Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Says COVID-19 Cases Must Drop Dramatically Before Bars Can Reopen

Welcome to AM Intel in the time of coronavirus, a round-up of the city’s newest bits of restaurant-related intel. Follow Eater on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date details on how COVID-19 is impacting the city’s dining scene.

Allen High School’s student-run bistro now offering takeout

Blu Community Bistro, the student-run restaurant at Allen High School, is doing what many other restaurants have done during the coronavirus pandemic — embracing the pivot, Dallas News reports. Blu has launched a new program, Blu@home, in which diners can order student-prepared meals for takeout. Each $32 meal serves four people, and the restaurant is limiting orders to 75 a day, with a new menu each week.

The restaurant was founded six years ago to give students in the school’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Services program practical experience in working in a restaurant kitchen. Blu serves gourmet dishes cooked with organic ingredients like a grass-fed Waygu burger and a chocolate chip cookie apparently adored by Paula Dean.

The deadline to place a weekly order through the Blu@Home program is 8 a.m. on Mondays. Meals can be picked up between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. on Fridays at the bistro in the high school. Orders have sold out quickly. so be sure to check the Google doc menu and order form regularly.

Coronavirus cases must decrease before bars can reopen, Gov. Greg Abbott says

In a press conference last Thursday , Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that bars are a “leading transmission zone” and that coronavirus cases in Texas must decrease dramatically before he would consider allowing drinking establishments to reopen again, according to the Texas Tribune.

Bars throughout Texas were forced to close this spring due to several county-wide stay-at-home orders, but were allowed to reopen at 25% capacity on May 22. Abbott quickly reversed course as cases began to surge, and closed bars again on June 26.

At the press conference, Abbott said that, based on the advice of doctors, the state’s case positivity rate must drop below 10% for a sustained period of time, and hospitalizations must decrease, before he’d consider reopening. He also expressed sympathy for business owners and employees that were forced to stay closed. As of August 11, the average positivity rate in Texas was 25%.

Plano’s The Keeper is now Captain’s Club

The Keeper, the sustainable seafood restaurant in Plano’s Legacy West development, has closed after two years. The restaurant makes way for a new venue, Captain’s Club at Legacy, CultureMap reports.

Captain’s Club will offer in-house catering and a bar menu from Front Burner Restaurants such as Mexican Sugar, Haywire and Whiskey Cake, and will offer event packages to fit all budgets, according to CultureMap.

The space will also offer all-inclusive packages for small gatherings, including decor, music, and setup in one of four spaces suitable for 50 to 100 guests. Captain’s Club makes use of the upscale nautical decor of The Keeper, including a brass-embellished bar and gleaming white subway tiles.