Superb Classics at Italic

A Girls' Dinner at Italic

Italic

Austin, TX

I enjoyed this lovely meal with six other great girlfriends at Italic the other night. When we are all together wine is the most important item on the menu, but the food did not disappoint! Italic is located in a nice little spot off of 6th and Congress. Bar Louie use to be located there. Italic has a great vibe and is full of activity right now. It was actually pretty loud even for us when we got seated. We ordered several appetizers and a couple of pastas and pizzas to share. It was plenty for the seven of us. My favorite bites came from two well known dishes:  Soppressata (Italian Salami) Pizza and Penne Rigate Alla Bolognese (Pasta with meat sauce). The Soppressata is extra special because in addition to some traditional ingredients like fontina (Italian cow's milk cheese) and basil, it comes with honey and chili flakes. The pizza is savory, sweet and spicy all at the same time. And one flavor doesn't overpower the other. I loved it. I also really enjoyed the bolognese. It's made with beef, pork, white wine, cream, mint and parmigiana. The meat was tender, juicy and packed full of flavor. It was positively delicious. The Prosciutto Pizza with egg, salsa verde and arugula was also solid. The Orecchiette & Italian Sausage was also nice. It just wasn't a standout like the rest. It's definitely worth another visit.

Dinner at The Hightower

Highs and Lows at The Hightower

The Hightower

Austin, TX

When you walk into The Hightower for the first time it feels like you're at a pub, but it's really a restaurant. There's a dark and homey atmosphere inside. It gives you this vibe that you can disappear for a little awhile... which is sort of nice. My husband and I ordered six dishes to share. The waitress told us most of the plates are designed to be split. I must confess a couple of the dishes were average, one was fairly poor and the rest were top notch. So if you go to The Hightower... be very selective. The ricotta toast sounded delightful. It comes with house-made lemon ricotta, soft cooked egg, white bean puree and salsa verde on a grilled bolillo roll. But it was a mess. It looked rough and it tasted rough. There was a lot of mush all piled together and no real flavor. It was the biggest disappointment of the night. The pretzel and pimento cheese was pretty average. The cheese was actually pretty tasty, but the pretzel was soft and too gooey on the inside. The gnocchi with brussel sprouts, butternut squash puree and almonds tasted adequate. But nothing stood out in a positive way. Thankfully the final dishes really brought some flavor. My favorite bite came from the roasted pork jowel. It's the last photo above. It's served with rice, soft egg, burnt avocado, cucumber, pickled shallots and sriracha sauce. The pork was tender and sweet and when we mixed all of the ingredients together it was incredible. Sweet, spicy and savory all at once. The hangar steak was also tender and packed full of flavor. And the brussel sprouts were incredibly tasty. A lot of Austin restaurants do a special take on brussel sprouts and this is definitely one of the best. It's made with peanut butter, golden raisins, sambal and lemon. The depth of flavors in that one vegetable dish is impressive. Overall, we would def visit The Hightower again... but we would be very careful about our orders.

Three Little Pigs

Three Little Pigs: One of the Best Food Trucks in Austin

Three Little Pigs

Austin, TX

I absolutely adore the Three Little Pigs. I visited for the second time a couple of weeks ago and it was just as incredible as I remembered. I truly believe this is one of the top three food trucks you can visit in Austin. First of all the set up is fantastic. Three Little Pigs has a partnership with East End Wines. You can buy a bottle of wine(with a $7 corking fee) and then sit on these nice patio tables between the food truck and the wine shop. The wine selection is fantastic... and you definitely get to pick bottles that would be at least twice as expensive in a normal restaurant. Then you order your food and you're set. Everything we ordered was top-notch. My favorite bite came from the Pork Belly Slider. It's served with maple soy glaze, sliced green apple, fried onion and a side of sesame cole slaw. The pork belly is packed full of flavor, crunchy and there are no scary fat surprises. My second favorite dish is the Bison Tacos. They were incredibly tender and doused in an amazing seasoning. Both the Asian Fried Chicken and the Venison Sausage and Brussels Sprouts were delicious. The chicken was perfectly tender on the inside and crispy and flavorful on the outside. The Brussels Sprouts were fresh and extra yummy along with the sausage. We can't wait to visit the Three Little Pigs again.