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| Andiamo |
A part of our stated mission here at the Austin Food Junkies is to bring you best of little guys in town. You know the places I'm talking about: the little out of the way neighborhood type places, the hidden gems that you can't wait to tell everyone about. The kind of place that while not run by some well-known culinary superstar in the trendiest locale is still deserving of high praise and accolades. Bearing all of that in mind I present to you Adiamo Ristorante, or just Andiamo for short. When viewed solely from the outside Andiamo is not what you might expect. It is set in a little shopping center at the corner of Burnet and Rutland. I used to work around the corner for a major computer company so I knew the area and actually did a bit of a double take when got there. It's just not the sort of place that you'd expect in that area. Needless to say I was very pleasantly surprised.
When I first walked in the first thing I noticed was the overall cozy atmosphere. It just felt like a welcoming establishment, the kind of place that is ok with patrons staying for a bit instead of the usual “turn 'em and burn 'em” approach you tend to get at most major restaurants. I had a chance to chat with the owner, Daniela Marcone, and found her to be very pleasant passionate about what she does, a very genuine person who provides absolutely top-notch food. Her attitude extends to her entire staff as well. The service was excellent and the staff seemed to know all about each of the items we ordered. Speaking of the items we ordered let’s get to the review!!
To start we decided on the Salsiccia Della Casa (house sausage). We were told that this item is a favorite for customers and it was easy enough to understand why. It is fresh sausage that has been pan fried just long enough to warm it through and develop a bit of a crust, AKA Flavor Country. The sausage is also served with lightly pickled peppers.
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| Insalata di Finocchio |
Next up was the Insalata di Finocchio. It is served with a bit of fresh fennel sprigs, shaved fennel root, goat cheese, and white truffle oil. The goat cheese was a nice, creamy foil to the rest of the dish. I'd order this one again in a heartbeat.
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| Pollo Saltinbocca |
For our main courses my daughter chose the Pollo Saltinbocca and I
chose the the Trota Ripiena.The Saltinbocca is a flattened chicken breast with pancetta and fontina cheese and served in a burgundy sauce with pan fried potatoes and wilted spinach. Everything on this plate was delicious. The chicken breast was moist and tender, the cheese added a nice note and the pancetta is bacon. Wonderful Italian bacon, what could be better than that?
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| Trota |
The Trota is a stuffed rainbow trout. I was expecting to get a nice filet of trout with some herbs on top, but I was presented with far more than that. It is in fact nearly the entire trout, minus the head and tail, boned, and stuffed with a wonderful mix of herbs and spices. I haven't had trout in years and this brought me back to my youth. Days spent at grandma’s in Utah pulling trout out of the river and grilling them up, or the time my dad and I went to Flathead Lake in Montana and I pulled 30 inch steelhead out of the lake.....In addition to the memories I was also treated to some of the best cooked fish I have ever had.
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| Bread |
As well as some great appetizers and main courses we also had some of the best bread I have ever had. Ever. EVER.....Perfectly baked until soft and moist, what really set the bread apart was the generous amount of spinach and cheese baked into it. They do also sell the bread by the loaf, so I think I will be stopping by to pick up a loaf or two. Or three......
Daniela, we had a fantastic time and your establishment comes very highly recommended from the Austin Food Junkies!
Official AFJ rating- 5 Points of the Lone Star!
2521 Rutland Dr.
Austin, TX 78758
512-719-3377
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