TinTinNio

Today, Ms. Particular and I had lunch at TinTinNio, the Italian restaurant in the shopping center at 183 & Burnet that describes itself at "affordable fine dining." Considering that it used to be the home of a Lone Star Cafe, it's a fine upgrade to the area.

BEN: I'd been here once before for lunch, but it hadn't quite made my regular list. I'm not sure why, as I enjoyed the visit today. The interior is upscale, with nice wood panels on the walls, a decorative use of hanging metal and modern chairs and tables that would look nice in an upscale apartment.

MS. P: The view, however, is shopping mall parking lot and 183 access roads galore.

BEN: We were greeted after entering and shown to a comfy booth. At 1PM, there wasn't much of a lunch crowd left, so we got a lot of attention from our server.

MS. P: Almost too much attention, but I forgive her because she brought me the bread that I'm going to marry.

BEN: Like most Italian sit-down places, a serving of bread along with peppered olive oil started the meal. I liked that she also offered balsamic vinegar, which I prefer over getting my bread all oily.

MS. P: Luckily, Ben thought to order the fresh mozzarella and tomato appetizer ($6), which was quite yum - more for the garlicky pesto than the mozzarella, but I'd go back for more.

BEN: For lunch, I ordered the pappardelle ($8), a stew of portabella mushrooms, zucchini, grilled onions, eggplant, and spinach served over large flat noodles. It comes in a thick rosemary pommarola sauce that has truffle oil. I liked it a lot, but after the salad, bread, and appetizer, I couldn't finish my meal.

MS. P: I ordered one of the three items listed under pasta spaghettini, which turns out to be called pomodoro. Basically, it's spaghetti with garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, and fresh basil. When they say fresh, they mean it. I enjoyed it, especially because the pepper was peppery but not assaultive.

BEN: On a previous lunch visit, I'd tried the ravioli, which is three large cheese-filled pasta squares served in a tarragon-gorgonzola sauce. I found it quite delicious, but also a bit heavy.

MS. P: The menu is clearly marked with items that are vegetarian, but vegans would have to ask for a little assistance.

BEN: We cracked up at the end of the meal when the bill came out. In the "server" section, our waitress put "the cuteness". I'm wondering what nicknames they give the rest of the staff -- "the cool one," "the hesitant," or "the surly guy."

MS. P: Note to the staff - what's with the music? First we had harp, then brassy jazz, then spy soundtrack, and as we were leaving, Chumbawamba! Granted, by the time we left we were the only customers, so the staff was definitely entertaining themselves at that point.

BEN: It's a nice, low-key, and slightly upscale place to go for lunch, and there are several options for vegetarians here. I would probably go first for lunch, since prices jump significantly at dinnertime; you may get larger portions, but you have to order a salad separately from the meal.

MS. P: I liked my meal, and as previously mentioned, I have wedding plans with the bread, but I wish their website wasn't so busy trying to entertain me. Restaurants don't need splash pages and they definitely don't need to open extra windows just so I can look at a menu.