AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ — The incredible, inexhaustible entrepreneurs at Austin-based County Line Bar-B-Q restaurants have brought award-winning slow-smoked fare to barbecue aficionados throughout the southern U.S. for more than three decades. This same team is branching out from its highly successful traditional BBQ to another first rate dining experience: Cannoli Joe’s Gourmet Italian Feast.
The new 12,000-square-foot restaurant features a 3,000-square-foot Villagio where ten different chefs are preparing the food in front of the guests. More than 100 classic Italian food specialties are prepared in front of the customer at the stations, including fresh-baked pizzas, pastas, seafood, salads, soups, antipasto, rotisserie-grilled meats and authentic Italian desserts. Customer favorites include the Spinach Alfredo pizza, Lasagna Bolognese, Grilled Steak Marsala, Greek salad, Sausage Cavatappi, Chicken Picatta, Mussels Fra Diavolo, Caponatina and cannolis. Sunday Brunch includes scones, omelets cooked to order, frittata, Belgian waffles, breakfast strata, Eggs Fiorentina, breakfast meats, juices and fruit. It seats 400 guests throughout seven distinctly decorated dining rooms; eight private dining areas hold 10 – 125 guests each.
“We designed Cannoli Joe’s to offer a unique package of dining experience and superior quality food,” says Bob Hauser, chef /owner of Cannoli Joe’s and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. “From the tromp l’oeil mural and Tuscan landscaping that greet people when they arrive, to the backlit images of Italy and hand-painted art in the dining areas, our goal is that customers feel like they are on vacation when they are here. ‘Wow!’ is a word we hear all the time, from ‘Wow, this place is really outstanding!’ to ‘Wow, the food is amazing — it reminds me of my grandmother’s cooking!'”
“The diverse wine list we created has a lot of breadth, and features 30-plus affordable wines, with 17 of those from Italy,” says Hauser, who lived in Italy and has extensive experience in the wine industry. A full bar features signature cocktails like Joe’s Texas Bellini Swirl and the Caesarita margarita.
“With hundreds of different menu options from which to choose, Cannoli Joe’s is the ideal crowd-pleasing option, even for vegetarians, low-carb dieters, high-carb dieters, or picky eaters,” Hauser adds.
“When we created County Line 32 years ago, there was no other BBQ place like it. We had waiters, mixed drinks, cloth napkins, an upscale atmosphere and great slow-smoked BBQ,” says Don “Skeeter” Miller, President and Director of Operations for The County Line and Cannoli Joe’s Ltd. “We are doing the same with Cannoli Joe’s. Our chefs creating 100 different Italian dishes for you to sample until your heart’s content, for one single price … there is nothing else like it anywhere around. It’s all about the culinary experience-quality and variety in an incredible setting, topped off with the fact that after 32 years of running County Line, we are crazy enough to pull it off!”
Open daily for lunch and dinner; 4715 Hwy. 290 West, Austin, Texas, http://www.cannolijoes.com/, (512) 892-4444.
