Catch of the Day

Acclaimed San Antonio seafood restaurant boils up new Texas location

Pinch Boil House is acclaimed for its Viet-Cajun seafood boils.

Photo courtesy of Pinch Boil House

Following in the footsteps of San Antonio concepts like Bakery Lorraine, Merit Coffee, and Stella Public House, another Alamo City eatery is planting its flag in Austin. On November 27, Pinch Boil House and Bia Bar announced the upcoming opening of its first location in the Capital City, coming in summer 2019.

Since opening in September 2017, Pinch has become one of the most acclaimed restaurants in San Antonio with a menu of Viet-Cajun seafood boils and Southeast Asian street food. Among the many kudos it has received, the restaurant was also a finalist for CultureMap San Antonio’s 2018 Tastemaker Award for Best New Restaurant.

The new location was first teased in November 5 Instagram post which showed owners Sean Wen and Andrew Ho in front of an Austin construction site. Although the post created a mild panic among commenters thinking the restaurant was leaving San Antonio, the University of Texas at Austin graduates assured fans the original is not going anywhere.

“Being given the opportunity to tell a story about our culture has always been important to us and food just happened to be the vehicle that allowed me to best narrate that story,” said Wen via release. “We launched Pinch by hosting small crawfish and shrimp boil pop-ups in San Antonio and then in Austin from time to time and the turnout was very humbling. Making our way back to Austin seemed inevitable and we’re thrilled to bring our food, culture, and vibe into the city’s enriching food scene.”

Like the first location, the new Pinch will fuse Vietnamese and Thai flavors with ingredients popular along Texas’ Gulf Coast. The shrimp, crab, and seasonal crawfish boils, smothered in a house garlic butter, are the showpiece, but chargrilled oysters and noodle bowls will also be available. Full menu details will be revealed at a later date.

Although the release was coy about the exact address, only mentioning the locale would be in East Austin, a rep confirmed that the restaurant will be located inside Plaza Saltillo, a massive mixed-use development currently under construction.

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Better Days, Same Burgers

Shuttered San Antonio burger joint stages surprising comeback

Teddy B's/Facebook

Teddy B's has made a surprise comeback.

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Teddy B's life. In October, the popular burger joint shuttered its decade-old location on Babcock Road, grieving a loss of foot traffic and rising costs. On November 20, the spot revealed a plot twist. The owners are now slinging patties at 9903 Fredericksburg Rd.

"Dear Teddy B's customers, we have good news," the restaurant posted on social media. "We are back in business...We are waiting for our new sign, but we are up and running."

The unexpected comeback is the culmination of a tumultuous year for the business. As the restaurant marked its 10-year milestone this summer, the outlook was much darker. On August 4, the restaurant took to social media to warn that closure could be imminent. A traffic decline affected Teddy B's ability to maintain its affordable price point.

The messaging worked, at least in the short term. Days later, the restaurant reported an increase in business. The marketing language was hopeful until October 13, when the restaurant abruptly announced it was closing for good.

The news of Teddy B's rebirth came just as suddenly. After a month-long social media silence, the restaurant announced it had taken over the former home of Burger Haven. The latter restaurant was little known, appearing to operate mainly as a ghost kitchen.

Assumably, burgers will be back on the menu, but it is unclear whether other favorites will be eliminated to streamline the operation. The business has not posted any revisions, and its website is down at press time.

The burger joint's comeback manifests as other shuttered legacy restaurants like The Lion and Rose and Fratello's have staged their own returns. While Teddy B's has offered no reasoning for getting back into the game, it is a testament to the resiliency of San Antonio's culinary community.

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