Greetings from Austin

Conrad Hilton once said of Texas “There’s a vastness here and I believe that the people who are born here breathe that vastness into their soul. They dream big dreams and think big thoughts, because there is nothing to hem them in.” 

If the ability to dream big is a trait of Texans, it explains a lot.  Nearly a dozen EDGers hail from the Lone Star state, including founder Jennifer Johanson. So when EDG met Austinites and Owner/Chef duo Keith House and James Robert, they not only dreamed big, but delivered results at Fixe: Austin’s Southern House.

In 2015, House and Robert (the director of operations and executive chef respectively) left their decade long tenure at Eddie V’s to open their own restaurant. The duo sought to turn the age-old tradition of Sunday night Southern supper on its head:  a personification of its two founders - traditional southern with a twist.

Start with the menu – flaky biscuits, crackling fried chicken, and deviled eggs, all infused with surprising flavors. Crunchy buttermilk meringues dressed up a sweet potato pie. Veal brisket served alongside potato, cauliflower and foie gras…the menu is, as Jennifer says, “off the hook”. The EDG team took the playful culinary concept and translated it into a traditional meets Avant-garde design of the space.

The kitchen is completely open, allowing customers to have a front row seat to the action. Like a well choreographed routine, the staff chops, seasons and grills to the delight of onlookers. The main dining area is a dressed up take on a Southern fishing camp – 2x4’s, chicken wire and bare bulb lighting. It’s a comfortable, luxurious dining experience that offers a playful wink and nod to the Deep South. Antique elements adorn the private dining areas, complementing the dark wood walls and plush furnishings.

House and Robert say Fixe is “that feeling we aim to evoke in every part of the restaurant” … the idea that you will crave the food and warm, welcoming experience so much that you have to go back to get your fixe (with the addition of an e for their Cajun roots, of course).

With big Texas dreaming and loads of ingenuity, Robert, House and EDG have managed to create a memorable Sunday supper every night of the week. 

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