Estancia Brazilian Steakhouse is now open in Leander. The restaurant held a ribbon cutting Jan. 28.

What's on the menu: The restaurant serves premium meat cut at the table, as well as "fresh gourmet sides, an elevated salad bar, handcrafted cocktails and a thoughtfully curated wine list," according to Estancia's website.

Of note: The Leander opening marks the second location for the restaurant locally. The other is located in The Arboretum on Research Boulevard in Austin.

• 2132 Raider Way, Leander

A new Tacodeli location is coming soon to San Gabriel Parkway in Leander, Jordin Lineback, marketing manager for Tacodeli confirmed. The new restaurant will be part of the Northline project, a representative from Endeavor Real Estate Group confirmed. Construction for the $600,000 project is expected to begin in September and last through November, according to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing.

What they offer: Tacodeli sells breakfast tacos, lunch and dinner tacos, salads, bowls, soups and chips. Among the breakfast taco offerings is The Otto, which features organic refried black beans, double bacon, avocado and jack cheese. The restaurants also have margaritas, ranch water, lemonade, almond horchata, agua fresca and coffee.

One more thing: Northline—a nearly $1 billion, 116-acre mixed-use project—will combine commercial and residential space, while its neighboring Southbrook Station—opened last year—will add new restaurants, businesses and services for residents.

• 408 E. San Gabriel Parkway, Ste. 110, Leander

Austin travelers will soon have access to nonstop flights to the Cayman Islands.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is partnering with Cayman Airways to offer a seasonal summer service.

What you need to know: Flights will depart weekly on Sundays, May 24 through Aug. 9.

• Austin to Grand Cayman: departs at 12:45 p.m. and arrives in Grand Cayman at 3:45 p.m.
• Grand Cayman to Austin: departs at 8:15 a.m. and arrives in Austin at 11:45 a.m.

Area residents seeking careers in the infrastructure and mobility sector can attend an Austin Infrastructure Academy career expo Feb. 4 at Austin Community College's Highland Campus.

The details: The academy's next infrastructure career fair will allow job-seekers to meet with area employers and explore career opportunities in fields like transportation, construction and other skilled trades. Workforce resources, and in-person interviews for open positions, will be offered.

The expo is taking place as part of the Austin Infrastructure Academy initiative, created to address regional employment needs related to the billions of dollars in major infrastructure projects planned or underway around Central Texas. The academy is supported by the city, ACC and Workforce Solutions Capital Area.

The free event will take place Feb. 4 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the ACC Make It Center located at 6101 Highland Campus Drive, Bldg. 2000, Room 2.2429. Registration for the public event is available online.

Check out six upcoming, ongoing or completed transportation projects across the Austin metro, including toll roads in North Austin and Cedar Park, various lane expansions and improvements for cyclists and pedestrians.

Upcoming: New Hope Drive expansion
The traffic changes come as the city is working to expand New Hope Drive from four to six lanes and open an innovative intersection design at New Hope Drive and 183A Toll.
Update: The project is in the design phase.

• Timeline: expected completion summer 2027
• Cost: $1.8 million
• Funding source: 2022 transportation bond

• Timeline: total project completion expected in 2026
• Cost: $612 million
• Funding source: federal funding, sale of roll revenue bonds, Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act funds

Following over four hours of public testimony and debate Jan. 28, the Texas State Board of Education is poised to postpone a plan to create a mandatory reading list for K-12 students.

What's happening: Board members said Jan. 28 that they wanted to get more feedback from Texans before moving forward with the policy, which would take effect at the beginning of the 2030-31 school year. The SBOE is required to create the reading list under a 2023 state law, and members said they would likely revisit the proposal during an April meeting.

The Texas Education Agency compiled a list of nearly 300 literary works for the board to consider.

What they're saying: Some speakers expressed concerns Jan. 28 that the TEA’s list was too long and focused too heavily on classical literature that “does not represent the students of Texas," while others said they wanted students to focus on classical literature and historical texts.