Mildo's - Eh.....

Stop #2 on my Italian restaurant search was Mildo's on Guadalupe. This place is a good idea for the college crowd for the prices. I actually heard people saying good things on their way out the door. However, my experience of it was sub par.

My boyfriend and I decided to meet with some friends for dinner at Mildo's who were visiting Austin from Fort Worth. The people at the counter were friendly but a little unmotivated to answer our questions about the food. Maybe they were confused I don't know.

One of us ordered a slice of pizza, two ordered the dinner special (spaghetti with mushroom marinara) and I had a spinach calzone. I enjoyed the bread that came out before the meal. It had a hearty texture and was filling. The salad that came with the special was tasty and a good size as well.

I thought the calzone was pretty decent.It is not the best I have ever had but the ingredients mixed well and it was cooked properly. I really loved the fact that they serve it with both a side of marinara and tzatziki sauce. This unique fusion of Greek and Italian was actually a very tasty pairing. A+ for that!

My friend complained about the size of the pizza by the slice. She made a good point that when you order a slice of pizza it should be big enough that it takes a little skill to eat. She also described the taste as just "OK".

The spaghetti with mushroom marinara was a good deal since it came with a salad and drink for $7 but to be quite honest when I took a bite I was reminded of high school cafeteria spaghetti. The mushrooms tasted canned and the sauce was bland. The bread was kind of chewy like frozen Texas toast. It was somewhere in between a TV dinner and the typical spaghetti marinara off the kid's menu.

Overall I was not particularly wowed by anything at this place except for the $5 lunch specials they offered. For 5 bucks it's a deal! I will put it in the Mom and Pop category of Austin's Italian restaurants but it probably wouldn't be my first choice. Next time I will be going for the Greek food.

Joe's On Burnette - A PERFECT Fit

 

 

So the journey begins with a date with my boyfriend Denver to Joe's on Burnette. They don't have a website but the photo's of the menu I found online looked promising and it was 5 miles from my house so I decided to start here.From the second I walked in I could not have been happier. Everything about this place from minimal decor to the BYOB sign out front to the waitress who asked me to seat myself  made me feel right at home! 

The garlic rolls were fresh, hot and melted in my mouth and were served with a large dish of seasoned olive oil. Everything about this place reminded me of the restaurant I grew up working in back home! All entrees came with a salad. I had the house red vinaigrette which was again identical to what I've had in Fort Worth. *I kept diving into the food before taking pictures so they aren't as awesome as I'd like.*

I can't stop eating this!!

House salad with house dressing mostly eaten

I was thrilled with the prices! The entrees were anywhere from $9 to $13 including plenty of veal and seafood options with $2 pizza slices and $7 subs and calzones. Lunch specials are 7 days a week at $6.99 and they gave us coupons for an 18" 3 topping pizza for $9.99! I saw the pizza through a display window and it is definitely the Mom and Pop New York style pizza I was looking for.

Our appetizers consisted of $2.50 Garlic Bread With Cheese and $6.99 Fried Calamari. Both were very tasty! Joe's brought out a heaping portion of lightly breaded and well seasoned calamari with a side of some of the best marinara I have ever had in my life!

Fried calamari (already half way devoured)

Garlic bread with cheese

Denver ordered the Pasta Trio for $10.99 which included a sampler of Fettuccine Alfredo, Lasagna and Chicken Parmesan. The dish was huge! The lasagna was up to par and the Alfredo sauce was rich, creamy and mixed beautifully with the pasta. (no sticky clumps of sauce). We were not as amazed with the chicken Parmesan, but it was better than Olive Garden for sure! 

Pasta Trio (Yummy)

I had been craving a pink sauce and didn't see it on the menu so I asked the waiter about it. He explained that was their bolognese sauce. I asked if they could make it with tortellini and voila $8.99! Moments later I was chomping down the exact creamy and very flavorful dish that I had been craving and it exceeded my expectations. Again the portion was huge. 

Tortellini Bolognese (Warming)

We had already boxed up half of our dinner so we decided to grab desert to go. The waiter listed 4 special deserts they happened to have off the menu and highly recommended the Red Velvet Cake. Just looking at it I could tell it was extremely moist and it tasted like HEAVEN! 

Moist Red Velvet Cake

Tower of mass amount of food to eat tomorrow

The service was fast and personable for sure and throughout the entire experience I kept saying, "This is absolutely crazy! It's just like Moni's and Tony's and Gino's. I feel like I am 15 again working for those crazy Albanians!"

HERE IS THE BEST PART!!!!

We went to the counter to pay and asked the owner for some background on Joe's. It actually just opened 5 weeks ago and is owned by the same family of the Joe's in Fort Worth!!! He actually knew my old bosses at Moni's and Denver's bosses at Tony's!! I am actually a little sad at this point that I have made a commitment to this Austin Italian food tour because I really feel like I need to look no further. Joe's was perfect and I am so excited to tell all of you that MOM AND POP ITALIAN IS ALIVE AND WELL IN AUSTIN!!!

The Search Begins!

I grew up in Fort Worth where Mom and Pop Italian Restaurants could be found all over the metroplex. I actually worked in one called Moni's all through high school. Those were the days!!

After 3 years of living in Austin I have yet to find an Italian restaurant to call home. Places like Mandola's and Romeo's are over priced and mediocre at best.

By Mom and Pop Italian I mean smaller low key restaurants family owned by Albanians, Italians, Sicilians etc. with huge portions and low prices, New York style pizza, large menus of simple but delicious dishes and personable service.

I started a post titled "In Desperate Need Of Mom And Pop Italian In Austin" in a yelp forum and got 50 responses in 2 days! Most people claimed that it didn't exist and others suggested places.

After seeing how many people have been in the same disappointment as me with Austin's Italian selection, I decided to take their suggestions and start a search for The best Mom and Pop Italian restaurants in the area.

The goal is 9 restaurants in 9 weeks by October 31st! Let the fun and calories begin!!

Austin:
Joe's, Reale's, Andiamo, It's Italian, Milano Cafe
Pasiano's in Georgetown,
Baris in Pflugerville,
Gino's in Round Rock,

Giovanni's in Copperas Cove