Austin restaurant veteran buys two beloved longtime neighborhood restaurants

A new hospitality group led by a long-time veteran of the Austin dining world recently purchased two popular restaurants with more than 35 years of history.

Mike Smith, whose resume includes time in management at Gumbo’s and Shoreline Grill, formed Hearth and Counter with partner Chris Ragland. Their company purchased North Austin Italian restaurant Andiamo in the spring and wine bar and restaurant Aviary Wine & Kitchen on South Lamar Boulevard in late summer.

Smith, who most recently managed Blue Corn Harvest in Cedar Park and 2020 Market Scratch Kitchen and Bar in Georgetown, was looking for an existing concept to purchase with Ragland when some forgetfulness and luck led him into the acquisition of Andiamo, which originally opened near what is now Q2 Stadium in 2004.

He had intended to bring dessert home for his wife from a shift at his own restaurant late last year but it slipped his mind. Instead of arriving home empty handed, he turned into Andiamo off of Burnet Road and Rutland Drive for a to-go portion of the quaint strip center restaurant’s tiramisu. It was his first visit to the restaurant.

His quick stop led to a conversation with owner Ann Baker, who purchased Andiamo from longtime owner-operator Daniela Marcone in 2018. Baker was looking to retire. Smith and his partner were looking to buy. After a few months acquainting themselves with the operation and the staff, Smith and Ragland took over ownership on April 1.

They spent a couple of months softening and warming up the space, and learned the recipes of outgoing veteran chef Victor Ibarra. Smith knew the restaurant had a loyal clientele, and he wanted to make sure that those who have been coming for the carbonara, ravioli and veal scaloppini would still find their favorites.

“Everybody was concerned about the food and concerned we were gonna change,” Smith told the Statesman of the initial response from some regulars.

Those staples are still on the menu, but Smith and his team have also revamped monthly wine dinners that are exploring the Italian influence on other cuisines (such as Argentina and Japan) and intend to run a seasonal menu that will supplement the menu of Andiamo classics.

“I’m not trying to make it our version of Andiamo,” first-time restaurateur Smith said. ”We’re trying to make it the best version of itself.”

Aviary: 'There's a lot of passion in it'

That motto also holds for the duo’s recent purchase of Aviary, the business that Marco Fiorilo originally opened as a home décor shop in 2006 before eventually transforming it into a full-service restaurant and wine bar in 2017 with partner John Coronado.

The restaurant, with its eclectic and colorfully written wine list from wine director Alex Bell, killer music playlists, dedicated-if-small roster of regulars, and a menu of plates from now-departed chef Andre Molina, landed in the Statesman’s annual list of best restaurants more than once. But a historically hot summer and the after-effects of the COVID pandemic hurt Aviary so significantly that the two partners had started considering closing or selling the business in late summer.

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The owners were introduced to Smith and Ragland who saw in Aviary the same possibilities they had seen in Andiamo: take a beloved, if somewhat niche, spot and re-energize it.

“Really, it was the whole package. It’s a cool concept. There’s a lot of heart in it, a lot of passion went into getting it to what it is today. And we’d love to take what it already is and make it the best version of itself,” Smith said.

Fiorilo will continue to focus on Wham Bam Bagels, his great breakfast trailer at South Congress Avenue and St. Elmo Road, which he hopes to expand, and Coronado, whose warm conviviality helped make Aviary a special place for so many of its guests, will be serving as the general manager at the forthcoming Bureau de Poste, the bistro from chef-partner and “Top Chef” alumnus Jo Chan, which will open in October in Hyde Park.

Related: ‘Top Chef’ alum Jo Chan opening French restaurant at Hyde Park’s Tiny Grocer

“Letting go of something we shared a lot of time together with family and close friends, staff and regulars that eventually became close friends was tough,” Coronado said. “We hope that the legacy left behind of our time owning Aviary is that we loved being a part of our community and our neighborhood, offering a space that offered great wine, great food and a fun place with great and positive energy.”

Bell has remained at Aviary to guide its wine program, and though Molina has left, his former sous chefs, Zakk Pollard and Daniel Garr, veterans of Barley Swine and Otoko, respectively, have stayed on to run the kitchen, along with recent hire Steven Dziewanowski, whose resume includes time at Beast in Portland

“They’ve taken their background and applied it to some French techniques, and what we’ve gotten is a pretty eclectic menu that I think speaks to the wine drinking experience,” Smith said, adding that he hopes the new energy his team brings to both restaurants will revive brands that have helped make Austin unique over the last several decades.

“There are so many restaurants that close almost everyday, it seems. And it’s sad,” Smith said. “Sometimes it just takes somebody coming in with fresh eyes and fresh energy.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin restaurant veteran buys Aviary and Andiamo; hopes to revive