When Juniper opened in 2015, it was built around a specific set of commitments: house-made pasta, nose-to-tail butchery, seasonal sourcing from producers like Steelbow and Boggy Creek Farm, and a kitchen in close relationship with the dining room. A decade later, those same commitments are getting new room to grow this fall.
That's most visible at the Chef's Counter, where Sterling Ridings and his team are taking the experience further this fall.
The Next Step for the Chef's Counter
The Chef's Counter sits directly in front of Juniper's open kitchen, and guests seated there have always had a close view of the line during service. This fall, it becomes its own experience at Juniper, with its own format, its own pacing, and its own menu, built around a small group of guests and hands-on attention from the kitchen throughout the night.
Behind that shift is a new Jade Range island suite, purpose-fit for this space and for the menu Sterling's team is creating around it.
The Tasting Menu Returns in September
This September, the tasting menureturns to Juniper at the Chef's Counter.
It's six courses for up to six guests, built around off-menu dishes Sterling and his team create specifically for the counter. Courses are finished a few feet from the table and handed across as they're ready, following the rhythm of the kitchen and what's at its peak that week. Producers like Steelbow and Boggy Creek Farm shape what ends up on the plate, so the menu moves with the season. An optional wine pairing is available alongside it, curated course by course, and vegetarian and pescatarian menus are offered as well.
The new suite gives all of that more room to run, with the flexibility to keep several courses moving through the counter alongside a full night of a la carte service in the main dining room.
What to Expect This Fall
The Chef's Counter tasting menu is live now at $120 per person, and reservations are open through Juniper's OpenTable page, where the Chef's Counter is listed under Experiences. Updates will also be posted to Instagram at @juniperaustin.
In the meantime, the main dining room continues seven nights a week, 5 to 10 PM, at 2400 E. Cesar Chavez, Suite 304 in East Austin. The a la carte menu reflects what the kitchen is cooking right now, with house-made pastas, wood-fired proteins, and seasonal antipasti sourced from local producers. Sterling and the team are excited for guests to try the new menu as the season changes.
