First Look: Artipasta

If you have followed me here or on Instagram, you may know that I do love a nice big bowl of carbs! Especially when it comes to fresh pasta. (RIP La Dolda Pasta.) So I was very excited to hear about a food trailer called Artipasta, located at The Thicket food park, at the northwest corner of South First and Dittmar in far South Austin, which does in fact make their own fresh pasta.

Artipasta at The Thicket

One of my BFFs and I met for earlyish dinner there last Saturday. I had heard great things about their carbonara (crispy pork and pasta? sign me up!), and saw it on their website's menu. However when we got there, it was no where to be seen on the menu board or specials. Confused, I consulted with the gentleman in the trailer. He said it was an off-menu item, but he could make it for me though it would take a little longer. I said sure! He also wanted to make certain that I was going to eat it on the premises, as it would not travel well (raw egg), and I certainly appreciate his concern for the integrity of his food! My friend wanted ravioli, and after a brief discussion, she told him dealer's choice.

Carbonara

When our food finally came, we were not disappointed. The pork in the carbonara was super-crisp without any grease.The fresh pasta itself  -- in this dish spaghetti -- was a perfect al dente. I think I would have liked a touch more pasta water mixed with the raw egg to make it a bit more creamy in consistency, but the flavor was there for sure. And yes, this would have been a congealed mess if it was packaged to go.

Ravioli with ricotta, balsamic and rosemary

My friend's dish was (I think I have this right) chicken ravioli with fresh ricotta, rosemary, and a balsamic reduction. A little heavy on the oil on the plate, but the tastes were great and she ate the entire thing, as did I.

Amazing cannoli!

We tend not to shy away from dessert, especially when there's cannoli! These were large and delicious. No regrets here! I should add, I ordered the cannoli when we initially ordered the pasta; they said they'd keep them back in the trailer until we were ready for them which was great.

Artipasta at The Thicket

I really enjoyed The Thicket's atmosphere; about five food trucks sit on a circular perimeter; the inner circle has trees and underbrush (hence the name Thicket, I presume) along with picnic tables. There's also a small performance stage, and it was a family and dog-friendly environment. I realize now, I didn't take photos of the surroundings but you can get the idea from their webpage.

Overall, we really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere, and judging from the number of people we saw placing orders or picking up to go food, they appear to be doing well! I wish Artipasta had a salad or other greens offering on their menu, as I would have loved something healthy to accompany the pasta. (It also would have given me the opportunity to order a pasta dish that I could eat half of and take the rest home for later.) To their credit, they do have a caprese salad (basil, tomato + mozzarella) on the menu, but the board said sold out when we were there. Constructively, I'd like to see a clearer menu of their regular items posted online. Per one of their Instagram posts, they apparently sell their fresh pasta, which makes me very excited!

And as Artipasta has posted on their website:

Life is a combination of magic and pasta. 

-- Federico Fellini

Indeed.

Recent Eats

A few of the places I have been this past month. I was extremely fortunate to have been the plus one to a media tasting dinner at laV, the newly opened French restaurant at 1501 East 7th. It was fabulous all around!

Best sparkling rose I've had because it wasn't too dry for my tastes, Cremant de Limoux, Cuvee Rose, Domaine Collin NV, and it paired wonderfully with the chicken liver pate. As managing partner and lead sommelier Vilma Mazaite said, the pate is filled with butter and cream, so what's not to like? Accompanying it was brioche toast points, berry preserves, cornichons, and mustard. LaV and Winebelly probably have two of the best pates in town.

The next course was a sweet pea agnolotti, filled with ricotta, with a pea puree on the bottom, and pressed strawberries and pea shoots on top. It was as beautiful and tasty as it looks.

Roast chicken isn't something I would normally order at a restaurant, but this one is special. Executive Chef Allison Jenkins said they salt the chickens the night before, and then roast at 600 degrees, breast-side down, for an hour. Served with perfectly-roasted fingerling potatoes, on the regular menu, this dish serves two and runs $48. And worth every penny.

The bouillabaisse was chock full of head-on blue shrimp, clams, squid, and had a distinct orange flavoring to it's broth. And no, that's not French's mustard on the rustic bread, but rather rouille, a saffron and garlic sauce, similar in texture to an aioli (I was unfamiliar with rouille before this!).

Dessert was lemon and mascarpone budino with local Poteet strawberries, and brioche doughnuts. I could have licked the lovely blue ceramic bowl clean of its velvety contents!

LaV has it all going for themselves -- beautiful decor, superb service, and most importantly, outstanding food. They also have a very extensive wine list (several thousand bottles are housed in the private tasting room we were in) and highly knowledgeable staff. Surely this place will be ranking high on the top places to eat in Austin. Make a reservation and experience for yourselves.

And a few other meals of note. Dinner with a friend at my neighborhood Elizabeth Street Cafe. This is the #20, house specialty banh mi, which they gracefully let me substitute the roast pork for the marinated. They make their baguettes in-house, and it's the perfect consistency for this sandwich.

A media tasting for the new summer menu at NoVa. This was the Parmesan risotto, which several of us shared, and it was hard not to eat it all myself!

We then moved a few doors down to Bangers. It was a rainy evening on Rainey Street, so we sat inside. Extremely loud! And as this was my first visit to Bangers, I was a bit overwhelmed by both the food and drink menus. Ended up with the bockwurst (they make all their own sausages, and even have fresh ones available to take home) and Crispin pear cider.

The movie Chef (see previous blog post) made me extremely hungry for a Cuban sandwich. This one from the Texas Cuban trailer on South Lamar hit the spot!

And finally, after watching a friend make pasta, I decided to dust off my pasta maker, and give it another try. The dough recipe couldn't be simpler: 1 cup of all purpose or double zero flour to 2 eggs. That's it. No salt in the dough, but salt your pasta water liberally. It all came together easily, and after repeated passes through the pasta machine, I had dough, which I cut (imprecisely) into pappardelle.

Which then became dinner with fresh fava beans, pecorino romano cheese, fresh mint, and just a little bit of bacon. I am pretty proud of this dish!

So, just a little peek into my food world. Some of these pictures I previously posted on Instagram. Where have you been lately that's good?

Regal Ravioli

Pasta is quite possibly the ultimate comfort food for me. And while I can make a pretty decent carbonara, homemade ravioli is something I rarely (okay, never) attempt to make. Fortunately, my neighborhood is home to Regal Ravioli, where I have become quite acquainted with the food. Owner Zach Adams has his trailer parked in a lot behind a blue house at 504 W. Oltorf (next to Church's Fried Chicken, just east of the intersection of Oltorf and South First). The house is the indoor seating for Regal Ravioli and my good friends at The Flying Carpet. Order food at either trailer, and they'll happily bring it to you inside the house, or you can dine outside at one of the picnic tables. Credit cards are accepted, and you're welcome to bring your own wine or beer.

I have visited Regal Ravioli a number of times in the past two years, and there is always a nice variety on the menu that would please vegetarians and carnivores alike, not to mention adults and children. Basically, you pick your ideal ravioli and the type of sauce you want to go with it.                      

Zach starts everything out though with homemade pasta, which I happened to catch him making on my most recent visit. One batch of pasta dough will make about eight servings of ravioli, I believe he said, so he makes multiple batches throughout the day. He also makes different doughs for different dishes. It's a very well stocked and organized trailer, and he makes everything right there in the trailer.

Regal Ravioli's logo proclaims they are the king of ravioli in Austin, to which I would add king of gnocchi as well! Their sweet potato gnocchi with bolognese sauce is something I crave and it's hard for me not to order it every time I am there! The individual gnocchi are consistently light and pillowy, and rival any gnocchi I've had at Enoteca or Buenos Aries Cafe, two area brick and mortar restaurants with generally outstanding gnocchi.  (And even if you're not a sweet potato fan, you wouldn't know you're eating sweet potatoes!) The meat sauce is hearty without being heavy, and accompanies the gnocchi nicely. I'd love to see what other kinds of gnocchi dishes they could make!

This is the sausage ravioli with a gouda veloute sauce; simple and clean presentation with outstanding body and flavor.

This is one of their recent specials, a roasted beet ravioli with caramelized onions and a touch of orange zest. Zach's suggestion was to pair it with the pecan pesto sauce, and it was terrific. Earthiness from the beets, a little bit of zip from the pesto, it was a great combination. One special that I've had in the past that's not pictured was a cheese and spinach ravioli with a blue cheese sauce that also had great flavor. They also have a few salads on the menu, including a pear and lentil, which I've tasted and really liked.

As with many trailers, Regal Ravioli is a one-man operation. Zach owns it, does all the cooking, etc. Occasionally I have seen a helper in the trailer, but Zach's the main guy. If he can't go, then the trailer won't open that day; check their Facebook or Twitter accounts for status updates and specials. Zach and his business partner have recently purchased a second trailer that they will use for mobile operations at events, festivals, and the like. He also told me they're working on some new dishes, like roast pork, and they do catering too!

So if you're looking for a great food trailer experience, go check out Regal Ravioli for a big bowl of freshly made pasta and sauce that are as good, if not better (and certainly a better value) than some of the well-known Italian restaurants in town. The ravioli truly is regal!