Madame La Bouffe and I left Houston and drove to Austin to see a few relatives and see some sights. I had a very nice morning of long walks and semolina seed toast, and after that exceptional interlude, Madame La Bouffe and I wandered toward downtown, popping into the little shops and admiring the scenery. Around lunchtime we got hungry and paused our sightseeing at an attractive Italian restaurant called Enoteca. We were led to a table by our waitress, Susan, and given our drinks and menus. Since we were so peckish, we decided to get an appetizer to take the edge off our hunger. We decided on the Parmesan French fries, and after a thought, we decided to get garlic ones too. They came to us soon after, contained in cute paper cones, served with some white garlic sauce that smelled absolutely delicious. We both snatched a handful of each kind and dunked them in the sauce. Cosi delizioso! The fries were super golden and crisp, and the inside was soft and pleasantly mealy. It was rather hard to distinguish the two flavors; both tasted sort of alike once dipped in the aioli, but I didn't stop to ponder this. This was the perfect way to begin the meal.
Next we had the main course. I got a pizza margarhita, while Madame La Bouffe savored a hearty minestrone-like soup and a salad, which had two cute little crab cakes sitting upon the plate, and a good mess of greens in the center. My pizza was really fabulous. The crust (handle) was shatteringly crisp, golden, and crunchy, and the topped portion of it was paper thin yet super flavorful. This pizza, unlike most pizza margarhita I've eaten, put real tomatoes on the crust instead of sauce, a nicer, fresher swap. The mozzarella was very good, too, with deep creamy flavor and nice chew-ability. The basil that was embedded atop the pizza was still green and fresh, a step away from some pizza margarhita, upon which the basil was black and blown out. This was one of the best New-York style pizzas I've ever eaten.
We certainly didn't want to go without dessert, and the waitress provided us with a grand cast of them. I debated for a while, finally deciding on the Italian cream cake. A delicious concoction of moist nut cake layered with cream cheese icing and covered in a shaggy coating of shredded coconut, this showstopper of a cake won me right over. When it came, I seized my dessert fork and dove right in. The cake was really good, if a bit dryer than traditional, but still exceedingly addictive. After this wonderful meal, we could do nothing but linger over our crumb-y dessert plates and drinks, and, of course, pay the 100 dollars (It seems very expensive, but it was totally worth it!).
My verdict? Enoteca is an absolutely amazing place to eat, and if you happen to be in Austin, I highly suggest you stop by. The service was very good, and deserves high marks, and the atmosphere was one of peaceful chatter. It's not so much a place for young children, being rather grownup-y, but it's a very good place, I presume, for dates or special dinners.
