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On 3/21/2022 at 6:43 PM, Borachio said:

My first time to try Red Ash tonight and it did NOT dissapoint!  I was able to snag a reservation for one, at the bar, about a month ago. 

I started with beef bone marrow. The bone marrow and the garlic bread to soak up the fatty juices stole the show.  A must get. 

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Then for my main I had Osso Buco Milanase with risotto and a pork/veal ravioli dish. 

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For dessert I had the lava cake.

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Very large portions!  10/10

 

3 hours ago, 4th&Five said:

 

Drama Club No GIF by Nickelodeon

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8 minutes ago, zman13 said:

Went to Artipasta a few months ago and forgot to post about it.

Had a great meal. Owners are from Italy, they want to make authentic Italian food, etc. 

Food was a 10. The atmosphere is about 2, so go there for the food. Don't expect fettucine alfredo or crap like that. 

https://www.artipasta.com/

Which location?  Are they food trucks or brick and mortar?

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/12/2023 at 11:45 AM, zman13 said:

Went to Artipasta a few months ago and forgot to post about it.

Had a great meal. Owners are from Italy, they want to make authentic Italian food, etc. 

Food was a 10. The atmosphere is about 2, so go there for the food. Don't expect fettucine alfredo or crap like that. 

https://www.artipasta.com/

Can confirm. Dago approved 

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On 9/19/2023 at 10:59 PM, Mack Tripper said:

Cuernavaca location of Patrizi's is damn good. OG location is also good but menu is more limited. 

Went tonight for the first (and last) time.  That place blows.  Walk-up service, which in and of itself is not a deal-killer, but it took 40 minutes to get our food.  Their foccacia isn't.  I mean, it's Italian bread soaked in butter and olive oil. 

I have a soy allergy, and found out that only two dishes are made without soybean oil.  The fucking carbonara is topped with a soy-based gremolata, which cannot be ordered without BECAUSE IT'S ALL SITTING PRE-MADE IN THE BACK IN A GIANT VAT.  Seriously?  You pre-cook a dish like carbonara?  That's a mortal sin in Italy.

My micro-mason jar glass of red wine had a crispy bit of dried pasta on the rim.

My wife's fettucine aspired to be al dente.  I mean, it was literally crunchy.  We just got the hell out of there.  Fucking Westlake.

Oh, and we heard what sounded like gunfire on the way out, but convinced ourselves it was fireworks.  Then every cop/ambulance west of 360 came plowing into the neighborhood, so I don't know.

Edited by jimmyjazz
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haha, that's in my hood.

Been twice, never going back. 

First time, the pasta machine was broke, so we had our choice of a couple of different sandwiches. Kid and I split a meatball sandwich. The bread was a square focaccia, each side being an inch or so thick, with two inch meatballs, making the sandwich about 4 inches tall. No idea how you were supposed to eat it. 

Second time we went took both boys, neither of which saw a thing on the menu they wanted. They are picky eaters but I didn't really blame them as the choices were crap. Ended up ordering carbonara and it was horrible. 

Really sucks as it's the only place within 10 minutes of our house. I've heard they've added some kid friendly stuff, but we're not ever going back.

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On 9/19/2023 at 10:59 PM, Mack Tripper said:

Cuernavaca location of Patrizi's is damn good. OG location is also good but menu is more limited. 

 

On 12/27/2023 at 8:35 PM, jimmyjazz said:

Went tonight for the first (and last) time.

 

18 hours ago, blacklab said:

Been twice, never going back. 

Piling on, I think the original food truck is underwhelming, too.  Everything was greasy and had all of the subtlety of a Papa John’s.  I’ve never understood the appeal except for the novelty of eating Italian out of a truck.  

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On 9/19/2023 at 3:41 PM, hobbs said:

Interesting that there is very little, if any, love for L'Oca d'Oro here. 

It's our go-to and consistently great.

Wife and I went there last night for the first time for our anniversary. We splurged because anniversary - got the olives, fresh mozz, and kale salad apps. For entrees we got the Tortelli all’Arrabbiata and the carbonara. Add in a tiramisu, three glasses of wine, an old fashioned, and two espressos. 

We were both pretty underwhelmed. Everything was "pretty good" but nothing blew me away, and for what we paid, I expected at least something to be memorable. Carbonara was good but not great. Tortelli Arrabbiata was very spicy to the point that it overpowered all other flavors. Tortellis had almost no filling, but even if they had more filling, doubt you would have tasted anything because the spice was so overpowering. Service was good. They automatically apply a 20% charge to help pay for health care and give their staff a living wage. Which I am all in favor of. But they don't call it a tip, and say that you can add an additional gratuity on the top. So it's not clear how all that washes out, which was confusing, Don't think we'll go back. 

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Carbonara is one of those classic dishes that is so simple almost everybody screws it up.  When it's good, though, it's great.

Regarding L'Oca d'Oro:  my wife had a work dinner there.  She said it was "eh".  The only dish she loved was some sort of roasted carrots with chevre concoction.

Edited by jimmyjazz
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We had a tasting menu there a few years ago when it was receiving a bunch of “best of Austin” attention.  I thought it was fine and romantic but my wife was really unimpressed and always changes the subject when I suggest we give it another shot.  It’s too bad because I like how they change their menu and all the other, more sustainable elements (paying staff a living wage, using local ingredients, trying to offer good value, etc.)

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Patrizi's... was recommended by a neighbor once.  I looked at the menu and said, "pass".  Not wasting my time.

As for carbonara, there is one way to make it.  People try to fancy it up and add crap like cream or peas or whatever or they call something else carbonara.  No.  One way.  Stop screwing with it. 

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7 hours ago, texasdago said:

Patrizi's... was recommended by a neighbor once.  I looked at the menu and said, "pass".  Not wasting my time.

As for carbonara, there is one way to make it.  People try to fancy it up and add crap like cream or peas or whatever or they call something else carbonara.  No.  One way.  Stop screwing with it. 

Like you know anything about Italian food.

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7 hours ago, texasdago said:

As for carbonara, there is one way to make it.  People try to fancy it up and add crap like cream or peas or whatever or they call something else carbonara.  No.  One way.  Stop screwing with it. 

Yup, although I sometimes cheat with good bacon when I can't find guanciale.

The main argument I've seen among Italian cooks is whether to use whole eggs, some whole eggs and some yolks, etc.  Other than that, it's pretty set in stone.

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3 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Yup, although I sometimes cheat with good bacon when I can't find guanciale.

The main argument I've seen among Italian cooks is whether to use whole eggs, some whole eggs and some yolks, etc.  Other than that, it's pretty set in stone.

Yeah, finding guanciale is not always an option so you have to cheat a little bit.  I made ditalini last night with peas, bacon and parmigiano.  Simple, delicious.  Not carbonara.

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7 minutes ago, texasdago said:

I made ditalini last night with peas, bacon and parmigiano.  Simple, delicious.  Not carbonara.

I've recently been turned onto the goodness that is cacio e pepe.  Jeez, where you been all my liife?  I always skipped it because it seemed too rudimentary.  Absolutely delicious.

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17 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I've recently been turned onto the goodness that is cacio e pepe.  Jeez, where you been all my liife?  I always skipped it because it seemed too rudimentary.  Absolutely delicious.

Super easy but, man, to be honest it can be a bomb in your stomach.  

Honestly, 99% of Italians make the most simple tomato sauce... super non-complicated and using canned / jarred passata... so much Italian cooking is simple and straightforward.

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On 1/20/2024 at 11:47 AM, LCHorn said:

We had a tasting menu there a few years ago when it was receiving a bunch of “best of Austin” attention.  I thought it was fine and romantic but my wife was really unimpressed and always changes the subject when I suggest we give it another shot.  It’s too bad because I like how they change their menu and all the other, more sustainable elements (paying staff a living wage, using local ingredients, trying to offer good value, etc.)

This is basically how I feel about Emmer and Rye (how your wife felt).

Edited by ztejas
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  • 3 weeks later...
On 1/23/2024 at 9:20 AM, texasdago said:

Yeah, finding guanciale is not always an option so you have to cheat a little bit.  I made ditalini last night with peas, bacon and parmigiano.  Simple, delicious.  Not carbonara.

We do this with ham, peas and parmagiano sometimes.  Really good.

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12 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Simple and so good

I don't know what it's called, but one of my other favorites is to saute olive oil, butter, garlic and a few red pepper flakes, add to spaghetti or bucatini and then toss with parmesan and toasted breadcrumbs. Also simple but a great side dish.

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On 2/21/2024 at 11:35 AM, texasdago said:

Update on Juniper.  Loved it.  Play it smart and you can actually keep the $ to a reasonable price and by smart I mean get a lower priced bottle of wine instead of blowing your wad on alcohol.  

Did you do the prix fixe or a la carte?

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  • 2 months later...

Met up with some folks today at a joint in Round Rock called Palermo Pasta. Not out of this world good, but they have a lunch special that was $12 that includes iced tea, salad and main dish and there were 5 or 6 options. Most of us grabbed the lasagna or Calzone and no complaints.  Decent $12 lunches are hard to find these days. 

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  • 2 months later...

ate at red ash last night after making a reservation like 3 months ago. expensive but the entrees are large enough to easily feed 2 people. the bone marrow risotto was very good as was the frutti di mare. the tiramisu was the largest dessert portion i've ever received at a restaurant. would probably skip the steak trimmings bruschetta next time. easily have enough of everything left over for another meal tonight. 

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On 5/21/2019 at 11:23 AM, jimmyjazz said:

We live close to Siena and always enjoy our meals there.  The building is beautiful and the food usually matches.  It's a bit higher on the price scale but it's worth it.

 

On 5/21/2019 at 11:24 AM, utee94 said:

Agree, I really like Siena and the atmosphere is great.  

 

On 5/21/2019 at 12:42 PM, South Austin said:

Good call on Sienna.  My wife and I hadn’t been there since before we had kids, but recently put it back in the rotation. Agree on the atmosphere. It’s a great rustic-feeling space, and it’s not some disguise for a poor quality menu, as the food is always solid.

 

Wanted to confirm that Siena is still good. Expensive, but good.

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