Casa Bianca
The wings come confit first and fried after, under calabrian chili jam, three whole wings for US$16.2
Why go
The kitchen calls itself a weirdo Italian restaurant, and the dishes sound familiar until they land. Mussels arrive shelled and sitting in absinthe butter. Clams casino come rebuilt as a savory turnover with bacon jam. Ocean trout turns up raw and dressed puttanesca.1 Most of the card is snacks and small plates, with a few larger dishes at dinner. The cocktails run the same way, down to a martini built on parmesan, vodka and sherry.1
Order this / avoid
- Order the wings, US$16 for three whole ones, confit then fried under calabrian chili jam.2
- Then the cavatelli, which Nicolai McCrary ate with cannellini beans, serrano pickles, guanciale and pecorino, and called perfectly cooked and seasoned.1
- Also on the menu now: tuna cannoli with house nduja and pepperoncini aioli at US$12, crab arancini at US$16, and the limoncello donut with preserved lemon cream at US$7.2
- Avoid: the ocean trout alla puttanesca. McCrary found the sauce made the fish taste fishier, and said the blue cheese crackers are the main thing you taste anyway.1
What locals & experts say
- Nicolai McCrary rated it 8.0 for The Infatuation on 4 October 2024. His line on the kitchen is that most dishes here sound familiar and nothing looks the way you expect.1
Good to know
- Price: the published menu runs US$6 for focaccia to US$48 for the coulotte, with most pastas between US$17 and US$22.2
- Hours: the venue does not publish them, so check before you go.2
- Hygiene: Austin Public Health scores the kitchen 82, inspected 26 August 2025. Austin runs a 100-point scale where higher is better and 70 is the failing line, so this is not a finding. It is the only inspection here, so there is no trajectory to read.3
- Same address, different business: Austin Public Health also holds Eastside Tavern at 1510 E Cesar Chavez, inspected in 2023. That is a separate permit and says nothing about this kitchen.3
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Chicken wings!"
Verdict
should-visit — Book it and eat at the bar if it is two of you, because this is a snacks-and-cocktails room with a pasta section attached. Order four small plates before you look at anything large. The martini with parmesan, vodka and sherry is the drink that tells you whether the kitchen's whole idea is for you; order it first and decide. Skip the fish and put the money into the wings and the cavatelli.