A Texan Does Toscana

Siena Ristorante Toscana
6203 N. Capital of Texas Hwy., 349-7667

Lunch: Mon-Fri, 11:30am-2pm

Dinner: Sun-Thu, 5:30-10pm; Fri-Sat, 5:30-11pm

While native Texan chef Harvey Harris was studying Italian cooking in the medieval castle that houses the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners (ICIF), he fantasized about serving the dishes he was learning there in a restaurant that would re-create an Italian country experience for Texas restaurant patrons. Once he'd finished his course work and was performing an externship in a Tuscan trattoria, Harris was struck by the similarities between the traditional foods of Tuscany and the roasted or grilled meats, game, and potatoes he'd grown up cooking in West Texas. He was determined to bring both the food and the atmosphere back to the Austin dining public and he's doing just that at Siena Ristorante Toscana.

This relatively new Austin eatery is located on the northeast corner of the intersection at RR 2222 and Hwy 360 amid sheltering oak trees, near the banks of Bull Creek. Siena is the brainchild of successful local restaurateur Stan Adams (Gilligan's, Brick Oven Pizza), chef Harris, and former longtime Mezzaluna manager Jay Knepp, who as general manager is responsible for both the wine list and front-of-the-house management. The three partners have indeed brought Tuscany to the Texas Hill Country, creating an impressive stone castle that looks perfectly at home in the native landscape. Once inside the thick-walled edifice, patrons encounter dark wood, curved leather banquettes, soft lighting, and tables covered with crisp linens. The bar area offers a view of the open kitchen and is divided from the dining rooms by an enormous stone fireplace graced with a large oil painting depicting the Palio, a famous Italian horse race. The castle's two-story great hall houses the main dining room, with private dining alcoves upstairs on opposite ends of the room. There is also a smaller dining room on the main floor, perfect for private parties. The restaurant offers an old world ambience of comfort and substance, transporting Austinites to the Italian countryside where they can enjoy a satisfying Tuscan meal complemented by a fascinating selection of Italian wines (see "Siena Wine," below).

Our initial visit to Siena was just after its spring opening, and the restaurant was packed with Northwest Austin neighbors, eager to sample the fare at a brand-new eatery close to home. We went prepared to cut the restaurant a little slack, if necessary, since systems were new and the crowds were overwhelming. Much to our pleasure, we found the seasoned Siena team at the top of their game from the beginning. Though the waitstaff was a little harried by the early crowds, service was friendly and informative, with just the right attention to details. The tantalizing list of antipasti offerings made our choices difficult, but we settled on the Sformatino di Porri e Granchio ($6), a delicate flan of leeks quivering in a pool of fresh tomato sauce, herbs, and vivid green thyme-infused Ligurian olive oil, and an Insalata Caterina ($6), a delightful mélange of grilled asparagus, portobello mushrooms, marinated tomatoes, and pecorino cheese in a mellow balsamic vinaigrette. Both items were clear winners, expertly prepared and presented, a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.

The Primi Piatti, or first courses, feature a selection of mouth-watering pasta dishes, and each is available as either a first course (primi) with a small portion or a main (secondi) course. This option makes it possible to order more than one pasta dish and share them around the table which is a great idea, considering the quality of the things we tasted. The Pappardelle al Cinghiale ($8 or $14) is a hearty dish with roots in ancient Etruscan cuisine. Large ribbons of al dente pasta are swathed in a robust sauce of tender wild boar, sweet roasted onions, and Chianti wine native to Tuscany.

Another delightful choice is Tagliatelle con Funghi e Olio de Tartufo ($8 or $15), thin pasta strips enrobed in an elegant velvet cream sauce redolent of earthy wild mushrooms and white truffle oil. The day may come when I order other pasta dishes at Siena, but for the foreseeable future, I'll stick with these two marvelous choices and sop up every last morsel of the excellent sauces with pieces of the rosemary-scented artisan rolls made fresh daily in their kitchen.

Now to the meat of the matter. The Secondi Piatti, or entrée, portion of the menu offers an impressive array of meat and fish dishes, the most traditional of which is the Bistecca alla Fiorentina ($42 for two people). The toothsome 32oz. Porterhouse is grilled simply with olive oil, lemon, and parsley and arrives at the table with a crisp, flame-kissed outer layer and a juicy, pink interior, just as we'd specified. For serious carnivores, this is a perfect meal: tender, flavorful beef, simply seasoned and perfectly cooked, complemented by rosemary roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach. Whether you're a beef eater from Austin, Texas, or the Tuscan city of Florence, this is steak that will satisfy.

On a more recent late summer visit, we found the Siena kitchen maintaining food quality and the floor staff settled into a relaxed and professional groove. My companion that evening chose the crab and leek Sformatino, which was somewhat more durable in texture than on our first visit, owing perhaps to a higher ratio of crab to custard. It was still delicious albeit not as delicate. I opted for the Fricassea de Aragosta e Carciofi ($9), chunks of sweet and tender lobster tossed with artichoke hearts and carrot match sticks in a sauce of toasted pignolias, fresh tarragon, and Tuscan Vernaccia wine arranged over a roasted portobello mushroom. This substantial salad is a study in contrasts, with the sweetness of the lobster playing against the earthy mushroom, the crunch of carrots and nuts paired with the tangy, silken artichoke heart, all brought together by the white wine sauce infused with the faint anise flavor of tarragon. Subtle and sophisticated, it's enough to make a meal.

After dining on meat here the first time, I returned determined to try a fish dish on my second visit but, once again, the meat selections on the menu were the most enticing. We were amply rewarded with Nodino di Vitello ($28), a grain-fed veal chop and Filetto di Maiale Il Pino ($16), tenderloin of pork. Once again, fine, fresh ingredients simply prepared rendered a truly divine meal. The thick and juicy veal chop was probably the best piece of meat I've eaten this year. Chef Harris says he prefers grain-fed to milk-fed veal because it has more color and flavor. The massive chop proves his point. The chop is grilled to order with nothing more than fresh herbs and extra virgin olive oil and served with a gratin of fresh tomatoes, onions, and potatoes in a roasted pheasant and Sangiovese wine reduction sauce. The result is meltingly moist and almost fork tender, bursting with flavor and as good a piece of meat as can be had in Austin. The pork, too, was a fine choice, having been marinated with juniper berries, fresh sage, and garlic in a little Chianti before grilling. On any other night, it might have been the star of the evening, but nothing could outshine the veal.

We were hard-pressed to consider desserts after feasting on crab and lobster, veal and pork, but the Siena dessert menu featured tempting choices that promised to be light on the palate and the waistline. Their version of Panna Cotta ($5) is a dainty baked custard, flecked with natural vanilla bean and subtly flavored with just a hint of citrus. It sits elegantly in a pool of creme anglaise with raspberry sauce and is like velvet on the tongue. The fine Sorbetto ($5) is made locally by Concetta Mastroianni at Dolce Vita. The pleasingly tart lemon ice was the perfect ethereal ending to such a substantial feast.

Remembering my dinners at Siena, the two recurring themes are simplicity and substance. While it's obvious that hours of work making stocks, sauces, marinades, and custards go into the production of every meal at Siena, the end result is an array of hearty and robust peasant dishes elegant in their simplicity and true to their heritage. Chef Harris remains true to his "meat and potatoes" West Texas origins while embracing the regional dishes of the Tuscan hill towns he came to love during his sojourn there. His menu bravely avoids the ubiquitous and over-done Caesar salad and shows no hint of the culinary fusion confusion running rampant in too many Austin chef-owned restaurants. What you'll find at Siena is the essence of Tuscan cuisine, transplanted to the scenic Texas Hill Country, served in a rustic, palatial edifice perfectly at home with the landscape.