Up in smoke

Buzzy Hill Country barbecue joint burns out after just 7 months

Texas 46 BBQ unexpectedly closed this week.

Photo courtesy of Texas 46 BBQ

A popular Comal County barbecue joint has gone up in smoke. After only seven months of business, Texas 46 BBQ announced in an October 2 Facebook post that it had unexpectedly shuttered.

Cuatro Kowalski, the owner of Freedmen’s and an Austin hospitality industry fixture, bought Spring Branch’s long-running Texas 46 Bar & Grill in June 2017. In early March, he debuted his reimagined roadhouse with a menu of comfort food staples like fried pickles, a full bar specializing in whiskey, and a large selection of craft beer.

The restaurant originally had some heavy hitters behind it, including Austin Fry, formerly of local mainstays Roaring Fork and La Condesa, who served as pitmaster, and “Whiskey Princess” Myria Free, who originally served as general manager. Fry left shortly after opening and Leanne De la Rosa later took on management duties.

In the Facebook post, De la Rosa offered no explanation for why Texas 46 hit the end of the line, but did characterize it as a “huge surprise.” A representative for the restaurant confirmed it had closed, but said Kowalski declined further comment.

One of the issues may have been a lack of consistency. Both San Antonio Express-News critic Mike Sutter gave the place a mixed review and many Yelp reviewers noted a drop in quality soon after opening. The confusing ordering system — which required guests to order food at the counter and drinks at the table — was also a frequent complaint.

Texas 46’s closure continues a turbulent year for Kowalski. In August, he shut down Freedmen’s in part due to planned construction around the historic building. The concept was supposed to live on through a catering operation and an upcoming new restaurant tentatively called Four Stones, but the status of both projects is unclear.

As of October 2, Freedmen’s is still on the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission’s delinquent list, indicating past due accounts with liquor wholesalers.

hill-country barbecue closings

NYT loves AUS

Pastry chef from San Antonio makes New York Times Best Bakeries list

Comadre Panadería/Instagram

Comadre Panadería is known for nostalgic Mexican bakes with feminine flair.

The New York Times has once again shined its spotlight on Austin’s culinary scene. It included Comadre Panadería, an Austin bakery by San Antonio native Mariela Camacho, on its new list of the 22 of the Best Bakeries Across the U.S. Right Now.

Interim food critic Priya Krishna praises pastry chef Camacho’s pastries that include conchas and her signature pink cake. “Despite their saccharine appearances, not one of the desserts is overly cloying, and even the coffee drinks (Texas pecan horchata! Cranberry vanilla agua fresca!) strike the playful tone of the pastries,” she writes.

Comadre Panadería has been widely recognized, including by this publication; Camacho, who is now based in Ausitn, won Pastry Chef of the Year in the 2023 CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards. She also earned a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.

Camacho and Comadre as a whole are both invested in using baked goods to make a more equitable world, from the bakery's early days as a fundraiser for disaster relief, to a current insistence on charging enough to support ethical and organic foods, and paying staff enough to keep up with rising costs in Austin.

Although Camacho was born in San Antonio and started her baking career there, she also spent a significant time in Seattle, Washington, where Comadre started as a pop-up. According to Austin Monthly, she then moved back to San Antonio, and then to Austin. But no matter where she is, the Mexican cooking traditions of her ancestors take precedent.

Mariela Camacho of Comadre Panaderia in Austin Mariela Camacho, Comadre Panaderia. Courtesy photo

The Times also recognized Houston's Koffeteria. Krishna hails the bakery for pastry chef-owner Vanarin Kuch’s creative fare that includes dishes such as beef pho kolaches, Chinese sausage breakfast tacos, and butter mochi.

“Some of Mr. Kuch’s offerings are rooted in his Cambodian American identity — he makes cornbread with the coconutty, scallion-forward flavors of Cambodian street corn — while others are odes to Houston’s multicultural makeup. But most of the fun of Koffeteria is having no idea what Mr. Kuch will do next, and eagerly awaiting his next innovation,” Krishna writes.

Open since 2019, Koffeteria has been riding high this year. It earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Bakery and a CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Award for Pastry Chef of the Year.

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Comadre Panadería and Koffeteria are the only Texas establishments to make the Times’ list. Only California and New York City, which each have three representatives, earn more recognition.

lists media desserts koffeteria new york times