Co-owner of The Rotten Bunch Arik Williams and Heather Oldstein are siblings and are the restaurant's chefs.[/caption]
Wine bar and restaurant The Rotten Bunch, located at 14900 Avery Ranch Blvd., Bldg. B, Ste. 100, Austin, opened Oct. 21.
The restaurant, which can seat 100 people, offers “wine friendly” foods such as cheese and charcuterie plates, risotto and handmade desserts including chocolate truffles and lemon icebox pie. Co-owners Arik Williams and Alan Thomas, offer wine and beer at the restaurant's bar, including 10 Texas-made beers on tap. The wine menu is organized by 13 different styles of wine by the bottle, glass and on tap. Categories include bubbles, smooth and supple, zesty and fruity and fresh and herbal.
Williams, who is also the chef of the restaurant, said The Rotten Bunch name is meant to remind patrons, “at the end of the day, it’s just rotten grape juice,” and to enjoy drinking wine without feeling intimidated.
Williams’ sister Heather Oldstein is sous chef of the restaurant, which also offers a small retail section in which guests can purchase bottles of wine and to-go food items, such as cheese and charcuterie plates.
“We want people [at The Rotten Bunch] to relax,” Williams said. “We take our jobs very seriously, but we don’t take ourselves very seriously. We want people to feel sophisticated but feel comfortable wearing flip-flops.”
