Exclusive: Le Bernardin veteran opening Bill’s Oyster downtown in April
A veteran of some of the finest restaurants in New York City is bringing a seafood restaurant and raw bar concept to downtown Austin.
Chef Daniel Berg, who worked in the kitchens of NYC fine dining institutions Daniel and Le Bernardin before running his own restaurants in NYC and later Houston, plans to open Bill’s Oyster (billsoyster.com) with partner and Austin native Stewart Jarmon in April.
The duo’s first restaurant together will blend unfussy sophistication and casual neighborhood vibes in a part of town with no locally owned seafood restaurants and only a handful of homegrown concepts.
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Berg’s tight menu will include Gulf and East Coast oysters, in addition to raw seafood preparations, a couple of cooked dishes, classics like beef tartare, a cheeseburger and daily specials. The jewel box space located in the 2nd Street District at 205 W. Third St. will feature about a dozen bar seats and tabletop seating for a couple dozen more.
“Growing up in New York and spending a lot of time in New Orleans, I always loved oyster bars and seafood, especially the ones that have been around forever,” Berg told the American-Statesman. “From a chef perspective, I’ve reached a point in my career where I want to strip out as much as possible when it comes to creating dishes, and focus on the quality and sourcing of product. This is the bar/restaurant that I would want to go to in my personal life, sit at a bar, have a great drink and some solid food, whether it be a burger or a dozen oysters… kinda my favorite things. And do it in a place with no pretentiousness.”
Berg, who trained in NYC and Italy before beginning his career with famed chef Andrew Carmellini, served as executive chef-partner at B.B. Italia for two years after moving to Houston to work with his brother. The chef met Jarmon, who attended culinary school in Mexico City, through mutual friends several years ago in Texas.
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Bill’s Oyster will be the first restaurant venture for Jarmon, a seasoned project manager who has developed ties in the hospitality and entertainment worlds during his several decades living in Austin, where he graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School.
“We’ve seen a lot of out-of-town restaurants come to Austin lately, especially downtown,” Jarmon said, “So we wanted to seize the opportunity to open up a local spot in a great location.”
Once open next month, Bill’s Oyster will serve lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin seafood restaurant Bill’s Oyster to open by Le Bernardin chef
