Dining Guide 2004

For the optimist, the plate is never just half-full

By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Published: Oct. 22, 2004

Last month, I returned to Café 909, the new "rustic gourmet" restaurant in Marble Falls. This time, though, it wasn't to assess the eatery; it was in the role that you, the reader, frequently occupy: to enjoy a relaxed dinner with friends.

It also reflects the changing culinary scene in this area, recorded for the fifth time in this annual guide to fine and casual dining in Central Texas.

This is an exciting time for area diners. Restaurants in this region have never been better. If the competition had been based solely on the vibrancy of the appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts produced at the five-star restaurants, it would have been a virtual tie for first place. The food was that exciting at each of them.

So service and added touches -- such as the amuse-bouche (the complimentary starters) and the mignardise (the complimentary plate of sweets at the end) -- became even more important.

Next year, any one of those five, plus a couple of the current four-star places, could take the top spot. And that's great for diners, because aspiration and competition are two of the key reasons that Austin-area restaurants keep improving.

Improvement, fortunately, isn't happening just at the top or in the heightened competition of downtown Austin.

There are places across the region that are working hard to deliver a fulfilling experience. This guide provides reasons to dine in Marble Falls, Buda, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Lakeway, Bastrop and San Marcos.

With more than 150 fine-dining establishments and at least 10 times that number of casual restaurants, Central Texas has become a prime area for dining out.

The whole picture, however, isn't completely rosy. Many restaurants continue to struggle as the local economy rights itself more slowly than expected. Several -- whose food is delicious -- are barely making enough to pay their rent and payroll. For them, profit is still a thing of the future.

This year, several restaurants that were among last year's Top 50 closed, most because of business pressures.

The good news is that others are opening, determined to make their own mark among the region's best.

I've already received a dozen e-mails about one of them: Andiamo Ristorante, which features the cuisine of Northern Italy in the North Point Shopping Center on Rutland Drive.

The missives gush about the food, with diners who have extensive Italian ties claiming they have found nothing better in the United States.

We give new restaurants three months to work out the kinks before being reviewed. That's why it hasn't been examined for this year's guide.

Already, though, Andiamo represents the dynamic spirit of the Central Texas restaurant scene. It is one of many new places that give us another reason to dine out.