The Anatra Due Maniere ($27) consists of seared duck breast over duck confit pan-fried ravioli dressed in a black pepper fig sauce and garnished with fresh mint.[/caption]
How has small Italian restaurant Botticelli’s survived amid the constant business turnover on South Congress Avenue?
For Andrew Botticelli, co-owner of his namesake restaurant, success is achieved through a combination of a devoted staff, a casual atmosphere and a commitment to quality food.
“This is a business that is truly all about a love and passion for people and for food and wine,” he said.
When he, his brother Matt and their longtime friend Timmy Brown first opened Botticelli’s 10 years ago, Andrew said there was not much restaurant variety in Austin.
“Back then there was nothing to eat in this town besides barbecue and Tex-Mex,” he said, adding he wanted to bring the Italian comfort foods he grew up with in Chicago to Austin.
The Botticelli brothers and Brown moved into the former Beck’s restaurant in 2007 and turned the back patio into a beer garden where live music is played every weekend. They created a menu of old family recipes with a few inventive twists and stocked their bar with hand-picked Italian wines.
Although several South Congress restaurants have shuttered in the past few years, Andrew said his Botticelli’s staff members—some of whom have worked there for nine years—are a huge part of why Botticelli’s stays relevant.
One of Botticelli’s signature desserts is the tiramisu ($10), served with berries.[/caption]
The staff is often in the kitchen beginning at 7 a.m., rolling pasta from scratch and turning it into dishes, such as the Ravioli di Zucca Gialla. The $22 ravioli are filled with butternut squash served in a brown butter, garlic and sage sauce.
In 2014 the three opened Little Barrel and Brown farther south along South Congress, but after staffing the restaurant proved difficult, they sold it in May.
Letting go of Little Barrel and Brown was an important lesson about the value having a happy staff, Andrew said.
“When you have a business where it’s based upon love and passion, everything else kind of falls into place,” he said of Botticelli’s. “We want people to come in here and have an experience where they are going to get fine dining service ... super quality food ... amazing wines and amazing drinks with zero pretentiousness.”
As Italian traditions go, garbage bread is one that stands out, said Andrew Botticelli. Made from a combination of all the pizza or pasta “leftovers”—Italian meats, cheeses, pizza dough and anything else—rolled into one, Botticelli said his grandmother and mother made it into a family recipe by adding sautéed peppers and onions and smothering it with a garlic egg wash. Now the Original Botticelli Bread ($14) is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.[/caption]
From Garbage Bread to Botticelli Bread
As Italian traditions go, garbage bread is one that stands out, said Andrew Botticelli. Made from a combination of all the pizza or pasta “leftovers”—Italian meats, cheeses, pizza dough and anything else—rolled into one, Botticelli said his grandmother and mother made it into a family recipe by adding sautéed peppers and onions and smothering it with a garlic egg wash. Now the Original Botticelli Bread ($14) is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.
