Coal Vines

I was recently in Austin for a conference, so I had a whole list of restaurants that I wanted to try to visit while I was there.  A group of us tried to go to one of the restaurants on my list, but it was an hour wait to get a table and we decided just to go dine at an Italian restaurant that we had previously passed.  We had walked past a restaurant called Coal Vines that looked like a fun place to dine, so we decided to go eat there since it was close by and was not crowded.

Caesar Salad 

Cheese Sticks

The sign on the door said it was a pizza, pasta, and wine bistro, so we thought it would be a good place to dine because it offered some variety.  In addition to their regular menu, they also had some specials on this night that included Italian inspired seafood.  I started with a Caesar salad and we ordered some cheese sticks for the table.  The romaine lettuce on my salad was fresh and crispy,  but I was not particularly impressed with the flavor of the Caesar dressing.  The cheese sticks had what tasted like pesto mixed in with the cheese, which gave them a unique flavor that went well with the fried batter and marinara sauce.

Small Pizza with Prosciutto and Basil

For my main course, I ordered a small pizza with prosciutto and basil.  I was a little disappointed that the pizza did not have much prosciutto on it because I had anticipated it being covered in the tasty Italian dry-cured ham.  The pizza was much larger than I had expected, but I made a valiant effort to finish the whole pie.  Other members of my party got the chicken parmesan, the spicy Italian sandwich, and the cod piccata.  

Clockwise from top left-Chicken Parmesan, Spicy Italian Sandwich, and Cod Piccata.

Although we were all too full for dessert, none of us were particularly impressed with the food.  The service was good and the dining area was comfortable, but nobody in my party ate anything that was noteworthy.  I don't know if I would go out of my way to eat here again, but I would give it another shot if I was in the area and looking for a place where I didn't have to wait to be seated.  Coal Vines has a nice outdoor dining area next to the sidewalk, but I wouldn't recommend sitting there during the summer months because Austin can get pretty warm.

Coal Vines

http://www.coalvinesoftexas.com

Livin the Good Life Rating=2