Italian Food Beyond Red Sauce

1 hour ago

2 min read

Pizza, spaghetti and red sauce are part of Italian food. They are not all of it.

Italian cooking is regional

Italy was a patchwork of regions and city-states long before it was one country, and the cooking still reflects that. Butter and rice in the north, olive oil and beans in Tuscany, citrus and seafood in Sicily. The red-sauce plate many people picture is one chapter, shaped largely by southern Italian immigrants in America.

Tuscan food in Austin is what we have cooked since 2000, and Tuscan cooking leans on game, wood fire, beans and olive oil. Three dishes on our dinner menu show it well.

Pappardelle al Cinghiale

Wild boar has been hunted in the hills of Tuscany for centuries, and a cinghiale ragù over wide pasta ribbons is one of the region's classic dishes. Ours is a red wine braised wild boar ragù over homemade pappardelle. If your idea of meat sauce is ground beef and tomato, this is a different dish, darker and richer, with the flavor of real game.

If you want a smaller taste first, the same ragù tops our bruschetta.

Trota in Crosta di Noci

Walnut-crusted trout with shrimp, sautéed spinach and a lemon butter sauce. Trout is a mild, delicate fish, and the walnut crust adds crunch and a little richness while the lemon keeps the plate bright. It is a good order for anyone who assumes Italian food means heavy and creamy.

Costata di Maiale

Wood-grilled pork chop, 16 ounces, finished with a truffle whole grain honey mustard glaze and served with roasted potatoes and baby spinach. Pork sits at the center of Tuscan cooking, from roast arista to sausage and prosciutto. The wood fire gives the outside some char and a little smoke, and the glaze adds sweetness and tang.

Try something you did not expect

Pasta and red sauce will always have a place at the table, and we cook plenty of both. But a good Italian restaurant in Austin can offer more than that. Next time you come in, try the boar, the trout or the pork chop.

Find the reservation button above. Walk-ins are always welcome, but we encourage reservations.