More dining delights at the Old Alsatian Steakhouse and Ristorante

Traveling back to Castroville to spend the day and dine at the Old Alsatian Steakhouse and Ristorante proved to be another delightful excursion.  Bill and I had lunch on our last visit; now we were prepared for a fine dining experience at dinner and were not disappointed.  Starting with Mike’s Alsatian Delight – black mussels in a creamy herb and Irish whiskey sauce – was a good idea.  Like little babies, we stopped short of drinking the rich and indescribably sublime sauce after polishing off the fresh, tender mussels.  Tito offered us a taste of the shrimp bisque, which was subtly different from the creamy mussel sauce  with the addition of paprika, almost as delicious.  Three cheers for the petite house salad with a homemade vinaigrette bolstered by mounds of finely minced onion.  We were already satisfied when our entrees arrived.  I had the Flounder Fiorno and Bill had the Pork medallions in a superb Marsala sauce with raisins.  Both dishes were delicious but the flounder was out of this world.  Lightly battered and draped in a melt in your mouth creamy chardonnay sauce with capers and almonds, I floated on waves of pleasure, overcome with the feeling that I was transported to the old world, somewhere in the French, German alps.  The carrots and peas were outstanding, the spinach savory and the green beans distinctly delicious.  Portions were bountiful, I ate too much, but cannot complain.  We were too full for dessert; I’m sure they were wicked.  We toddled around the block, still reeling from our feast but I would do it again, preferably with 4 people sharing.  The restaurant offers wine tastings (with appetizers), both public and private. Check their website for announcements or contact them to plan a party. Sunday photos are added as a segue to our morning visit to the Medina River, another excellent reason to visit Castroville.

 

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Castroville – little Alsace of Texas

On the way back from Uvalde, Texas, after our journey through the underworld in the Caves of Sonora, Bill and I made a delightful discovery in Castroville, an Alsatian community and artists’ enclave with an incredible European restaurant.  Although there were some nice rolling hills and scenic vistas on the drive between Sonora and Uvalde, the towns we passed through were a hodgepodge of  trailers, decaying and abandoned homes and trucks, unplanned and untended communities.  From Devil’s Sinkhole to dry devil’s creek, river; this was devil’s country.  Uvalde had a few attractive buildings and some evidence of life, certainly enough fast food joints but other than the” little gallery that could”, The Art Lab, the experience was forgettable.

It was such a pleasure to roll into Castroville.  Right away, the layout and feel of the town was picturesque, European, tidy.  OK, I betray my roots, I like aesthetically planned communities.  The sloping roofs and old country feel of the homes brought back memories of Bavaria.  I include shots of the city in the gallery below.  The Old Alsatian Steakhouse and Ristorante will be reviewed in the Dining section of this site. Suffice it to say, it was a rare gem.  More trips to Castroville are in the cards.