Food News: Irresistible Irene’s
Satiate your inner foodie with savory and sweet twists on traditional menu classics.
It’s time to update your list of regular hangout hot spots in Austin. Our suggestion: Put Irene’s somewhere near the top. The new locale, with a menu that tantalizes with creative twists on classic American fare, opened may 30 off Fifth Street and West Avenue.
From the welcoming, mahogany-hued, wood-paneled bar to the cozy booths resting comfortably under a wall lined with refurbished airplane windows, Irene’s exudes a warm and inviting if not somewhat eclectic interior. Pass by a funky relic of a piano on your way outside to the pecan- tree-shaded patio abutting Shoal Creek before sidling up to the al fresco bar or—perhaps its most unique feature—the walk-up counter window, perfect for a morning coffee or a quick snack on your commute to work.
Don’t be dismayed if you turn your attention to the menu and suddenly feel you’ve been missing a sense of creative vibrancy in your own cooking. Our recommendation: At lunchtime, try the pigs in a blanket with house- made andouille, Easy Tiger puff pastry and Brooklyn Lager mustard, or stop in for a late-night sweet treat of mascarpone toast topped with cooked peaches, fresh blackberries and basil.
In addition to a salivating food lineup, Irene’s boasts an eclectic drink list. Outside of traditional beer-and-wine selections, the bar serves up decadent punches, such as the Trinidad Rum Punch with pineapple and lime, and quench- curing cocktails, like the Sweet Jane with mezcal, Mexican Coke and cherry.
Whichever turn on the menu you take, there’s really no wrong way to go.
Photos by Courtney Pierce and courtesy of ELM Press.
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