Parkside Projects’ Southern Italian restaurant, Olive & June, will celebrate its 5th anniversary in February! The restaurant will offer a rotating Pasta Tasting Menu by Executive Chef Brian Moses the entire month highlighting a variety of pastas that have been served at the restaurant since its opening in February 2012.
Named after the grandmothers of Owner Shawn Cirkiel and his wife, Olive & June opened in 2012 with an emphasis on making every pasta, as many as 12 different kinds, in-house daily.
I was fortunate to be invited to attend a preview dining table, where Chef Brian Moses explained what the restaurant will be doing to celebrate the anniversary. All guests will receive a complimentary glass of prosecco! Everything on the table last night was amazing. I especially liked the butternut squash ravioli; the addition of golden raisins added another level of sweetness to the squash, that was perfectly balanced with the brown butter sage sauce.
And don’t miss the desserts! I am not even a dessert person, but they were scrumptious. My favorite was the caramel apple zeppole – so light!
There will be a 5-course option as well as a 3-course option. The year listed next to each pasta name on the special menu represents the year in which the dish was served. The first half of the month (2/1-2/15), the menu will include the following:
5-Course Pasta Tasting Menu: $49 per person
Butternut raviolo, brown butter, sage, golden raisin mostarda (2015)
Risotto – shallot, garlic, walnut pesto, parm, celery (2013)
Gnocchi, smoked rainbow trout, broccoli, pear, radish (2016)
Pappardelle, short rib, sun choke, apple, smoked caciovello (2014)
Gemelli, fennel sausage, arugula, fennel (2012)
3-Course Pasta Tasting Menu: $35.50 per person
Butternut raviolo, brown butter, sage, golden raisin mostarda (2015)
Risotto – shallot, garlic, walnut pesto, parm, celery (2013)
Gemelli, fennel sausage, arugula, fennel (2012)
After February 15, these menus will change in order to include other pasta dishes that have been served at Olive & June since opening. In addition, all guests ages 21 and over who dine at Olive & June in February will receive a complimentary glass of Prosecco with their meal. Guests who order from the Pasta Tasting Menu will receive a complimentary bag of house-made pasta to bring home with them as well.
Both menus require at least 2 people at the table. Reservations can be made through the Olive & June website at http://oliveandjune-austin. com/ or by calling 512-467-9898.
