AUSTIN, Texas—Central Standard, a classic American bar and grill, will open its doors at South Congress Hotel in mid-December. Initially open for dinner only, the restaurant plans to expand service to lunch and weekend brunch in the following weeks. Central Standard is the second of three restaurants to open at the hotel.
Helmed by Executive Chef Michael Paley, Central Standard will offer an exceptional raw bar featuring oysters, other shellfish, crudos, and seafood towers. Items from the wood-fired hearth will include grilled oysters, a chile-rubbed half chicken, whole fish, and a house specialty prime rib.
“Austin is such an eclectic restaurant market—from food trucks to BBQ to high-end chef-driven concepts to great ethnic restaurants, but everyone should be able to have a classic American bar and grill in their neighborhood,” Paley says. “We are taking classics and applying impeccable sourcing and innovative techniques to dishes that are standards in their own right.”
The Central Standard dining room is built surrounding a beautiful, large open kitchen detailed in sleek marble, brass and handmade patterned Japanese tile. With a patio that stretches along the South Congress sidewalk into the hotel’s courtyard, Central Standard’s outdoor dining area will make for a relaxed neighborhood atmosphere. Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, interior designer Studio MAI and Waterloo Workshop shaped the restaurant’s design.
“The idea behind Central Standard is to bring a bustling, neighborhood bar and grill to South Congress, but with a modern Austin sensibility,” says New Waterloo partner Jesse Herman, owner of South Congress Hotel. “The focus is on simplicity, freshness and execution.”
Guests can enjoy the restaurant’s wine cellar and private dining room, which can accommodate dinners for up to 30 people. The wine program will feature more than 100 labels with the vast majority under $100, and there will be a reserve list featuring old growth French Bordeaux, Burgundy, vintage bubbles, white burgundy, and more.
“We’re focused on proper cocktails, quintessential American standards,” says Nate Wales, New Waterloo director of operations, who developed the bar program for Central Standard. “Sometimes you just want to have a straightforward, really well-made drink. Think Gibsons with house-pickled pearl onions or a gimlet with fresh botanicals and house-pressed citrus.”
Overseeing the dessert menu is Executive Pastry Chef Amanda Rockman. “The pastry program at Central Standard will be a playful approach to classic flavors,” notes Rockman. “I want to evoke the nostalgic feeling of having and getting that piece of cake you wanted as a kid.”
Central Standard is located at 1603 South Congress Avenue in South Congress Hotel on the corner of Monroe and South Congress.
