The bar at Casa Bianca (Photo by Richard Casteel)
As an adjective, “weird” is having a real moment right now. It’s a pithy term that draws its power from its vagueness: It means everything and nothing at the same time. We see it applied to countless real-world situations now, but even so, it’s a choice that feels, well, odd when a new restaurant calls its own menu “weirdo.”
To be fair, Casa Bianca — the recently opened East Austin restaurant helmed by chef and Uchi alumnus Joseph Zoccoli — came up with its slogan “Weirdo Italian” before Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz made “weird” the word of the summer. But the ubiquity of “weird” on social media these days — and its long history in Austin marketing — made me think carefully about whether it applies to what’s happening at Casa Bianca.
Stepping off East Cesar Chavez Street and into Casa Bianca is an immediately calming experience. The restaurant’s decor focuses on bright, clean whites, natural wood tones, a touch of mint green for vibrancy, and attractive accents like a terrazzo bar top, arched doors, and plenty of sunlight. Nothing “crazy” here—just a nice neutral backdrop for eating, drinking, and Instagramming. The back patio is similarly straightforward: concrete floor, lots of tables, and gauzy awnings overhead. Brash visuals aren’t a priority at Casa Bianca; they prefer to make big accents in the kitchen and behind the bar.
Cannoli with beef tartar (Photo by Gavin Booth and Karen Reinsberg)
Zoccoli’s menu is certainly not a strict or traditional take on Italian cuisine. Rather, these dishes offer a quirky twist on Italian and Italian-American classics with some global touches that reflect Zoccoli’s culinary training and experience. A prime example is the Clams Casino Panzerotti, which transforms Rhode Island’s popular dish of baked clams on the half shell into a handy pastry pocket similar to a mini calzone. The dough itself features a luscious layer of fat that will make your fingertips glisten, and the filling offers gooey smoked mozzarella and a pleasant hint of bacon. Unfortunately, I could detect very little clam flavor…but there was also bacon and cheese, so I couldn’t be too disappointed. The crowning glory of this dish, however, is the Calabrian chile jam served alongside it. This spread sings with flavors of stone fruit and a subtle and slow-burning spiciness, and I’m impatiently hoping that Casa Bianca will start selling jars of this magical jelly to take home.
Another imaginative appetizer is the beef tartare cannoli, where the beef is tucked into compact pastry pockets and topped with bone marrow vinaigrette, fruit mostarda, and a tuft of pecorino cheese made from the milk of sheep that have grazed on chamomile. The dough isn’t as flaky as a traditional cannoli wrapper, so these snacks taste more like spring rolls. The meat inside the wrapper is also a bit confusing; when I order tartare, I expect the tenderness of a raw steak and the intensity of pure beef flavor. The beef in the cannoli tastes and feels cooked, making the overall experience a bit jarring. But the bone marrow vinaigrette provides a welcome umami boost, the mostarda brings a fresh kick, and the herb-scented pecorino is salty, nutty, and pleasantly aromatic.
In all honesty, Casa Bianca came up with its slogan “weird Italian” before “weird” became the word of the summer. But it underestimates their menu, which is innovative, sophisticated and playful.
For mains, Casa Bianca downplays the oddities even further, serving dishes that will be familiar to diners who enjoy modern Italian cuisine made from local ingredients. House-made cavatelli has an appealingly savory texture and pairs just as well with zesty lamb ragu and fermented honey on the dinner menu as it does with cannellini beans, guanciale and pickled serrano peppers on Casa Bianca’s lunch menu. The herbed Caesar salad pairs with corn salads with bold dill sprigs (which could have been diced more finely for better integration) and sourdough breadcrumbs, and is so crisp that I didn’t miss the usual Caesar salad croutons. The dressing adds a creamy texture and an appealing tart note, and while the anchovy flavor is subtle and delicate, Casa Bianca offers the option of adding cured Spanish anchovies for extra spice.
Mille Plateaux Negroni (Photo by Richard Casteel)
Protein-packed dishes like grilled pork belly with whey-caramel mustard and savoy cabbage and crispy-skin branzino with caramelized fennel purée don’t immediately jump out at you with their oddball flair, but Zoccoli’s expert execution makes them a worthwhile order. If you want to dip your toe in this oddball pond to see what the water feels like, choose the Hoja Santa cannelloni as an appetizer. Hoja santa, a Mexican herb also known as pepper leaf, tastes like a mix of mint, tarragon, and sassafras, and when Chef Zoccoli places those leaves on a roll of fresh pasta filled with tangy buttermilk ricotta and surrounded by a pool of spicy arrabbiata sauce, the result is a wild collision of flavors that somehow manages to be perfectly balanced and harmonious. It’s a bold dish, and Chef Zoccoli’s nerves of steel really pay off.
Much like the menu, Casa Bianca’s cocktail menu flirts with weirdness by showcasing some unusual ingredients and flavor profiles, but ultimately lands in a realm of elegant irreverence. Beverage director Richard Thomas has assembled a surprisingly large collection of drinks, ranging from tiki-inspired drinks to a range of martinis to a trio of specialty margaritas. The breadth of the cocktail offerings is impressive (as is the sheer size of Casa Bianca’s superbly balanced Aperol Spritz), but two sections of this menu deserve special attention: “Negronis” and “New Italian.” Here, Thomas has complete freedom to experiment with Italian spirits and liqueurs, and we as guests benefit from his creativity. The Sonate Antillaise, for example, takes the classic Negroni on a Caribbean vacation by replacing gin with pineapple rum and vermouth with floral and citrusy Lillet Blanc. The pineapple never overpowers the other flavors, and the bitterness of the Campari anchors the fruity flavor profile. This Negroni pairs ideally with Casa Bianca’s cold bar offerings; I particularly enjoyed taking a few sips of the Sonate Antillaise between bites of chilled shrimp with spicy Calabrian chili sauce and tangy lemon aioli.
Casa Bianca is certainly no “spinster” by summer 2024 standards, but they should count that as a success. Because what sets them apart instead is sophisticated but playful Italian-inspired cuisine, impeccable Negronis, and a sense of innovation that will surely serve them well in Austin’s competitive dining market.
Casa Bianca
1510 E. Cesar Chavez
www.casabiancaatx.com
