Le Calamar
Bistro · Bouldin Creek
1600 S 1st St Suite 100, Austin, TX 78704
Highlights
French bistro with Texas flair, charcoal steaks, Gulf seafood
French bistro with Texas flair, charcoal steaks, Gulf seafood
"Austin only has a handful of French restaurants, so we’re thrilled anytime a new one opens—especially one this good. Le Calamar is in the shuttered Underdog space in Bouldin Creek, and comes from the same team. It tops yellowfin tuna with silky crème fraîche and bathes velvety Parisian-style gnocchi in brown butter, but the best things we’ve tried thus far are a perfectly cooked cut of wagyu and the herby Vichy carrots with tallow tree honey. It’s not all French—the bistro has many nods to Texas, including Southwestern-themed art hanging on the walls. Put Le Calamar at the top of your date-night list. You can order a la carte or get their $77 prix fixe menu." - nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs, matthew jacobs, nicolai mccrary, nicolai mccrary, nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs, matthew jacobs, nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs, nicolai mccrary, nicolai mccrary, nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs, nicolai mccrary, nicolai mccrary, nicolai mccrary
"From the team behind the recently shuttered Underdog—and in the same space—Le Calamar is a French bistro with a few Texas touches. Expect dishes like grilled trout with brown butter, Carolina gold rice with Gulf shrimp and blue crab, and oysters charentaise (with Texas hot links). Right now they’re open for dinner and happy hour, but there’s a lunch expansion planned for the near future." - nicolai mccrary, matthew jacobs
"Austin only has a handful of French restaurants, so we’re thrilled anytime a new one opens—especially one this good. Le Calamar is in the shuttered Underdog space in Bouldin Creek, and comes from the same team. It tops yellowfin tuna with silky crème fraîche and bathes velvety Parisian-style gnocchi in brown butter, but the best things we’ve tried thus far are a perfectly cooked cut of wagyu and the herby Vichy carrots with tallow tree honey. It’s not all French—the bistro has many nods to Texas, including Southwestern-themed art hanging on the walls. Put Le Calamar at the top of your date-night list, or invite a friend for cocktails and a catch-up at the stunning bar." - Matthew Jacobs
"Korean American wine bar Underdog gets a second life as Le Calamar, a French bistro with Texas flair. Co-owners Claudia Lee and Richard Hargreave partnered with North Carolina native and chef Casey Wall to revamp the entire menu, sourcing ingredients primarily from Texas and the Gulf Coast to craft a menu that could only exist in the Lone Star State. There are oysters Charentaise paired with spicy Texas hot links, grilled trout slathered in a brown butter-based salsa macha, an ever-changing menu of steaks cooked over charcoal, and compelling chicken wings à la Koffman (deboned chicken wings stuffed with mousseline) that appears deceptively simple. The beverage menu is just as impressive, with Hargreave sourcing most of the wines from France and a spirits list that focuses on Texas and Mexico." - Courtney E. Smith
"A French bistro reimagined through a Texas lens that opened in late May, this neighborhood restaurant applies classic French techniques to Gulf dayboat seafood, Texas produce, and global spices to create a market-driven, “living” menu. Led by chef Casey Wall—whose résumé includes Le Cirque, the Spotted Pig, and restaurant projects in Australia—and partner Richard Hargreave (who curated the wine and drinks program), the kitchen turns familiar preparations into distinctly Texan interpretations: charcoal-grilled steaks; oysters served with house-smoked Texas hot links; a trout almondine finished with a salsa macha of guajillo chiles, almonds, cacao nibs, and sherry vinegar; Carolina Gold rice with Gulf shrimp and blue crab; and a Lone Star take on Baked Alaska featuring pecan, banana, and local honey. More inventive plates include deboned chicken wings filled with a mousseline blended with sweetbreads and huitlacoche, and a rice-based dessert made with Texas-grown rice, crème fraîche, local plum preserve, and pistachio. The beverage program emphasizes small, sustainable growers and producers from Texas, Mexico, and France (including a pecan-based nocino), and the dining room—a 3,000-square-foot, dark, moody space with glossy olive walls, stained concrete floors, a 12-seat bar, and a Spaghetti Western–inspired soundtrack—is designed to suit both multi-course meals and casual oysters with a glass of wine. Dinner service is the focus, with stated hours and daily early- and late-night happy hours that include drink and snack specials." - Brittany Britto Garley
