http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/4082738.html Diner's future on the table A hotel project threatens the Las Manitas cafe, but locals are cooking up ways to save it By LISA FALKENBERG Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle AUSTIN - The vegetarian chorizo, the customers walking through the kitchen, politicos stuffed in a booth next to a punk-rock-alt-country-Latin singer — all of it has made Las Manitas Avenue Cafe an Austin icon, long representing what's funky, or weird, about Texas' liberal oasis. But recently the Tex-Mex diner has become an example of a common trend that's plagued Austin since hippie-country got cool: insatiable downtown growth that is threatening to plop a $185 million hotel project on the land that houses Las Manitas and several other local businesses. Las Manitas fans haven't digested the news well. "I would never eat again," former Comptroller John Sharp declared one morning last week after devouring a steaming plate of migas. Some bloggers have deemed the potential loss a "tragedy." Local musicians are considering a benefit concert. The sisters who run the place, Lidia and Cynthia Perez, have launched a Web site: www.savelasmanitas.org. The sisters and city officials, including many Las Manitas regulars, are cooking up solutions to save the piece of Austin soul, everything from denying the developer waivers to passing an ordinance protecting Austin "icons." Other options include renting space in the new hotel complex, persuading the hotel to build around the restaurant or moving Las Manitas several doors down to a building owned by the Perez sisters that has historical protection. It's currently a Latino cultural center called La Peña. It all started when the building's owner, Finley Co., signed a long-term lease with Indiana-based White Lodging Service Corp., to build three Marriott hotels, the highest reaching 26 stories, on the Congress Avenue block that holds Las Manitas, a folk art shop and a popular Spanish-immersion day care with a two-year waiting list. The tenants' leases are set to expire in December. Finley officials didn't return calls for comment. A White Lodging official said the company is seeking solutions acceptable for all parties. "We understand that these are considered institutions in Austin and that there's a long history behind them, and we're certainly sensitive to that issue," said Judy Bronowski, vice president of business planning communications. Dina Flores, who runs Escuelita del Alma, the day care, isn't sure. Flores said she met with the developers' attorneys last week and that "we haven't heard anything good so far that implies they're willing to work with the tenants. It was more like 'we need that little strip. You guys are tenants. Where can we move you to?'" In the beginning Cynthia Perez, who, along with her sister, built Las Manitas up from a taco stand they ran near the University of Texas, said they invested in a depressed part of downtown long before other businesses would. She's proud of the diverse droves of people the restaurant lures. "Is this the payment? 'Well, we don't need you anymore. Goodbye?" Perez said. "If we disappear and the day care disappears, that's part of the sad legacy of more money moving into this city. But it's kind of hard to fight the tsunami of money." Besides being a local favorite, Las Manitas is a must-eat for many tourists and music fans attending festivals. Last Saturday, the famous migas drew director Quentin Tarantino, in town working on his next project, Grind House, with Robert Rodriguez. Tarantino said he's been coming to Las Manitas for about 12 years and is worried that the growing number of high-rise, high-rent condos, and hotel and retail projects downtown could edge out local, independent businesses that give Austin its kick. "It's a victim of its own success," Tarantino said. "What made it a success is places like this and the Alamo Drafthouse (Cinema). If these places can't afford to pay their rent, Austin will go back to the dark ages as far as I'm concerned." Still, Tarantino said he has confidence the Austin community won't let Las Manitas go. Sharp, the former comptroller, agreed: "Brewster will save it," he said after breakfast. Moving it 'misses the point' A few tables away, Brewster — that would be City Councilman Brewster McCracken, a former Harris County prosecutor — sipped his coffee and digested his favorite dish of eggs, black beans, fried plantains and two soft corn tortillas. "Las Manitas is a place that's refused to succumb to the corporate modern rules," he said. "It marches to its own drummer." "Just call it weird," his policy director, Rachel Proctor May, interjected. "My sense," the councilman continued with a laugh, "is that it would kind of miss the point to move it somewhere else." McCracken said he's gotten plenty of pleas from constituents to save the place, even more from the tie-wearing crowd than the Birkenstock crowd. He thinks closing or relocating Las Manitas might be more traumatic for Austin than the demise of Liberty Lunch, a beloved live music venue that closed in 1999 for redevelopment. "We arguably got something to replace Liberty Lunch that was a great asset to the community," he said, adding that some of the land was used to build a new city hall. "I don't think people feel the same about this corporate hotel." From the neon signs in the glass storefront to the linoleum floor worn down to the slab, Las Manitas exhales history. Portraits of musicians, newspaper broadsheets of adoring reviews and an ever-present display of fresh artwork paper the walls. "This place, it's got a heartbeat," says Marsha Power, an Austin salon owner and lover of spicy huevos. Worried about day care She's counting on the determined Cynthia Perez to save the place. "I don't anymore have faith in politicians, but I do have faith in Cynthia. I mean, she can pull a rabbit out of a hat." Alejandro Escovedo hopes so. The singer-songwriter doesn't know what he'd do without the day care next door that his 3-year-old daughter attends or Las Manitas' huevos con chorizo. "To me, this place represents one of the last places in Austin that nurtures this kind of feeling. It's like you're coming home." Customers who aren't squeezed in a booth, at a table or hunched over a newspaper in swivel chairs at the counter are ushered through the restaurant to the patio. On the way, they pass through the heart of Las Manitas. The steely kitchen is alive with color — tubs of ripe avocados, little cups of pico de gallo — aromas of chicken, onion, migas steaming over gas flames and the tune of clanging pots, quick bursts of Spanish, calls for orders. Cooks work like pistons, their smooth fingers shredding chicken for enchiladas, warming gorditas on a griddle while 73-year-old Matilde "Mati" Torres nurses her refried beans, frijoles so good that when she's not working, customers complain of a subtle difference in taste. "I'm worried now," said Torres, who has been working at Las Manitas for about 20 years. "But I believe in God. He'll help." If that doesn't work, Dave Sullivan has an idea. The chairman of the city planning commission calls it "iconic preservation," a program that would both support and protect businesses deemed Austin icons. Wisconsin has a similar program to protect barns and Vermont has one for covered bridges, Sullivan said. Such a program could offer incentives to icons and require that developers asking for increased entitlements preserve any iconic property on site. Sullivan is shopping the idea this week, though he isn't certain it would pass in time to help Las Manitas. "If there is strong support for it — and I haven't met anybody yet who doesn't like this idea — it is something that could come about in a couple of months," he said.
Yes, as well as incredibly stupid. Guess, as they say, they's just "keeping it weird." No mention in that article states how long Las Manitas has been there. To me, that tells me whether it is worth saving.
If you click on that link in the article it says that its been there since 1981. Sorry that doesn't seem like a Texas landmark to me. Oh and daycare center has been there since 2000. Time to get the national historic society involved.
i stopped reading at veggy chorizo. as i glanced down, i saw people say things about it, so it's not a popular idea it seems.
Never heard of it. Real Austinites head to the East side of town for the best mex. Juan in a Million rocks!
what he said and again, what he said... used to love going to Juan In a Million and then spending some time at the Texas State Cemetary...
Hey, it's a landmark to me. So much of of Austin has disappeared since I was in school there. But, so be it. Put up another hotel. Blah.
Typical flippant responses. Have any of you even been there? It is an Austin institution. Las Manitas is a place where you might be having your huevos rancheros with Ann Richards at the table next to you, on one side, and Willie Nelson on the other. Here's an excerpt from the Austin Chronicle: Escuelita, the city's only Spanish-immersion preschool program, serves over 100 children. Las Manitas makes lunches for the children, who learn about art at La Peña; the restaurant staff get a break on tuition. "We believe there should be children downtown," said Flores, who has a master's degree in early childhood education. Demand is high for the well-regarded center, which currently has a two year-waiting list of preschoolers (among them U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett's granddaughter). But the threat to Las Manitas is the three-alarm enchilada. Since 1981, the restaurant has earned a special place in Austin's heart. At breakfast and lunch, the long, narrow storefront space is continually a-babble with conversing politicos and lawyers, wheeler-dealers, environmental leaders, creative types, UT students, and ordinary folk. Part of the "Austintatious" fun is spotting celebs like James and Larry McMurtry, Sam Shepard, Owen Wilson, David Byrne, and black-clad touring musicians ("The unofficial hangover outpost of most SXSW attendees," according to the festival's interactive blog). "Losing Las Manitas is the greatest threat to my enjoyment of Austin that I can possibly imagine," said Texas Monthly Editor Evan Smith, who eats-and-meets at the restaurant almost daily. (It's a "Mas Manitas" day when he stays through both breakfast and lunch.) "I've lost sleep over it! Just to keep me out of their hair, they better keep this place open! Closing Las Manitas would be a terrible blight on the culture of the city." http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:388469 If you aren't a regular there, you just don't understand what the place means to so many folks in Austin. It opened a year after we moved to Austin. We'll be very depressed if it's torn down for some hotels, which appears to be the plan for development. Like the Warehouse District in Austin, close to Las Manitas, a warehouse district that has lost most of it's old warehouse buildings to development, the growth of development in Austin threatens to destroy what makes Austin special. I don't know about all of you, but Austin being special is why we moved here, 26 years ago. I'll hate it if that special place disappears and becomes just another urban spot in America.
Deckard: It is a 25 year old restaurant. It is not an "institution". I know for a fact that Austin has plenty of "Unique" restaurants. Losing Astroworld was momentous. This place is not. EDIT - Don't get me wrong. There have been a lot of restaurants that I've been sad to see torn down. But calling it an institution is ridiculous.
Fatty, with all due respect, that is your opinion, and in my opinion, you don't know what you're talking about, in this instance. edit: just saw your edit, lol. I still stand by my post, unless you're talking about an institution like the State Hospital.
To repeat my edit above, I've seen restaurants torn down also, and it sucked. It still doesn't make it an institution because some famous people went there. Or if so, I guess "The Palm" is a Houston institution.
i have been there, and it is good, and i usually dont like seeing landmarks like this get torn down, but...... it has do be done. austin is growing - fast. that space can be utilized a lot better... and it is called progress. austin wants to remain this small, isolated town but newsflsh: it isn't! you cant have your cake and eat it too. it's sad that it has to go, but it's not like there wont be another one right around the corner.
Please inform me of other restaurants you would define as an "Institution?" I can think of a couple. But neither are "Landmarks." Gaido's in Galveston comes closest, being one of the oldest restaurants in Texas, circa 1911.
