by Daniela Cos Peraza
President of the Circolo Italiano
I’ve lived in Austin for around fourteen years now, and have loved exploring the Italian food scene in this city.
I was delighted to know that there was a new restaurant in town that is a self-proclaimed “exuberant celebration of the best Piemontese style Italian food”.
Walking into this cozy restaurant on South Lamar, we were warmly received for dinner on a cold and rainy Sunday night. At first, I was confused with the vibe of the restaurant, as a Dallas Cowboys football game played on a flat-screen TV next to the bar that juxtaposed with a unique sketch mural of an Italian piazza on the back wall. It was both a family restaurant and an upscale wine bar for a date night.
The highlight of the night was the service we received. Our waitress was attentive and helpful in deciding what to order. The owner came to check on us as well once we had received our meal which was also a nice touch.
On to the food, what we all are here for.
For the appetizer, I ordered the fried calamari which was highly suggested by our waitress. It was delicious, mostly because of the accompanying sauce which added the perfect amount of acidity to balance the dish out.
For my main dish, I ordered the Linguine Pesto. The pasta was fresh and great in texture. My only issue was with how dry the dish was. $17 seemed too high a price for this dish which was also on the lower end of the price scale with some pasta dishes like the Tagliatelle Scampi costing $25. This dish was a bit of a disappointment after a very promising appetizer.
The best part of the dinner hands down was the dessert. I ordered the tiramisù, which happens to be my favorite dessert. I’ve had many throughout my life, and this one was amazing. Perfectly boozy, beautifully moist, and full of chocolate. I’d go back just for the tiramisù, which was an amazingly large piece for only $7.
I highly recommend It’s Italian Cucina for a date night to get some appetizers, wine, and dessert. To me, these were the highlights of the restaurant along with the service. A great location to visit after watching a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse only a block away.
https://itsitaliancucina.com/
