3 New Ideas for Entertaining in Austin

Here's a look at what's new for meetings and events in the Austin area.

Adele Chapin
February 27, 2018

Get inspired with the latest ideas in catering, rentals, and more in and around Austin.

Full-service Austin catering company the Peached Tortilla specializes in corporate parties and social events. New menu items include twists on Korean cuisine like kimchi arancini 'lollipops,' which are a play on a traditional arancini ball. This popular passed appetizer runs $3.50 per person. And for a main entree, the Peached Tortilla serves Korean braised short ribs, served on a bed of cauliflower puree with a demiglace. The $27-per-person meal includes a side and salad, along with bread and butter.
Full-service Austin catering company the Peached Tortilla specializes in corporate parties and social events. New menu items include twists on Korean cuisine like kimchi arancini "lollipops," which are a play on a traditional arancini ball. This popular passed appetizer runs $3.50 per person. And for a main entree, the Peached Tortilla serves Korean braised short ribs, served on a bed of cauliflower puree with a demiglace. The $27-per-person meal includes a side and salad, along with bread and butter.
Photo: Carli Rene
New boutique event rental house Party at the Moontower specializes in design-forward furniture and decor. One of the company’s specialties is creating what it calls 'Easy Living Lounges,' comfy and inviting spaces featuring plenty of layered textiles and low lounge seating. Moontower can vary the style of rugs and pillows to achieve various looks or feels. Prices vary depending on items and amount of guest seating.
New boutique event rental house Party at the Moontower specializes in design-forward furniture and decor. One of the company’s specialties is creating what it calls "Easy Living Lounges," comfy and inviting spaces featuring plenty of layered textiles and low lounge seating. Moontower can vary the style of rugs and pillows to achieve various looks or feels. Prices vary depending on items and amount of guest seating.
Photo: Courtesy of Party at the Moontower
Bougie’s Donuts & Coffee in South Austin offers gourmet doughnuts in rotating flavors like double berry, chocolate bacon, cinnadough, and blueberry fritter. For catering, Bougie's will work with clients to build a package, which could include custom offerings. Typically, catering prices run between $1 to $3 per doughnut. Add-on drinks like espresso, pour-over coffee, cold brew, kombucha, or iced chai tea are also available.
Bougie’s Donuts & Coffee in South Austin offers gourmet doughnuts in rotating flavors like double berry, chocolate bacon, cinnadough, and blueberry fritter. For catering, Bougie's will work with clients to build a package, which could include custom offerings. Typically, catering prices run between $1 to $3 per doughnut. Add-on drinks like espresso, pour-over coffee, cold brew, kombucha, or iced chai tea are also available.
Photo: Courtesy of Bougie’s Donuts & Coffee
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Malibu Poke opened a second Dallas location in April. Set in Uptown in the mixed-use development McKinney & Olive, the elevated quick-serve restaurant specializes in traditional poke bowls made with freshly butchered sashimi-grade seafood and house-made sauces, as well as cooked dishes with chicken, fish, seafood, and vegetables. Measuring 2,100 square feet, the venue offers a modern and inviting atmosphere, with light wood tables, live plants, an exposed ceiling, and seating for 40. For larger groups, planners can reserve the shared McKinney & Olive courtyard, which can host as many as 1,000 people.
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Collective Retreats Hill Country operates as a seasonal glamping retreat on the organic farm Montesino Ranch along the Blanco River in Wimberley, Texas. It debuted last fall and stays open from late September to early June. The retreat consists of 12 overnight luxury tents with high-end amenities (think 1,500 thread-count linens, French press coffee bar, in-tent bathrooms, and massages), all with a bohemian aesthetic with textiles, rugs, and blankets. Activities include swimming, kayaking, floating the river in tubes, cooking classes, and more. The kitchen, overseen by executive chef William Howell, focuses on farm-to-table produce and meats, like outdoor roasts, breakfast tacos, barbecue shrimp and grits, plus more. A 1,000-square-foot indoor event space, Three Peaks, accommodates about 70 guests and has a terrace, Wi-Fi, and audiovisual capabilities.
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Mobile florist Sand and Soil Flower Truck Co. launched in July. In addition to providing traditional floral decor, the 1960 vintage Volkswagen truck can be used as a D.I.Y. activity station at events. While on site, florists help guests create their own floral arrangements, which can double as party favors.
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Austin's the Balloon Bar recently added a garland collection to its array of festive balloons. The Organic Balloon Garland measures 15 feet long by two feet wide, and it is composed of various sizes of latex balloons in a rose-colored palette with shades of corals and pinks. This garland costs $125 plus tax.
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In October, Houston nonprofit C.H.A.T. (Culture of Health Advancing Together), with support from the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the Houston Arts Alliance, launched the Gulfton Story Trail. Gulfton, a community comprised in large part of refugees and immigrants, is now home to 12 murals that depict different aspects of the immigrant experience in Houston. Visitors can access an online map that directs them to each mural and shares details about the artist and the subject matter behind each work.
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EggHaus Gourmet, a fast-casual breakfast restaurant that specializes in kolaches, tacos, and egg sandwiches, opened in Houston Heights in September. The restaurant, which is helmed by father-son duo Hans and Philipp Sitter, evolved from their kolache pop-ups at their first two Austrian-German concepts King’s Biergarten and King’s BierHaus. The 2,000-square-foot space was designed by Austin-based designer Kim Lewis and features floral wallpaper; yellow, white, and black pops of color; and a 10-foot steel egg at the ordering station. The venue seats 48 people inside and 20 outside and is available for private events.
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Palm Beach-inspired patio bar Present Company opened in Montrose in July. The expansive venue has 4,200 square feet of space inside and a 6,000-square-foot patio showcasing pink, orange, and yellow hues, as well as tropical accents and birdcage chandeliers. The bar specializes in tropical cocktails and bar snacks, including nachos and cheese fries. The venue can hold about 520 guests for receptions and is available for private events.
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A staple in the Dallas hotel market for more than a century, the Adolphus completed a two-year renovation in May, which included additions like the French Room Bar, a pool and pool deck, Viennese coffee shop Otto’s, and a barber shop. The property features 11 meeting spaces, including the 1,305-square-foot Anson Jones room, which accommodates 150 theater style and 120 in rounds; the 989-square-foot David G. Burnet room, with space for 110 theater style and 50 classroom style; and the 263-square-foot George W. Bush room, with space for 10 for conferences. Elsewhere on the property, guests can enjoy a rooftop pool, a fully equipped fitness center, and a range of dining options.
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Greater Goods Coffee Roasting opened a bright and airy modern coffee shop in East Austin in March. Special to the café is its training lab, which offers space for coffee classes, tasting sessions, and private event space. Outdoor seating arrangements include tables and banquettes, while the interior features the coffee bar and library nook with comfortable couches. The 3,000-square-foot venue seats 50 in the main café, 24 in the lab, and 30 on the patio.
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