Review: North
May 24, 2008
North, located in the Domain, has been on the Austin scene for less than a year. A Fox Restaurant concept, North is their first Texan venture, having previously dominated the Arizona and Colorado dining scenes.
North offers contemporary Italian cuisine in a modern setting. The inside features table dining (no booths), while the patio is spacious an allows for people watching. The bar area is small, but usually hopping.
Vegetarians have several options for dinner here. North offers soups, salads, pizzas, pastas, risotto, polenta, artichoke and vegetable sides which are either offered vegetarian or can be made vegetarian. Although many entrees surpass the $20 mark, the meatless ones can be had for between $12-$16.
In a recent visit, we had the side of creamy polenta, which was had an amazing cheese and savory flavor, so much so, that it was difficult to believe that there is no chicken stock in it (there isn’t). However, for $6, the portion was meager.
We also sampled the pizza selection. I had a Fig and Prosciutto pizza, which I ordered without fig and prosciutto. Without those toppings, the pizza was basically a cheese and goat-cheese pizza with a fig sauce instead of a red sauce. It’s not for everyone, but those that enjoy a sweet compliment to their tangy goat cheese will enjoy it as much as I did. My husband tried the Pizza Margareta, which was tasty, although certainly not the best Margareta in town. It was a little soggy and could have used a tad more sauce. The crust on all of the pizzas are thin and perfectly cooked.
North also featured little food treats that add to the meal- a tiny finger dish of marinated olives before dinner and very good sourdough bread with a tangy sun-dried tomato butter add a little something extra to the meal. The drinks are also something to admire, with a good wine list (all servers have extensive wine training), and my personal favorite, a take on Bellinis- a choice of fresh fruit puree and topped with prosecco.
In a previous visit, we sampled the tomato soup, which was delicious- not too sweet, as some tomato soups tend to be. We also had the Panna Cotta for desert, which was a light vanilla-bean custard with berries, both are highly recommended.
Vegan Friendly: *
Vegetarian Friendly: **
Fish Friendly: **
Price: $$$
Service: ****
Atmosphere: ****
The Domain
11506 Century Oaks Terrace
Austin, TX 78758
P: 512.339.4400
Sunday – Thursday 11am –10pm
Friday – Saturday 11am – 11pm
One Response to “Review: North”
if you didn’t happen to be vegetarian, I would recommend the Short Rib Osso Bucco. In fact, I am salivating on top of my computer just thinking about it. And to all you sweet white wine lovers, don’t ask for a White Zinfandale there, your server will make fun of you with the rest of the staff behind your back, get a Riesling or Muscato d’Asti.
By Ralph Pina on May 27, 2008