L'Oca d'Oro — Restaurant in Austin

Chef Fiore Tedesco's L'Oca d'Oro is an Italian neighborhood restaurant that celebrates the traditions of Italian cuisine but innovates in a surprising way with whimsical dishes and surprising combinations. Located in Austin Texas, Chef has painstakingly created a fixed and standard menu that provides folks an opportunity to try many dishes or follow a path along a curated trajectory Chef Fiore Tedesco has selected.

The fresh mozzarella and cima di rapa (w/ parmigiano & anchovy) are delightful and standard dishes as appetizers and carry that tradition; but it's the daring combinations like the beet cashew dip that open up your imagination. I was lucky to try several dishes when we dined and was surprised and in awe of many of the dishes including the spaghetti alla limone which was a very different take with its lime kosho & grana padano; airy and fresh, it resonated with everyone who tried it. Other standouts included the chicken milanesa marsala, the blue moon panna cotta, and the pistachio chocolate chip cookie.

Chef Tedesco's philosophy of creating everything in house is seen in the freshness and quality of the ingredients. Chef Tedesco has founded a memorable restaurant but more importantly has created a consistency that is hard to replicate. It's this constant commitment that drives not only the quality but the passion of L'Oca d'Oro.

Even more impressive is the philosophy of his restaurant; from L'Oca d'Oro's website:

"All of our dishes are prepared with sustainable, locally grown produce and meats--a reflection of a farm-to-table philosophy that extends to our handmade pasta, cheese, salumi, bread, vinegars and liqueurs. We care for our team members by including a 20% pre-tax service charge to guarantee a base wage of at least $17/hr, Direct Primary Care, PTO & low cost counseling for our entire team. Since 2016, L'Oca has paid above the federal minimum wage, accompanied by benefits like healthcare and retirement plans. During crises, L'Oca prioritizes community health and social justice, collaborating with organizations like Good Work Austin, co-founded by L'Oca owners, and Lilith Fund, setting an example for culinary excellence and positive societal impact through unwavering dedication to quality and responsibility."

In 2018, Chef Fiore Tedesco spoke on behalf of restaurants before the City Council in defense of a paid sick leave ordinance. In 2019, he and his co owner the pair co-founded Good Work Austin to continue pushing for increased pay, better benefits, and now improved family practices. Thanks to those efforts, L'Oca D'Oro earned its reputation as a leader for redefining industry standards. At a panel discussion, he discussed the recent election and how so many folks within Good Work Austin now had a tension, unsure of what changes have come. Chef addressed this and his words were comforting to folks like myself who understand the challenges in the restaurant industry and the community who works in it, namely the hundred if not thousands he represents in Austin."

I very rarely straight up copy paste website info on a post but this summarizes Chef's goals with his restaurant. To have such a high standard for the ingredients, the staff, and the culture shows how wonderful...

My husband and I have dined here twice, both times on the patio with our infant. One time was an impromptu date night in cold weather and they had a heater, and the other time was this past Monday night when it was 90 degrees and they had a fan. My suggestion to them is have a fan with higher output, or maybe put more fans in. I just sweated a little too much and had sweat spots on my anniversary dress. Next time we’ll try eating inside. Anyway, the FOOD!

Both times we’ve been here the food was excellent. The last time we were here my husband got the grilled focaccia bread with the spring onion butter (incredible), spaghetti with these amazing, thick noodles (unsure if they still have this dish), and tiramisu. I’m just not a tiramisu lover, but he said he thought it was great. The last time we were here, what I got was their lasagna. Literally the best lasagna I’ve ever had. Everything they did to this lasagna was amazing (pine nut pesto, the cheeses and sauce, the pea tendrils). The service we had that evening was great, by the way. The server was very knowledgeable and friendly.

So this week when we went, we ordered the the zucchini fries with dill aioli, and roasted carrots to start off with. I love carrots, and these had to have been some of the most visually interesting and delicious ones I’ve had. The zucchini fries were just nuts, so delicious, and the dill aioli was a great complimentary flavor. I ordered for our main course the waygu ribeye, and my husband had the short rib confit. The ribeye had a little too much gristle for my preference, but the way they cooked it was great. Easily one of the best steaks I’ve had at any restaurant. The blackberry sauce was great with the charred flavor, and the bed of charred corn relish underneath was delicious. My husband’s short rib confit was delicious and very tender. My mouth is watering now remembering it. I had never had polenta before, and the short rib meat was resting on top of a big piece of polenta, and it was so good. The mushrooms and daisy petals on top of this dish was visually very pretty. I was happy to try a few bites of flower petals.

Our server was fun and knowledgeable, and helped us choose a very good wine. Because it was our anniversary we were going to keep the bottle, so it was nice of her to let us choose based on the label as well as the description/pairing. She also brought us out two glasses of champagne as a complimentary surprise, and we appreciated the gesture. I’m pretty sure it was a chef who brought out my ribeye, and the manager(?) kept checking on us, and the owner also stopped by our table. Great staff.

We continued on to dessert, and my husband got panna cotta with roasted blueberries, and I got an icy scoop of mango sorbet (perfect for the hot summer night, of course). Both...

Took friends out, tried to impress them with my choice but they had already been several times and were thrilled as it's one of thier favorite spots.

The food was on point, we ordered the grilled market fish and the Conchiglie our friends got two restaurant week specials and ordered both choices for each course.

We received the Conchiglie, split it, and watched our friends finish thier first two courses. The server brought us our bill and we informed them that we were still waiting on the fish and desserts. About 10 minutes later the fish came (props the the kitchen!)

Another person came to the table, I'm assuming the manager, and said it wasn't put in and would comp the dish which we appreciated.

While at the table they asked if we would like anything else and two of us ordered espresso and my partner and I ordered a tiramisu to share as our friends were about to get the dessert portion of thier courses. We waited quite a while and the espresso never came. We eventually received one tiramisu. After waiting another 15 minutes and eventually flagging down our server they offered to pack up the tiramisu that had not been touched as we were politely waiting for the rest of the food and espresso to arrive. Once informed they came back with the espresso and informed us they had made a mistake and for the restaurant week special the tiramisu is only offered for two, which was confusing as none of us remembered seeing this mentioned on the special menu. The confusion continued as we tried to explain we were still waiting on the additional one that had been ordered with the espressos through the manager. After the server left we wondered what happens if a single person orders a restaurant special; is the dessert option only the Cannoli?

When the server returned we asked about it and said they had been misinformed earlier in the week and had been making the mistake all week, and yes, if a single person ordered then they are only allowed to get the cannoli.

A few minutes later the dessert arrived and we started our desserts two hours into our dinner. We didn't make a fuss, we had great company and felt bad for our server they were clearly having a off day (dropped things, made a few mistakes etc). I've worked in the industry and really hate leaving negative reviews however when a restaurant automatically adds a 20% gratuity (I usually leave 25% if deserved) I would expect the service to be professional. The kitchen definitely saved the day and comped dish are the only reason this isn't a 1 star review.

Expected better from what I had been told. Reached out to some foodie friends and sounds like this is a one off. Judging by the review posted a few hours before mine confirms it was a bad night for...