Gati Cafe started out as a dessert spot in East Austin and soon evolved into a cafe serving up vegan ice cream, baked goods, morning meals and mid-day eats with flavors from across the map.

The context: Gati Cafe is rooted in chef and owner Jam Sanitchat’s experience as a traveler and seasoned restaurateur. 

Her first venture as a restaurant owner came in 2008 when she opened Thai Fresh, offering pre-prepared meals with the same Thai flavors she grew up eating and cooking at home. As Thai Fresh’s dessert menu expanded and the restaurant became a destination for sweets, Sanitchat opened Gati as an ice cream shop in 2020. 

On the menu: The concept started as a dessert shop, selling vegan coconut milk ice cream, including Thai coffee and tea flavors, pandan, lavender caramel, toasted coconut chip and black sticky rice horchata.

After opening, Sanitchat decided to expand the menu to include an entirely gluten-free brunch and bakery lineup because she had always dreamed of selling breakfast.

• 1512 Holly St., Austin

Austin will commit more than $100 million to support future public amenity decks covering portions of I-35, after a scaled-down alternate proposal was tabled this spring.

The gist: Austin has planned to bridge portions of the expanded I-35 through a local "cap and stitch" program. The city would develop larger caps and smaller stitches to cover the interstate, connecting downtown and East Austin with public decks that could house parks, plazas and small buildings or venues.

The city's finalized plan includes three downtown caps covering nearly 11 acres between Cesar Chavez and 12th streets, plus two northern stitches covering more than 3 acres at 41st Street and the Capital Metro Red Line. Construction of those decks plus amenities could cost well over $600 million.

Before caps and stitches are built, the city is sending $104 million to the Texas Department of Transportation to add supporting infrastructure to its I-35 expansion. That local funding will proceed this year after city officials declined to scale back Austin's cap strategy under a proposal from Mayor Kirk Watson.

CardVault by Tom Brady held its grand opening May 27 in downtown Austin.

What they offer: CardVault stocks a variety of cards, including sports, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Formula 1 and Marvel. The store also sells memorabilia, such as signed photos, framed jerseys and posters for baseball, wrestling, basketball and tennis. 

One more thing: The brand was founded in 2020 and focuses on buying, selling, trading and grading cards and collectable items. 

CardVault has locations across the country in Chicago, Las Vegas and San Francisco; its only other Texas location is in Dallas. 

• 259 W. 3rd St., Austin

Check out the latest transportation updates across the Austin metro.

Upcoming projects
CR 175 widening
Project: The project will widen south of Creek Meadow Cove to RM 2243 in Leander, and is expected to improve capacity and regional connectivity.
Update: Phase 2 preliminary design is complete, and design completion is expected later this year.

• Timeline: 2027-28
• Cost: $42.8 million
• Funding source: 2023 road bond

• Timeline: completed mid-May
• Cost: not available as of press time
• Funding source: TxDOT