Laura Sawicki and Rene Ortiz of Launderette.
Contributed by Launderette
Executive chef Rene Ortiz’s vivacious (in flavor and in disposition) East Austin restaurant Launderette has been named one of the 10 best new restaurants in America by Food & Wine magazine. The restaurant, which opened in March of 2015, joined a list that includes restaurants such as Shaya in New Orleans, Death & Taxes in Raleigh and Locol in Los Angeles. It’s been a big year for Launderette, which was also a finalist for Best New Restaurant from the James Beard Foundation.
Here’s a snippet of what Food & Wine’s Kate Krader had to say about Ortiz and his food:
“At his bright, airy café in a converted Laundromat, Ortiz creates next-level versions of the standards. Take mussels, which I’d gotten bored with. Ortiz cooks his Prince Edward Island ones in a broth enhanced with ground pancetta and salami, then throws in chopped Castelvetrano olives and fermented serrano chile butter. They’re unbelievable.”
- Related: My 2015 review: Chef Rene Ortiz turns dinner into a house party at Launderette | Launderette #16 on Austin360 Dining Guide | Launderette on my Top 10 burgers in Austin list
