Birdie’s

Birdie’s is a small, counter service restaurant and wine bar on the corner of 12th and Harvey in Austins east side. The building that Birdie’s occupies has long been a hub of this historic neighborhood and has gone through many restaurant and business iterations. Although Birdie’s is a smaller, simply decorated and low key space, the owners come with a serious pedigree. Chef Tracy cut her teeth at some of New York (Del Posto, Blue Hill, Untitled at the Whitney, and Grammercy Tavern) and Chicago’s (Lula Cafe) most beloved kitchens and Arjay who handles the wine side of things worked front of house in D.C. at Wolfgang Puck’s The Source and Komi before moving to New York, meeting Tracy and working together at Untitled and Grammercy Tavern. The menu at Birdie’s is seasonally focused and changes daily. The plates lean on the smaller side so they are excellent for sharing light bites over a bottle of wine from their excellent wine list. If you are going to skip wine by the glass and go straight for a bottle, be sure to ask Arjay if he’s around to tell you what he’s excited by. His taste in wine is fantastic and extremely well considered. As far as food goes, there is no wrong move here but there always seems to be a pasta dish on the menu that steals the show, and any vegetable forward dish seems to feel fresh and perfect for dining al fresco in their spacious backyard. Be sure to finish the meal off with their soft serve vanilla ice cream drizzled with olive oil, its the perfect way to cap off a special meal at what is becoming a new Austin classic.