Joe DiMaggio's Italian Chophouse

05/10/2008 Posted by hibalt

We (party of two) ate there Friday night, 7pm, no reservations, and were seated in minutes. The table was not the best location but turned out to be very good. The crab cake appetizer was crispy on the outside, but a little too moist for me on the inside. The wedge salad was excellent, with the unusual twist of pickled red onions. The chicken was delicious and they happily substituted all breast meat for a breast and a leg. The seafood stew was absolutely wonderful, full of scallops, mussels, clams, salmon, and shrimp, all cooked perfectly. We could not decide between the desserts and ended up with both the fruit crisp and chocolate souffle. The souffle was unbelievable; they serve it super hot right out of the oven and at the table, pour cream into the center, causing it to rise like chocolate lava. The waiter and staff were super attentive, not too much, but just right, with frequent refills on water, tea, and updates on the food. The manager stopped by, introduced himself, and asked for feedback. There was an upscale crowd, it was mostly full the whole time, the bar was busy, the piano player and guitarist were good, seemed like everyone was having a good time. The waiter told us the menu was just changed this week. We will definitely be back!

Pros: Wait staff, location, parking, quality of food, selection on menu, desserts, atmoshphere

Cons: Pricey, but you know that going in!

04/27/2008 Posted by austinfoodgirl

When I stepped into JoeDiMaggio's I felt as though I walked back in time. When I had their porterhouse for the first time I was not impress, but I came back regardless for the ambiance. I told them I was not impress with their steak because of my first experience. However, I gave their rib eye a chance and it was awesome. I agree that Mandola's Italian (Driftwood) food is great, but the drive is very far. Joe DiMaggio's is the only restaurant that has ultra lounge feel in Austin. Reed's, sadly, has been closed unexpectedly. The GM, Kenny is wonderful and Debra(bartender) is friendly and knowledgeable on drinks. I wish they hired better bands than "Lucky Strikes". I highly recommend they hire Mr. Fabulous to sing Frank Sinatra's songs.

04/03/2008 Posted by GhostDiner

It’s not like me to complain but I have a great deal of respect for the Joe DiMaggio name which to me has always been synonymous with New York and with class. But what I experienced the other night was class with the word “no” in front. My steak was overly cooked. The outside was charred and the inside had no “pink”. This would be OK if I ordered a well-done steak, but I asked for a medium well. My wife asked for a dish with pasta, muscles and a red sauce. Instead she received muscles, rice, and a clear sauce. Your wait staff than tried to convince us that Risotto was in fact pasta. The establishment had a nice “1950’s New York” style flair to it, great live music in the tradition of Sinatra, and good wine. But the food was like my wife’s cooking on a bad night when we first got married –and I came for the food. And the service? The service was so-so. And by so-so I mean Denny’s in a suit. If you can’t improve the service and the food than please lower the prices and remove the Yankee Clipper’s name from the building and change it to something more appropriate like "Shoeless Joe Jackson’s” or “Pete Rose’s All You Can Eat Buffet”.

Pros: The wine was good

Cons: The service was poor and the food was even worse

03/24/2008 Posted by Lacey512

I'm so glad Austin finally has a great Italian restaurant! I recomment this to anyone who loves authentic Italian food with a new twist! You can really tell that all ingredients are fresh and that makes a world of difference. My personal favorite was the lasagna- a classic dish but perfected by the chefs here!

03/14/2008 Posted by fhinner

The food at this place is good, not excellent or great, but good especially considering the prices. However, one key drawback is that it is in the Domain shopping center. That might explain the level of arrogance and maybe the unfriendliness of the wait and reservation desk. I called 1 hour and 30 minutes and asked for a reservation or to put me on the list, and they decided not do do so. After I asked if there is a wait they told me no. I got their there was not wait, but it still took them 15 minutes to seat us. Another 20 minutes for a glass of water and after ordering wine they took another 15 minutes to find that the bottle is not available. So pick another one and wait for another 10 minutes. We had already ordered, figured we better get our order in otherwise it will take... so after almost 3 hours we find ourselves with the question you want desert, as we couldn't spend another hour for that course we left. So bring time if you go there. Franz

03/11/2008 Posted by angellove14

I shall say that my only complaint may be is that I think they need a wider selection for appetizers. Otherwise, I had a GREAT time! It was beautiful and MMMmmmm the Food was delicious! I dont know what the other people have had that didnt like the restraunt, but I was sold on the New York strip! MMMmm good! And the service was great! Our waiter kept our drinks full and us updated on our food. THANKS! I like the restraunt very much and I would recommmend it, especially if your a steak lover!!! Goooooodddd!!!

Pros: The food and the service

Cons: not ur usual menu.(but still good)

02/12/2008 Posted by Sadie2

My husband and I moved here from downtown Chicago and are so glad we finally have a place to go like Dimaggio’s! Not only is the food mouth watering, but the staff treats us like family. We dine their on every occasion we get, whether it is business dinners, happy hour at the bar or family night; it never gets old. The specials (like the ones they have lined up for Valentines Day) are amazing. We happened to be their on the day the chef was planning the special menu for the 14th and the excitement in his voice over the preparation of the lamb has left us in serious anticipation! Thank you for coming into the neighborhood and becoming our local favorite!

Pros: Parking, location, decor

Cons: not open for lunch

01/31/2008 Posted by swmr67

My family have been eating here since they opened last year. On our first visit the bar area was crowded and we were treated like regulars. That experience plus the amazing dinner and happy hour menu keeps us coming back. We have lived in major cities that are known for their culinary sophistication and Joe DiMaggio's would compete anywhere.

Pros: Decor, Location

01/26/2008 Posted by bride2be3

My husband and I went to dinner at Joe DiMaggios this evening. We hadn't made a reservation so we waited in the bar, it took over an hour but was no problem. We were taken to the smallest table in the resturant, it was in the path of all the waiters and was right next to a large party. I told the hostess we'd prefer to sit at a different table, she basically told us that was not possible. We sat down, mentioned it again to our server, he agreed the table was not ideal - even mentioned he wasn't sure why they placed it there. The manager came over, was very rude, unprofessional and told us we could leave if we were not happy with the table. My evening was completely ruined after this. I could not believe how we were being treated - this is supposed to be a fine dining resturant. From what I experienced it was anything but. I will not be going back and do not recommend it to anyone.

Pros: live music

Cons: service is terrible

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

01/14/2008 Posted by cappyde

Beautiful restaurant, average food, terrible management. The host does not know how to run a fine dining restaurant, he shouldn't even run a McDonalds in my opinion. He walks around the place not even stopping by tables asking patrons how the food is or the service is, NOTHING. The hostess' can't even hold a reservation. On two seperate occasions, after making reservations, they had not documented them into the reservations book. I shall not return until they get it right.

Pros: Beautiful restaurant

Cons: food & service

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful