La Traviata

02/20/2008 Posted by ckincan

My sister and I went for lunch the day of my wedding and had a great meal (roasted red peppers & goat cheese, mesclun salad with shaved parmesan, etc.), so we took a bunch of family back the next night and had another wonderful meal. My husband's veal with a white truffle sauce was amazing! Nice atmosphere, good service, great wine list, and fantastic food...definitely recommend it!

01/18/2008 Posted by HappyDinner76

It was our anniversary so we were hoping for a nice evening and La Traviata definetly delivered. Our reservations were for 6 but we arived early at 530 and they promptly seated us. We had a nice little table for two. The watiter quickly came to te... Read morell us of the specials, and help us pick out a glass of vino, and a few appitizers. he crispy polenta was all I had read about on other reviews the crisp outside with the creamy inside sitting in a creamy pungent gorgonzola suace was heavenly and perfect for such a cold day. The prosciutto and parmasean was elegant and another must try when dinning here. For the entrees my wife got the spaghetti bolognesse, which made her moan through the meal, and I tore into the osso buco, the roast was so tender I never picked up my knife rather all was needed was to flake tender juicey peicesd off with my fork run it around the garlicy creamy polenta and enjoy. As for the wait staff, they were there when we need and invisible when we wanted time alone. We never found ourselves waiting for anything. So if your palate con only handle the over salted foods of the chain italian restraunts, and your idea of good service must include a ADHD caffiene hped up flare wearer who squats at your table so eagerto fawn over you I would suggest TGIF or Olive Garden, but if you want to try an elegant marriage of earthy, bold flavors, and a classy dinning staff this restraunt is a must. My wife and I both look forward to our return visit.

Pros: Food, atmosphere, food, price

Cons: could get loud if restraunt was full, suggestion, make dinner our first stop of the evening, go early

10/19/2007 Posted by foodloverr11

The food was delcious but the service was horrible! I would definetly have recommended the restaurant had it not been for the HORRIBLE service .The blonde waitress that we had pay no attention to us and blew us off most of the time. She only had 2 other tables and gave them 85% more service. She judged us because we looked like college students so she probably figured she would not get a good tip. But never judge a book by its cover. I would love to go back because the food was wonderful, but I probably wont becuase of the service. I would not recommed this restaurant.

08/11/2007 Posted by robmazz

This is a great restaurant in Austin. It is Italian with a Congress Avenue wash. The food is surprisingly good. Lunch is easy on the pocketbook. How nice it is not to have another Italian restaurant from a cookie-cutter mold with food prepared on a pound of butter. What is interesting about this restaurant is that it has old time charm (okay a hundred some years) without the Welcome-to-Paris, Give-us-what-you've-got- in-your-wallet- so-that-you-can leave-hungry. Like many of the commercial properties on Congress Ave, the space is narrow: Hats off to the decorators' use of paint, mirrors, and a bar to give the restaurant a great start. Add in clientele and the pursuant conversation and you've got an interesting beginning. But the key is definitely in the surprisingly consistent excellence of the food. God bless Texas or the Italian-capable cook who took up residence. Okay. I like this restaurant; it made the list of where to bring visiting friends, business associates or coworkers for a rejuvenating midday meal. Good value, delicious food, great atmosphere (though it does get loud mid-day.)

Pros: Get in early-to chose your seat

Cons: Does get loud when at capacity: acoustics off the wall.

12/11/2006 Posted by plasticdonut32

Wonderful Italian dishes, and I loved the atmosphere. It is a bit busy and slightly loud, but that's what gives it its hopping vibe. They have a good wine list, but the service could use some improvement. I'm just excited that I found another rarity to Austin...a good Italian restaurant besides Vespaio.

Pros: Great dishes and atmosphere

Cons: Slightly lacking service

08/25/2006 Posted by jcb1975

For years this had been one of my favorite restaurants in Austin. The food is almost always excellent and until the past year the service was also. The service now is quite awful. The past few times my husband and I have gone we have been disappointed. The staff is not very knowledgeable about wine and gets testy when asked for fresh ground pepper. I felt pressured to buy the most expensive wine to simply increase the bill and therefore the tip. There was no reasoning of why it was better with our choices, just the explanation that it is better than the others. I am very sad to say I wont be back unless the staff becomes what it should be. The impeccable food and good wine list is ruined by inattentive and/or snotty wait staff.

Pros: Food

Cons: Service

04/08/2006 Posted by goats_milk

I don't like the atmosphere much - it's a bit noisy with a trendy feel - but the food is so delicious that I think it's my favorite Italian restaurant in Austin anyway. I've been here four times and none of my entrees has been less than spectacular. The carbonara was memorable. The appetizers have been less so but still good.

Pros: food

Cons: atmosphere

02/08/2006 Posted by foodiekg

I discovered La Traviata late last year, and I have been a frequent visitor since! Lunch seating is never a problem, and the food is INCREDIBLE. For something light, I would highly recommend either of the sandwiches on the lunch menu, possibly my favorite sandwich I've ever had. My personal favorite is the calamari pasta. I've never had non-fried calamari that didn't taste like rubber, but it was cook PERFECTLY. Great business lunch location.

Pros: Wonderful food, Interesting Choices

Cons: Cramped

11/29/2005 Posted by lesleakirk

We've been going to this restaurant since its opening several years ago. We dropped in one day for lunch and found our "staple" restaurant. When guests arrive from out of town we MUST take them there. The chicken parmesean is WONDERFUL! The duck is mouth-watering. The fettucini with mushrooms is so good that I often get an extra order to take home. My favorite is the tiramisu.....that's the stuff that dreams are made out of. Chef Marion Gilcrest is amazing! The staff is always attentive and the management is excellent!

Pros: Chef Gilcrest, location, food

11/21/2005 Posted by jrkemp

My husband surprised me for my birthday in June, 2005. And what a great surprise! I had the special that night with shrimp, scallops, and many others included. Pasta had to have been freshly made! Our waiter was great, the appetizers were different and light (fig brushetta), and the wine selection was very good. We enjoyed it so much, we had to eat dessert (lemon tart with blueberries and cream). A gem in downtown Austin!

Pros: great food, reasonable, small, yet intimate