Students enrolled in culinary school programs in Texas should take note of a few significant changes to the Austin restaurant scene occurring this month. While there were multiple restaurant closings recently, one is decidedly more significant than others. Kenichi, a sushi restaurant located downtown, has closed permanently, with its space to soon be filled by the much anticipated Lonesome Dove.
Kenichi
Once one of the hottest restaurants in the Austin culinary community, Kenichi has shuttered its windows and closed its doors for good as of Monday, Aug.11, 2014. The restaurant was a joint project between the late Billy Rieger and Kenichi Kenada. Kenichi was known for inventive and flavorful dishes that set them apart from others in the sushi market, such as their dynamite shrimp. The location of Kenichi, on the corner of 5th and Colorado, is desirable for the new restaurant owners as it’s located directly downtown in an area populated with both high-quality restaurants and food-loving patrons.
Lonesome Dove
Kenichi’s now vacant space will be occupied by Tim Love’s newest project, Lonesome Dove. Though no date has yet been set for the opening of the Fort Worth chef’s newest establishment, Love expressed his excitement via a posting on his Twitter page.
“I’m excited and humbled to confirm that a second location of The Lonesome Dove will be coming to the heart of downtown Austin,” wrote Love on the social media platform.
The Lonesome Dove restaurant in Fort Worth has become known for its fantastic meat-intensive dishes such as steaks and wild game. They’re also quite reputable in the seafood department, which should excite Austin diners looking for a varied menu.
In addition to the Fort Worth location of Lonesome Dove, Love owns three other restaurants and a bar in the area. He’s also now the official chef of the Austin City Limits music and arts festival.
