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David Bull’s new Second Bar + Kitchen set to open Dec. 26
On Dec. 26 at 6 p.m., Second Bar + Kitchen (above) will be the first of chef David Bull’s new restaurants to open at the Austonian in downtown Austin, a spokesman for the restaurant announced Friday.
The announcement came just hours after the operation — which also includes the flagship restaurant Congress and its lounge, Bar Congress — had passed inspections and been given a certificate of occupancy.
Bar Congress is scheduled to open Dec. 28 at 6 p.m.
Congress is set to open New Year’s Eve.
Bull, at right, who shaped the Driskill Grill into one of the city’s best restaurants and competed on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” will oversee both restaurants and the lounge. Before the Austonian project, Bull had been chef at the Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas.
In October he named a team that includes Rebeccca Meeker as his chef de cuisine at the upscale Congress. Meeker worked with Bull when he was at the Driskill Grill and has helped to open Joel Robuchon restaurants in New York City and Taiwan.
At Second Bar + Kitchen, a more casual but progressive bistro, Ethan Holmes (Snap Kitchen, Taverna) will act as Bull’s chef de cuisine.
Other team members at the restaurants include:
• Jason Stude (Whole Foods), sous chef.
• Plinio Sandalio (Textile and Gravitas in Houston), pastry chef.
• June Rodil (Uchi, Texas sommelier of the year), beverage director.
• Adam Bryan (East Side Show Room), bar manager.
• Billy Hankey (the Good Knight), lead barman.
Information and numbers:
• Updates at www.facebook.com/CongressAustin and www.twitter.com/CongressAustin
• Second Bar + Kitchen: 200 Congress Ave. at the Austonian.827-2750, www.congressaustin.com.
• Congress: 200 Congress Ave. at the Austonian. 827-2760, www.congressaustin.com.
• Bar Congress: 200 Congress Ave. at the Austonian. 827-2755, www.congressaustin.com.
BAD SANTA COCKTAIL FROM SECOND BAR + KITCHEN
Let’s call this the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come because Second Bar + Kitchen hasn’t quite opened yet. But as we’ve just found out, it’s set to open Dec. 26 at 6 p.m. Lead barman Billy Hankey designed the Bad Santa cocktail as a chalkboard special. The red comes from cherry liqueur, the green from a sprig of rosemary, an herbal aesthetic Hankey brings from his time at the Good Knight, where a bloom of fresh basil in your drink wouldn’t be out of the question. “Aroma’s a big part of our flavor palate,” he said. “Fresh herbs are always a good way to get your tastebuds going. Who doesn’t like the smell of fresh-cut grass on a Sunday morning?”
Bad Santa
2 oz. Flor de Cana rum
2 dashes Fee Brothers cranberry bitters
2 dashes Peychaud bitters
1 bar spoon maraschino liqueur
Bundaberg ginger beer
Rosemary sprig for garnish
Build in mixing glass all liquid except ginger beer. Stir contents with ice. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. Top with ginger beer. Clap rosemary sprig for garnish. — Billy Hankey, Second Bar + Kitchen
(Photo of Billy Hankey mixing the Bad Santa cocktail at Second Bar + Kitchen. Photo for American-Statesman by Amanda Elmore.)
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