The Constant Re-Inventor is at it again. A few (or rather 86) lucky diners were the first to find out about chef Jason Dady’s next dining concept this past Saturday at BIN 555 (555 W Bitters). The Asian dinner was a grand preview of Umai Mi, which Dady (right) hopes to open sometime in January. The eatery will focus on Asian fusion and will offer lunch, dinner and take-out. The preview menu includes small plates (Tom Yum soup, Thai-style summer rolls, Tiger Cry salad, spicy wings with fresh red curry paste and lime crema), bowls (panang curry duck, “Suped Up” pork and shrimp ramen) and large plates (braised pork belly, banh mi, lemongrass roasted chicken and whole fried fish). Umai Mi will take the place of BIN 555, which will remain open through December 31.
Over at Minnie’s Tavern (328 E Josephine), the French brasserie has finally landed a liquor license. Expect to see Old Rip Van Winkle and Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve bourbon, as well as Whistle Pig straight rye along the wall, and be ready to call your drink. Chef Andrew Weissman encourages bar patrons to keep their booze neat.
In order to better utilize the space available for its students, the Culinary Institute of America-San Antonio will close the CIA Bakery Café (312 Pearl Pkwy). The move means the 2,300-square-foot baking space on the second floor of the building will halt production for the bakery and shift toward a purely instructional purpose. The last day of business will be December 20, so get your alfajor fix while you still can.
Southtown’s Institute of Chili is getting national attention these days. The food truck first made Food & Wine magazine’s “Best Chili in the U.S.” list on Thursday and a truncated version of the same list was published by week’s end on Huffington Post. Congrats to Ana Fernandez and her crew for the recognition.
Doing your own grocery shopping is overrated. Austin-based grocery-delivery service Burpy has extended its reach into San Antonio with a fleet of drivers who will shop for you lazy bums at Whole Foods, WalMart and Costco. Orders can be placed at burpy.com from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mixtli’s (5251 McCullough) cloud has shifted. The progressive Mexican restaurant is now serving Chiapas-inspired dishes such as platanos fritos, tinga Chiapaneca and pescado en chumul through January 4. Tickets can be purchased online at restaurantmixtli.com.