1610 South Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 441-7672
Ah Enoteca. What can I say? I love the place, pure and simple. It is a fantastic little italian taverna on South Congress from the proprietors of the excellent italian ristorante Vespaio. It’s relaxed ambience, tasty creations and reasonable prices all combine to create a great dining experience. If you live in Austin and haven’t been yet, you are truly missing out.
Enoteca occupies a corner lot at the intersection of South Congress and Milton (?). It has a little outdoor dining area along milton, that is quite lovely to sit in most of the year (they have heaters in the winter). The inside is very brasserie-esque. There are little french bistro tables and chairs (which can be too small sometimes to hold all of the diners’ plates) as well as a cold case and long bar. The cold case contains a selection of cheeses, antipasti and salumi that are both available to go and to eat in the restaurant. In addition, there is always an excellent selection of pastries, breads and desserts on offer (I adore the macaroons and some in my acquaintance can’t say no to the cannoli). In general the ambience is relaxed and casual - this is about good comfort food - italian style.
Food is the star at Enoteca. While they had a decent little wine list, it’s not spectacular. What keeps me coming back again and again is the excellent, simple, italian bistro fare. I go for brunch, I go for lunch, I go for dinner. They’re all good! I’ll begin my discussion with lunch and dinner (the menu is the same for both). The top portion is dedicated to appetizers and salads. I highly recommend the delicately prepared calamari fritto and the suppli (arancini stuffed with mozzarella and covered in marinara). The salads are also well-prepared; I often make a meal of one of the apps and a salad. Light and delicious. In addition to the standard menu, they have specials which change frequently. These always include a soup and a salad option which have been uniformly good in my experience.
Being an italian bistro, they of course serve the three P’s - panini, pasta, and pizza! The panini are actually quite large and are more of an interpretation of the italian original as opposed to a faithful recreation. I really like the truffled egg, arugula and prosciutto version - the egg adds a lusciousness to the peppery bite of the arugula and the salty prosciutto. Yummy. Probably my most favorite item on the menu is the linguine misto mare. It is a tomato-based seafood pasta that is light and fantastic. I highly recommend it! Finally, the pizzas are the rustic, wood-burning oven variety. They have some pretty interesting options - the lardo for example - I tend to stick to the basics. Margherita for me! To go with all of these munchables, there is of course a beer and wine list. It is rather Italian/French focused, but it is small. I would not trek to this locale simply for the vino.
Besides dinner, I love going to Enoteca for brunch. They have a bread basket - scones, baguette slices, fruit bread with nutella and butter - that is out of this world. I think the scones are made with crack. Seriously. In addition, I love their crepes and even their simple farmer’s breakfast - eggs, pancetta, cheesy polenta and fruit. Uncomplicated and delicious. FInally, the baked goods at Enoteca are uniformly tasty. I love their cripsy/chewey amaretti and delicate macaroons as well as their tira misu!
All in all, I highly recommend Enoteca. Next time you’re in SoCo check it out. You won’t be disappointed! ☆☆☆☆
No comments:
Post a Comment