

The farm-to-table bistro and bakery is now fully back in business, albeit with a breezier picnic atmosphere.

Photo by Texas French Bread

Stop by at 2900 Rio Grande Street, Tuesday through Sunday. | For more details and updates, visit texasfrenchbread.com.

THE LOREN HOTEL OFFERS ELEVATED DINING AT NIDO

To elevate your hotel experience, or simply enjoy a dinner against the Austin skyline, visit Nido atop The Loren at Lady Bird Lake. Nido is a rooftop oasis in the new hotel, offering a sophisticated, modern, continental dining experience. The restaurant bills itself as “Austin’s most glamorous respite,” and for good reason.

Photo by Nido

Nido is the last stop on The Loren’s sleek glass elevator, offering an impeccable bird’s-eye view above Lady Bird Lake and downtown. Their chic lounge space is furnished with ample booth and couch seating and a bar with an extensive curated selection of wine and spirits. The menu follows seasonal cues and incorporates rustic Hill Country flavors into refined contemporary cuisine. Nido’s specialties include beef short rib with Bordelaise, duck breast with tawny port reduction and octopus carpaccio. And, with an emphasis on healthy and fresh ingredients, they offer a selection of plant-based dishes as well.

Photo by Nido

Nido is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. The restaurant also offers a brunch menu in the mornings and early afternoons, which is complete with classics like eggs benedict and smoked salmon hash.

Stop by Nido at the rooftop on 1211 W. Riverside Drive. Reservations are available on OpenTable, and more information can be found at thelorenhotels.com.

SOUTH AUSTIN IS HOME TO NEW DOVETAIL PIZZA

South Austin has a new pizza and pasta contender with the launch of Dovetail Pizza on South First Street. This walkable neighborhood restaurant takes a fresh and localized approach to familiar pizzas, salads and pastas. Featuring a full bar set against a warm and earthy space, Dovetail brings a relaxed late night experience to Bouldin Creek.

Dovetail is named for a woodworking term meaning “to fit skillfully to form a whole.” This honors the cohesion among Present Tense Hospitality members behind the project, such as Swedish Hill partner Alex Manley and Salt & Time’s Ben Runkle and Natalie Davis. Manley prepares all the pizza dough and is the mastermind behind desserts while all of the meats on the menu are sourced from Salt & Time.

Dovetail photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelly

“Together, all these very talented, smart people create an extremely neighborhood- centric, approachable, warm, inviting space where you know you can eat great food, grab a drink and hang out for a while,” says Cat Palmer, Dovetail’s general manager.

Dovetail is set apart as a neighborhood establishment with its reliably comfortable vibe and expertly prepared food. Menu highlights include the Salt & Time meat board, baked ricotta with butternut squash chutney, macaroni with pesto and shrimp, and build-your-own pizzas.

Dovetail Pizza is open for walk-in service Wednesday through Sunday. Parking is available on-site at 1816 S. First Street.

Visit dovetailpizza.com to peruse the menu and learn more.

RANCH 616 DEBUTS WIGGLE ROOM

New from the Ranch 616 family is Wiggle Room: the so-called “eccentric uncle” of the iconic Southwestern Ice House. Wiggle Room is a themed bar offering a vintage West Texan atmosphere and signature drinks — including the iconic Ranch Water that put its sister bar on the map. The bar was a longtime project of Kevin Williamson, the late founder of Ranch 616. It pays homage to his time spent in West Texas with stiff drinks, disco lights and groovy music that promise a fresh take on decades-old good times.

Photo by Wiggle Room

Wiggle Room offers rotating classics, like the famed Ranch Water on tap, as well as an inventive drink menu designed by bar manager Howard Franklin Holtoff, who previously managed Drink Well and Midnight Cowboy. The bar’s unique setting is formed by creative drinks, such as the La Pistola Rosa with tequila, pisco, Cocchi rosa, hibiscus, lemon, pepper jelly and cocoa. Wiggle Room also offers wine and beer. Although Wiggle Room is cocktail focused, they also offer snack mixes and Frito Pie to munch on until sold out.

Wiggle Room is now open at 612 Nueces Street in the West Sixth Street area. Although there is some walk-in space available, reservations are recommended and can be made at wiggleroomatx.com.

MUM FOODS OPENS SMOKEHOUSE AND DELICATESSEN

An Austin Farmers Market staple, Mum Foods, has now opened a brick-and-mortar smokehouse and delicatessen in the Windsor Park neighborhood. Mum Foods first started selling classic smoked barbecue by the pound at local farmers markets. In 2012, they decided to experiment with making pastrami from overstock brisket and quickly earned a reputation as one of the best pastrami spots in town. After a previous stint as a “micro deli” next door to the old Eastside Cafe, they have now scaled up to an even larger commercial space on Manor Road.

The new Mum Foods location offers their popular pastrami by the pound and in barbecue sandwiches. These sandwiches are made with a range of house-made breads including sourdough rye, pumpernickel and beef tallow challah. Mum Foods also serves Central-Texas-style barbecue with locally sourced deli sides and made-from-scratch desserts.

Photo by Mum Foods

Mum Foods has also partnered with another farmers market favorite, Talisman Coffee, to create a fully integrated coffee bar in their deli space. Other drink options include local craft beers on tap and a selection of wines to pair with barbecue.

Stop by the new mega deli at 5811 Manor Road to try Mum Foods’ famed pastrami and so much more. They are open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. until they sell out (typically around 3 p.m.). Their original farmers market presence will also continue alongside their brick and mortar.

Visit mumfoodsatx.com for farmers market updates, catering inquiries and additional menu information.

LOCAL COUPLE BRINGS EAST COAST BAGELS TO AUSTIN

After months of baking authentic East Coast bagels for friends, chef Devin and Ashley Broder launched David Doughies: a new bagel stand at the Texas Farmers Market at Lakeline. David Doughies offers boiled and baked bagels, which honor the Washington D.C. delis of Devin’s youth. The Broders also bring local flair to their traditional bagels, using organic heirloom grains from Barton Springs Mill.

Photo by David Doughies

“We really pride ourselves on using high-quality, local ingredients that you won’t be able to get a taste of anywhere else in the country,” Devin says.

Devin first developed his unique bagel recipe during the pandemic, as he experimented with preparing comfort foods for his family. He explained that it was difficult to make traditional bagels using his home mixer, so the Broders began mixing and rolling bagels by hand. As the demand grew for their product among friends, they invested in a spiral mixer named “Sir Mix a Lot.” However, Ashley has still rolled every bagel by hand to date.

David Doughies’ high quality bagels have become a Saturday morning staple with the opening of their farmers market stand. They offer plain bagels as well and sweet and savory flavors, which are served with a range of custom schmears. The stand also features bagel sandwiches with house-smoked salmon and vegan alternatives like carrot lox. Devin suggests arriving early for pickup, as they typically sell out in a couple hours.

Photo by David Doughies

Stop by David Doughies at the Texas Farmers Market at 11200 Lakeline Mall Drive or visit daviddoughies.com to learn more.

AUSTIN AUTHOR DEBUTS TEXAS BBQ ADVENTURE GUIDE

New from Austin-based author Jason Weems is “Texas BBQ Adventure Guide: a Road Trip Through the History & How-To of Lone Star ‘Que.” The book takes readers on a journey through the smokehouses, roadhouses and barbecue food trucks throughout Texas. Weems wrote the book after traveling across 3,500 miles of Texas highways and byways to develop a roadmap through Texas’ culinary history.

Photo by Texas BBQ Adventure Guide

If you have ever wondered what divides the state into five main flavor regions, or how conquistadors and buccaneers made their mark on the local barbecue we love today, this is the book for you. Weems is a longtime Texas historian, known in Austin for his previous book, “A History Lover’s Guide to Austin.” He is also an award-winning singer- songwriter, voice actor, podcaster and an event producer who breathes life into the barbecue history that he loves dearly.

“Texas BBQ Adventure Guide” offers pro tips and sizzling backstory, which will forever change the way readers enjoy a plate of barbecue.

Dive into the story purchasing from your nearest bookstore or online at jasonweems.com.

CHEF LING WU OPENS NEW RESTAURANT IN SOUTH AUSTIN

Ling Wu Asian Restaurant, the brainchild of renowned Chef Ling Qi Wu has opened its doors to South Austin. Chef Wu is best known as the chef behind Lin Asian Bar + Dim Sum, as well as the modern Asian restaurant Qi in Downtown Austin. Classic dumplings and noodle dishes are a part of Chef Wu’s DNA, and have continued to feature prominently in the new Ling Wu Asian Restaurant’s cuisine.

Chef Wu pushes boundaries with this new venture, adding new dim sum items and unseen Wu family recipes to the menu. Ling Wu Asian Restaurant also offers a full bar with a modern Asian design by architect Evan Taniguchi.

Ling Wu Asian Restaurant is now open at 7415 Southwest Parkway. There, dim sum lovers can enjoy lunch and dinner, as well as weekend dim sum brunch.