Alan lazarus austin casey2/29/2024 ![]() ![]() The restaurant business is tough on marriages. I have nothing but the fondest memories of that restaurant and those people. His employees liked and respected him and were always friendly and courteous to me as a purveyor. Jay was always friendly and reasonable, as good as his word and his handshake. I found the Littlepages to be some of the nicest people I've ever met in the restaurant business. Jay and Kathleen in the restaurant officeĭelivering there so often, I got to be friends with Emporium manager Ross Mason (now owner of Avenue B Grocery) and their chef, Michael Devine. For a few years, the Emporium was my very best dessert account, taking deliveries of brownies, cookies, carrot cake, Bailey Square chocolate cake, and lemon bars three times a week. By that time, Jay and Kathleen Littlepage had expanded to open one of Austin's earliest gourmet bakery/take-out shops, I didn't actually become involved with the restaurant until the early Eighties when I was in the wholesale dessert business, selling pies, cakes, and other sweets to restaurants with a company called Las Dulces. So that gives you some idea of Mike & Charlie's provenance. Fifth), Smitty's and Cafe Havana before they struck gold with the original Chuy's (1728 Barton Springs Rd.)And for another piece of obscure Austin culinary trivia, one of the guys flipping burgers in the original Mike & Charlie's kitchen was none other than Alan Lazarus, who would go on to the lovely but ill-fated McKedrick's Treehouse and Tortuga's before becoming chef/owner of Basil's (900 West 10th) and then Vespaio/Enoteca (1610 S. He would go on to open Los Tres Bobos and then partner up with John Zapp at Gianni's (504 E. Mike & Charlie's was one of Mike Young's first local restaurant ventures. Bud Bates continued to run the Capital Oyster Bar and his brother had Rico's Italian on opposite corners of the intersection of 15th and Lavaca for several more years. Jay and Kathleen Littlepage bought the restaurant in 1977 and Michael Devine ran their kitchen during their entire ownership. Mike & Charlie's staff members in front of the restaurant
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