Taverna: A Review

Taverna is a restaurant in Austin's trendy new 2nd St section of downtown. It was Easter Sunday and we weren't starving so we went in knowing we'd nosh on appetizers and share a bottle of wine. We didn't have huge expectations, and I think that attitude served us well. We ordered these three dishes:

• Tagliere ($12 for the table) Mortadella, Prosciutto, Sopressata, Parmesan, Speck & Polenta Crostini. The meats were delicious, as was the fried cheese. The Parmesan chunks were too hard to chew, so I didn't finish mine.
  
• Bruschetta ($6) Chopped fresh tomatoes on three large pieces of bread soaked with Garlic & Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It was delightful and filling. The toast was crusty on the edges, soft in the middle....just like I like it.
• Fritto Misto ($9) Calamari, Shrimp, Shallots, Zucchini & Carrots with Spicy Tomato Aioli in a ramekin. These were lightly fried and delightful. The shrimp were large and juicy. I think this was my favorite.
  

All of the food was delicious the presentation was also nice-- the Tagliere arrived on a wooden chopping board covered with butcher paper. The Bruschetta was in a large bowl and featured huge servings. The Fritto Misto came heaped on a big platter with a healthy side of aioli for dipping.

For dessert we had

• Balsamic Ice Cream ($6) Sauteed Strawberries & Biscotti. It sounds weird, but it was actually quite nice. It was a sweet ending to our trio of savory dishes, but the balsamic gave it a pleasant edge. The strawberries complimented the flavor quite nicely and the two chocolate biscotti did not overwhelm.
  

The restaurant itself is pleasantly decorated in traditional Italian-style dark wood, with the walls done in burgundy and gold paint. The main room is not large, but the high ceilings and the open kitchen make it feel bigger than it is. The bathrooms were okay -- nothing to write home about, but at least there were no holes in the wall or any tacky wallpaper.

Our waiter was really the only bad thing about our dining experience. He was overly chatty and flirted openly with the three of us. I don't mind a little flirting, but this guy just wouldn't shut up. He didn't know anything useful about wine and he over-explained the dessert tray. After sharing his life story sprinkled with many DOA attempts at humor, we learned he'd been there since the morning, had served the brunch crowd, and wasn't getting off work until much later. (We arrived for our meal at 7pm.) I got the distinct feeling he was either high or had one too many cups of coffee. While our waiter's stream of consciousness was quite quick, the service was unfortunately pretty slow. After we ate, it took a long time to get our check, then even longer to get processed as the credit card machine was down. They had to make a physical impression of my card.

This place isn't cheap, but it isn't outrageously priced either. We ended up spending $82 (before tip) for one bottle of wine ($40), three apps, and one dessert. Taverna isn't exactly a place I'd go to regularly, but I'm not against trying it again. Hopefully Chatty McChatterson won't wait on me next time.