Austin Monthly November/December 2023

Going Deep: Westlake’s Football Legacy PAGE 54 Sober Curious Is All the Buzz PAGE 60 November/December 2023

BEST NEW RESTAURANTS

B E S T N E W R E S TA U R A N T S • A U S T I N ’ S S O B E R R E V O L U T I O N • W E S T L A K E F O O T B A L L

Ramen risotto is just one way ELEMENTARY is having fun with fusion.

THE 13 HOTTEST RESERVATIONS IN TOWN

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

Westlake’s football team is an imposing force that shows no signs of slowing.

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B RYA N C . PA R K E R

Best New Restaurants 2023 French comfort food, Korean fried chicken, and Mexican-infused ramen were all the rage in this year’s stellar class.

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Friday Night Dynasty

For over five decades, the Westlake Chaparrals have staked a claim to being the fiercest and most successful high school football program in the state of Texas.

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A Cool, Dry Place

After founding the country’s first nonalcoholic bar, Chris Marshall has helped turn the capital city into a hot spot for the sober curious movement.

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ED I T O R ’ S

L E T T ER

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W EI R D

H I S T O R Y

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Contents Scout 23 In her gripping new memoir, local activist Alicia Roth Weigel shares her experience growing up intersex 2 4 10 holiday attractions sure to leave you holly and jolly 26 Find celeb-approved frocks, maximalist hotel decor, and even a winery with a rhino in thriving Fredericksburg 28

Beat 33

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A city resolution could ease affordability woes and reshape Austin neighborhoods 34 Vicious lemurs and unofficial diving judges make our list of the year’s best, worst, and weirdest news items 3 6

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ON THE C OV E R

Elementary’s ramen risotto,

by Robert Gomez

C A B I N : C O U RT ESY O N E R A ; P O RT R A I T: J E S S I E C U R N E A L

Can a cool pavement technology keep soaring temperatures at bay? 3 8

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November/December 2023 | Vol. 31 | No. 6

Editor in Chief Chris Hughes Creative Director Sara Marie D’Eugenio EDITORIAL Executive Editor Madeline Hollern Associate Editor Bryan C. Parker Contributing Writers Omar L. Gallaga, Daniel Modlin, Rosie Ninesling, Saba Rahimian ART Contributing Photographers Jessie Curneal, Robert Gomez, Hayden Spears Contributing Illustrators James Clapham, James Yates DIGITAL Digital Manager Abigail Stewart ADVERTISING Sales Director Molly Lochridge Account Director Dana Horner Senior Account Executive Samantha Amoroso Account Executive Annemarie Gist Sales Operations Manager Kiely Whelan EVENTS Events Director Lauren Sposetta

WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA austinmonthly.com

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November/December 2023

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CEO Todd P. Paul Editorial Director Rebecca Fontenot Cord Sales Director Molly Lochridge CIRCULATION Audience Development Director Kerri Nolan Circulation Manager Julie Becker ACCOUNTING Accounting Manager Sabina Jukovic CONTACT US Mailing Address 1712 Rio Grande St., Ste. 100 Austin, TX 78701 (512) 263-9133 Advertising Inquiries advertising@austinmonthly.com Job Inquiries jobs@austinmonthly.com Story Ideas ideas@austinmonthly.com Letters to the Editor feedback@austinmonthly.com Subscriptions, Renewals, and Address Changes Open Sky Media, Inc. 512 W. MLK Jr. Blvd., PMB 374 Austin, TX 78701-1231 (512) 387-6234 subscriptions@austinmonthly.com austinmonthly.com/subscribe Back Issues and Bulk Orders info@austinmonthly.com or (512) 263-9133

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Editor’s Letter

Chris Hughes Editor in Chief chughes@austinmonthly.com @cmhughestx @chris_hughestx

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J E S S I C A AT T I E

The Farewell Party

WHAT LEAF PEEPING is to New England and pumpkin spice is to your local Starbucks, explosions from Smokey the Cannon are to Austin. Or the bass notes of Big Bertha. Really any of the pageantry and practices emanating out of Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on an autumnal Saturday.

Because, while the weather might never cooperate, fall means football in this town.

But while the Longhorns are about as trustworthy as the Texas power grid when it comes to the wins department, there’s another local school that has dominated the sport for decades. In its 53-year existence, Westlake High School has racked up 49 winning seasons, four state titles, and a total winning percentage that has eclipsed vaunted names like Odessa-Permian and Dallas’ Highland Park.

With a tightknit coaching lineage stretching back from the beginning of its history, West Austin’s moneyed school has built one of the most successful and disciplined dynasties anywhere. That red “W” on its helmet has a repute that extends beyond its legions of fans, to rival schools, universities, and even pro scouts. In Bryan C. Parker’s excellent feature, “Friday Night Dynasty” (p. 54), he explores how legendary coaches like Todd Dodge and Ron Schroeder have built an impermeable foundation that has ensured long-term domination.

Under their collective guise, an array of pro and collegiate talent has come to fruition, such as Drew Brees and Justin Tucker—now widely considered the best kicker in NFL history.

Combine all that, and you have the kind of mythmaking that has made Chaparral Stadium the place to be on Friday nights.

Speaking of excellence, it’s our “Best New Restaurants” (p. 40) issue, which means I gorged my way through every gas station, grocery store kiosk, and globe-spanning fusion restaurant searching for the kinds of culinary voices that speak to today’s capital city. What I found was a much-needed injection of diversity and creativity, as chefs navigate a crowded and costly real estate market. Whether it was killer Korean fare served in the confines of an industrial-chic wine bar, Mexico City–style burgers lighting up the food truck scene, or a Cajun cafe you never want to leave, it was a fascinating year to consume outside of your comfort zone.

I should also say that it’s my last issue as editor in chief, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in my tenure. For nearly five years, I’ve had the opportunity to hold a mirror up to a city in flux. And while other regional publications grapple with overbearing leadership that has caused veritable coups on staff, I’ve been given the editorial freedom to pursue the type of unique stories that could only come out of a singular city like Austin. For that—and all the readers who have enjoyed those articles—I’ll forever be grateful.

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Cutting Edge You might say Brooke Vega has a heart of glass.

Mesmerized since childhood by the beautiful designs on church windows, the Taylor native finally decided to act on that enchantment by taking part in her first class at Blue Moon Glassworks in 2019.

A year later, she’d launched her own company, Home Again Glassworks, which utilizes a mix of new and secondhand material found at estate sales and online marketplaces. After cutting, grinding, and soldering each piece, that’s when the real fun starts, as Vega creates pop culture–inspired designs rangJESSIE CURNEAL

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ing from Kermit the Frog to the residents of Arlen, Texas. “I was dating someone a few years ago and we really loved watching King of the Hill, so I decided to make a little Bobby Hill piece, and then it just became this whole thing,” she says. A mutual friend even commissioned Vega to make stained glass artwork of the show’s Lucky and Luanne for Mike Judge, which she gifted to him between beers at The White Horse: “He was really stoked,” she says with pride. Shop all of her art pieces at homeagain glassworks.com. —Madeline Hollern November/December 2023

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Me, Myself, and “I” Sharing her experience in a new memoir, a local intersex activist is fighting for the rights of all non-binary individuals. BY SABA RAHIMIAN

From top: Alicia Roth Weigel; her new book, Inverse Cowgirl.

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ALICIA ROTH WEIGEL lives by a commanding Lady Bird Johnson quote: “The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.” This past March, the 33-year-old human rights commissioner for the City of Austin stood courageously in front of the Texas Legislature to advocate for change. Sporting a purple jumpsuit and white sneakers, Weigel gripped a sign proclaiming “Organize to protect Trans Texans” as she shared her story inside the Capitol’s open-air rotunda. The activist is not transgender but intersex, representing the “I” in LGBTQIA. Her video quickly went viral, inviting all people to join in the united fight for body autonomy and equality.

In her new memoir, Inverse Cowgirl, the Austinite recounts her journey to self-acceptance and activism through a series of essays as a self-identified woman born with XY chromosomes and internalized testes instead of a uterus and ovaries. Weigel believes that the intersex community, which makes up about 2 percent of the world’s population, is the gateway to dismantling dominant (and confining) ideologies concerning biological genders—an outlook validated by current academic and medical curricula. In today’s wake of right-wing policies that impose rigid binaries, Weigel holds up a glaring stop sign.

“If a baby was born with a vagina and testes, then this person’s body was not squarely in one of these two boxes (male or female),” she says. “If you take that one step further, why then does it not make sense that maybe some people’s minds, souls, and beings also don’t fit neatly into one of those two boxes?”

In Inverse Cowgirl, Weigel writes that misunderstanding begins moments after birth for intersex children. The lack of knowledge elicits a reaction to the perceived non-normative outcome of the child’s body from both parents and doctors, propelling early gender-corrective surgeries that result in sterilization and subsequent hormone therapy before the child is even old enough to comprehend what is happening. In Weigel’s case, the alteration of her body caused hormone withdrawal and triggered osteoporosis, which was first diagnosed in her late 20s. That complicated story, detailed in the book, begins to rip apart the framework of conservative laws around transgender medical treatment.

“They don’t believe trans kids to be normal, so they say ‘prevent them from accessing this care.’

They don’t think intersex kids are normal, so they say, ‘force this care on them, regardless of whether they want it,’” she notes. Today, her activism in Austin has aided the passage of a citywide condemnation of non-consensual surgeries on intersex children. In Texas Health Action’s Kind Clinics, Weigel helped Texas become the first state to integrate intersex education into the public health sphere, starting with doctors. And in addition to her new book, she was one of three subjects highlighted in Every Body, a documentary that came out this summer featuring three intersex individuals who were surgically altered without their consent in order to live a ‘normal’ adult life.

For a while, the “I” in intersex was synonymous with invisible. Today, Weigel shows how vital intersex humans are to our understanding that gender is more complicated than what meets the eye. “By calling us disordered, it implies that we are a problem that needs to be fixed,” she says. “A lot of times, our bodies are actually completely fine.”

TA N I A L E E G O N Z A L E Z

Scout Arts + Lit

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Scout Just For Fun

Holidazed & Confused ’Tis the season for Buddy the Elf–worthy cocktails, fake snow, and festive photo ops. Not sure which local holiday experience to attend? Check out our helpful guide.

BY MADELINE HOLLERN

F O R A DU LTS

Miracle on 5th Street Enjoy cheekily named cocktails like Elfing Around and Grandma Got Run Over by a T-Rex before your blood sugar spikes to the moon.

Donn’s Depot Two-step with a college student—or a spry octogenarian—at this holiday light–bedecked honky tonk.

Lala’s Little Nugget For 50-plus years, barroom theorists have pondered: Why do the elves hanging from the ceiling move every time the men’s room door opens?

South Pole Hobnob with friends in a stylish igloo, where you can play board games, listen to records, and take thousands of cool selfies.

FANCY

F U NK Y Mozart’s Annual Christmas Light Show Because there’s nothing more magical than sipping hot chocolate in 85-degree heat.

37th Street Lights Featuring an illuminated ‘Joy to the Weird’ sign, one drive down Austin’s most festive block has the ability to make any Grinch heart grow three sizes.

Austin Trail of Lights The props haven’t changed since the ’70s, but a twirl under the Zilker Tree feels as fresh as ever.

Peppermint Parkway Buy some cotton candy and embrace your inner Clark Griswold as you take your brood through this spirited drive at COTA. Eat my rubber!

FA M I LY F R I E N DLY

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Pinkmas If all you want for Christmas is more followers, record your dive into Museum of Ice Cream’s sprinkle pit and post it on TikTok immediately.

L A L A’ S : A B I G A I L S C H A E F E R ; M I R AC L E O N 5 T H ST R E E T: RO B E RT L E R M A ; P I N K ’ S : M AYA B A R K A I ; P E P P E R M I N T PA R K WAY: RO G E R H O ; 37 T H ST R E E T L I G H TS : C L S D I G I TA L A RTS / S H U T T E RSTO C K ; T H E G R I N C H : H E X A ST U D I O D E S I G N / S H U T T E RSTO C K

Nickel City’s Sippin’ Santa Overload on Tiki cocktails before going absolutely HAM on Delray sliders at this island-themed bacchanal.

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Scout Travel

safari-style tents, geodesic domes, and a butterfly-shaped domicile that wraps around a mature elm tree.

For something more down home, book a cottage at The Trueheart Hotel and enjoy freshsqueezed orange juice and biscuits delivered in a basket each morning.

Shop

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What to Do in Fredericksburg Interact with giraffes, attend a constellation party, and spend the night in a geodesic dome at this Hill Country haven. BY MADELINE HOLLERN ALTHOUGH IT’S HOME to more than 60 vineyards, wineries, and tasting rooms, Fredericksburg is more than just a destination for oenophiles. The once-sleepy German town, located about 90 minutes from Austin, has evolved into a bustling getaway for gourmands, animal lovers, and design aficionados alike. In addition to the following highlights, be on the lookout for the early 2024 arrival of Gillespie County’s first full-service hotel, Albert Hotel. Developed by local hospitality company New Waterloo (South Congress Hotel, Sway), the resort will include four restaurants and one bar with culinary programs helmed by Austin chefs Michael Fojtasek and Amanda Rockman.

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Fredericksburg

Cypress Mill

Albert

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Wimberley

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San Marcos

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Discover Feed giraffes and rhinos during a 75-minute tour of Longneck Manor (1), a conservation space that features a suite adjacent to the giraffe barn, where the creatures can peer in through the windows to greet guests. For more outdoor adventures, take a tour at winery The Rhinory to meet its Southern white rhino, Blake, or sign up for a quarterly star party with an astronomer at award-winning Meierstone Vineyards. (Fredericksburg is a designated dark sky community, so the constellations are especially bright at night.) If you want to load up on antioxidants in the most decadent way, try the Premiere Wine & Chocolate experience at

Hill Country Chocolate, where expert chocolatiers pair bean-to-bar confections, sea salt caramel, and bon bons with vino for an unforgettable treat.

Stay Feast your eyes on sumptuous jewel-toned furnishings and exotic wallpapers at The Menagerie (2), an ornate vacation rental property that opened this fall.

Featuring maximalist decor by Austin-based Sarah Stacey Interior Design, the luxe 12-unit property includes a renovated Queen Anne Victorian house as well as four revived 1930s bungalows. To spend time in nature, stay the night at Onera, a tuckedaway resort that includes

Eat After enjoying a massage at resort and spa Hill Country Herb Garden, savor garden-inspired libations and lighter fare like the forbidden black rice bowl with bok choy and pickled vegetables at its on-site restaurant. For heartier fare, chow down on smoked carnitas nachos or chicken schnitzel at Hill & Vine, or order “Neopolitan–New Yorkish”–style pizza from Prometheus Pizza. Using Barton Springs Mill flour, the popular food truck (and soon-to-be brick-and-mortar) makes artisan pies like its Breakfast of Champions pizza with Force of Nature wild boar chorizo and cured egg yolk.

LO N G N E C K M A N O R : C O U RT E SY LO N G N E C K M A N O R ; T H E M E N AG E R I E : AV E RY N I C O L E P H OTO

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Before you stock up on Fischer & Wieser canned peaches, jams, and sauerkraut at Das Peach Haus, take a stroll around the scenic pond behind its general store. In the mood to splurge? Buy a vintage-style frock at celeb favorite Magnolia Pearl—Taylor Swift even wore one of its dresses on the back cover of her folklore album. While exploring the shops on historic Main Street, pop into the new iteration of Austin transplant Allens Boots for a fresh pair of kicks. (Don’t miss the hilarious “band” at the back of the shop, a sextet of taxidermied raccoons called The Bandits.)

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H O U S E : M I X 3 R / S H U T T E RSTO C K ; T E T R I S : N E L E L E N A / S H U T T E RSTO C K ; I L LU ST R AT I O N BY S A R A M A R I E D ’ E U G E N I O

A House Divided A new city resolution amending required lot sizes could ease the city’s affordability woes. But will it also redefine the texture of Austin’s neighborhoods?

BY OMAR L. GALLAGA

November/December 2023

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Beat The City

NESTLED BETWEEN JOLLYVILLE Road and Great Hills Park in Northwest Austin, Michele House and Steve Wingard’s charming red-brick home is tucked into a cul-de-sac with only one other property. In the expansive backyard, behind the home’s patio, there used to be a grove of trees, but many of them died during two devastating winter storms in recent years. Now, it’s a rocky slope of unused space.

However, thanks to a new resolution authored

by City Council member Leslie Pool, the land could be easier to utilize. Homeowners now have increased flexibility to build more houses on less land, after the lot size required for a home was reduced from 5,750 square feet to 2,500 via the HOME initiative (Home Options for Middle-income Empowerment).

The policy also increases the number of housing structures that can sit on that 2,500 square feet from two to three.

According to Pool, the resolution is part of an effort to “crack the nut” on affordability after a push to rewrite the entire city code didn’t work. A con-

troversial effort called CodeNEXT tried to update city zoning policies comprehensively, but withered amid a deluge of legal challenges. Pool thinks granular changes might be more feasible, though. The resolution gives homeowners an ability to add housing on existing lots, potentially creating new rental income while adding inventory to a tight market. “You don’t have to apply for it,” Pool says.

“I’m hoping it will reduce the amount of money that it costs to build and more people can afford to build.”

In House’s case, she could knock down the shed that sits cattycorner to the main house and build two tiny homes back there. She could subdivide the lot, raze the current structure and build multiple units across the two new lots—or even stack them up vertically. The couple has five kids, ages 17 to 30, who are currently living in various cities. Their ideal vision is everyone reuniting in Austin, close to the family, but the city’s affordable-housing issues make that all but impossible with median home prices currently hovering above half a million dollars.

R AISING THE RO OF Capital city home prices have spiked, but new rules aim to boost inventory and increase affordability.

$545,000

Median home price in Austin as of August 2023.

57%

The reduction in required lot size for a residence, per the new resolution.

42,364

New Austin-area housing units authorized in 2022.

25.1%

The decrease in residential home sales from 2021 to 2022.

14,694

Approximate number of Airbnb rentals in the Austin area.

Council member Leslie Pool, who spearheaded the HOME initiative that could transform Austin.

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November/December 2023

JESSIE CURNEAL

9/27/23 10:38 AM

In theory, the new resolution could allow them to build extra dwellings on their large homestead.

One major hurdle to all this would be obtaining an HOA exception. Despite the city resolution, current HOA agreements are still binding for homeowners, and the contract for House’s neighborhood suggests that their family lot is limited to one residence. “We don’t want to upset our neighbors but really just want the land for the best use,” House says. “We never thought we’d contemplate living anywhere else, but it’s so restrictive.”

Anyone would be lucky to own such a spacious home in a desirable market, but the perfect house in Austin has become a source of anxiety and indecision for House and Wingard. “We are literally at a crossroads,” she says, standing next to a pile of papers on the kitchen island that includes the home’s lot survey, an HOA agreement, and other documents. “We don’t know how much longer we’ll be here, and we don’t know how to use this space.”

A board member from the Sierra Club environmental organization opposed the rule change, suggesting that increased density could reduce impervious cover, leading to flooding and other ecological problems. And some Austinites aren’t thrilled with the idea of threestory-tall container homes everywhere, especially if they’re short-term rentals. But the resolution has seen support from local Realtors and those who feel boosting home availability helps address the affordability crisis.

The debate around a policy like this comes down to whether someone believes increased density (more housing for more people on smaller footprints) will help the situation, or will lead to overbuilding, crime, and rental cash grabs. The latter tends to sound a lot like NIMBY talking points more concerned with preserving the charm of longstanding Austin neighborhoods.

Some developers and homeowners feel that the resolution alleviates just a small part of Austin’s building woes, since the zoning codes are still complex and difficult to navigate. Jason Kahle, who owns Small Home Solutions, LLC, says he and his 10 employees are “going to be all over” the changes in a market where it seems everyone with a large-enough lot has considered building a granny pod, mother-in-law suite, or backyard office.

But being free to build on a smaller lot is not the same as being able to feasibly do it within existing rules, Kahle points out. “There’s a lot of wheels turning at the same time,” he says. “Austin Energy is a challenge. We have protected trees, impervious cover, floor-area ratio rules, the level of detail the city requires on civil engineer plans, the subchapter McMansion ordinance, temp drawings. It’s a lot to deal with.” The McMansion regulations, also known as “Subchapter F” in the city’s housing code, set detailed and strict limits, including height and setbacks from the edges of a lot.

Laura Boas, an Austin physical therapist, is building an “acessory dwelling unit” for her family behind her 1950s-era, 720-square-foot cottage in the Brentwood neighborhood. She’s seen massive 2,500-squarefoot homes go up in her area, and her lot is big enough to support additional buildings. Boas lives alone and jokes, “I’m part of the problem.”

She doesn’t have a dog in the resolution fight; her lot was already large enough to expand on. But she wants more affordable housing for her fellow Austinites, something that probably means increased density. “I’d rather see multiple houses on a lot than one enormous one. Let’s build housing that people can live in.”

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Beat Year in Review

The Best and Worst of 2023 From Girl Scouts getting robbed and lemurs on the loose to Texas’ war on literature, there was plenty of fodder for our annual rundown of the city’s good, bad, and just plain weird. BY BRYAN C. PARKER

dia. Let’s just hope Manning can keep track of his receivers with greater awareness than his wallet.

BEST

In the Heat of the Moment

Making a Splash

Amid Texas’ brutal summers, a dip in Barton Springs has always been a cherished respite. But this year the popular swimming hole became an emotional balm for our heat-induced seasonal depression when four Austinites set up lawn chairs and started throwing up score cards for those leaping off the pool’s diving board.

The quartet of impromptu judges even managed to share that good-natured fun with the world when a video of them racked up more than 5 million views on TikTok.

There’s nothing like breaking a city record with 45 consecutive days of triple-digit heat to really ignite some inner primal rage. But a viral social media post made light of our collective suffering with a photo of a cake being sold at a local H-E-B sporting a perfect icing missive: I’m sorry for what I said when it was 109 degrees. Sweet, sagacious, and not requiring refrigeration, the grocery store confection is the perfect treat for the next time the power grid fails.

Soy What?

Each year, the DMV rejects thousands of personalized license plates that the state deems a touch too racy. Howev-

er, one Texas woman was stunned to find that her request for “LVTOFU” didn’t make it past the government’s censorial review. She appealed the decision by explaining it was off-carnivore, not off-color. Peta rushed to her pro-vegan defense with a statement saying it was intended to inspire more people to try tofu.

Candidate Camacho

Decked out head-to-toe in American flag apparel, Terry Crews made a SXSW appearance as Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho—his character from the movie Idiocracy.

Replete with ranting about time travel and troubles in the year 2525, Crews’ fake presidential announcement during a Rainey Street event felt only slightly more absurd than the current slate of political candidates.

By the Book

After the Texas Legislature began banning books and wrote a law forcing school vendors to rate all materials for sexual references, local indie shop BookPeople mounted a heroic counterattack. They sued the state, claiming that the new legislation created an unreasonable burden on small businesses and included terms that were too vague to be consistently enforced. At the end of August, a federal judge granted an injunction preventing the law from going into effect, but it’s likely the final chapter has yet to be written on the controversial topic.

Fish Out of Water

Sure, he’s the nephew of two Super Bowl–winning quarterbacks, but it’s apparent Longhorn newcomer Arch Manning doesn’t have his college game plan locked down just yet. The freshman signal-caller was on campus for just over a week when he lost his school ID. Luckily, a helpful classmate picked it up, even if they did embarrass the highly touted prospect by posting it on social me36

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November/December 2023

JAMES CLAPHAM

9/27/23 10:38 AM

For years, pieces of Austin have been sold off to the highest bidder.

Hand in the Cookie Jar

In March, a group of Girl Scouts were robbed while selling boxes of their famed cookies outside of a South Austin Randall’s. Although Tagalongs and Thin Mints have been known to make people go a little crazy, only cash was stolen in the grab-and-go misdemeanor. For anyone curious, the Girl Scouts program does not have a self-defense merit badge.

Wet and Wild

Already one of the saddest places in the city, Austin’s aquarium became more than a figurative eyesore when one of the facility’s lemurs attacked a visitor’s face this past May. This was actually the second such attack at the aquarium—a young girl was bitten in 2019. Remind us… why does a forest-dwelling Madagascan primate live in a strip mall on Highway 183?

Crash Course

WORST

After opening over Thanksgiving weekend, Kelly’s Irish Pub spent the earliest days of 2023 recovering from the out-of-control Tesla (this one wasn’t on autopilot) that plowed through the front of its facade. Luckily no one was hurt in the accident, but the driver did flee the scene of the crime. For those still worried about autonomous cars, may we present exhibit A: Austin drivers.

Here’s Your Sign

We’re #1!

A July CNBC article ranked Texas the No. 1 worst state in America to live and work for 2023. Likewise, while the capital city once topped U.S. News & World Report’s list of the country’s best places to live, it plummeted for a third consecutive year, dropping to No. 40 as crime rates, the environment, and affordability have worsened alongside a population boom. On the bright side, it might prove a great deterrent for the steady stream of transplants clogging up I-35.

Muddy Waters

Even as Texans endure extreme drought, Elon Musk’s Tesla Gigafactory east of Austin sucks up millions of gallons of water from the Colorado River each year. This is an infraction made worse by the fact that Musk’s Boring Company is also asking the state for permission to dump 150,000 gallons of wastewater into the same body of water. Why is it so easy to imagine the tech mogul explaining these ethics with an X post that simply says, “I drink your milkshake!”

For years, pieces of Austin have been sold off to the highest bidder as South Congress and the East Side have been transformed into tourist zones. In an apropos move, a vending machine at SXSW 2023 allowed people to purchase artifacts from departed local businesses. And June saw the opening of Sign Bar—a wonderland of neon from bygone capital city enterprises like Dart Bowl and Buffalo Billiards.

Didn’t you hear? The new culture is just waxing nostalgic about the time we used to have one.

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Beat Technology

The City of Austin is partnering with UT to test out a new pavement technology that could help keep extreme heat in check. BY BRYAN C. PARKER THIS PAST SUMMER, as triple-digit temperatures turned the capital city into a concrete sauna, mirage-like waves radiated off roadways. That’s not unusual in major cities like Austin, which are prone to becoming “urban heat islands”—densely developed areas that see higher ambient air temperatures than surrounding rural areas. It’s a phenomenon created by buildings and pavement that absorb and trap heat even past sunset. But the city is testing a cooling pavement technology that could ease the oppressive summer heat that has become an increasing concern of late.

On an unseasonably warm day in fall of 2022, City of Austin civil engineer Ed Poppitt watched a distributor truck spray a coating on the surface of a short stretch of pavement off St. Elmo Road. Drying to a transparent finish, the special application is designed to reflect heat from the asphalt and cool air temperatures near the ground. Though practically invisible to the average motorist, it has inspired a degree of optimism in Poppitt and everyone else involved with the project.

“If you can make evening temperatures cooler and help people enjoy walking their dog at night and take advantage of those hours, that might make Austin more livable—and that feels good,” he says.

The city has partnered with the University of Texas, which is conducting the study to determine

The recent shattering of heat records reinforces the importance of seeking a solution.

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O L E KS I I SY N E L N Y KOV/ S H U T T E RSTO C K

Playing It Cool

the application’s effectiveness. Principal investigator Dev Niyogi and his team periodically analyze data collected by sensors that work around the clock.

Even with that nonstop supervision, obtaining precise numbers concerning temperatures above the surface is much tougher than simply measuring the pavement itself. “If wind blows, you’re not sure if you’re actually measuring what happened or what happened upstream or downstream,” Poppitt explains. That problem is accentuated by the small area of the test site—a little under a mile of roadway.

Still, some clear patterns have emerged, such as temps registering two to four degrees lower at the testing location when compared with surrounding areas. That might not sound like much, but even a minor difference during the hottest parts of the day results in a dramatic effect later in the evening, since less warmth is trapped inside.

Created by an Ohio-based company called Pavement Tech Inc., the innovative material not only reflects heat away from surfaces, but also provides greater durability to roadways and improves air quality. The mixture contains titanium dioxide, which when exposed to sunlight, initiates a chemical reaction that neutralizes nitrous dioxide—a pollutant that comes from car exhaust.

However, the solution isn’t without some drawbacks. Niyogi is quick to point out that with only a year-long sample size of testing, it’s difficult to know if benefits diminish over time and how often the material might need to be reapplied.

According to Poppitt, that means the next step is seeking funding in next year’s budget to expand the study to a larger swath of city streets. For him, the recent shattering of heat records just reinforces the importance of seeking a solution. “Those of us who’ve already bought in, we get a little bit more fire in our belly to push harder when we see the evidence overwhelmingly prove that this is meaningful,” he says.

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BEST NEW RESTAURANTS

BY CHRIS HUGHES In a year when comfort made a comeback—smash burgers got a glorious Mexican makeover, fish sticks became the class of the sea, and a wine bar inspired actual awe. Say hello to the spots that made dining out fun again.

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JA N E Y U N

3

Dishes like fried grouper fingers with caviar are just a small part of the appeal at Bill’s Oyster.

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EVEN WITH 20 years of somm experience under his belt, and a menu of Dionysian rarities that rivals any list in town, you can see why Richard Hargreave is reluctant to use the loaded term “wine bar” when describing his sensational South Austin spot, Underdog. After all, with its connotations of sad cheese boards and the occasional bowl of marinated olives, it’s hard to muster much enthusiasm for the category. Yet here, you’ll find nothing of the sort.

Instead of the typical chilled seafood offerings, patrons feast on peeland-eat shrimp bursting with umami from a boil made from a Korean crab dashi that co-owner Claudia Lee’s mother, Christina, discovered in Seoul. There’s also a DIY pork belly ssam platter featuring an endless source of beguiling flavor combinations, with banchan options like confit garlic bulbs, sticky Koshihikari sushi rice, and what Hargreave considers the real key, anise-y perilla leaves that can prove next-to-impossible to source stateside.

But that’s the thing about Underdog: Every element is approached with the utmost care and zeal. For instance, the kimchi making its way into so many dishes (flaky hotteok, tender galbi) is a Lee family recipe. Not content with the same ol’ same ol’, though, Christina tracked down a kimchi master in Korea to heighten her fermentation game prior to opening.

While other wine bars are all too happy to hide the truth concerning its Costco-curated almonds and cubed cheese, Underdog wants to wow you with every sensory detail.

So, the question remains: Is it a modern Korean eatery with a summa cum laude–level booze I.Q.? Or a more appetizing iteration of a wine bar?

We’ll just call it the best new restaurant of 2023.

Key Players: Co-owners Richard Hargreave and Claudia Lee Star Dishes: Fried chicken, roast pork belly ssam, bulgogi burger, kimchi and taleggio hotteok Destination: 1600 S. First St., Ste. 100

BONE APPÉTIT To truly relish the Underdog experience, diners need to delve into the singular selections that encapsulate Hargreave’s wine dogma (so to speak).

Mee Godard “Corcelette” Morgon Beaujolais, France “Godard is so under-the-radar that even fellow Beaujolais producers aren’t aware of what she’s doing!

One of our aims is to showcase as many female Asian winemakers as possible, and the offerings from this Korean producer are reason enough to stand behind that commitment.

She makes wines of subtle power and finesse.”

Joshua Cooper “Cope Williams Vineyard” Chardonnay Macedon Ranges, Australia “Australian chard is typically not the first thing that people think of when they walk through our doors—but our aim is always to surprise and open minds to wines like this.

Cooper makes electric, complex chardonnay that drinks like much more expensive examples from the Jura.”

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B OT H PAG ES : RO B E RT G O M E Z ; W I N E S : C O U RT E SY V E N D O RS

Nicolas Barbou “Utopie Creative” Loire, France “At Underdog, we love to champion the next big thing versus a running list of big-name producers. After working for two great properties in Burgundy, Nicolas Barbou made the jump to making his own wine in central France. This 2020 is his first vintage, and it represents everything we want to get behind.”

From left: Underdog’s roast pork belly ssam; fried chicken.

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Claudia Lee and Richard Hargreave’s place is hard to describe, but easy to fall in love with.

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Bill’s Oyster

Considering his bona fides working under seafood savants like Eric Ripert (Le Bernardin), it should come as no surprise that chef Daniel Berg developed a passion for every briny denizen of the coast. More importantly, he learned the inherent elegance of simplicity. Strip out the flotsam of excess, and let the ingredients speak for themselves. It’s a philosophy on full display at Berg’s first Austin establishment, which he modeled after acclaimed oyster icons like Casamento’s Restaurant in New Orleans. Part of its “lived in” ambience can be chalked up to the menu itself, which subtly nods to the classics. For example, a riff on Mexican campechana with raw clams draped in a Maggiladen michelada sauce. Or fried grouper pieces that can be dunked in a caviar ranch dressing—basically the best fish sticks you’ve ever had. Although its vintage aura might be nothing more than a clever fabrication, Berg’s homage has the type of charm to outlive the forebears it so earnestly sought to honor in the first place.

Star Dishes: Clams michelada, fried grouper fingers, fried green tomatoes, an ice-cold martini

Chef Daniel Berg elevates clams and other raw bar staples at Bill’s Oyster.

Destination: 205 W. Third St.

LAST CALL

Five trends that need to be 86ed from our dining experience. —DANIEL MODLIN

#1

#3

Is it possible to implement the culinary equivalent of catch limits when it comes to ceviche or aguachile on menus? We get it: it’s light, it’s fresh, it looks gorgeous for the ’gram. But it’s the biggest culprit for dining déjà vu.

Taxidermy, faux wood-paneling, and a sticker wall near the bathroom does not merit the title of “dive bar.” Pretenders, take heed: More $3 pints of Lone Star, less $17 cocktails called the Sister Fister.

#2

#4

We’re willing to lobby TABC on behalf of all restaurants looking to obtain the correct permit that allows corkage fees. After all, going BYOB might be the only defense against those tiresome natural wine lists.

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Not all tasting menus are “omakase.” For one, omakase means dining face-to-face with a chef. Tasting menu typically just means you end your evening at the Whataburger drive-thru because there wasn’t enough food.

#5

In 2003, it might have felt novel to creep down a back alleyway and speak in code like some Prohibition-era bootlegger. But if every cocktail lounge in the city is a speakeasy, how is anyone on Hinge actually supposed to find one another?

BPIHL OTO L’ S OYST CREE DR I T: JA N E Y U N ; P R I C E TA G : I R I N A G U T Y RYA K / S H U T T E RSTO C K ; D R I N K : G . M A RT YS H E VA / S H U T T E RSTO C K

Key Players: Chef-founder Daniel Berg, co-founder Stewart Jarmon

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EZOV

Chef Geoffrey Ellis’ famous pastrami is even better on his house-baked sourdough rye.

J E S S I C A AT T I E

Unlike other high-profile restaurant groups around town, the Emmer & Rye Hospitality team doesn’t take a calculated approach to growth. The term “data-driven strategy” is probably nowhere in their vernacular.

Anything new is simply based on what rare story they can offer that’s already fostered within their circle of talent.

Like chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph’s Caribbean love letter last year (Canje), Berty Richter has been given carte blanche to explore his Israeli roots in a space meant to mimic the markets of Tel Aviv. More vibrant than any graffitied decor, though, are dishes like smashed cucumbers snuggling up next to smoked labneh. You think you know hummus? Not until you’ve tried Richter’s velvety version fortified with grilled oyster mushrooms. Like all of the group’s concepts, purveyors are given rock star recognition on the menu. But it’s really Richter’s passionate point of view that sets it all apart.

Key Players: Chef-partner Berty Richter, co-owners Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Kevin Fink, Rand Egbert, and Alicynn Fink Star Dishes: Chicken shawarma, smashed cucumbers, hummus Destination: 2708 E. Cesar Chavez St.

Mum Foods

Ezov’s chicken shawarma spread includes fresh laffa, pickles, and an array of condiments.

As an Austinite who spent summers visiting family in New York, Geoffrey Ellis has a way of reminding guests that they’re trodding on both sides of the great Texas-Yankee divide at Mum Foods. Think schmaltz-stuffed matzo balls plated next to glistening beef sausage rings like the kind you’d find at Kreuz Market in Lockhart. Or how about classic mustard potato salad sharing tray real estate with marbled pastrami that’s been swaddled in a thousand-gallon Bison pit. Following a year-plus dalliance with a temporary brick-and-mortar on Manor Road, not to mention more than a decade as a cured meat cult hero at area farmers markets, the pitmaster had plenty of time to cultivate his distinct brand of Jewish smokehouse. And boy, did it pay off. Located around the same East Side vicinity that dominates capital city ’cue, Mum still manages to feel thousands of miles from the ordinary.

Key Players: Chef-owner Geoffrey Ellis Star Dishes: Pastrami, handmade beef sausage, pickle plate, matzo ball soup Destination: 5811 Manor Road

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Uptown Sports Club

For more than a decade, it was tradition for every tipsy bar patron stumbling out of Shangri-La to peer into the vacant façade of Uptown Sports Club and dream about what could emerge out of those dirt floors. But only Aaron Franklin and James Moody had the chutzpah—not to mention time, resources, and state and federal tax breaks—to actually do something about it. What has materialized is nothing short of a miracle, with the type of languid, Louisiana-leaning environment you’ll want to soak in for hours. No worries about monopolizing that table when there’s so many palatable pleasures to sift through, like expert po’boys, frozen cocktails blitzed with real ice cream, and the kinds of “supper club” classics that have long fascinated Franklin. Does Uptown’s steak frites trump his brisket in the bovine department? We’re not not saying that. But we’ll let you decide.

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Key Players: Chef-owner Aaron Franklin, co-owner James Moody, general manager Matt Pearson Star Dishes: Roast beef debris po’boy, potato salad, East Coast oysters, steak frites Destination: 1200 E. Sixth St.

B OT H PAG ES : RO B E RT G O M E Z

Uptown’s po’boys utilize Leidenheimer bread sourced directly from Louisiana.

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Curated with the help of Josh LaRue from Breakaway Records, Uptown Sports Club’s vinyl selection focuses on ’70s rock, doo-wop, and New Orleans brass. “One of the most common mistakes in restaurants is that the music is too widely interpreted by the staff, and it doesn’t have a point of view,” Moody says.

“We wanted ours to feel like it had a sense of gravity and timelessness.”

If diners look toward the bar, they can catch episodes of Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, and even early ’80s bowling matches on ESPN. That’s because Aaron Franklin was able to rewire antique black-and-white televisions to stream Apple TV.

LOUISIANA PURCHASE

During the lengthy renovation, one slogan kept appearing over and over as they scraped the exterior walls: “Be a Sport.” Enamored with the “galvanizing” sentiment, they made it the centerpiece of the vintage tile work that greets every guest at the entrance.

Architectural preservation, painstaking excavation, and a serious love of history were necessary to bring an icon back to life.

On Uptown’s history wall, you can find photos and old newspaper articles detailing all of the space’s previous owners and iterations, including Bob Herrera, Ron Hernandez, and a sepia-toned pic from its turn as a German butcher shop.

Moody and Franklin weren’t just interested in the legacy of their space, but all iconic Austin businesses. Hence, their acquisition of a 1940s jadeite Hamilton Beach triple milkshake mixer from the dearly departed Nau’s Enfield Drug. To get it to fit on the bar, Franklin had to build a collapsible ladder that could bend around the contraption.

As they dug through the dirt floor to build a new foundation, architect Ken Johnson and his team kept finding artifacts from its past such as dominoes, bottle caps, poker chips, and even a lucky horseshoe. All were embedded in the concrete patio out back. “It was like a weird little treasure chest,” says Moody. “And we try to keep the ghosts here… in a good way.”

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Cuantas Hamburguesas Are our neighbors to the south as obsessed with the American hamburger as we are with tacos? That might be a gustatory bridge too far.

But you can definitely see the influence on the streets of Mexico City, where vendors specialize in heavyweight versions stacked with heartier condiments like hot dogs and grilled pineapple. Glimpses of that mesquite-grilled phenomenon have appeared at Con Todo and Aparicio’s before, but Cuantos Tacos owner Luis “Beto” Robledo has made it the focal point of his latest East Side trailer.

After years of research abroad, he’s put together a sensational spin on the smash burger trend that, frankly, felt on the verge of oversaturation. Not anymore, with Cuantas options like the Campechana, which pairs two Angus patties with spicy longaniza, house-made avocado oil mayo, onion, cilantro, and a costra-style corn tortilla encrusted with fried cheese.

At his latest truck, “Beto” Robledo explores Mexico’s infatuation with the American burger.

Key Players: Chef-owner Luis “Beto” Robledo

Destination: 1108 E. 12th St.

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RO B E RT G O M E Z

Star Dishes: The Sincronizada and Campechana burgers

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Veracruz Fonda & Bar

A picada stacked with salsa, black beans, avocado, and a fried egg.

Ask any Austinite what the town’s most important culinary contribution is, and they’ll undoubtedly say the breakfast taco. And over the last 15 years, no eggy specimen has epitomized that morning miracle worker more than Veracruz All Natural’s migas variety. Pantheon provision or not, their taco gifts were never the end game for owners Reyna and Maritza Vazquez. Since they emigrated from Mexico, their goal has always been a full-service restaurant where they could flaunt the type of cooking learned under their mother, affectionately known as “La Ley” (or “The Law”). Now, the Vazquez siblings have their preferred gastronomic forum, and it does not disappoint. Items like piquant cochinita pibil served with blue corn tortillas and its signature picadas—squishier masa rounds swiped with salsa, queso fresco, and more—prove they were ready for an even bigger, more radiant spotlight than they already commanded before.

Key Players: Chef-owners Reyna and Maritza Vazquez Star Dishes: Cochinita pibil, empanada de queso, picadas, mojarra frita Destination: 1905 Aldrich St., Ste. 125

V E R AC RUZ F O N DA & B A R : RYA N M Y E RS ; R A M E N D E L B A R R I O : S K Y L E R M O O R E

Ramen del Barrio This stall inside Hana World Market is the kind of refreshingly audacious restaurant only a 25-year-old chef could come up with: bold, confident in its own palate (namely, everything gloriously gluttonous), and unafraid of any accusations concerning cultural appropriation.

Born in Maine, but raised on the coast of Isla Mujeres, Christopher Krinsky was quick to see the savory tendrils connecting Mexican and Japanese street food. Ramen, in particular, has proved a versatile muse as he combines it with elements of menudo and mouth-coating mole—the latter placed in the context of dippable tsukemen adorned with crunchy chicken karaage. Krinsky’s confidence keeps growing, as does his menu, with tostadas and a yakitori taco selection—grilled over binchotan Japanese charcoal—that shows the blending of these two storied foodways is a border-crossing boon. Youth is served?

You can say that again.

Key Players: Chef-owner Christopher Krinsky Star Dishes: Carnitas tonkotsu, pork belly tacos, chorizo tsukune tacos, camaron tostada Destination: 1700 W. Parmer Lane, Ste. 100

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Holiday While the rest of the industry was paring down during the pandemic, John DiCicco decided to go in the opposite direction. After all, the building of his dreams had just opened up on East Seventh, and, somehow, the Kinda Tropical chef-partner had beaten out one of the Pacific Northwest’s trendiest coffee roasters for the rights to the former gas station. More importantly, he had a vision: the laidback dinner parties hosted by another Olamaie alum, Peter Klein. Reuniting with his friend (as well as beverage guru Erin Ashford), they pulled off the jubilant feat with elevated grazing that matches the Laurel Canyon–esque vibes: cashew-onion dip, a twist on sgroppino made from Texas-grown Pecos cantaloupe, and deep-golden zucchini fritters crowned with trout roe. As DiCicco likes to say, a reservation system was eschewed for good reason—because at this martini-filled fete, everyone’s invited.

Key Players: Co-owners Erin Ashford and John DiCicco, chef Peter Klein Star Dishes: Zucchini fritters, shrimp cocktail, ricotta cavatelli, cantaloupe sorbet and prosecco Destination: 5020 E. Seventh St.

COCKTAIL PARTY

An old classic made a big return in 2023. But when it comes to shrimp cocktail, Peter Klein goes above and beyond to inspire true shell shock.

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2

Removing the shell prior to the boil often leads to rubbery results. But Klein has developed a dry brine technique with kosher salt and baking soda that helps the shrimp retain a plump, snappy texture.

3

For the poaching liquid, the chef uses the discarded shells to fortify a court bouillon with white wine, lemon, and tarragon. After bringing it to a boil, he kills the heat, and then gently steeps the shrimp in the flavorful broth.

4

Yes, plunging the shellfish in an ice bath stops the cooking process—but it also washes away some of that hard-earned flavor. So, Klein replaces plain water with some reserved court bouillon that’s been chilled down.

5

To add a touch of class, the shrimp gets a dipping upgrade courtesy of “Nonni sauce,” a creamy, garlicky, Tabasco-infused riff on a remoulade that Klein’s grandmother would make every year during the Feast of the Seven Fishes.

RO B E RT G O M E Z

1

You’re only as good as your fishmonger, and Klein utilizes the local industry’s secret weapon: Ben McBride of Heritage Seafood. The former Uchi chef drives to the Texas coast daily to hand select the very best Gulf shrimp.

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Ember Kitchen

DESTINATION DISHES These signature offerings are incentive enough for a repeat visit.

Paella de Pato at El Raval Chef Laila Bazahm spent the first part of her career cooking Japanese food in Singapore—an influence she’s not afraid to tap into when approaching Spain’s most famous rice dish. In addition to a foundational four-hour kombu broth, she crowns the confit duck platter with house-made shichimi togarashi. elravalatx.com Khao Man Gai at P. Thai’s Khao Man Gai Using a concentrated poultry fat that’s sautéed with garlic and ginger, chef Thai Changthong is able to coax unbelievable depths of flavor out of simple chicken and rice. The accompanying house-made fermented bean chili sauce is so good on its own, the chef already has plans to bottle it. instagram.com/pthaiatx

E M B E R K I TC H E N : JA N E Y U N ; N O RT E : S A R A M A R I E D ’ E U G E N I O

↓ Volcan at Norte With morsels of carne asada and spirals of charred serranos poking out of a griddled bed of queso asadero, this tostada on Coahuilasourced flour tortillas looks like some kind of classical mosaic. Adding to the bejeweled effect are fresh avocado chunks and artful flourishes of Norte’s house-made habanero salsa. norteatx.com

Like an Oscar underdog released in theaters too early in the year, the buzz around Ember Kitchen’s February debut seemed to pass quicker than a bout of autumn weather in Austin.

Some of that can be blamed on a carousel of leadership changes at the top, but the Latin-inspired restaurant inside the Seaholm Power Plant finally found a steadying voice with Julio-Cesar Florez starting in July. The Lucky Robot alum has not only brought a new perspective from his Peruvian background—like crudos soaking in tangy leche de tigre—but he’s improved upon menu standards such as Mexican white shrimp coated in a garlicky, chile Morita butter that’ll have you abandoning all decorum.

And most notably, Prime aged filet mignon that’s seared in an open-flame Josper grill, then drizzled in a dense birria jus. Like that sauce, made from beef bones and time, Ember’s late awakening proves that patience can be the greatest virtue when judging any promising newcomer.

Key Players: Chef Julio-Cesar Florez, general manager Mychael Flores, manager of restaurant operations Nick Meyer Star Dishes: Prime filet mignon, morita shrimp, crispy tomal, roasted carrots, crispy beef fat potatoes Destination: 800 W. Cesar Chavez St., Ste. PP110

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If you aren’t too distracted by the fragrant platters of saffron-honey bur nished roast chicken being whisked across the dining room, you might notice Elementary’s hostess stand, which doubles as a locker. Or the back bar framed by miniature monkey bars. And is that the Stüssy symbol doodled in the margins of a menu that looks ripped straight out of your sophomore year algebra notebook? According to creative director Chris Arial, those little allusions to your academic days are intentional, “without getting too gimmicky.” But the trio behind this thrilling new restaurant want you to know this is a place of gastronomic play. Porky ra-

men spun into a platter of risotto? Why not. Or how about tom kha gai condensed into a curry sauce to better accentuate the sweet meatiness of charred tiger prawns? Nothing is out of bounds in the sandbox of global flavors, because under the ingenuous guise of chef Colter Peck, recess is always in session.

Key Players: Culinary director-founder Colter Peck, creative director-founder Chris Arial, operations director-founder Allan Bautista Star Dishes: Tiger prawns with curry, al pastor tortellini, True Bird half chicken, banana ice cream Destination: 2026 S. Lamar Blvd.

From left: Colter Peck showing off curried tiger prawns; ramen risotto.

WILD CHILD Elementary’s whimsical outlook is best represented at the bar. Here, 3 throwback ingredients that prove it’s OK to play with your food.

Kool-Aid For Arial, after-school leisure was synonymous with cherry Kool-Aid. So, he fermented the sugary staple with Champagne yeast and honey to create a tangy alternative that delivers more complexity in his version of a Cosmo.

Eggo Waffles Making the ubiquitous espresso martini more of a breakfast-leaning libation, Arial includes cereal milk and maple syrup that’s been prepared sous vide with Eggo homestyle waffles for an added toasty touch.

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RO B E RT G O M E Z ; I L LU ST R AT I O N : JA M ES YAT ES

SunnyD Brunch mimosas get an injection of nostalgia as OJ is swapped out for SunnyD that’s been clarified with agar.

The crystal-clear result is an ideal companion for cava and other sparkling wines.

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Luminaire

Cecina, chorizo de Leon, a 24-month jamón, and other stunning charcuterie options.

One of the main reasons chef Steve McHugh is a six-time James Beard Award finalist is his particular prowess with proteins—namely, the salted and cured variety. For example, silky Cecina crafted out of smoked inside round from Deen & Peeler Beef. Having grown up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, McHugh admits he has an ingrained appreciation for the work of ranchers and farmers. You see that even outside his vaunted charcuterie program, where patrons can partake of thin cuts of goat, boar, and lamb— something he’s dubbed “Delgada” chops (Spanish for skinny). It’s a nostalgic dish for the chef who grew up in a household with six brothers, where stretching the grocery budget meant pork chops and other proletarian meats. Despite the fine-dining veneer, Luminaire is a downtown restaurant that exudes warmth and actually considers value. Today, that’s something even more elusive than any cheffy accolades.

Key Players: Chef-owner Steve McHugh, executive chef Greg Driver Star Dishes: Charcuterie board, smoked tomato tartare, Delgada chops Destination: 721 Congress Ave.

LU M I N A R I E : JA N E Y U N ; B U R E AU D E P O ST E : S A R A M A R I E D ’ E U G E N I O

Bureau de Poste Following her run on Top Chef in 2022, chef Jo Chan returned to Austin burned out—not only from the grueling filming schedule, but the industry as a whole. Originally from the deserts of Palmdale, California, she’d grown up without a lot of money, and all Chan saw in the modern dining diaspora was pretentiousness. It was in this frame of mind, firmly intent on stepping away from professional kitchens, that Tiny Grocer owner Steph Steele approached her with an opportunity: a no-frills neighborhood restaurant whose only goal was “comfort.” That objective was enough to pull Chan back from the brink, as the chef leaned into her early French training to nurture Hyde Park with stunners like a fluorescent orange trout tartare studded with citrus and a perfect roast chicken stacked over sauce verte—a tribute to her mentor, Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto in New York). One taste of that juicy bird and, yes, you’ll feel comfort. But also, relief, knowing we almost lost one of the city’s cooking greats before she embarked on her best chapter yet.

Key Players: Owner Steph Steele, chef-partner Jo Chan Star Dishes: Trout tartare, poisson a la plancha (skate wing), steak frites, endive salad Destination: 4300 Speedway

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FRIDAY

NIGHT

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DYNASTY

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For decades, Westlake High School has played football under the brightest lights in Texas, as the program made itself into a powerhouse with a direct pipeline to the pros.

PHOTOS & WORDS BY BRYAN C. PARKER

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W WARM LIGHT FROM a solitary wall sconce washes over the brown brick above the doors to the Westlake Chaparrals’ field house. Head coach Tony Salazar stands in the predawn darkness, country rock blaring from his phone as he shakes hands with an influx of players. It’s 5:30 a.m., and Salazar follows the final arrivals into the locker room to give a rallying speech before his team heads out for practice.

All 194 eyes of the varsity squad are laser focused on the veteran coach and former All-American defensive back as he swaggers to the front of the group. “It’s the dog days of summer—is it gonna be a hassle, a task?” he asks, his Texan drawl booming off the low ceiling. “Or do we GET to play football today at Westlake High School?”

A fire alarm begins to blare repeatedly, which becomes a teachable moment for Salazar: Control the things you can; block out all the rest of the noise.

Over the casual chaos that comes with operating out of any high school facility, he shouts, “Today’s challenge is going to be consistency, boys!”

That’s a fitting word to describe the past 53 years of dynastic football at Westlake High School, whose 512-150-7 record gives them the state’s third best all-time winning percentage (.765). Better, in fact, than legendary Odessa-Permian, the school that inspired Friday Night Lights. Along the way, the Chaps have delivered 104 playoff victories, 49 winning seasons, 27 district championships, and four state titles. Between 2019 and 2022 alone, they strung together a streak of 54 wins, a stretch that included two undefeated seasons and three consecutive titles, tying a record for 6A schools (Texas’ largest classification).

Anyone who knows high schoolers should marvel at the ability to get 97 teenagers to show up before sunrise, ready to pledge their full attention. It’s a small victory for a coaching staff that understands championships are built incrementally, through hard-fought inches that lead to eventual paydirt.

The feat is especially impressive considering that many of these players will rarely see the field, since— seniors or not—the squad is so replete with talent.

But the honor of just wearing the W emblazoned on the team’s helmets carries enormous significance.

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In a two-minute missive, Salazar covers everything from “upholding the standard that it takes to be a Westlake Chaparral” to a pre-snap keyword for a play designed to make the other team jump offsides.

There’s no concept too grandiose or too granular, and Salazar knows both are necessary for long-term success. “I love you, guys,” he concludes. “Now, let’s go have a sh*tload of fun.”

The choral “Yes, sir!” comes without hesitation.

Players spill out of the locker room and into the halls, passing oversized photographs of teams past. These immortalized championship squads include Drew Brees’ 1996 class, which secured Westlake’s first state title, and the Nick Foles–led team that fell just short a decade later. Inspired by these greats, the current players venture out into the darkness toward twin practice fields about a half-mile across campus.

Starting at such an early hour helps mitigate the most brutal windows of summer heat. But seeing as how this year’s camp began on July 31 (earlier than ever before), it’s 80 degrees before daybreak, with triple-digit temperatures expected later.

Wide receiver Heath McRee embraces teammate Cal Livengood on a touchdown catch.

Championships are built through hardfought inches that lead to paydirt.

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B R E ES : C A L S P O RT M E D I A /A L A M Y STO C K P H OTO ; T U C K E R : Z U M A P R E S S , I N C . /A L A M Y STO C K P H OTO ; F O L ES : D PA P I CT U R E A L L I A N C E /A L A M Y STO C K P H OTO ; E H L I N G E R : N U R P H OTO S R L /A L A M Y STO C K P H OTO ; C A R D S : J U L I E D ES H A I E S / S H U T T E RSTO C K

Westlake Greats A rundown of some of the most notable players to ever sport a Chaps jersey.

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Justin Tucker

Drew Brees

Position: Kicker College: University of Texas Height: 6’1” Years at Westlake: 2004-2008 Draft Pick No.: Undrafted

Position: Quarterback College: Purdue Height: 6’0” Years at Westlake: 1993-1997 Draft Pick No.: 32

Regarded by some as the greatest NFL kicker of all time, Justin Tucker has made over 90 percent of his field goals—the best in league history. A Baltimore Raven for the entirety of his 12-season career, he’s made 57 field goals from longer than 50 yards, including a career-best of 66 yards, good for the longest field goal ever in the NFL. Prior to that, Tucker enshrined himself in University of Texas lore by kicking a 40-yard, game-winning field goal with three seconds left on the clock against A&M during their final Big 12 contest in 2011.

Drew Brees played for 20 seasons in the NFL, proving himself as one of best signal-callers the league has ever seen. The Super Bowl–winning QB ranks second all-time in categories including completion percentage (67.7), total yards (80,358), and touchdowns (571). It’s a résumé that ensures a first-ballot entry into the Hall of Fame when he’s eligible in 2026. In his high school career, Brees won 28 of the games he started. His 1,966 yards during his senior year led the Chaps to an undefeated season and the school’s first state championship.

Sam Ehlinger

Nick Foles

Position: Quarterback College: University of Texas Height: 6’1” Years at Westlake: 2013-2017 Draft Pick No.: 218

Position: Quarterback College: University of Arizona Height: 6’6” Years at Westlake: 2003-2007 Draft Pick No.: 88

Despite all the great predecessors at quarterback, Sam Ehlinger managed to set school records at Westlake, including throwing for 3,837 yards in the 2015 season, a mark still unsurpassed today. Ehlinger attended the University of Texas, where he helped the Longhorns to four winning seasons that included signature victories like a dramatic triumph over the Oklahoma Sooners in 2018 and an upset win over the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2019 Sugar Bowl.

After being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2021, he played with fellow Westlake alum, Nick Foles, for one season.

A 2012 third-round NFL draft pick, Nick Foles has played quarterback for six different teams in his 11 professional seasons, most notably the Philadelphia Eagles and the St. Louis Rams. In 2017, he took over for injured teammate Carson Wentz and threw six touchdowns over three games, as Philadelphia stormed through the playoffs to win Super Bowl LII. In a key moment, Foles called the “Philly Special,” a trick play in which he caught a touchdown pass from his tight end—a move considered one of the boldest decisions ever made in a championship game.

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Many in attendance are parents of players, or members of the band, drill team, or cheerleading squad. But there are plenty of people here who’ve been coming to games for decades with or without progeny to root for. They’re here because Chaparral Stadium is the place to be on a Friday—the glue that bonds this community together.

Westlake is one of less than two dozen examples of a single 6A high school serving an independent district in Texas. Since it’s landlocked, it will never have the need to build a new campus that divides its population of students. Those mundane realities mean that the school retains a fierce loyalty. Kids proudly wear blue and red from the time they’re toddlers, knowing exactly where they’ll attend high school. A congregation of such youngsters lines the walkway that leads into the stadium, receiving high fives from players marching onto the field. Clad in formidable armor and sleek helmets, they resemble a troop of Roman legionnaires, ready to lay it all on the line for their empire in the rolling hills of Austin.

That night’s game includes a few miscues that will surely be topics of discussion when the team analyzes film come Monday morning, but Westlake still dominates Judson in a 47-0 shutout. The cheer squad joins the players at midfield, and they sway in unison to the slow cadence of the band playing the school song. Afterward, the team huddles around coach Salazar, who doles out congratulations and praise in short order. “Have fun and make smart choices,” he says, before a final reminder. “You represent us all.”

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For a school as pedigreed as Westlake, though, the day doesn’t end after wide receivers run routes, lineman block human-sized pads, and special teams kick mock field goals. Like any major university, the school also commands a “media day.” Reporters await inside the stadium to interview some of the rising talent, players like wide receiver Heath McRee and running back Jack Kayser, who’ve already committed to collegiate programs. Meanwhile, a gaggle of young spectators, maybe ages 8 to 10, stand around in line to snag autographs.

As the shutters of photographers click, players line up on lush new turf—an offseason upgrade that cost around $800,000. Between artificial blades of grass, the spongy filling is seafoam green rather than the black rubber often seen on sports fields.

With the surface’s ability to reflect light and remain cooler, Salazar will tell you the addition is even better than what UT plays on. In fact, it’s the same tech that the Los Angeles Rams’ SoFi Stadium installed for Super Bowl LVI. Once the morning finally concludes, a cadre of team parents has organized a breakfast, a spread that includes chicken biscuits, waffles, protein bars, and fruit.

A month of these types of early morning practices eventually leads to the Chaps home opener against Converse Judson, a school on the outskirts of San Antonio with six state titles under their belt.

Pre-game rituals are underway, and Chaparral Stadium is filling up as blue and red flags ripple in the warm September air. Cheerleaders shout, “W! H! S!” Pompoms rustle. And a mostly student-led video team moves along the sidelines capturing a live feed. The atmosphere pulses with anticipation, as old friends wave to familiar faces in the crowd.

Head coach Tony Salazar rallies his squad in the locker room before the Chaps’ home opener.

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HOME TO ZERO-PROOF BEVERAGE BRANDS, BOOZE-FREE MEETUPS, AND THE COUNTRY’S FIRST NONALCOHOLIC BAR, TEXAS’ BIGGEST PARTY TOWN IS TRANSFORMING INTO THE HUB OF CONSCIENTIOUS CONSUMPTION.

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BY MADELINE HOLLERN

PHOTOGRAPHS

BY HAYDEN SPEARS

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I

IT’S FRIDAY NIGHT in downtown Austin, and Chris Marshall pops open a bottle of bubbly, eliciting a chorus of “woos.” But unlike some Champagnecharged celebration, these cheers follow the uncorking of a nonalcoholic beverage called Almost Zero.

Donning his signature black T-shirt and newsboy cap, he pours the frothing liquid into a coupe glass as a trio of 20-something women approach the bar.

Today marks the 42nd day in a row of triple-digit temperatures, and the air-conditioned space and cold beverages are beckoning in a lively crowd this sultry August evening. A colorful assortment of bottles like Tenneyson, Pathfinder, and Amethyst glisten in front of the white-tiled backsplash behind Marshall as he and bar manager Val Weatherspoon craft liquor-less libations such as La Vie en Violet, a blend of Ceder’s Classic “gin” and lavender, and the Gold-Fashioned, a mix of Ritual “whiskey” and orange bitters.

Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” permeates the oblong lounge as attendees migrate to tall black tables toward the back. Other patrons grab seats in plush emerald stools next to the blue-tiled bar just as a 2000s-themed trivia night begins.

The evening is hosted by Paige Danoff, who puts on these monthly quizzes under the moniker Sober and Funky. She and her husband, Chris Rzigalinski, walk past a mural of a woman with swirling blue-and-orange hair as they approach the mic. “Trivia night isn’t just for getting drunk!”

Danoff exclaims while explaining the rules.

As teams debate questions like “What year did ACL Fest debut?” (2002) and “What date is National Mean Girls Day?” (Oct. 3), they scribble answers down on scraps of lined paper. At the end of the first round, Rzigalinski returns to the mic to go over the correct responses. “When you joined MySpace, which cofounder did you automatically become friends with?” he asks. The audience erupts “Tom!” in unison. Glasses clink and the chatter gets louder as the hosts pass out more sheets of paper for a subsequent round.

While this bustling scene has evolved into a Friday night staple in the capital city, the sobriety movement here was not always as, well, spirited.

Years before mocktails were listed on every restaurant menu, booze-free meetup groups proliferated around town, and more than 1 in 3 Americans participated in Dry January, Marshall had a vision to create a watering hole where people could enjoy drinks and build camaraderie without the lure of alcohol. His Sans Bar not only helped galvanize a 62

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healthier Austin, but also started a sober revolution that’s now sweeping the rest of the country.

ON A CHILLY December evening in 2017, Marshall threw away cups and packed up leftover pieces of cheese. His friend Noah Marion had let him use the space between Marion’s eponymous design studio and the taxidermy shop on South Lamar and Oltorf to host his inaugural Sans Bar pop-up. Marshall hired an acoustic musician and a bartender off Craigslist to make drinks. His mom even chipped in, bringing a veggie tray and some crackers.

Only six people showed up, four of them relatives.

But there was a silver lining to the disappointing turnout: One of the two non-familial guests worked for Clean Cause, a canned yerba mate company that raises money for addiction recovery. The intro sparked a glimmer of hope for Marshall. As he stepped outside on South Lamar after the event, something came over him: “I turn to the right, I see downtown, and I’m just like, ‘Damn, this is it. This is what I want to do.’”

Building community has been a lifelong obsession for the 40-year-old. Growing up Black in Sugar Land, a small suburb southwest of Houston, he remembers the anxiety he felt as he sought to bond with his peers. “I often found myself being the only person of color,” he says. Marshall first tried alcohol at age 16 and immediately struggled with it; on his second occasion to drink, he stole his mom’s car and ran an intersection, resulting in his first of several DUIs. The student had always been a good writer—he served as the editor of his high school newspaper and dreamed of becoming a journalist—but by his senior year, he was drinking nearly every day, sometimes inside the photography dark room at Dulles High School.

At 23, an enzyme test showed scarring on his liver.

His addiction had led him to drop out of college in San Antonio and work at Domino’s and Subway. Still, he wasn’t motivated to quit drinking because of his flailing career or health: The catalyst for change was when all his friends stopped talking to him. After going to rehab for a second time, Marshall became sober on Feb. 16, 2007. But even as his life was getting back on track, he still longed for connection. He’d see friends posting pictures of themselves having fun on Facebook, and he knew why he wasn’t invited.

After starting work as a substance abuse counselor at Integral Care in Austin, that sense of

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Chris Marshall envisioned a space with all the drinks and social atmosphere of a bar, minus the booze.

isolation was echoed in one of Marshall’s special clients. His last conversation with the sober patient, a female in her mid-30s, was on a Friday in early 2017. She told Marshall how much she was struggling to avoid alcohol: “I know I can’t keep drinking, but if I don’t drink, I can’t be social with my friends,” the patient had relayed. “And because of my job, it’s a lot of after-hour parties.”

Marshall exhorted her to persevere and keep attending meetings. But on Monday, he was informed his client had died in a drunk-driving accident over the weekend.

“It’s not the first time I lost clients,” he says, tears welling up some six years after the incident. “But that one just broke me because I knew if that person had an alternative, they would’ve likely survived.

And from that Monday on, I decided to figure out an alternative.”

Marshall had noticed that the alcohol-free movement was already percolating in Europe. But while he notes that there have been cultures and religions who have abstained from drinking throughout history, the idea for an actual booze-free bar in America was an untapped concept. “What Prohibition got wrong was that people didn’t want to drink alcohol because they liked getting drunk,” he says. “They liked what it stood for.”

He didn’t want Sans Bar to be a nonprofit—or to feel like a recovery support group. That’s why, in addition to drinks, there’s always an activity: live music, comedy sets, drag shows. He hosted his second pop-up in the backyard of a hair salon in November/December 2023

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January 2018. Twenty people showed, then 30 two months later. When the bimonthly gathering grew to 80 attendees, he moved to The Recovery ATX space on 12th and Chicon, which he was able to rent free of charge.

Marshall tweaked the formula time and again.

At one point, he charged attendees $25 for an allyou-can-drink experience, then changed it to an à la carte scenario. He started hosting Sans Bar on Thursday through Sunday nights, but eventually scaled it back to just Fridays. After being in East Austin for years, he moved his operation to its current location inside wellness company Swift Fit Events’ downtown headquarters at 918 Congress Avenue this past spring.

Timing was key. If two things hadn’t transpired when they did, Marshall speculates that Sans Bar would have been too ahead of its time. First, in 2015, UK farmer-turned-entrepreneur Ben Branson had created Seedlip, the world’s first distilled nonalcoholic botanical spirit, an innovation that paved the way for other NA brands to emerge. And in December 2018, author Ruby Warrington published a book with a term that caught fire. “Had Ruby not created Sober Curious, there would still be this binary thing: Either you drink or don’t drink, never allowing people to be curiously mindful to how they’re consuming alcohol,” he says.

In 2019, Marshall took his concept on the road, hosting pop-ups in cities as far-reaching as Seattle, Atlanta, and Toronto. It was at his Lower East Side meetup in New York City where the founder first met his future trivia night host, Paige Danoff. Alcohol-free since 2015, the former bar owner had just started posting nonalcoholic recipes on Instagram under the handle @SoberandFunky. “It was my first actual nonalcoholic-centered event that I’d gone to, and it was just the greatest thing ever,” Danoff recalls.

After securing sponsorship dollars through DRY Soda in 2020, Marshall planned to host 25 pop-ups throughout North America. He even left his job at Integral Care in January of that year. But when the pandemic hit, he had to pivot once again. Raising two adopted kids with his wife, Irma, he desperately needed the concept to remain profitable.

In response, the founder began hosting virtual meetups called “Sans Bar Where You Are,” collaborating with beverage brands that would send mixology kits to attendees’ homes. He put on socially distanced camping trips across Texas called Fireside Connections. He even established Sans Bar Academy, a virtual 10-week course that teaches entrepreneurs how to launch their own sober concepts. Since those initiatives, more than 25 bottle shops and bars have debuted across the country—an advancement that would have never transpired without Marshall’s foresight and tutelage.

FILLED WITH BOOZE-SOAKED concert venues, raucous festivals, and its own famous cocktail (the Mexican martini), Austin has long been considered a destination for heavy drinking. South by Southwest and ACL Fest are rife with alcohol sponsors and hangover brunches. The University of 64

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Texas continually ranks among the nation’s top party schools. Thirsty travelers flock to Austin to go to Rainey Street and Dirty Sixth during weekend trips and bachelor parties: In fact, 78701 has the most bars per capita in the entire country.

So, how, in such a notable party city, did the sober movement hit critical mass?

It began as a slow burn. In 2018, as Sans Bar was just ramping up, newly sober chef Philip Speer unveiled Comedor Run Club, a thrice-weekly 5K running group designed to give service industry members a way to experience camaraderie minus any post-shift drinks. Around that time, Jen Batchelor was creating an adaptogen-centric drink called Kin Euphorics, and in 2019, three moms from Louisville were developing a distilled NA whiskey brand called Spiritless. (Both companies would relocate to Austin a few years later.) Local authors Amanda Eyre Ward and Jardine Libaire also penned a book together, The Sober Lush: A Hedonist’s Guide to Living a Decadent, Adventurous, Soulful Life—Alcohol Free.

But for many people, sober curiosity was really spawned out of the pandemic. The stress and boredom of COVID-19 led to a surge in alcohol abuse: According to a study by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 34 percent of participants reported binge drinking during those days of isolation, with 60 percent citing increased drinking habits. After seeing the deleterious effects of overconsumption—and the importance of health and self-care in the aftermath of a deadly virus—individuals began to re-examine their relationship with alcohol.

The trend continued to gain steam during lockdown, when quarantined Austin bartenders Tacy Rowland and Sam Abdelfattah crafted a nonalcoholic distilled gin brand called Slow Luck, which debuted in January 2021. More local NA beverages emerged that same year, from Tenneyson and Crisp & Crude to St. Elmo Brewing Hop Water. Meanwhile, a wave of sober influencers like Amanda Kuda began creating podcasts and Instagram accounts dedicated to the topic.

“There were more people watching TikTok, looking at social media, and reading articles [on becoming sober],” says Kuda, whose first book, Unbottled Potential: Break Up with Alcohol and Break Through to Your Best Life, came out this October.

“Once they saw several people that looked like them that they could resonate with, it became a ‘Oh, well this person’s doing that, so I could do it, too.’”

The lifestyle has especially resonated with younger crowds. According to Forbes, Gen Z drinks 20 percent less than millennials, who also imbibe less than the previous generation. And it isn’t an all-or-nothing position: Nielsen reports that 78 percent of nonalcoholic beverage buyers also purchase alcohol. But as people drink less, zero-proof options have flourished throughout the local hospitality scene. In Kuda’s early years of sobriety—she participated in Dry January in 2017 and has abstained ever since—she only knew of one lounge that featured mocktails: Roosevelt Room. Now, it’s more unusual to not see NA options on local menus.

Zero Proof Pop-Up Bottle Shop owner Joanne Irizarry is working to ensure that Austinites see the

“WHAT PROHIBITION GOT WRONG WAS THAT PEOPLE DIDN’T WANT TO DRINK ALCOHOL BECAUSE THEY LIKED GETTING DRUNK. THEY LIKED WHAT IT STOOD FOR.”

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NA A L L-S TA RS Six individuals leading the sober curious movement in Austin.

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KU DA : S H E L LY B O RG A / D A KOTA & C O ; I R I Z A R RY: L ES S O N M E D R A N O P H OTO G R A P H Y; D A N O F F : C A I T L I N RO U N D S ; A L L OT H E RS : C O U RT E SY S U B J E CTS

1 Joe Patterson and Grace Vroom Founders, Dear Dry Drinkery A few years after launching a mobile trailer selling nonalcoholic beverages, the sober couple converted the concept into the city’s first NA brick-and-mortar bottle shop this August. The East Side bungalow features dozens of zero-proof brands, including local companies like Kin Euphorics and Good Spirits. deardrydrinkery.com

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2 Amanda Kuda Author and Podcast Host After participating in Dry January in 2017 (and remaining booze-free ever since), Kuda became a sober influencer and created her own podcast, the Unbottled Potential Podcast, in 2022.

Her first book, Unbottled Potential: Break Up with Alcohol and Break Through to Your Best Life, debuted this October. instagram.com/ amandakuda

appeal of nonalcoholic wines as well. The former chef and current investor of Lockhart’s Barbs-B-Q tried her first glass of alcohol-removed vino in Chicago in 2022 and was blown away. “When I drink that glass of wine, it feels exactly to me like when I drank a glass of wine before in terms of calming me down,” Irizarry says. “I’m feeling that same relaxation, and I’m not killing my health and mental health.” She sells favorite brands such as Giesen and Lietz online and is working with popular restaurants like Foreign & Domestic on those kinds of offerings. A friend of Marshall’s, Irizarry is joining him and a dozen other sober entrepreneurs on a trip to Kenya this November.

Indeed, a kinship with the Sans Bar founder seems to be the common thread in the community, with many affectionately referring to him as the “Godfather of Sober Austin.” After meeting the founder during his Sober by Southwest event in 2019, Grace Vroom and Joe Patterson became inspired to open their own concept, a mobile NA bottle shop trailer called Dear Dry Drinkery.

“We met and he was just the most humble, gracious dude on planet earth,” Vroom says. “I’ve never met someone so supportive in my whole life.

Anytime we’d be like, ‘God, this is frustrating,’ he’s like, ‘I get it. I feel you. Keep going.’”

3 Philip Speer Chef and Founder, Comedor Run Club After a DWI in 2014, the four-time James Beard Award semifinalist turned his life around—and sought to change the party-centric culture of the service industry, too. In 2018, he debuted Comedor Run Club, a thrice-weekly 5K running group open to the public that also hosts yoga and wellness events. comedorrunclub.com

4 Paige Danoff Founder, Sober and Funky Formerly a bar owner in New York City, Danoff got sober in 2015 and began posting nonalcoholic recipes on her Instagram a few years later.

Now living in Austin, she hosts booze-free gatherings across the city, including trivia nights with Sans Bar, group walks, and Camp Funky meetup events with Curious Elixirs and Dear Dry. instagram.com/soberandfunky

5 Joanne Irizarry Founder, Zero Proof Pop-Up Bottle Shop A restaurateur who studied to become a somm before getting sober in 2013, Irizarry first tried nonalcoholic wine last summer and was immediately taken with the category. Inspired to start her own concept, she has poured NA beverages at events like Mimosa Fest and now has her own online shop. zeroproof popupbottleshop.com

On Aug. 26, in a stylish gray bungalow across the street from Bufalina on East Cesar Chavez, the couple opened the doors to Austin’s first alcohol-free brick-and-mortar bottle shop. “We can bring people together in a space where drinking just isn’t happening,” Patterson says. Wearing a long pink dress with a strawberry pattern, Vroom greeted guests as they perused Dear Dry Drinkery’s shelves of bottles and cans from more than 20 nonalcoholic companies, including close to a dozen local brands like Surely, Liber & Co., and Rick’s Near Beer.

While two men tasted samples of Trejo’s Spirits from plastic shot glasses—noting that they do still drink, just not always—two strangers sat down on some comfy furniture underneath a colorful geometric mural at the front of the shop. Sipping cans of Good Spirits’ Austin Palmer and Spiritless’ NA margarita, respectively, the women struck up a conversation and soon exchanged Instagram handles.

Just as Marshall had so often noted, this type of connection was the true appeal of a bar setting— it had never really been about the booze: “That sense of purpose, that sense of belonging, that sense that I’m supposed to be right here, right now,” Marshall says. “That’s what I had been looking for in every drink of alcohol.”

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H O H L A I P D P A E Y N I N G S

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and Austin Monthly partners are here to help you make the most of it with seasonal experiences, holiday destinations, and gift ideas.

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Hill Country Galleria Hill Country Galleria, a 1.3-million-square-foot lifestyle center, is located west of downtown Austin in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Join us as we kick off the second annual outdoor ice-skating rink, Bee Cave on Ice—open Nov. 10 Jan. 15. After Thanksgiving, we’ll start the holiday season out right with our grand tree lighting and special performance by country music artist, Kaitlin Butts, on Friday, Nov. 25, from 5-8 p.m. Enjoy other festive offerings throughout the month of December, such as the holiday artisan market every Friday and Saturday, photos with Santa daily, a wide variety of unique photo opportunities, and numerous holiday performances-all located in the Central Plaza. Visit hillcountrygalleria.com for more information on all our upcoming events and offerings. Follow our social media channels to stay up to date on exclusive promotions and new stores for the best holiday shopping in town.

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La Cantera Resort & Spa Nestled in the heart of San Antonio’s picturesque Hill Country, the Conde Nast Traveler #1 rated Resort in Texas and the Southwest, La Cantera Resort & Spa offers the perfect oasis for a festive holiday getaway. Enjoy inventive dining experiences at one of our 10 renowned venues, and sip on handcrafted cocktails under the stars as you unwind by an outdoor fireplace and soak in the holiday spirit. You’ll be surrounded by luxury in our spacious accommodations, featuring breathtaking views of the Texas Hill Country. Whether you’re looking to relax by one of the resort’s five pools, play a round of golf on our championship course, or rejuvenate at our award-winning Loma de Vida Spa & Wellness, we have something for everyone. Create cherished memories and experience the magic of the holidays at La Cantera Resort & Spa. Book your stay now and unwrap the gift of relaxation and indulgence.

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Ice Rodeo at Four Seasons Hotel Austin Saddle up for the return of Austin’s favorite winter tradition. Beginning mid-November, the hotel will be transformed into a winter wonderland full of holiday enchantment. Locals and hotel guests of all ages are invited to skate under the stars on the ice-skating rink built atop the hotel pool. After taking a spin on the rink, guests can enjoy music, savor a festive menu served from the quirky food trailers, or roast s’mores on the communal fire pits. For those looking for an air of exclusivity, rinkside lodge-chic “cabins” can be rented to enjoy a specialty menu of elevated bites and cocktails.

There is no shortage of holiday spirit as the entire property is adorned with festive lights and art installations representing the winter season and nods to Austin’s culture. This includes the 30-foot Christmas tree and a Texas-sized gingerbread display in the lobby for added photo-ops throughout the season.

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C O N T I N U E D F RO M PAG E 5 9

THE WESTLAKE WAY STANDING IN THE end zone of the Astrodome during the 1994 state final in Houston, a 31-year-old Todd Dodge gazed across the gridiron and caught a glimpse that necessitated a double take. Then a firstyear head coach at C.H. Yoe High School, a small 3A school in Central Texas, Dodge leaned over to Westlake’s athletic director—who happened to be his father-in-law, Ebbie Neptune—and mused about the beautiful throwing motion of a kid casually tossing a football. Neptune told Dodge that the student’s name was Drew Brees, and that he had high hopes for the JV quarterback to excel on varsity the following year.

This may seem like a simple anecdote concerning two coaches conversing over a prospect, but this was the past, present, and future of the school’s illustrious program condensed into one single moment. That’s because, unlike any other revered high school team, the history of Westlake football has been a direct lineage from its inception to the present day.

Established with the high school’s founding in 1969, the football team anointed Ken Dabbs as its first head coach, and Neptune its inaugural offensive coordinator—a pair of longtime friends who’d both coached at Sweeny High School on the Texas Gulf Coast. In 1970, the duo managed just two wins in 10 games, turning in one of only four losing seasons the program would log over the next five decades. And while Dabbs would go on to be among the best recruiters ever at the University of Texas— famously convincing running back Earl Campbell to commit to the school in 1974—Neptune transitioned from assistant to head coach in 1982.

Across town, Todd Dodge was the Longhorns’ star signal-caller who led UT to a brief No. 1 ranking in 1984. At the time, Neptune had already been a fixture at Texas Memorial Stadium, but even more so after his daughter, Elizabeth, began dating the record-setting quarterback. The young couple were married in 1985, and Dodge took a role as a volunteer assistant for his father-in-law while finishing his student teaching the year after.

As “a fly on the wall,” Dodge recalls being floored by the familial spirit emphasized by Neptune, who insisted they weren’t playing for themselves during those 60 minutes of game time—they were battling for each other and a due regard for the game. “If you play a team inferior to you, and the final score is 27 to 17, that’s disrespecting your opponent,” Dodge explains. “You hardly ever see Westlake upset by someone that we ought to beat.” Even if you triumph by a close margin against a lesser team, it instills a habit of capitulation that always catches up with you later. Coaches who’ve worked with him will attest that Dodge is the best they’ve ever seen at getting kids to buy into that mindset.

The season after Dodge first saw Brees in the Astrodome, the young quarterback delivered on his potential, leading Westlake to a 12-1-1 season, their only loss coming in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. Longtime offensive coordinator Ron Schroeder—Westlake’s longest-serving head 74

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coach—had taken over after Neptune became the athletic director. In the regional round, his Chaps played Alice, a tough South Texas team with an imposing defensive line. During the second quarter, Brees faked a handoff, rolled out of the pocket, and took a low hit that tore his ACL. On the sideline, Dr. Newt Hasson broke the news to the devastated quarterback. Hasson—the team doctor since 1985—remembers being nearly as shattered as his young patient. A committed fan, Hasson has attended almost every game in his 38 years with Westlake. His son, Duke, was a ball boy for the Chaps in the ’90s and used to keep the laces of the football pressed against his chest under his jacket to give Brees a warm spot to grip the leather during frigid winter games. Though the team eked out a win against Alice that day, the Brees-less Chaps’ season ended a week later.

Much to the relief of coach Schroeder, the quarterback overcame all odds to return to the field the following fall. “By the time the next season rolled around, I was bigger, stronger, faster, but I was also so much mentally tougher,” Brees said in a 2020 documentary released by the New Orleans Saints. That year, he led Westlake to a perfect 16-0 record and the Chaps’ first state championship. That title run, along with Brees’ ensuing Hall of Fame–caliber NFL career capped by a victory in Super Bowl XLIV, remains an enduring hallmark of Westlake’s legacy.

After Schroeder’s departure in 2002, Westlake experienced some of its least productive years, but the Chaps did make it to the state championship twice in that stretch, including a 2006 playoff run under the leadership of senior Nick Foles, who would later hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. Just two high schools in the country have produced multiple Super Bowl– starting quarterbacks: Isidore Newman (the prestigious New Orleans private school Peyton and Eli Manning attended) and Westlake.

To get the program back on track in 2014, the school turned to someone familiar with the traditions of Westlake, who’d been present in the Chaps’ most formative days: Todd Dodge. The coach was then employed at Marble Falls and had built a résumé as one of the state’s preeminent football minds by winning four championships at Southlake Carroll.

Joining him on the sidelines was Tony Salazar, who’d wowed the coach in 2012 while defensive

Donning a helmet bearing the red “W” logo is a dream for many kids in the Westlake area.

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coordinator for the Leander Lions.

“One of the best interviews is competing against someone,” Dodge says.

After Salazar held Marble Falls’ offense to just 14 points, the veteran coach wasted no time bringing him into the fold. The union paired Dodge’s offensive prowess with Salazar’s penchant for stalwart defenses.

Once the duo arrived in Westlake in 2014, Dodge’s first order of business was course-correcting the mindset of its squad. “We play with swagger and confidence, don’t get me wrong,” he says. “But we don’t let kids get full of themselves.” It’s a fine line, and the key is ensuring that the players’ sense of pride derives from the group rather than individual ego.

Some might balk at the idea that the Chaparrals’ fundamental doctrine is built on humility. “The outside opinion of Westlake is that it’s arrogant and affluent,” Dodge admits. “I promise you that’s used as a rallying cry for opponents, talking about how these kids were spoiled and were born with a silver spoon in their mouth.” But Dodge thinks that approach has backfired by putting a chip on the shoulders of players eager to prove they’re tougher than anyone else.

For the uninitiated, a chaparral is a roadrunner, a scrawny bird with a fancy head crest that can barely fly.

But it’s also deceptively tenacious—a desert-dweller known to eat scorpions, tarantulas, and even the occasional rattlesnake. When Westlake’s founding class chose the mascot, they couldn’t have known exactly what character its football team would have 50 years later, but you’d be hard pressed to find a more apt sigil.

As Dodge took the reins, one thing was clear: Westlake needed to get back to the Chaparral way. Amid the housekeeping necessary in that first year, the team went 7-4. But they followed that with a 14-2 record, losing the championship game in overtime with Sam Ehlinger (now with the Indianapolis Colts) at quarterback in 2015. Driven by the smell of victory, Dodge and the Chaps kept at it, making the playoffs each year until the floodgates finally burst in 2019, and the team earned three consecutive championship titles, losing only a single game over the course of those seasons. Throughout Westlake’s history, several men have certainly bolstered its reputation, including Schroeder and Brees. But Dodge’s tenure cemented its status as the feared dynasty it remains today.

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SECURING THE HANDOFF IT’S SATURDAY MORNING practice after the Chaps’ 2023 home opener, and a few players are checking out the goal board posted alongside all those photos of teams that set the Westlake standard of success. A holdover from the Dodge era, it’s divided into offensive, defensive, and special teams benchmarks. The tracking tool contains ultra-specific expectations: no drive stopped by a penalty, allow 75 or fewer rushing yards, take kickoff returns out past the 30-yard line on average. “When a team achieves six or better on offense, six on defense, and four in the kicking game and does not turn the ball over more than one time, you win,” Dodge says.

These will be the talking points as players split into position groups to dissect film. Dodge’s knack for winning hearts can’t be overstated, but he brought much more than that with his football acumen, and that institutional knowledge has lived on in his successor. “Tony knows the blueprint,” Dodge says with confidence. It’s tangible proof that these coaches aren’t just full of hot air when they talk about winning. They have a clear plan, and there’s an objective at every moment of the game. Pin the opponent deep on the opening kickoff—that’s a victory.

Taking over for Dodge following his retirement in 2021, Salazar doesn’t talk much about the long-term dream of another ’ship, but he will tell you there are three big-picture goals: “Win district, practice on Thanksgiving, and play football in December.” His Chaps achieved all of those despite the loss of some top talent, including quarterback Cade Klubnik—a former five-star recruit now starting at Clemson. The 2022 squad didn’t have the same credentials as some of their predecessors on paper, but they still managed to make it to the state semifinal, where they were defeated 49-34

by Galena Park North Shore. Thus far, Salazar and his squad are doing their part to uphold the prestige of the Chaparral name.

At a camp last summer, University of Houston assistant coach Daikiel Shorts approached junior wide receiver Heath McRee. The first thing he noticed? The Westlake warm-ups he was wearing. “A lot of the college coaches know Westlake just because we’ve had so many great players here,” McRee says. Now a committed Cou76

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gar, the receiver is hoping to carry Chaparral tradition forward like so many before him.

You can hear players who’ve come through the program still guided by the values they learned on its grounds.

In a KXAN interview following a statement win over Alabama this fall, Longhorn defensive end and former Chaparral Ethan Burke’s sentiment probably sounded familiar to other Westlake alumni. “That game’s over with, and obviously we’re confident,” he said. “But we’re going to respect the next opponent.” In that contest against Alabama, the UT sophomore logged a crucial sack late in the game and four other solo tackles.

In the wings at Texas behind Burke is freshman Colton Vasek, another Westlake grad and a former four-star recruit. But before he was any of that, he was a ball boy, standing on the sidelines of Ebbie Neptune field. “I couldn’t wait for my opportunity,” he says. “I got to see what it was like for years before it was my turn.”

It helped that his father, Brian Vasek, has worked as a defensive line coach at the school since 2007. Brian’s other son, Connor, is now a junior at Westlake, and both boys have been eating, sleeping, and breathing football since elementary school.

Vasek has experienced this program and community not just as a coach but also as a parent, providing him with a unique perspective. “It’s easy to say the word family, but I think our kids understand and trust that this Westlake family is an extension of that,” he says. “If there’s something going on, you’ve got 15 to 20 coaches and brothers that are teammates who would do anything for you in a heartbeat.”

A dynasty is achieved not merely between the whistles, or even through hours of early morning practices. It’s a collective effort that has manifested something bigger than any one player, game, or season. The mythology transcends a single component, and the whole of it bolsters everyone who’s ever been a part of it, from heroic main characters to players who barely make the footnotes. It’s a culmination of decades filled with touchdown catches and post-win embraces. It’s forged by coaches with a passion for sport, a community who needs a culture to rally around, and boys who warm the laces of footballs with the heat from their chests beneath their jacket so they can grow up to wear a jersey of scarlet red and royal blue.

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Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager or Owner: Chris Hughes, Editor in Chief.

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Weird History Season’s Greetings

Mule-Tied Carols Back in the saddle and clad like Santa, this indigenous Austinite has been spreading holiday joy for more than a decade. BY ROSIE NINESLING

Volume 31/Number 6, November/December 2023, Austin Monthly (Publication No. 001-163), is published bimonthly, six times a year, by Open Sky Media, Inc. 1712 Rio Grande Street, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78701. Subscriptions are $14.95 per year for six issues. For customer service inquiries or to change your address, contact: Open Sky Media, Inc., 512 W. MLK Jr. Blvd., PMB 374, Austin, TX 78701-1231, (512) 387-6234 or subscriptions@austinmonthly.com. Periodicals postage paid at Austin, TX, and at additional mailing offices. Copyright 2023 by Open Sky Media, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. DISCLAIMER: Advertisements in the publication do not constitute an offer for sale in states where prohibited or restricted by law.

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C O U RT ESY S A M U E L G R E Y H O RS E

For 10-plus years, Samuel Grey Horse has spread joy with just a mule and a Santa suit.

IN DECEMBER 2012, Austin musician Samuel Grey Horse donned a Santa suit, straddled his spotted mule, and trotted west toward the bustling shops on South Congress Avenue for a holiday gig at a local boot store. The Mescalero Apache didn’t know much about the Western myth of jolly old Saint Nick—nor did he realize that night would inspire a lifelong calling.

At the time, Grey Horse was recovering from a near-death horse racing accident that had left his body broken. But as he slid into the saddle for his ride home that evening, he felt an undeniable shift in the energy around him: The community was taking notice. Families flagged him down for photos, couples stopped to talk with him, and children stared in awe at the sleigh-less holiday icon. Similar to the healing provided by his horses during a tedious recovery, the attention from his costumed trek did the same. Touched by the response, he dressed up again the next night and set off to spread joy.

More than a decade has passed, and Grey Horse still believes that a higher calling is responsible for his life as an equestrian Santa Claus. During the year he leads horse therapy sessions and tours with fellow musicians like Charley Crockett, but his real showtime comes in December. He irons his red suit and straps on a white beard, then maps trails from South Lamar to Cherrywood every week leading up to Christmas.

“I’m not the guy ringing the bell, and I’m not the guy sitting at a corner trying to solicit for pictures,” Grey Horse explains.

“You take the picture if you’re the lucky one when I pass by.” Haven’t spotted him yet?

You’ve got time. “I’ll be Santa until the day I die,” he says.

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B E S T N E W R E S TA U R A N T S • A U S T I N ’ S S O B E R R E V O L U T I O N • W E S T L A K E F O O T B A L L

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