Bamboo Bistro has served Pflugerville since 2021, offering a mix of Chinese and Thai cuisine with extended late-night hours.

The background: Chris Tan opened the restaurant alongside his uncle Tony Kwan, and they both have experience in the restaurant industry. 

The restaurant originally launched near the Domain in 2009 and later relocated its northern branch to Pflugerville while maintaining a popular southern location in Westgate, which is equipped with a drive-thru.

What’s on the menu 

The menu features classic dishes such as orange and sesame chicken as well as rice and noodle dishes. Thai options include pad thai and curry. The restaurant also offers ramen and appetizers, such as spring rolls and crab wontons. 

“In the beginning, we were just trying to do quick, casual Chinese food,” Tan said. “As time evolved, we started doing Thai food too, and that has been very successful.”

Hutto Parks and Recreation held a ribbon-cutting for the new Hutto Lake Park playground on Oct. 17.

The details: The playground was created to support children of all abilities. 

The city selected nine sensory-focused features for the playground with guidance from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards, the Autism Society of Texas and the Parks Advisory Board, Director of Parks and Recreation Jeff White said. These features support adaptive movement like spinning and rocking, offer quiet decompression spaces, and engage different senses.

Quote of note: “This project represents an important step forward for our community with our first intentional effort to create an autism‑friendly play space,” White said at the ribbon-cutting. “Our goal was to create a space where children who benefit from structured, predictable, and calming play experiences can feel comfortable and supported.”

• 805 Estate Drive, Hutto

Leaders at the Samsung Austin Semiconductor plant in Taylor announced $22.8 million to fund local partners and programs on Oct. 15 at the Made in Texas: Boundless Opportunity event.

The money will help create Samsung's new community engagement program called Spark!, expand workforce development partnerships, launch a new industrial trades training program and expand the paid internship program with Taylor ISD.

The breakdown: Samsung's $22.8 million investment will contribute:

• $10 million for 14 local organizations through the Spark! program

• $700,000 in annual donations to local organizations

• $2.66 million for the 2026 5-Star Workforce Development partnerships

• $7.98 million toward three-year extensions for the 5-Star Workforce Development partnerships

• $1.5 million for the new STEP program

"As I look around the room and look at all these amazing young people, I believe that Samsung's greatest economic impact will be what each of these young people will do to change the world, their future, and Samsung," Senior Director of Communications Michele Glaze said Oct. 15.

An advanced manufacturing facility in Austin, an elementary school in Leander and a LongHorn Steakhouse in Hutto are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Project Toaster ($100 million): This project involves civil site development and construction of a core-and-shell building for Project Toaster, an advanced manufacturing facility.

2. Project Phantom ($60 million): This project involves the construction of a 285,000-square-foot warehouse with associated site improvements and parking.

3. Elementary School No. 31 ($56 million): Leander ISD plans to open its new elementary school in August 2028.

4. LongHorn Steakhouse ($3.8 million): A new LongHorn Steakhouse location is coming to Hutto, with construction set to wrap up in August.

5. CARTS Bastrop Park & Ride Expansion ($1.5 million): This project involves a parking lot expansion, EV charging stations, a bike-share pod, landscaping and miscellaneous site improvements for the existing bus station.