Hotel San Jose - Austin,TEXAS

First Thursday, how could I have forgotten! Parking was a bear; I ended up getting a ticket, parking next to a stop sign. Ouch…another $20 donation to the city. Once we arrived at the Hotel San Jose things got a lot better.

Senora Foodblog went straight for the Prosecco (Italian bubbly) while I enjoyed a cold Samuel Smiths. The wine pours are huge. This made the Senora very pleased indeed and when she is happy...you know I am happy, too. Suddenly distracted from my beautiful bride, out of the corner of my eye I noticed what looked like the largest cheese platter I have ever seen. I checked the menu and yes, the San Jose offers $12/$18 cheese platters. I asked our server and she told me that the serving I saw was the $18 platter. Wow…I would be guessing but it looked like a good lb. of cheese with a loaf of bread; not bad for this town. Our total came to $20 with tip.

We made our way down to Vespaio for dinner. As to be expected, we had to wait for our table. We chose to avoid the bar area; it was packed solid with no room to breathe. As we were seated our server brought out three kinds of bread and a puree of cannellini beans. If you are a hummus fan, then you will just die for the white bean puree. For our drinks, the Senora chose the house Chianti while I decided to stick with water. No appetizers, just two small Caesar salads and a little hand-holding. For our main courses, the senora had the Margherita Pizza and I had the Spaghetti Carbonara.

The pizza was thin with a crispy bite, wonderful fresh tomatoes and tasty cheese. The Spaghetti Carbonara is just the best in town. The flavor is fantastic, creamy and decadent, served with a cheese crisp and a poached egg on top. For desert I had the profiterole with gelato & cherry compote. God was smiling at me. Three small puff pasties with vanilla gelato inside, each covered with chocolate fudge, surrounded by cherries. Our meal was so good, I wouldn’t mind having it again tonight. Our total came to $68 + Tip.

Senor Foodblog gives First Thursday two spoons up. I thought we did very well, except for the traffic ticket. As with all street events, one just has to be patient and expect to wait for ...everything. The Hotel San Jose is just cool as hell. I’m going back, but on an off night for the cheese platter. Vespaio is the best restaurant on Congress, maybe in town. The food is a little pricey compared to most, but the service and attention to detail truly make the experience worth it. Peace.

Hotel San Jose
1316 S. Congress
http://www.sanjosehotel.com/

Vespaio
1610 S.Congress
512 441 7672