Kindred Social, a new cocktail bar and dining spot in Northwest Austin, held its soft opening this week.

The overview: Patrons will find rotating draft cocktails, beers on tap, wine and other drinks.

The menu includes a variety of small bites and food for the table, such as toasted sourdough with Texas honey butter and sea salt, pork belly cracklins, seared tuna, crispy wings and more.

For heartier options, Kindred Social also offers a chicken sandwich, double-patty smash burger and the ATX Melt, which comes with brie and gruyere, bacon, fig jam and caramelized onion on sourdough.

The new eatery also plans to unveil a brunch menu in the future.

• Opened Oct. 28

Advanced Manufacturing Partners, or AMP, is opening an advanced prototyping facility in Austin. The flagship factory from a partnership with the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation is expected to open its doors in early 2027.

What's happening: The new facility will feature a manufacturing floor, lab space and offices with personnel including engineers, technicians and project managers. Roughly $30 million of advanced equipment will be available to help hardware companies move their initial prototypes into large-scale production.

Zooming in: The project is the first in Texas to be supported by ACMI, and is designed to serve a variety of area businesses and manufacturers, with flexible equipment to support partner companies from the defense, aerospace, medical and other sectors. Officials declined to share the factory's location or planned headcount as of this fall.

Holly Wilson, an organic gardening instructor and Native Plant Society of Texas teacher with 40 years of experience, shares advice for maintaining a healthy garden in Central Texas. Wilson recommends planting in the fall, from mid-October through the end of November, to allow plants to establish deeper root systems that tolerate drought.

To maintain a healthy and sustainable garden, Wilson advises:

• Considering a plant's mature size, soil, water, sun and shade requirements before purchasing.
• Using integrated pest management and avoiding chemical pesticides.
• Making compost and vermicompost to provide nutrients and fertilizer.
• Mixing compost into the soil before planting, or gently mixing it around the plant afterward to avoid disturbing the root system.
• Using native plants, which support the environment better than non-native or exotic plants.
• Utilizing the Native Plant Society of Texas website database for gardening resources.

Check out these stories trending in the Austin area Oct. 26-29.

1. UT Austin unveils academic health system rebrand with major healthcare expansion ahead

2. Round Rock subdivision approved for 72-acre expansion

3. Dog Haus reopens in Cedar Park under new ownership

4. TxDOT wraps up $677M Oak Hill Parkway expansion project

5. Budget, demographics and improvement plans: 3 Pflugerville ISD updates to know

6. Tractor Supply Co. planning second Georgetown store