Highly anticipated Peached Tortilla‘s brick and mortar restaurant has officially opened at 5520 Burnet Road in Austin, Texas, expanding on the flavors of the increasingly popular food truck’s modern Asian and Southern comfort food menu.
The restaurant fills the void in the Austin food scene by offering an affordable dining experience in a unique, fun and welcoming setting that is decidedly unstuffy. Silverstein and his team have been able to increase the sophistication and complexity of the food truck’s menu, as a full-size kitchen allows for techniques not available within the confines of 2,500 square feet.
“The menu has been methodically thought out— we’ve focused on making it not only incredibly original, but even a little whimsical in its approach. The style of food is truly unique to The Peached Tortilla,” said Chef and owner Eric Silverstein. “We want to be a little different, as we believe different is good. Diners, especially those who love our food trucks, won’t be disappointed.”
The most popular items will remain on the restaurant’s menu; however, the menu will expand to include unique rice bowls, savory noodle dishes, fun twists on dessert and a mouth-watering cocktail menu. Collaborating with Silverstein and team on this project is Seattle Restaurateur Joshua Henderson’s Huxley Wallace Collective team.
Chef Eric Silverstein’s menu will remain focused on urban Asian and Southern comfort food with a modern twist, expanding the sophistication and complexity from the existing food truck favorites. The space itself reflects the overall vibe of the menu — rustic, modern Southern, and decidedly “unstuffy”, with photos of Japanese street food in a nod to Silverstein’s birth roots in Japan. The space includes a custom plywood tile wall stained with intricate patterns, custom milled benches for booth seating and a hand painted life size portrait of Lady Bird Johnson. Each table will include three sauces for diners to supplement their meals, including chili paste, ssam jang and a Chinese bbq sauce, all made in house.
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The award winning Peached Tortilla food truck brings customers the full experience — not only with their food but also with their outstanding service and attention to detail.
Peached Tortilla got my vote for Best New Restaurant on Eater!
What were the top restaurant newcomers of 2014?
Peached Tortilla! After 4 years on the streets, Peached Tortilla has finally opened its highly anticipated brick & mortar featuring Asian and Southern comfort food. Loved the slow braised pork belly bowl & Hainan chicken! – Jane Ko, editor at A Taste of Koko and food photographer
21 Reasons Why Peached Tortilla’s Brick And Mortar is Austin’s Best New Restaurant
Photo credit: Peached Tortilla
Table of Contents
Eric Silverstein was an attorney
You were originally an attorney, why did you go into the food business?
I have a deep passion for food. It has always been an important part of my life growing up in Japan. My family would always eat dinner together and my mom would cook for us. Food is important to me.
Photo credit: Patrick Lu
Peached Tortilla started as a food truck in 2010
Why Austin?
In 2010 I was looking for a place that made sense for a food truck. A city that was warm more than it was cold, and a city where I could lease a truck. Austin offered me all those options. Plus the economy was doing well despite the rest of the American economy dragging.
Food truck life isn’t easy
What was the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge to getting to brick and mortar was just surviving in a food truck. Working a food truck is both physically and mentally taxing. It took a toll on my body and my personal life. I was unable to pay myself for two years, so it was a struggle.
Volume is the key to “success” in food trucks
Was it hard starting up a food truck? What was the biggest challenge?
I honestly believe that starting a food truck is one of the hardest things you can do. You are constantly fighting the elements – the heat, the cold, the rain. It never stops. The hardest thing was gaining enough traction to bring in sales. It takes to time to gain recognition. Volume is the key to “success” in food trucks.
Photo credit: Peached Tortilla
From food truck to brick & mortar in 4 years
Did you always know you wanted to go brick & mortar?
Yes, I did. I think when people start food trucks they must have end games. My end game was a brick and mortar location where we could expand the brand.
Photo credit: Peached Tortilla
“I built this menu from the heart”
What makes Peached Tortilla special amongst all the other restaurants in town?
I think we have a lot of soul and character, not to say other restaurants don’t because they do. We’re not afraid to be different. I built this menu from the heart, and I think it shows.
Photo credit: A Taste of Koko
Restaurant space is reflective of Silverstein’s childhood
The space, created by architect Kevin Stewart, reflects the overall vibe of the menu, complete with photos of Japanese street food in a nod to Silverstein’s childhood, an intricately stained plywood tile wall, custom milled benches for booth seating and a variety of mix-matched light fixtures in the bar area. The service sequence at the restaurant will be focused on shared dining, with the intention that tables will order a variety of items to share and experience more of the menu than ordering individually allows.
Photo credit: Peached Tortilla
Each wall tile was stained individually
Tell me about the intricately stained plywood tile wall
This was a design idea of my architect, Kevin Stewart. My designer, Matthew Parker, was in town and Kevin ran the idea by Matthew. They both liked it, and our contractor, Havens Construction, commissioned Sawdust Studio to build the piece. Sawdust basically had to stain, coat or paint each individual triangular tile, then mount the tiles onto a backboard which was then installed in set pieces. Those guys did the install all in one day late into the night. Big time kudos to those guys.
Asian + Southern fusion at it’s best
What is the inspiration for your food? Why Asian + Southern fusion?
I grew up in Japan with a Chinese mother. I was always eating Asian food, whether it was on the streets of Tokyo, at home, or in another country while on vacation. I love Asian food. I moved to Georgia when I was 11 years old and was also influenced by soul food. I wanted to pay homage to that type of cuisine as well and meld the two.
Photo credit: A Taste of Koko
The Slow Braised Pork Belly Bowl is to Die For
The Peached Tortilla is famous for its slow braised pork belly tacos. This bowl expands on those tacos, pairing the slow braised melt in your mouth pork belly with a sous vide onsen egg, two variations of kimchi and pickled daikon carrots.
Photo credit: A Taste of Koko
Must Try Hainan Chicken
What’s the inspiration behind the Hainan Chicken?
It’s my mom’s dish. It’s comfort food to me. Chinese eat chicken off the bones all the time. At home we would eat soy sauce chicken or hainan chicken and dump the bones on the table. That was normal to me. My mom would serve it with difference sauces using the poaching liquid.
I grew up eating Hainan Chicken in Taiwan and it’s my favorite comfort food. Thank you for serving this in Austin!
Photo credit: A Taste of Koko
Hangar Steak Ssam
The hangar steak is an ode to Korean BBQ, but not in the traditional sense. We put a marinade on the hangar steak overnight that consists of gochujang, fish sauce, sake, among other ingredients. The steak is then vacuum sealed and sous vide at 135 degrees. We flash grill it, then slice it. It’s supposed to be eaten ssam style with lettuce, shiso, rice, kimchi and gochujang.
Photo credit: A Taste of Koko
Crispy Umami Chicken Wings
Our chicken wings are influenced by Pok Pok. I was reading all these articles about Pok Pok wings and even though I have never tried them, the idea made sense. We batch marinade the wings in fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and then toss them again in a separate fish sauce before an order.
The kimchi is AMAZING
Your kimchi is amazing, what’s the secret? (where’s my jar??)
Your jar is coming soon! Honestly, there is no secret. We stay true to the traditional Korean grandma’s recipe and we don’t really stray. I know we do a lot of “fusion” but our kimchi is straight up traditional. Top to bottom. I guess we don’t bury ours though.
Photo credit: A Taste of Koko
Homemade Chinese BBQ sauce
What are these 3 sauces? And which one is homemade?
Our Chinese BBQ sauce is homemade. It consists of a mixture of hoisin, sriracha, honey and rice wine vinegar. We also have a gochujang sauce that we doctor and add toasted sesame seeds to. Finally we offer sriracha.
Photo credit: A Taste of Koko
Housemade Ginger Beer + 30 Types of Whiskey
What makes your bar menu special? You’re brewing your own ginger beer? What else?
We carry almost thirty types of whiskey, so whiskey is a focus of ours. We also carry some hard to find Asian whiskeys including Kavalan and Nikka Coffey Grain. Our bar also makes a variety of shrubs that are incorporated into cocktails. We’re about to start barrel aging cocktails as well.
Photo credit: A Taste of Koko
Japanese Street Food
Best selling favorites from the food truck are also available at the brick and mortar location. Such as the BBQ Brisket Taco, Banh Mi Taco, and JapaJam Burger, which was named by Austin Monthly as one of the 25 Best Burgers in Austin. (I photographed the photos for Yume Burger and devoured the JapaJam Burger on Eat St. TV!)
Austin’s Happiest Social Hour
Offered daily, The Peached Tortilla’s Social Hour brings a vibrant menu of affordable food and beverage options. The menu features $5 local beer and wine, along with some of the restaurant’s most-loved cocktails: the Kentucky Mule and the Margarita de Peached. Food items include Peached Tortilla highlights perfect for after work or pre-dinner sustenance. The menu currently features 3 types of sliders (2 for $7) with options ranging from familiar favorites, BBQ Brisket and Banh Mi, to the Kalua Pork slider topped with charred wasabi napa and house kimchi. Offerings are rounded out with charred brussels, crispy fries tossed in parmesan and parsley and topped with a 45 minute egg and some of the restaurant’s hottest new recipes—Mom’s toast and Kimchi Arancini balls—all for just $5.
Photo credit: Peached Tortilla
You can get Peached to cater your wedding/event
The catering menu features Peached Tortilla’s well known “street food” items in addition to more traditional entree style options like the roasted salmon with tomato jam or our Kalua pork shoulder, served family style with bibb lettuce, sweet Hawaiian rolls and pickled vegetables.
Photo credit: Peached Tortilla
Look out for more Peached
What’s next? More locations?
I always want to push the envelope. And we have room to grow. Over the next year I would like to focus on growing our catering business, perhaps through additional offices and a warehouse. I would also like to do another restaurant perhaps either downtown or in South Austin.
Photo credit: A Taste of Koko
You can hang out with Tommy Lee Jones in the ladies room
This restaurant is about re-creating my childhood memories and paying homage to Japan, my adopted homeland. I always found it funny that random American celebrities were so huge in Japan. Tommy Lee is a mega-celebrity in Japan, and I thought that our guests should know that! Plus, he’s doing an ad for sweetened cold vending machine coffee (BOSS Coffee). Who doesn’t like that?! Farrah Fawcett is in the men’s room (a fellow Texan I might add).
Photo credit: Peached Tortilla
The Peached Tortilla is a leader in the local and national food scene, bringing traditional Southern cuisine with an urban Asian flair to the streets of Austin. Chef Eric Silverstein was recently named one of the 30 Up and Coming Chefs in America by Plate Magazine. The Peached Tortilla has been recognized in local and national print and broadcast outlets such as Live with Kelly and Michael, The Cooking Channel, The Travel Channel, Vogue, Food & Wine Magazine, Details Magazine, Austin Monthly, The Austin Chronicle, Serious Eats, Eater and many more.
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