Austin

(From November 2008) If you find yourself hungry in North Austin, ditch the Domain and settle in at this unpretentious strip-mall spot for some excellent Italian food. All the frills you need are sprinkled throughout the menu. We were bowled over by the pillowlike gnocchi bathed in a decadent fontina béchamel. The fettuccine was sublime in a hearty tomato and Italian sausage ragù, and the rosemary veal sang with a bright lemon butter sauce. The tiramisù was above average, but the star of the dessert menu was the white-chocolate cheesecake. Beer & wine.

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(From October 2009) Austin’s historic Hyde Park neighborhood attracts young families, University of Texas students, and stalwart old-timers who’ve been around since way before the area became hip. Asti takes care of all comers. The slender, contemporary space has a bit of a classy-diner feel, with its red-topped tables and stainless-steel accents, but soft, sheer curtains lessen the edgy effect. Changing with the seasons, the menu might surprise you, for example with a starter of house-made mozzarella and roasted sweet peppers along with mixed greens tossed with bits of Bartlett pear and shallot dressing. Seafood is a good direction for an entrée: On one visit seared scallops took a homey turn, surrounded by tomatoes braised with pancetta, and on the next, their flavor popped with a truffled Meyer lemon relish. But the needs of meat eaters are never ignored; those of a carnivorous bent can expect the likes of pink duck breast in an irresistible fig mostarda (a condiment with a subtle nip) sided by lovely soft white polenta. By the meal’s end, if you have a bit of room, go for something simple like cinnamon-dusted beignets and an affogato (vanilla bean gelato with a shot of espresso poured over it).

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(From October 2009) Consider this a twofer: sibling restaurants at the same address. The little brother is casual, serving pizzas, pastas, desserts, and a handful of entrées (that would be Enoteca, as locals shorthand it). The older brother is more formal but not by much, offering beautifully prepared Italian entrées and pastas (that would be Vespaio). The only question is, How big a deal is your meal? Enoteca—with its tile-topped tables spaced elbow to elbow—is oddly often easier to get into, even though it’s smaller. Vespaio has the more ambitious menu, and its spare dining room, with dark woodwork and cream-colored walls, is many people’s destination for that important but fun night out. Almost everything that chef Ryan Samson prepares for the happy, noisy crowd is excellent, especially his veal-filled raviolini in grappa-accented tomato butter. Among the main courses, his oak-fire-grilled Niman Ranch hanger steak with Chianti reduction, fried potatoes, and sautéed baby spinach straddles the line between Italian and American.

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(From October 2009) Just a block outside the warehouse district, La Traviata seems removed from the frenzy of the area. Nevertheless, tables at the quaint spot, with its hardwood floors, antique bar, and crystal chandeliers, are booked well past nine o’clock on a weekend night. If you want to avoid the din bouncing off the rough limestone walls, try for one of the desirable tables set in the two bay windows up front. Ensconced there, you can actually chat while you wait for your basket of bread and seasoned olive oil to arrive. Salads are always good, especially the arugula with roasted red beets, goat cheese, shaved fennel, and tapenade with crostini—an all-time favorite. The list of entrées might collectively be described as creative Italian comfort food, and each one has its fan base. There are customers who have never ordered anything other than the spaghetti alla bolognese (with its mix of ground veal, beef, and pork in a rich, cheesy, tomatoey ragù). Ditto for the veal picatta with lemon-caper sauce. If these folks did want to branch out, though, they could switch with the customers who’ve never strayed from the rigatoni with spicy lamb meatballs, basil, and pine nuts. As the saying goes, it’s all good.

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(From October 2009) The busiest restaurant in Austin’s classiest shopping village is North. If you make an impulse dinner visit at eight o’clock on a weeknight, the cool, lofty dining room will be abuzz. If you stroll by at lunch on the weekend, you might have a short wait to get an umbrella table on the stone patio. (Later on, the adjacent grove of giant oaks provides plenty of shade for a sundowner.) As the name suggests, North focuses on the dishes of northern Italy. The ever-popular prosciutto, fig, and goat cheese pizza is a simply brilliant mix of flavors and textures. So is the dauntingly rich strozzapreti (loosely rolled ribbon pasta lavished with Parmesan cream speckled with mushrooms, wilted spinach, and pine nuts). If you’re in the mood for pasta but counting your carbs, try the classic angel hair tossed with fresh tomato, basil, and ricotta. You can often find pan-roasted Alaskan halibut on the menu, served atop vegetable risotto and sided by a tomato and pea-sprout salad. It makes a lighter entrée, while the likes of oven-roasted New York strip with vegetable ragoût and whipped potatoes will keep any carnivores in your group purring like contented lions.

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(From January 2009) It’s a simple concept: a friendly gathering place for both the nearby Capitol crowd and downtown diners looking for a casual meal. A tasty steak sandwich wrap, with slices of tender rare beef nestled in Primizie’s signature herb-flecked flatbread, was a chalkboard special worth leaving the office for. Serviceable pastas, like rigatoni with slices of house-made fennel sausage and a zesty sugo, pair well with a glass of wine if you are lucky enough to not be headed back to a desk. Avoid the caprese salad, made with chewy dried tomatoes and aged mozzarella, but stay for desserts; lemon cheesecake was light and creamy. Beer & wine.

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(From February 2009) Sometimes you don’t want a cutting-edge meal. Sometimes all you want is a pleasant restaurant serving good, reasonably priced food in a fun part of town. Lunch or dinner, Italian-inflected Taverna (based in Dallas) fills the bill. The trattoria look is convincing, and there’s a small enclosed sidewalk for cozy alfresco dining in the Second Street district. Carpaccio had all the requisite elements: thin-sliced raw beef, capers, shaved Parmesan, and Taverna’s own twists, pine nuts and truffle oil. Yum. Mussels were superb in a garlic-and-white-wine broth. And the ultrarich porcini mushroom lasagne, with Parmesan and two sauces (bolognese and béchamel), had us at “Buongiorno.”

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(From October 2008) We frequent this chic but comfy little gelato spot quite often; the creamy vanilla, made with real beans, is sublime, and the fruit flavors have an unmatched intensity. Often the place is packed with excited kids. Recently, we actually sat down and noshed (yes, you can eat here) on two stellar panini: the turkey with pesto and Swiss and the prosciutto with sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella. Do yourself a favor, though, and skip the bland pasta with sun-dried tomatoes.

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(From December 2009) Vespaio remains the go-to destination for top-notch northern Italian fare. Dig into flawlessly prepared appetizers like homemade mozzarella, purple Cherokee tomatoes, and grilled focaccia, or finely chopped big-eye tuna tossed with Dijon mustard and capers. We loved the forno-roasted king trumpet and white button mushrooms tossed in melted Gorgonzola and served atop crispy organic white polenta. As for the classic spaghetti alla carbonara, Vespaio offers the best version in town. Bar.

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