XL Food & Drink: The Main Course

Tony's Vineyard

Italian fare accented with jazz on Tuesdays

Midweek dining tends to be routine, for the most part, with the vast majority of restaurants saving their special efforts for the weekends.

Bret Gerbe
FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN

(enlarge photo)

In a dish that goes beyond surf and turf, Tony's Vineyard serves tender sautéed veal with shrimp and spinach on a bed of linguine with a cream sauce.

Bret Gerbe
FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN

(enlarge photo)

The combinazioni fritti is an appetizer of fried mozzarella, ravioli and calamari.

Tony's Vineyard

• 2828 Rio Grande St., 476-5600
• Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight daily
• Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover
• Wheelchair access: Yes
• Wine: 19 by the glass ($5.50-$8), 43 by the bottle ($20-$64)
• Rating:

But at Tony's Vineyard, the Italian restaurant at Rio Grande and 29th streets, a recent Tuesday dinner became a delightful evening of entertainment with a jazz duo accenting the eatery's hearty food.

The guitar player and vocalist never intruded on the meal by overpowering conversation. They simply offered a performance so compelling that diners often stopped talking to enjoy the music.

Their performance was part of owner Tony Allevato's efforts to draw customers on what is typically a slow night for restaurants.

"It's an ongoing experiment, to be quite honest," Allevato said. "We're trying to introduce some live music during the week to stimulate business on those off nights. It will continue as long as we can afford to do it."

It deserves to continue for years, because it adds significantly to the dining experience.

Our meal began with cups of soup ($3 each), a buttery cream of mushroom soup with an abundance of sliced mushrooms and a minestrone with vegetables and pasta in a lightly spicy broth.

The "combinazioni fritti" ($8.75) put three fried standards — mozzarella sticks, cheese-filled ravioli and calamari — on a single plate with a side of marinara sauce for dipping. The outstanding aspect of the dish was the calamari, which was exceptionally tender under its golden crisp crust.

The only disappointment in the first half of the meal was the Mediterranean salad ($4.50), a mix of Roma tomatoes, red onions and basil in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. A beautiful presentation, with thin slices of quartered tomatoes and julienne strips of onion, the salad was undermined by flavorless tomatoes — a fault found far too often in Austin restaurants, where chefs should abandon tomato in salads if they can't find quality produce at certain times of the year.

The small salads served with the entrees were made mostly with iceberg lettuce and dressed with vinaigrettes that were so good they deserved a premium mix of baby greens. Especially tasty was the vinaigrette with anchovies — a dressing that Allevato makes with balsamic, olive oil, anchovies and Parmesan cheese specially for his "new Caesar" salad.

"That's my personal recipe," he said. "It's one of those things; either you love it or hate it. Personally I'm in love with the thing. But if you like creamy caesar dressing, it's not for you."

Well, it sure was for me. I adored the pungent, salty anchovies as a foil to the sweetness of the balsamic.

For the main course, the penne alla Arabiatta ($10.95) featured a generous portion of pasta tubes with plenty of prosciutto and mushrooms in a spicy cream sauce.

The veal with shrimp ($16.95) delivered two pieces of thin, tender, sautéed veal and four shrimp on a bed of linguine coated in a tasty cream sauce with spinach.

For dessert, we shared a decent layered almond-biscotti torte ($6.95), one of several desserts that are all made off-premise, according to our waiter.

Service at Tony's Vineyard was conscientious and friendly, with a waiter who was encouraging and enthusiastic when endorsing dishes.

With attentive service and reliable fare, Tony's Vineyard offers a solid dining experience. Throw in the lovely jazz accompaniment (guitarist Jacob Alvarez is a regular) and a Tuesday dinner at Tony's becomes something special.

drice@statesman.com; 445-3859