Ventana
Austin, TX 78758
Phone: (512) 339-3850
- Price:
- $$
- Hours:
- Tue-Fri 11am-1:30pm, 5:30pm-9pm
Editorial Review for Ventana – by Tara Fatemi
In Short
Located on the grounds of TCA, students do rotations at the upscale-dining restaurant as part of their education. White tablecloths, crystal glasses and sleek wood furniture make for a lovely evening. Asian-influenced gray and pale-yellow paper shades provide soft lighting. Fresh rosemary-infused rolls are elegantly served with tongs. The mixed brochette appetizer includes grilled duck and large portobello caps. Escargots en croute mingle with strong blue cheese chunks underneath flaky puff pastry.
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Insider Tips
When to GoTuesdays are the beginning of Ventana's week after the weekend off, and student staff is less in the groove. But occasional awkward service is a small price to pay for creative, beautifully presented cuisine.
Know Before You GoFrom the reasonably priced wine list, try full-bodied Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel.
User Reviews for Ventana
07/15/2006 Posted by habitez
Of course you can't expect it to be like a restaurant, don't get me wrong. But the waitstaff was really fussy... every single time they brought something out, bread, appetizer, soup, entree, and dessert we switched plates forks knives spoons whatever was appropriate. They didn't know how to give you space. The food was pretty good... portions larger than another fine dining establishment. For the price though... pay the extra 20 and go somewhere nice with some ambience. I go for the experience at a restaurant... I like ambience, service and then food.
Pros: good food, slightly cheaper, lots of parking
Cons: service a little stuffy
04/19/2006 Posted by chrissys873531
I went there expecting to be dazzled by chefs who have been in the trade for years... I forgot that they were students and I graded them as professionals. I started with the beef carpaccio which was probably the best item I had. The seasoning was spot on and the herb salad was a refreshing addition. I had the potato crusted tuna with seasonal vegetables and broth as an entree... It was slightly disappointing. The potatoes were undercooked, the tuna was flavorless, and some of the vegetables were over cooked while some were underdone. I had the espresso creme brule for desert which was very good. The sugar was crisp and the espresso flavor was perfect. All in all, for the price, Ventana was a great place.
Pros: plenty of parking
Cons: Hard to find
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