Austin, TX
A Trio of Acclaimed Chefs Is Opening a Mexican Restaurant in Downtown Austin
A trio of highly acclaimed Mexican chefs are opening a new restaurant in downtown Austin this year. Mexta Restaurant will open at 106 East Sixth Street, Suite 110 — taking over the former Simi Estiatorio space — sometime this year.
Mexta’s website describes the menu as higher-end Mexican fusion cuisine with Austin takes. Behind the restaurant are the three co-founders of the Culinary Institute by Southwest University in El Paso, Texas: Carlos Gaytán, Jonatan Gómez Luna Torres, and Mikel Alonso Garcia.
Gaytán grew up in Huitzuco, Guerrero, Mexico, where he learned to cook with his mother. He worked his way through restaurants and apprenticed at now-closed Chicago French restaurant Bistro Margot. He became the first Mexican-born chef whose restaurant earned a Michelin star in 2013, of the now-closed Mexican French restaurant Mixque. And he still runs two Chicago Mexican restaurants, Tzuco and Tales of Carlos Gaytán. He also competed in season 11 of Top Chef in New Orleans and developed the menu of Hotel Xcaret restaurant Hà in the Riviera Maya.
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Torres, who is from Mexico City, studied at the Centro Culinario Ambrosia. From there, he had worked at various high-end restaurants and then opened Le Chique, a restaurant within the Riviera Maya region’s Azul Sensatori resort in 2008, which is on the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurant list
And finally, Garcia is from southwestern France and studied chemical engineering at Spain’s University of Basque Country. He realized he’d rather cook and then switched to study at the Escuela de Cocina Luis Irizar. He moved to Mexico City where he worked at various restaurants. He also opened his own restaurant, the now-closed Basque-style Biko, with co-owner Bruno Oteiza, which had made the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and the Latin America lists in 2016. The duo also developed Grand Velas Riviera Maya resort restaurant Cocina de Autor.
The three opened their Texas culinary school in November 2023.
Mexta’s predecessor at the Littlefield building was Greek restaurant Simi Estiatorio — even though it is is using a technically different address than Simi. The restaurant had closed without any notice in March 2022 after less a year of being open amid alleged missing worker paychecks and getting evicted from the space. Before that, the space was home to pizzeria Due Forni, which also closed suddenly, citing increased rent, after three years of service.
When Mexta opens, its hours will be from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Sunday, and then from 4 p.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday.
Austin, TX
Antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island fell by half in 2025, ADL says
There was a significant reduction in the number of antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island in 2025, according to a national Jewish advocacy group.
According to the Anti-Defamation League’s latest Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, there were 26 antisemitic incidents in the state last year. That’s down from the 52 incidents counted by the group in 2024.
Samantha Joseph, New England regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, says a big reason for the reduction is a steep decline in antisemitism on college campuses.
“It shows that campus administrators are taking their responsibilities very seriously to provide a safe environment for all of their students,” said Joseph.
Brown University had over $500 million in federal funding frozen by the Trump administration last year following investigations into alleged antisemitism on campus. The funding was restored after Brown reached a settlement with the administration.
The reduction in antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island reflects a wider trend in New England as a whole. According to the ADL’s report, there were 400 antisemitic incidents in the region in 2025, compared to 638 the previous year.
While she’s pleased about the overall drop in antisemitic incidents in Rhode Island, Joseph says a number of concerning trends continue to persist. In particular, the state is still seeing more anti-Jewish incidents than it did prior to the October 7 attacks on Israel that launched the Gaza War in 2023.
Joseph is also concerned about the violent nature of local incidents of antisemitism.
“Even though overall incidents are down, assaults are up and assaults with a deadly weapon are up significantly,” said Joseph. “Our communities remain concerned for their safety, and our work is far from done.”
Austin, TX
Live blog: Severe thunderstorms possible in Central Texas
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Severe thunderstorms are possible Sunday evening as a cold front arrives in Central Texas. KXAN’s First Warning Weather Team will keep you updated on the weather coverage.
Risks to be aware of are damaging wind gusts that could reach as high as 60 to 75 mph and large hail up to quarter size.
Weather Resources:
Live Updates:
5:22 p.m.: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is issued for all counties except for Milam County.
3:51 p.m.: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for Mason, San Saba, and Lampasas County until 9:00 p.m.

3:30 p.m.: The primary risk for Sunday’s severe weather is damaging wind gusts which could cause power outages.
3:26 p.m.: Storms will likely move toward the I-35 corridor around 6 p.m. Most of the storms will enter the Hill Country around 6 p.m. and the Austin metro counties after 8 p.m.
Austin, TX
Letter to the editor from Texas emeritus professor on Dell donation
Video of new Texas Tech System chancellor home at historic Lubbock property
The Texas Tech System is acquiring the historic Tudor Revival ‘English Home’ in Lubbock to serve as the new chancellor’s residence.
Money and rankings don’t make a great university. Providing opportunities for disadvantaged students and protecting academic freedom, however, do.
Case in point: Michael and Susan Dell recently surpassed $1 billion in giving to the University of Texas at Austin, launching a plan to build a new medical center and advanced research campus in north Austin.
To be sure, this is a magnanimous gift that will fund important initiatives. While enormously grateful for this contribution, I am disappointed that this gift was not accompanied with a strong message from Michael Dell admonishing the University for gutting DEI and infringing upon academic freedom.
As a colleague of mine astutely observed: “Good luck recruiting doctors and med students. The attacks on DEI and political climates will mean a lot more than rankings and money long-term.”
UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife, referencing the Dell gift, is right: “We are transforming this site into a new campus the world has never seen before.” Yes, never seen, but in a very negative and dangerous way!
Last week, I received a message from the Texas Exes: “This is your last chance to show your support during 40 Hours for the Forty Acres, UT Austin’s Texas-sized fundraising event. Can we count on you?”
My answer: “No, absolutely not. I won’t give one dime to a university that no longer is committed to diversity and preserving academic freedom.”
Having proudly taught at UT for 41 years, I am sad to say this.
– Richard Cherwitz, Ph.D. is the Ernest A. Sharpe Centennial Professor Emeritus, Moody College of Communication and Founding Director, Intellectual Entrepreneurship Consortium (IE) at The University of Texas at Austin.
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