SIENA

On a chilly Saturday night we headed to Siena for a friend's birthday. 
I was looking forward to the building more so than the food...

I loved the heavy woods, the stones, the fireplace, the layout, the tables, the chairs, the chandeliers...I felt like I was in the Tuscan countryside. The Birthday Girl told me the bulk of the stones and some of the decorative details were brought here from Italy... lovely.


I gotta admit, we weren't the easiest table (of 12) , but come on, I asked for bread around 3 times before getting a roll, then waited another 10 minutes for the server to bring me water, and another 15 for my glass of wine. They've got to work on their service.
 

Since we were a large group and I was limited to try only the dishes around me, here are my 2 cents...

The Fichi Ripieni con Pecorino Toscano (roasted figs wrapped in Parma prosciutto and stuffed with pecorino Toscano, with olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar) were edible, but tough, burnt, and not as savory as I had hoped. 

Antipasto Misto Toscano (olives, peppers, Grana Padano, salami, prosciutto, baalsamic roasted portobello, and crostini with chicken pate) was your basic plate of goodies - was alright, but for $16 I could have gotten two other decent antipasti.

Some folks ordered Primi Piati, which are basically small pasta plates. One of our friends described it as "It looks like my food fell from a big dish onto this little one". Hilarious.

Italianini had Filetto di Manzo al Porto. An overcooked beef tenderloin filet with Gorgonzola and Chianti demiglace over roasted potatoes, pancetta, and onions. I am not a Chianti fan, but I was so hungry that I ate a quarter or so of his dish. Poor Italianini. 

I had the Filetto di Salmone con Capesante. The word tarragon in the description made it an automatic choice. I was a bit disappointed with the fishiness of the Salmon, and the dull scallops. Siena brags about the authenticity and quality of their seafood...not sure why.
They were bland, hard, almost like calamari--not buttery like scallops are supposed to be. The presentation lacked color and pizzazz.

It was not worth the $27.

So, overall a beautiful venue for a birthday, a wedding, a shower, sure, but not for your casual night out. The service and the food are not worth your money.

http://www.sienarestaurant.com/

SAGRA

If you've ever tried to grab dinner before a concert at the Frank Erwin Center, or a UT game, or the IMAX (for AVATAR ha!), then you know how limited your dining options really are.

Serranos. Ewww, no thanks. Stubbs? Always packed and a suuuper heavy meal. Brick oven? Maybe, but only if you're in the mood for sucky pizza. 

So, faced with the challenge of picking a restaurant near the IMAX I googled, and googled, and googled, and landed on SAGRA.

Everyone, I mean, everyone told me I would hate it, get sick from it, be annoyed by the loud waitstaff, everything short of dying from the experience. 

But come on, like I'm going to take their word for it...

The place is cuuuute, simple, romantic, and quaint. The tables are really close together, to the point where by the end of our dinner I wondered if the lady at the table next to me ended up breaking up with her boyfriend or not...ha!

We started with the cheese plate, shared the prosciutto and arugula pizza, and the calamari.

The cheese plate was good with a kalamata olive mustard. The pizza was o.k.... a little on the salty side, but the crust was very good. As far as the calamari goes... gross. Super bland, greasy, cold, and the dipping sauce had the fresh-out-of-the-jar taste. Not good.

The service was o.k., aside from our super loud server, and it's moderately priced.

If you're in a crunch, or don't feel like eating at the other places around Frank Erwin/Bob Bullock, give it a whirl. I won't go back though... :(

Coming soon...

El Arbol 

http://www.elarbolrestaurant.com/index.php?pid=1

So excited!

Quattro Gatti

I had been waiting for Gianfranco Mastrangelo to finally open, since the news of his restaurant hitting Congress came last Spring. My wait was over on, what seem to be,the rainiest night of February.

Nestled between Marakesh and Restaurant Jazebel is the cozy, inviting, and surprisingly colorful, newest Italian kid in town. 

I met DVH for some quality time over dinner last night at brand spankin' new Quattro Gatti on the 9th block of Congress.

As I sat on the bar waiting for DVH, I stared at the faux finish painted walls, the delicately laid tile art work on the brick oven, heard the servers and chef yell at each other what I KNOW to be Italian cuss words, and the original antique bar with the liqueur bottles piled high. I felt like a fly on a wall, it was fantastic.

I guess a girl sitting alone at the bar draws attention?... Remo Mastrangelo put his arm around my chair, shook my hand, complimented my smile (with his Godfather-like voice), told me to enjoy myself, then quickly moved on to correct the hostess on her greeting, and the bartender for the fingerprints on the glasses. 

It was then I realized I was surrounded by Italian servers, Italian owners, Italian food... I was happy and melancholic.

A very friendly Gianfranco chatted with me about what a long process it has been to finally open, complete the kitchen, hire reliable staff, paint the walls himself, pick out tables and chairs,and squeeze a nap here and there. 

He takes pride in his food, multiculturalism, and his perfect Spanish, not to mention, his amazing bread.

Finally seated, DVH got the carpaccio e parmigiano to start and the Bolognese as his entree. I had the clams in a light tomato sauce, and the Chicken 4 Gatti. 

The portions are Texan-friendly (BIG)...we were nearly full just from the apps.  The carpaccio was simple, yet so flavorful. The clams were AMAZING! I kept wiping the plate clean with bread (Can't get enough of this stuff. YUM!).

I figured the Bolognese would be smaller since it was under the Primi Piatti, but it was a healthy full-size serving of fettuccine. The sauce was a bit too sweet for me, but DVH devoured it. 

The chicken was simple and perfect- stuffed with prosciutto and asparagus drowning in a white sauce with a side of veggies. It's like no other chicken I've had in Austin. Simple definitely requires skill. It hit the spot.

The service was spotty, mainly due to the language barrier between the Torinese busboy and our server, but we were well taken care of. 

By the time we left, well over half of the restaurant was full... then again, they only have about 15-20 tables.  

I can't wait to take the Italianini!!! :)

Open for lunch and dinner. 11 a.m.- 11 p.m.

ARW SPRING 2010

It is that time again...

 

Oh, yeah! 

http://restaurantweekaustin.com/

Snack Bar

When El Sol y La Luna left South Congress, the suspense was killing me. I figured, with such great location something grand's bound to happen, right?

NOPE

First of all, it took a great deal of DIY and a really long time to complete this place. The concept seems like a cool idea, snacks, happy hour, chill atmosphere, cute, cartoons projected onto a wall, and the unmistakable Austin vibe. However, you'd think they know what they were in for opening on SoCo--- People, you are practically IN the Austin Motel parking lot, in the midst of an area that makes you cool just by being there... and you don't deliver? Disappointing...

I went there with the Persian and one of her friends. It was 6 p.m. on a Sunday and the only options were the snacks or dinner plates from different continents.

So, I had the American dinner plate: 3 sliders (choice of pulled pork, bacon cheeseburger, and some other random kind), mac 'n cheese, and veggies. Don't get the pulled pork, gross, and you know how I feel about mac 'n cheese....don't eat it here, EEWWW.

The Persian had the Mediterranean plate with some curry chicken thing (which the waiter couldn't even describe... but we'll talk about him in a moment), tzaziki sauce with pita bread, and beet salad. The curry, described as a broth in the menu, is more curry potato salad topped with grilled chicken strips.It was surprisingly tasty, the beet salad was simple and fresh, and the tzaziki sauce went really well with my cheese burgers.

As for the service--- I don't have much to say... except, fire our server. He has no clue about anything on the menu, can't pronounce or describe the items, he dropped an entire tray of red wine glasses on the table next to us, and he was clearly under the influence of something and on another planet.

Also, make sure that if you choose not to seat your patrons, at least pay attention to them (we waited 20 minutes or so between our waters, our wine, and our silverware).

On the bright side, this place is cheap!

Next to AUSTIN MOTEL

1224 Congress Avenue South
Austin, TX 78704-2422
(512) 445-2626

(No working website)

Me So Hungry!

2:30 a.m. One too many black labels, my feet throbbing for wearing those brand new heels and dancing all night long.... and there it is, the evil late night craving strikes again...

Forget the sucky pizza, mystery hot dog meat, and the Gyros (which are waaay too far from W. 6th), Me So Hungry is where you too should pig out after the bars. 

This cute lime green truck parks next to the Tiniest Bar in Texas (near whole foods) and welcomes you with a friendly face 7 p.m. - 3 a.m. 

First time I took it easy and had a spring roll. First of all, they are HUMONGOUS and come with a great peanut sauce.

Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls- Made with rice paper wrappers with your choice of meat/grilled shrimp or fried lemon grass tofu, with crispy lettuce, shredded fresh carrots, bean sprouts, and cilantro. Served with a delicious, spicy peanut dipping sauce.

The next time I went, I meant business. I tried their Bahn Mi with LOTS of sriracha. Yep, tears came down my face, but it was so good. The meat is tender and delicious, and their magic mayo kicks butt.  It's just enough to make you happy and soak up all that alcohol...or if you're a wuss and can't finish it, save it, this baby will definitely take care of that hangover for ya!

Banh Mi- (Oriental Bar-B-Que Pork Sandwich) Slices of tenderized sweetend pork, marinated in a 24 hour sauce, served on a buttered baguette and spread in our Signature Sweet Cilantro Mayo.  Sliced cucumbers, slivers of jalapeno, shredded pickled carrots, and cilantro. 

Italianini had the noodles one night, and they were good. The cilantro is borderline overpowering, but they hit the spot. Enough protein and carbs to take care of you til the next morning.  

Pad Laos Noodles- Stir- fryed medium sized rice noodles with your choice of sweetend BBQ pork, chicken, shrimp, or lemon grass tofu. Includes bean sprouts, green cabage, shredded carrots, topped with sprinkled ground peanuts and cilantro. Perfect pairing with sweet chili sauce or Sriacha sauce.

Really, give these guys a try, you won't regret it. 
Oh and P.S.- they are also a catering company!!!

http://www.mesohungry.biz/