A savory, luxurious toast of the day (Photograph by John Anderson)
What a time to reside in Southwest Austin, the place Menchaca Street flows like a river, which till now has lacked one thing like Golden Hour: a restaurant/wine bar as upscale or as low-key as you wish to make it. With anchors like Cherry Creek Catfish Co. and a burgeoning leisure district south of Slaughter, a pleasant, quiet spot with a severe espresso program, an all-natural wine choice, and a stunning patio space is head-twistingly surprising.
A welcome addition to Southwest Austin, Golden Hour is a restaurant/wine bar as upscale or as low-key as you wish to make it.
There are not any entrées, simply small plates, for breakfast, lunch, and a light-weight dinner, on the menu at Golden Hour, together with an all-natural wine program. “I used to be going with a Marfa or Santa Fe vibe, or Paris or L.A., if that is smart, to take away the fluff,” chef/proprietor Barclay Stratton stated.
Pleased with his sourcing, Stratton will get many elements from gourmand meals importer Regalis Meals, together with the 5 kilogram tower of Rodolphe Le Meunier butter tempering behind the counter. Breads and different baked items come from Bitter Duck, excepting the olive oil cake, which is made in-house.
Breakfast any day of the week at Golden Hour can simply really feel like brunch, as a result of the day by day toast is luxurious and indulgent. The area is fashionable, elegant, however may use some extra sound absorbency. My toast of the day was challah topped with a big dollop of labne, coated with smoked salmon, sliced shallots, and capers and drizzled with olive oil. Reader, it was chic: wealthy, satisfying, scrumptious, stored me going robust all morning. My inside cheapskate squealed at forking out greater than $20 for breakfast with tip, however I beloved my espresso, and sitting on the elegant pure leather-based chairs on the counter was an expensive expertise.
Roasted purple peppers and native chèvre (Photograph by John Anderson)
That stated, dinner gave me some sticker shock, particularly on the chalkboard’s informal declaration {that a} plate of roasted purple peppers and native chèvre is $14. I ordered the high-priced peppers, plus a cheese plate and a glass of ¿Y tú de quién eres? white wine instructed by the counter staffer. My husband opted for the inexperienced salad with seaweed, sprouts, and toasted breadcrumbs advisable by the staffer, who claimed it as her favourite factor on the menu.
The cheese plate skews candy, and Stratton says that it’s going to at all times have seasonal preserves and honey. How are we meant to eat the $14 roasted peppers, which arrived on their very own, with none accompaniments? I used a knife and fork, however some bread or crostini can be higher for sopping up and having fun with the parsley-flecked oil. Please be suggested, diners are supposed to order bread if they need it. It is on the menu. And the cheese plate, whereas fabulous, solely comes with two small slices of bread. This, I really feel, just isn’t sufficient bread (not now, not ever). However the inexperienced salad – a big bowl full of hand-torn butter lettuce and avocado, and topped with toasted breadcrumbs – was a revelation. It felt like a steal, and my husband admitted days later he was nonetheless fascinated by “these crunchy bits.” However chatting throughout dinner was difficult; the ambient quantity was between 60 and 90 decibels whereas we had been there.
A sampling of Golden Hour’s collection of pure wines (Photograph by John Anderson)
The wines we tasted had been scrumptious and paired very effectively with the meals, and the meals was wonderful, if nervy. We determined to share a bottle of Soto Vino House Cowboy, a recent, young-tasting effervescent pure purple wine. Pure wines are produced from grapes and a pure starter (like a sourdough starter), and comprise no components, not like typical wines. In some forms of pure wines, anticipate thicker legs, and perhaps a brighter orange hue than you have seen earlier than.
When questioned in regards to the worth level, Stratton stated, “Folks do not get upset paying a 300% markup on a bottle of wine. A $20 bottle right here could possibly be $80 at one other restaurant. We could undercharge for meals. I feel we worth appropriately. Your ticket is affordable. That middle-range restaurant is lacking from Austin.”
Do not forget espresso (Photograph by John Anderson)
Three caveats for Golden Hour: They do not take reservations. Menchaca is a Texas Division of Transportation street and has strict signage legal guidelines, so use GPS to information you as there’s not a lot to maintain your eyes peeled for when the velocity restrict is 45 mph. Lastly, when experiencing sticker shock, take into consideration the way you wish to really feel after you eat, and embrace the small-plate idea. It’s possible you’ll be stunned at how good it feels.
Golden Hour
7731 Menchaca Rd. #100
Tue.-Sat., 7am-10pm; Solar., 8am-3pm; Mon., closed
goldenhouratx.com
