Step Inside Il Brutto, Austin’s Dark Yet Airy East Side Italian Restaurant
Il Brutto, the latest addition to Austin’s ever-growing Italian scene, opens tonight on 1617 East 6th Street. At first, the New Waterloo restaurant will only open for dinner. Eventually lunch and brunch will be added sometime next month. Chef Erind Halilaj’s menu focuses on Italian classics, from pastas to entrees to vegetables to wood-fired pizzas...
Thank you for making Taste of Italy the biggest and best event ever!
More than 500 guests attended the Taste of Italy trade fair Grand Tasting on Monday, March 5 in Houston. More than 160 guests attended the sold-out seminars on Piedmont Wines, Texas BBQ and Lambrusco, and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. The 144 exhibitors in attendance presented more than 1,000 products. The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Texas co...
Now that’s amore: 500 pounds of pasta fill up the World’s Biggest Bowl of Pasta
It's a tradition that's been going on now for 48 years. Only the Italian American St. Joseph Society could come up with the right recipe now for nearly half a century. WGNO News with a Twist features guy Wild Bill Wood is at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans where there's a big parade for the what will be the World's Biggest Bowl of Pasta. It's t...
This Italian restaurant serves old-school pizza. And it hasn't changed much in 65 years
For 30 years, west Fort Worth has been home to two classic, old-fashioned “red sauce Italian” restaurants. Mancuso's gets more attention. But on two recent visits, the much older Margie's Italian Kitchen showed it's just as good as ever and worth the trip out Camp Bowie Boulevard West. Margie's is where Italian food began in Fort Worth. It was Sept...
Famed Italian Winemaker Gaja Here and Gone In A Day
"We're going." Brian said as he flicked the promotion card at me excitedly while I polished stemware. "I need to check my schedule, but…" I inspected the flyer more closely, "…oh, we're going." Gaia Gaja, eldest daughter of legendary Italian winemaker Angelo Gaja, was in Houston Tuesday and kept a tight schedule. Hosted by the Terlato Wine Group, s...
Former Motorcycle Racer Brings Roman Pizza to West University
Pizza Motus is bringing light and crispy Roman-style pizzas to West University this summer, thanks to a professional motorcycle racer from Texas who lived much of his life in Italy. “Motus” means movement in Latin, and sticking true to its name, the fast-casual eatery at 6119 Edloe St. will offer a walk-up window for grab-and-go slices as well as m...
L’Oca d’Oro brings worker-first, ingredient-forward focus to Mueller
Golden goose—that’s what proud parents Fiore Tedesco III and Katie Bender dubbed their baby girl when she was born with a shock of blonde hair—an anomaly in her brunette family tree. Tedesco, executive chef, now co-owns a restaurant bearing his daughter’s Italian nickname: L’Oca d’Oro. But making the restaurant a gold-plated success took years of h...
Rouses Brings Italian Products to Gulf Coast Consumers
Rouses Markets is partnering with the Italian Trade Agency to add Italian imports to Rouses stores throughout the Gulf Coast, including cheese, cured meats, preserves and wine. “This partnership expands exponentially the Italian imports we have on our shelves for our customers,” said Donny Rouse, CEO of the Thibodaux, La.-based grocery chain. “We’v...
'Ugly' new Italian restaurant brings beautiful Neapolitan pizza to East Austin
One of spring's most anticipated new restaurants finally has an opening date. Il Brutto, from hospitality group New Waterloo, will bring contemporary Italian cuisine to The Arnold building at 1601 E. Sixth St. starting March 12, according to a release. The eatery will be helmed by executive chef Erind Halilaj, formerly of Obicà Mozzarella Bar, and...
New restaurant at The Star in Frisco renews hope for Dallas Italian fans
Opening day has arrived for a new restaurant bringing a promising new rendition of authentic Italian cuisine. Called Da Mario, it will open at The Star in Frisco on February 28 at 5:30 pm. In other words, in mere hours, Dallas diners may finally get access to a level of authenticity in Italian food they've heretofore been denied. Da Mario is concei...
Annual AR Italian Food & Culture Festival to Debut in NLR
Immerse in Italian culture at the first annual Arkansas Italian Food & Culture Festival, presented by Relyance Bank, coming to North Shore Riverwalk on Friday, April 20, 4 p.m. - 9 p.m., and Saturday, April 21, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. “The goal is that when you’re at the festival and close your eyes and listen, and smell the food, that you will be inundate...
Slow Wine comes to Houston (March 5) and why that’s a really, really big deal (at least to me)
For the last two years, Italy’s “Slow Wine tour” has come to Texas. When I first moved to the state in 2008, that would have been nearly unthinkable. At the time, Texas and its three major wine destinations — Houston, Dallas, and Austin — were part of an “emerging” as opposed to “established” market for fine wine. As one prominent Texas-based wine...