Red Ash Italia

Red Ash isn’t the type of place you just casually visit. Maybe that’s because the steak menu is made up of 50 day dry aged porterhouses, double cut bone in filets, and massive strip steaks. Or maybe it’s because the wait to get in has been over a month long since they opened their doors in 2016. 

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Start with some roasted vine tomatoes and burrata before moving on to a wood roasted bone marrow and wild mushroom risotto. Quickly recharge with a gem lettuce caesar salad before diving into their extensive menu of handmade pastas. There’s nothing subtle about the pastas here, but sometimes you just want to dig into a bowl of rich, savory red wine braised beef ravioli with fresh truffles and roasted veal juice, without really thinking too much about it. And most of them are available as entrees or sides—we recommend grabbing a few side-sized orders so that you can try more. After all that, move on to a massive dry aged steak for the table. The 30-50 days they spend aging adds some funk, but it’s all balanced out by a few spoonfuls of buttery garlic sauce over the top. 

A meal at Red Ash is often heavy-handed—expect lots of butter, garlic, bone marrow, and cheese in just about everything—but you come to Red Ash to celebrate a birthday, promotion, or successfully finishing a tube of chapstick. It’s one of our favorite Italian restaurants in Austin, with classic flavors and decadent preparations. Just be ready to plan it pretty far in advance. 

photo credit: Richard Casteel