Italian

[Guest Lobo]

The Arbor Walk may be the most poorly designed retail center in Austin and that's truly fucking saying something.  

[utee94 15748]

So glad my kids are past the age of Chuck E Cheese birthday parties at that clusterf of a shopping center.

 

[Jack Straw 2953]

2 minutes ago, Lobo said:

The Arbor Walk may be the most poorly designed retail center in Austin and that's truly fucking saying something.  

 the shopping center where the Grove is, at Bee Caves and 360, and the shopping center where the Walgreens and Texas Honey Ham on Bee Caves, were both designed by serious retards 

[Brisketexan 104781]

Went to La Traviata the other night for their carbonara - I think it’s the best in town. Seriously, it’s fantastic.

[AustinMT 952]

18 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Went to La Traviata the other night for their carbonara - I think it’s the best in town. Seriously, it’s fantastic.

Their Bolognese is also the best in town

[Bolero88 255]

I went to Intero last weekend for happy hour and it was amazing. Had HH specials of a spaghettini dish with grilled corn and sottocenare,  a wagyu stuffed parker house roll, grilled carrots, and corn fritters, as well as a non-HH serving of tagliatelle and wagyu. The  tagliatelle was actually the only thing I wouldn't order again, too salty. Everything was was sublime, including some really fancy hadmade chocolates. That was one of the best Italian meals I've had in Austin. I'd put it above Andiamo for me.  

[DalTxHornFan 3089]

Did Tratorria Lisina out in Driftwood with the bride tonight.  First time in about five years.  Still a memorable place with great food, wine, setting and service.  Started with the Antipasti E Salumi Misti along with wine then moved on to entrees.  My Osso Buco was perfection and the bride raved about her pan fried Mahi Mahi (one of tonight's feature items).  Worth a special trip.   

[Michael Knight 12948]

Went to Il Brutto the other night,  pretty pretty good

[Wiler77 1558]

On 10/18/2019 at 11:25 PM, DalTxHornFan said:

Did Tratorria Lisina out in Driftwood with the bride tonight.  First time in about five years.  Still a memorable place with great food, wine, setting and service.  Started with the Antipasti E Salumi Misti along with wine then moved on to entrees.  My Osso Buco was perfection and the bride raved about her pan fried Mahi Mahi (one of tonight's feature items).  Worth a special trip.   

Did you sit at the Kitchen Bar?  If it's just you and the bride, try that next time.  It's not real conducive to parties of 3+, but it's pretty fun to watch the madness of the kitchen.  And I don't think I've been yet where the chef's aren't friendly, willing to talk about how/why they cook things a certain way, as well as willing to give some freebies.  I love that place.

Also, for those with families, a pro move is to order pizza/wine/beer at the bar right when you walk in and carry it out to one of the picnic tables in the oak grove.  It's well shaded, there's usually a breeze, and the kids can play on the big playscape while you and the wife indulge in good pizza and refreshments.  One of my favorite places to go out to eat with the family.

[gmr548 16556]

In my experience Italian is probably the blind spot for Austin food/dining. Of course, that's relative given that the city punches above its weight class in that regard.

Trying Gusto tomorrow. A little bummed to see the less than stellar reviews on here but that's already decided. Hopefully we'll disagree.

Vespaio is the best I've had, though that was years ago. I do like Siena and, yes, North as well. All three of those were solid, but nothing mind blowing.

I have heard really good things about Uncle Nicky's, need to get down to Hyde Park to try it.

[utee94 15748]

9 hours ago, gmr548 said:

In my experience Italian is probably the blind spot for Austin food/dining. Of course, that's relative given that the city punches above its weight class in that regard.

Trying Gusto tomorrow. A little bummed to see the less than stellar reviews on here but that's already decided. Hopefully we'll disagree.

Vespaio is the best I've had, though that was years ago. I do like Siena and, yes, North as well. All three of those were solid, but nothing mind blowing.

I have heard really good things about Uncle Nicky's, need to get down to Hyde Park to try it.

Give Andiamo a try if you haven't already.  Don't let the location in a run-down little strip center off Burnet/Rutland dissuade you.

 

 

[South Austin 52198]

Uncle Nicky’s is solid. 

[jimmyjazz 45625]

Gusto seems to have aimed their price point upwards while reducing food quality.  I don't think I've been there in 2 years at this point.

[Focht Up 631]

Botticelli's has permanently closed.  Kinda sucks.

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, always liked that place.  That had to be a tough nut to make every month.  Every time I drive down South Congress lately, it seems to be bustling but hard telling if all those people are actually going inside anywhere and eating/drinking.  

[gsoda3 3238]

andiamo for me is far and away #1.  then come italic, north, siena, and mandola's which i think is quite underrated.

[South Austin 52198]

Always liked Botticelli's.  Not the best Italian food in Austin.  But always had a solid meal there, I enjoyed the atmosphere, and they usually had nice talent working the place.

More than nostalgia, I'm upset that this pandemic has killed yet another small business and put its staff permanently out of work.  Fuck you, COVID.

[Guest Lobo]

1 hour ago, gsoda3 said:

andiamo for me is far and away #1.  then come italic, north, siena, and mandola's which i think is quite underrated.

I’d subscribe to your newsletter.   My order is same except I’d just squeeze enoteca In there between north and Siena. 

[South Austin 52198]

2 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

andiamo for me is far and away #1.  then come italic, north, siena, and mandola's which i think is quite underrated.

I've still never been to Andiamo, but everyone swears by it.  When this quarantine bullshit is over and if they're still operating, I'll be there.

But you'd put all of those others before Vespaio???? 

[gsoda3 3238]

I've still never been to Andiamo, but everyone swears by it.  When this quarantine bullshit is over and if they're still operating, I'll be there.
But you'd put all of those others before Vespaio???? 

I haven't been to vespaio in a long time. Forgot about it. Them and traviata.

[gsoda3 3238]

I've still never been to Andiamo, but everyone swears by it.  When this quarantine bullshit is over and if they're still operating, I'll be there.
But you'd put all of those others before Vespaio???? 

I'd suggest andiamo for a weekday lunch if you can. They're pricey but the lunch prices are better.

[justhookit 4186]

Uh, Red Ash? By far my favorite.

i wasn’t overly impressed with North. Love Vespaio. 

[South Austin 52198]

2 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

14 minutes ago, South Austin said:

I've still never been to Andiamo, but everyone swears by it.  When this quarantine bullshit is over and if they're still operating, I'll be there.
But you'd put all of those others before Vespaio???? 

I haven't been to vespaio in a long time. Forgot about it. Them and traviata.

I'd put both of those before Italic, North, Sienna, and Mandola's. 

Italic's okay, but has a bit of a douche vibe when I've been there. 

North is a solid lunch place and my kids will eat there.

Sienna's attempt at a rustic Tuscan décor is better than it's food, but it's still a decent place for a good family meal that isn't too expensive.

[ztejas 43382]

On 12/5/2019 at 9:45 PM, gmr548 said:

Of course, that's relative given that the city punches above its weight class in that regard.

Austin punches above its weight class with Italian food? I'd have to disagree whole heartedly. There's like 3 good southern/American Italian restaraunts here. Dallas and Houston might have surprisingly good and versatile Italian offerings but Austin is lacking. Trying to find good pizza here is especially a travesty (although Cane Roso was a nice addition - but that's a Dallas transplant).

Had Olive and June take out the other day. It's good but I'd almost call it new American with Italian ingredients. Doesn't scratch a red sauce itch.

16 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Mandola's.

The last meal I had there was overpriced and barely edible. Granted that was some time ago and at the satellite location. 

[gmr548 16556]

The last meal I had there was overpriced and barely edible. Granted that was some time ago and at the satellite location. 

No, I meant Austin punches above its weight class with food in general but Italian is a weak spot. Probably the one that sticks out the most.

[ztejas 43382]

23 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

59 minutes ago, ztejas said:

The last meal I had there was overpriced and barely edible. Granted that was some time ago and at the satellite location. 

No, I meant Austin punches above its weight class with food in general but Italian is a weak spot. Probably the one that sticks out the most.

Ah okay. I was wondering if that's what you meant but chose to misinterpret it anyway. Yes, as a whole Austin is a good food city but it can be strange when it comes to what is available and where. Some neighborhoods suck and some nighborhoods have a litany of options.

[Guest Lobo]

Italian was a weak spot in Austin for the first 20 years I lived here (coming from Chicago, it was one cuisine I knew pretty well).  But Austin has really stepped up its game in the last 5 years. 

Since I've lived here---Andiamo, Vespaio, Enoteca, Botticelli's, Asti Trattoria,  Siena, Cipollina, Mandola's-Driftwood, and La Traviata all were damn good, but few and far between.  Then in the last five years (or SO), we get Juniper, Gusto, Il Bruto, Red Ash, Italic, Olive & June, L 'Oca d' Oro, North, Intero, and Juliet.  Now is that Top 20 gonna punch above its weight with Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, or even New Orleans or Dallas?  No, fuck no.  But is that Top 20 the best of any southern U.S. city of our size, or even larger?  Abso-fucking-lutely!  For a city of our size, we now have a phenomenal offering of Italian restaurants of myriad cuisine type offerings.  It's extremely good, I've got one Chicago restrauntuer after another asking me how to get into the Austin Italian scene and (pre-virus), in my opinion-we already hit the saturation point...but for maybe another 1-2 family style upper-mid level joints in the West and Northwest.  I don't think anything else will work at this point.  Anyway, it was once a horribly obvious weak spot for Austin, but I think it's almost overdone at this point.  of course, we'll see what shakes out after the Pandemic.  But honestly, try and tell me a city of our size in this whole part of the country with better Italian restaurants.  

All that said, the Italian joint with the highest gross receipts in Austin is still the South Lamar Olive Garden...so what the fuck do we know?  

[Gourmand 7774]

Andiamo was ok when I went but I felt like it was way overpriced, and I say that as someone who hates it when diners bitch about pricing. Price/quality ratio was in the realm of Carmelo's. I'd take Asti, North, Italic, Siena, and La Traviata over Andiamo. Would really like to try Red Ash, I've heard it's excellent.  

[jimmyjazz 45625]

I wouldn't put North above Siena or La Traviata, and probably not above Asti.  I really didn't want to like Asti for years, but every time I went I had a good meal.  (Pig jowl carbonara, wow.)

[gsoda3 3238]

Fwiw one of my friends just posted on Facebook the Botticelli close is intended to be temporary. She's friends with andrew Botticelli.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[CooterBrown 17949]

There used to be an old folks dive bar on either stassney or William cannon that had legit red sauce italian food. Went once in the late 90s. Can’t remember the name of it but the average age of the staff and customers hovered around 60.

[texasdago 7553]

"Mandola's"

 

Lost all credibility with that one.

[South Austin 52198]

Would the correct spelling really have brought that much more credibility?

[WBT 20484]

Casa Golosa is legit

[jimmyjazz 45625]

Went to North in The Domain last night.

Won't be doing that again.

[South Austin 52198]

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

Went to North in The Domain last night.

Won't be doing that again.

What was the issue? I know it’s a chain, but I’ve had some solid, but not spectacular, meals there. Always lunch, though. Never dinner.

[jimmyjazz 45625]

15 minutes ago, South Austin said:

What was the issue? I know it’s a chain, but I’ve had some solid, but not spectacular, meals there. Always lunch, though. Never dinner.

Terrible customer service, for starters.  We hadn't been there in years, but always had solid meals, and the service was always professional.  Last night there was a guy at the next table who had clearly been way overserved.  His friends ditched him, and while his head was on the table (after dropping his phone and knocking over a water glass), the server came and topped off his wine.  She was our server as well, extremely casual and quite lazy.

Beyond that, the food was not up to their old "standards".  I'd put in on par with Macaroni Grill.  (Not kidding.)  

I don't spend much time at The Domain, but it seems to have gotten much trashier over the last few years.  It's just not worth it, at least for food.  We should have gone to Asti or somewhere like that.

[South Austin 52198]

14 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Terrible customer service, for starters.  We hadn't been there in years, but always had solid meals, and the service was always professional.  Last night there was a guy at the next table who had clearly been way overserved.  His friends ditched him, and while his head was on the table (after dropping his phone and knocking over a water glass), the server came and topped off his wine.  She was our server as well, extremely casual and quite lazy.

Beyond that, the food was not up to their old "standards".  I'd put in on par with Macaroni Grill.  (Not kidding.)  

I don't spend much time at The Domain, but it seems to have gotten much trashier over the last few years.  It's just not worth it, at least for food.  We should have gone to Asti or somewhere like that.

I don’t dine that often at The Domain anymore, and haven’t been to North in a couple years. But yeah, as a general rule, I’m going to a place like Asti over North if given the choice.

[utee94 15748]

I've had many meals at North that were better than "solid."  For the most part, they've been quite good.

I'm a lot more likely to go to Andiamo if I'm in the general area, but never had any issues at all with North.

 

[DalTxHornFan 3089]

1 minute ago, utee94 said:

I've had many meals at North that were better than "solid."  For the most part, they've been quite good.

I'm a lot more likely to go to Andiamo if I'm in the general area, but never had any issues at all with North.

 

The last time I did the Domain location North, there was a very loud and very late-hanging happy hour crowd that dominated the place.  The service was indifferent and the food was just OK.  I doubt I'll go back there either.

That said, I've had some great meals at the North by the Galleria in Houston.  Totally on point with atmosphere, service, and food.  YMMV.

[utee94 15748]

7 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

The last time I did the Domain location North, there was a very loud and very late-hanging happy hour crowd that dominated the place.  The service was indifferent and the food was just OK.  I doubt I'll go back there either.

That said, I've had some great meals at the North by the Galleria in Houston.  Totally on point with atmosphere, service, and food.  YMMV.

Just wondering if that's been recently?

Because right now, with the labor shortage and other factors harming the restaurant industry, I'm having bad experiences even at restaurants that are typically among the very best for service.  I'm trying my hardest to be patient and understanding and cut them some slack.

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by utee94

[DalTxHornFan 3089]

2 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Just wondering if that's been recently?

Because right now, with the labor shortage and other factors harming the restaurant industry, I'm having bad experiences even at restaurants that are typically among the very best for service.  I'm trying my hardest to be patient and understanding and give them a pass.

 

Good point.  Those Galleria North visits were all pre-Covid.  Hopefully, we'll get back to excellent dining soon.

[jimmyjazz 45625]

7 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said:

The last time I did the Domain location North, there was a very loud and very late-hanging happy hour crowd that dominated the place.

That is exactly the vibe I got last night.  There were a lot of large groups that had that "work" feel hanging around and getting trashed.  It just wasn't the way I recall it being a few years ago, although I must admit we asked to be seated on the covered patio as opposed to indoors, you know, because of the China flu.  Maybe the patio has always been rowdier.

Edited October 1, 2021 by jimmyjazz

[Chet Steadman 940]

As a general rule, I typically avoid chains but I make exceptions for North and his other concepts.  TrueFood is great too.  

I haven’t been to North Domain in years but grabbing a nightcap and dessert at the bar at the Second Street location is something we do quite frequently.  

Tons of talent running around in there and great people watching.  

[texasdago 7553]

On 7/30/2020 at 12:38 PM, South Austin said:

Would the correct spelling really have brought that much more credibility?

It just barely above Olive Garden

[crash_davis 23090]

On 7/30/2020 at 12:12 PM, texasdago said:

"Mandola's"

 

Lost all credibility with that one.

Mandola's when it first opened was fucking fantastic. I remember routinely eating at the Triangle location thinking that for the price, it was bar none the best Italian i've had. And then about 2 years later, it went to complete shit. We stopped eating there a year or two because it had gotten so bad. It's decent now but no where near what it used to be. 

[ztejas 43382]

Catching up a bit - always liked North - not sure I've had a bad meal there. I think the 2nd street location > domain. 

Went to Andiamo over the summer and it was good but didn't love it. (I have been there plenty before - thought it had maybe taken a step back)

I like Juliet but the last entree I had there was poor. I think it was a rotation item and maybe just a miss. Not totally off the place going forward.

Went to Entoeca tonight - got the Chicken liver mousse for an app and the gnocchi arrabiata for dinner. Very - very good. Easily one of the best red sauces I've had in town. 

Need to try Red Ash. Heard good stuff and it came up again the other day. 

Anyone tried Sammy's where Hutt's used to be? Seems like super American red-sauce style Italian. Which isn't always a bad thing. 

Edited October 19, 2021 by ztejas

[South Austin 52198]

On 10/14/2021 at 12:29 PM, crash_davis said:

Mandola's when it first opened was fucking fantastic. I remember routinely eating at the Triangle location thinking that for the price, it was bar none the best Italian i've had. And then about 2 years later, it went to complete shit. We stopped eating there a year or two because it had gotten so bad. It's decent now but no where near what it used to be. 

I went there a lot when my kids were little.  It was decent Italian food (even for the price, I never that it was near the best, just decent), and we'd enjoy our food with a bottle of red on the patio.  But haven't been there in at least five years.

[Borachio 416]

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. 

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

For dessert I had the lava cake.

Very large portions!  10/10

[4th&Five 41479]