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Colleen's Kitchen and more Austin restaurants are offering meals to-go to make your Thanksgiving easier. (Colleen's Kitchen/Instagram)
There's never been a better time to live among Austin's endless restaurants as the holidays are finally here.
This year, indulge in that casserole or pie you didn't dare think of until November without making a mess of the kitchen. Here are 15 Austin restaurants providing decadent to-go meals for Thanksgiving.
Abby Jane Bakeshop, 16604 Fitzhugh Rd
Looking for sweets? Abby Jane Bakeshop in Dripping Springs has some holiday deals for you. They are offering desserts such as apple cranberry galette, sorghum chocolate pecan pie, sourdough stuffing and buttermilk grits pie. Prices range from $12-$45 and you can order online here. Pickups available Nov. 23 and 24.
Deadline to order: Nov. 20
Aviary Wine & Kitchen, 2110 South Lamar Blvd.
You can never have too much wine on Thanksgiving. This holiday season, Aviary Wine & Kitchen is offering six-packs of its Cave des Vignerons de Mancey Crémant de Bourgogne Brut, Rouge-Bleu 'Méditerranée Dentelle' Blanc Magnum and Redolent Wine Co 'Brother from Another Mother' Pinot Noir + Nebbiolo Blend at $156. You can order online here or in person.
Deadline to order: Nov. 23
Bistro Vonish, 701 East 53rd St.
Maybe you want to put all your energy into cooking the turkey this year, Bistro Vonish will help supply the tasty sides if you're in a pinch. Sides include grilled green beans ($6.25) and roasted baby carrots ($5). Food is available for pick up on Nov. 24 from 3-9 p.m. You can order online here. Pickups available on Nov. 24.
Deadline to order: Nov. 21
Buenos Aires Cafe, multiple locations
This Argentinian restaurant has got you covered this Thanksgiving with their feasts, which come in small (feeds 2-3 people for $90) or large (feeding 4-6 for $150). These meals can include honey-glazed porchetta, roasted brussels sprouts with bacon and balsamic reduction, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, arugula, black garlic vinaigrette topped with parmesan cheese, cauliflower and turmeric mash, 10" pumpkin pie, and house-made brioche. Food is available for pick up from Nov. 22-27 (excluding Thanksgiving Day).
Deadline to order: Not mentioned
Capital City Bakery, 2211 East Cesar Chavez St.
This bakery has loads of baked goods for you this holiday season, which includes pumpkin pie, maple pecan pie, chocolate cream pie and some gluten-free or vegan goodies. Prices range from $6.50-$90 depending on what you get. Pickup is only available on Nov. 23 and 24. You can order online here.
Deadline to order: Nov. 21
Chez Zee, 5406 Balcones Dr.
This American bistro is offering some holiday deals including salads and bread, quiche, pies and desserts, cakes, sides and sauces. Their sides typically serve 4-5 people, and prices can range from $9-$55, depending on what you get. You must pick up your food by 5 p.m. on Nov. 24. You can order by phone at 512-454-2666, in person or online here.
Deadline to order: 5 p.m. Nov. 22
Colleen’s Kitchen, 1911 Aldrich St.
Colleen's Kitchen has two options: a Thanksgiving farmhouse feast, which serves 6-8 people ($220) and includes an herb-buttered bone-in turkey breast along with all the Thanksgiving sides, or a Thanksgiving trimmings package ($145), which only includes the sides. Sides include scratch turkey gravy, orange cranberry sauce, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and roasted sweet potato casserole. Pickups are available on Nov. 24, and you can order online here.
Deadline to order: Not mentioned
District Kitchen, multiple locations
District Kitchen + Cocktails is offering a Thanksgiving meal, which consists of either half or whole turkey, cheddar mashed potatoes, pomegranate glazed brussels sprouts, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. Diners can choose either a meal that serves 2-4 ($69.99) or 6-8 ($139.99) and can also add on a pumpkin pie, cider or spiked cider, or siduri pinot noir. Pickups are available on Nov. 23 only. You can order here.
Deadline to order: Nov. 20
Easy Tiger, 6406 N. I-35 Frontage Rd.
Easy Tiger is pulling out all the stops to make sure you have what you need this Thanksgiving. You can choose between or mix and match their turkey feast ($225), charcuterie boards (ranging from $125-$150), pies ($40) or pull-apart rolls ($14).
Preorder here to pickup at the Easy Tiger North location (other locations not available for pickup) or get delivery from Nov. 23-26.
Deadline to order: Nov. 21
Launderette, 2115 Holly St.
Launderette will make you feel like a chef with Thanksgiving goodies like the delicata squash ($25) or the apple streusel tart ($40) coming with reheat instructions. Customers can pick up their food on Nov. 24 from 12-5 p.m. You can pre-order online here or by phone at 512-382-1599.
Deadline to order: Nov. 22
Old Thousand, multiple locations
This ATX Chinese restaurant will be offering lucky family Thanksgiving meals this holiday season. Both locations will offer classics like General Tso's chicken, Xiao Mian, beef and broccoli, green beans and egg rolls. This meal feeds four people, and vegetarian options are available as well. You can order by calling 737-222-6637. Pickups are available Nov. 24.
Deadline to order: Nov. 23
Swedish Hill, 1120 West 6th St.
This Thanksgiving, Swedish Hill Bakery, Deli & Café has got you covered when it comes to meals. From turkey that's brined and roasted with lemons and herbs ($155) to pumpkin pie ($40), you can enjoy a classic Thanksgiving dinner. Pickups are available on Nov. 23 and 24 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can order here.
Deadline to order: 5 p.m. Nov. 19
Tacodeli, multiple locations
Tacodeli is back this holiday season with their signature mole to-go, which is available to be served with tamales or turkey. The traditional Mexican meal will be served in 16 oz containers for $12.99 and can be picked up Nov. 23-24. You can pre-order online here.
Deadline to order: No deadline but limited availability
TLC Austin, 1100 South Lamar Boulevard Suite #1150
TLC is offering holiday family meals this Thanksgiving, which include honey-sage basted turkey, Nueske's Applewood smoked bone-in ham, andouille cornbread stuffing, rosemary-garlic mashed potatoes, country-style green beans, giblet gravy, citrus vanilla cranberry sauce, white chocolate-peppermint bark and Texas pecan pie. Both meal packs cost $299 and feed 8-10 people. You can pre-order online here. Pickups available on Nov. 24.
Deadline to order: Nov. 23
Walton’s Fancy & Staple, 609 West 6th St.
This holiday season, you can grab a Thanksgiving meal from Walton's Fancy & Staple, which includes thyme-rubbed airline turkey, white cheddar and gruyere mac and cheese, balsamic brussels sprouts with crispy prosciutto and handmade pies. These meals can be served as individual or family-style portions. You can order by calling 512-391-9961 or email catering@waltonsfancyandstaple.com.
Deadline to order: Nov. 21
Happy feasting!
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(Austonia)
By Jo Clifton
Members of the city’s living wage work group urged City Council Tuesday to raise the city’s living wage to $22 an hour for the upcoming fiscal year. They said the wage should apply to all regular and temporary city employees except employees of the summer youth program, regardless of position or number of hours worked.
Council members Vanessa Fuentes, Ann Kitchen, Chito Vela, Kathie Tovo and Pio Renteria have already signed on to a resolution on the June 16 agenda calling on the city manager to adopt a living wage of $22/hour in next year’s budget.
The current living wage is $15/hour and that has not changed since 2018. City management raised employees’ wages to $15 as a result of a recommendation from the living wage working group in 2015.
The Human Resources Department convened the working group again this year, asking for its recommendations on a living wage. According to staff’s calculations, providing a $22 minimum wage would cost the city between $18.2 million and $22.8 million, not including wages for police.
Carol Guthrie, business manager for AFSCME Local 1624, told Council during its work session that it’s time to raise wages so the city can meet the demands of the public and its own employees. With inflation, gas prices and rising housing costs, Austin city employees are suffering and underpaid, she said.
While the city raised its minimum wage to $15 in 2018, it failed to keep raising that amount, which should have become $16.83 the following year.
According to documentation provided by the city, as of the end of April, the city had more than 2,474 vacancies, compared to about 1,559 on May 1, 2019. The vacancies include 78 at Austin Resource Recovery, 266 at Austin Energy, 96 in Public Works, 237 at Aviation, 133 at Parks and Recreation, 357 in the Police Department, 198 at Emergency Medical Services, and 126 firefighters.
City employees are suffering, Guthrie said, with some working so much overtime that they have become injured and ended up on the disability list.
City leaders did not foresee the pandemic, nor did they foresee the freeze. “And those additional stressors have played a big role in where we are at today. But something’s got to give. We need more workers. We cannot hire workers. Those who work here – they’re done, they’re spent. They need your help. We’ve got to be competitive. We have got to raise the wage for these workers.” The private sector is now hiring at $20 an hour, Guthrie said, and the city is not able to compete.
Rachel Melendes of UNITE HERE, the union representing some airport employees, said working at the airport is “too stressful. They are overwhelmed,” she said, noting that many airport workers arrive at 3:30 a.m. and leave at noon. “And despite their hard work they are not able to support their families on the city’s wages.”
Fabiola Barreto of Workers Defense said her group has been observing that “the folks constructing the city are not reaping any of the benefits. They’re moving to Buda and Kyle,” because they can’t afford to live in Austin.
Complicating matters, every Council member is aware of the fact that, as a result of state law, they can’t raise taxes more than 3.5 percent without the permission of voters.
Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison voiced her support of the wage proposal. She said she is telling people in her district that they should be prepared to move out of Austin as prices rise higher. That would be better than waiting until they have missed rent payments, she said.
Council Member Alison Alter told her colleagues she is committed to a wage increase, but could not commit to a specific number. She said, “Keeping our workforce competitive is the highest priority.”
Kitchen said it was her goal to reach $22 as recommended by the working group. She said it was particularly important that the public understand the trade-offs city management might have to make in order to pay the amount employees need. She told City Manager Spencer Cronk, “Get us to $22. If you can’t get us to $22 … tell us why.”
Guthrie told the Austin Monitor after the meeting that she and other members of the working group would be at the Council meeting next week to push for adoption of the $22/hour resolution. However, she said she was disturbed that the working group put in so much effort seven years ago to tell the city to raise wages, but there was no action on their recommendations after the city raised the living wage to $15.
Guthrie said she and others would be ready to fight for their wage proposal. In addition to AFSCME, other members of the group include representatives of Central Texas Interfaith, Workers Defense Project, Laborers’ International Union 1095, IBEW Local 520, the Austin chapter of General Contractors, Plumbers Local 286, Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Austin LGBT Chamber, UNITE HERE, Local Progress, Texas Antipoverty Project and the Equal Justice Center.
(Austonia)
When Mark Coffey moved to Austin in 1986, it was the land of Stevie Ray Vaughan shows, MTV and new opportunities.
Now, it may be the land of limited housing, property tax hikes and California license plates—but many are still choosing to stay for remnants of that old-school charm.
Austinites love to lament the loss of “Old Austin”—they’ve been saying it since 1884. And with one-bedroom rents up 112%, home appraisal rates up 56% and the cost of living on a seemingly endless upward trend, it's hard not to see Austin's past through rose-tinted lenses.
But even in money-stretching times like these, some Austinites are taking a break from their usual complaints to remind themselves why they choose to stay.
Mark Coffey has stayed in Austin for decades due to its uniqueness, inclusivity and community. (Mark Coffey)
As a near-original Austinite, Mark Coffey didn't have too much trouble buying a house or finding a job with pension benefits at a local utility service decades ago. Still, he said he's stayed in Austin for more than financial security.
"Despite the cost of living, the brutal heat and traffic... I think the trade-off is that Austin has always kind of had that sense of possibility," Coffey told Austonia. "Of all the cities in Texas, it's been the most open to change and future possibilities and I don't think that's ever completely lost."
Austin's unique spirit has attracted like-minded small-town Texas kids looking for community. Gabriel Rodriguez, who grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, moved to Austin a few years ago after graduating from Texas State University and still hasn't become bored with the vibrant live music scene.
Gabriel Rodriguez, who has experience as a musician has found a home in Austin's live music scene and with Austin FC. (Gabriel Rodriguez)
"The big thing to me was the music," Rodriguez said. "That's what made me want to move to Austin in the first place... I grew up in a place that didn't have that."
Coffey, Rodriguez and many others have also found the Austin spirit with Austin FC, the city's first major league sports team, and its vibrant and community-minded fanbase.
Reason for being in love: Austin FC.
— Micky Ruñoz (@HighMs66) June 7, 2022
"Austin FC has come around and it's caused both old and new Austinite to kind of rally around something that like, yeah, this is our club, but it's also a statement about the kind of community we want to be," Coffey said.
For others, like Michelle Sanchez, Austin is home for many reasons—namely, a famed food scene, family and plenty of outdoor activities.
Proud, Austinite. I love Zilker (all the greenbelts), people for the most part are friendly, soccer, the food, and the fact that my family lives here. <3 I have thought about leaving once my contract is up.
— Michelle Sánchez (@MichelleS_tv) June 7, 2022
In a Reddit post that saw nearly 800 comments, dozens of users pointed to outdoor activities—from Barton Creek's Greenbelt swimming holes to paddle boarding on Lady Bird Lake and trails dotting the city's outskirts. Others said that despite its flaws, they've never found anywhere better.
"Austin doesn't do anything spectacularly, but does more things adequately than most anywhere I can think of," user boyyhowdy said.
However, for some, those "adequacies" still aren't enough to stay.
Over austin too. I resigned a (sub)lease for a super small studio that’s 40% lower than the average 1 bedroom in Austin. This will be my last year in Austin, so I’m staying to save money then move to a city with actual public transit and ditching my car.
— amanduh (taylor's version) (@hey_amanduhh) June 7, 2022
Rodriguez said he's thought of leaving too. But whenever he thinks too long about the city's flaws, he finds solace in Austin's live music venues, including his favorite, Moody Theater. Coffey, meanwhile, recommends longtime spots like Continental Club, the Broken Spoke or even South Congress for a quick "old Austin" fix.
And with housing prices showing signs of slowing down and longtime haunts like Austin's longest-standing grocery store opening back up, there still may be time to reignite a romance with what "Keeps Austin Weird."
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