(Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)Visually, Abbiocco makes a nice first impression. The then-28-year-old aimed to spotlight Italian wines and fresh pasta dishes cooked with a little of the fine dining flair he’d picked up at places like L’Oca d’Oro in Austin, the city where he went to culinary school. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)I went back to Abbiocco on what turned out to be a dead-quiet Friday night, hoping to find dishes I could genuinely recommend. If you’re going to the trouble of making fresh pasta, a lighter hand with the sauce would showcase it better. It’s got a nice neighborhood joint feel, and some good wine and cocktail offerings, but the flavors of many dishes are distractingly unbalanced.

Source: CNN February 17, 2026 20:01 UTC