What a Week: Imperia, Sicola’s, La Dolce Vita and More!
This was the kind of week that food critics both love and hate: so many delicious opportunities to wine and dine and unfortunately, so little time! But it was a blast!!!
Imperia, the new Pan-Asian “Vibe Dining” emporium at 4th and Colorado had their “dress to impress” launch party on Wednesday, October 17th. What a night. We munched on wonderful pieces of dim sum whipped up by Chef Joe Tellus, sipped champagne, and sort of figuratively inhaled the amazing ambiance of this new pleasure palace. The gregarious owners, Diggy Taylor, C.K. Chin, and Michael Girard were all there. And mercy, there were some really “impressively” dressed people there albeit most of them female.
I am very buzzed about this new restaurant/nightspot. You can find their menu in our MENU sections on www.diningoutwithrobbalon.com under Asian and Fine Dining.
I also had the distinct pleasure of dining at Sicola’s: A Culinary Experience. This is Austin’s private dining ONLY establishment and it’s designed for parties, events, social gatherings, catering and such.
The dinner I attended actually called for my day-job market research skills. But when I enjoy delicious food, even when I’m talking research, I cannot let the experience go without a comment.
Chef Stephen Sicola is co-owner along with his dad and mom, ad agency guru Tom Sicola (Sicola and Martin) and wife Brenda. It’s an all-in-the-family affair and the food is wonderful. Stephen brings an incredibly deft touch to his kitchen and I am constantly impressed with his skills. To wit: our highly demanding Gonzo Gourmet Club has dined at Sicola’s twice, each time to rave reviews. More info at www.sicolas.com.
And then there was the always amazing La Dolce Vita, benefiting the Austin Museum of Art, at beautiful Laguna Gloria on the shores of Lake Austin.
With wines by Twin Liquors and food stations that represented a true who’s who in the Austin restaurant scene, attendees got to nosh finger foods from places like III Forks, Cool River, Andiamo, The Belmont, Uchi, Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill, Sullivan’s, Roy’s, Fleming’s, and many others. I go to a lot of events like this and La Dolce Vita is one of the best. The crowd seemed to have a great time and it was fun comparing the fare of the various restaurants.
To me, there was no one winner. Everyone had something interesting and well-planned to offer. The winner was the Austin Museum of Art.
My only regret about the otherwise spectacular event was the parking. It’s difficult every year at that location but somebody should figure out how to handle the mess. And $20 valet parking is certainly not the answer.
