Kerbey Lane Cafe debuts Akaushi beef and pork belly on new Fall Menu

Kerbey Lane Cafe is introducing locally-raised, internationally famous Akaushi beef with the debut of its new Fall Menu, now available at all seven locations through early 2017.

From just outside Austin in Harwood, Texas, Kerbey Lane’s new Akaushi beef comes from third generation cattle farmers at HeartBrand Ranch. The current herd, the largest in the United States, was raised from a small number of the “red cows” imported from Japan. The beef is natural-fed, hormone free, and richly marbled with tender and flavorful fat.The Fall Menu also features pork belly for the first time, and returning seasonal favorites like the *Pumpkin Pancakes and *Pumpkin French Toast made with homemade pumpkin bread, plus several new and reimagined items. See the full menu here.

Akaushi beef is the star ingredient of several new Fall Menu dishes, including the Texas Street Tacos (with caramelized onions, queso fresco, diced tomatoes, cilantro, and chipotle or verde sauce), Texas Benedict (with poached eggs, avocado, queso, and pico de gallo on grilled cornbread), Pompeii Burger (with prosciutto, Fontina, caramelized onions, mixed greens, and sun-dried tomato pesto served on a bistro bun), and Citrus Steak Salad (with greens, honey chipotle roasted beets, blue cheese crumbles, pumpkin seeds, citrus marinated onions, and orange vinaigrette).

Kerbey Lane Cafe’s hearty chili is now made with Akauishi beef as well, and is showcased in the Chili and Cornbread (served with homemade cornbread), Chili-Queso Fries, and Frito Pie.

Carl Leefe, director of foods and facilities, had the inspiration to add pork belly to the menu. “I like to think of pork belly as bacon’s sophisticated older sibling: it has the same saltiness and fattiness, but a thicker cut lends itself to more interesting preparations and richer flavor profiles,” says Leefe.

Fall Menu dishes incorporating pork belly include the Pork Belly Mac and Cheese, Pork Belly Francisco (with scrambled eggs, avocado, tomato, and queso served on an English muffin), and Whole Hog Sliders (pork belly with pulled pork, maple apple-bacon jam, citrus marinated onions, and orange vinaigrette on dinner rolls).

Meat overload? Don’t worry; Kerbey Lane’s new Fall Menu has something for everyone.

Vegan foodies will love the Fall Menu’s new Vegan BBQ Sandwich made with veggie chorizo, vegan barbecue sauce, lettuce, pickles, red onions, and pickled jalapenos atop a vegan hoagie bun.

Several crowd-pleasers from Kerbey’s Summer Menu will be making a repeat appearance on the 2016 Fall Menu, such as the Lone Star Reuben (a Texas twist on a traditional Reuben, including jalapeno remoulade), Chicken and Pancakes (inspired by the Southern comfort food staple chicken and waffles), and the Kerbey Kick Start (jalapeno sausage, scrambled eggs, avocado, and marble rye toast). 

Other new and reimagined dishes on the Fall Menu include the Eggplant Tartine, Godfather Benedict, Corned Beef Hash, Pumpkin Paris Texas Platter, Greek Lamb Burger, and Red Quinoa Power Bowl.

“We’re excited about the addition of Akaushi beef and pork belly to our Fall Menu. These delicious meats kick up the flavor on any dish, and we think our guests will love how we’ve incorporated them into Kerbey Lane’s new offerings while still serving fresh food at reasonable prices in a comfortable atmosphere. That’s been our philosophy since day one, and that’s what makes Kerbey Lane such a beloved Austin restaurant,” says Amanda Kuda, director of marketing.

Kerbey Lane Cafe releases three seasonal menus—summer, fall, and spring—each year to celebrate the flavors of the season and provide fresh new dishes for its guests to enjoy. The Fall Menu will be available for a limited time only.

*Please note that due to poor pumpkin harvesting conditions in late 2015 and early 2016, there is a nationwide shortage of the pumpkin puree and pumpkin fillings that are used to make many pumpkin items. Kerbey Lane will be postponing the launch of its famous Pumpkin Pancakes until the stock is replenished, and will be serving Pumpkin French Toast only while supplies allow. The restaurant’s pumpkin vendor expects to have the stock replenished by mid-September.

The pumpkin shortage has not impacted Kerbey Lane’s famous retail pumpkin pancake mix, which is available in 1-pound bags for $4.98 each at all seven of its stores, 200-plus H-E-B locations, online at www.kerbeylanecafe.com, and at other stores throughout Central Texas.

For more information, visit www.kerbeylanecafe.com.