Gusto Disappoints "Miserably" As Sow, Drink.Well Impress

Here's where the critics ate this week:

AUSTIN CHRONICLE — It's bad news for Gusto Italian Kitchen, the Burnet Road restaurant that morphed into an Italian joint after its Central and South American predecessor, La Sombra, failed to attract enough diners. Rachel Feit writes that she is "miserably disappointed" by the restaurant, finding greasy fried calamari, a snooze-worthy chicken saltimboc­ca and a chocolate torte that's "about as original as a Xerox copy" at the restaurant, which is a "duplication of Macaroni Grill."

STATESMAN — Matthew Odam awards the east side's Salty Sow an impressive 8 out of 10, even though he finds that the nose-ish-to-tail-ish restaurant's strengths aren't really in the porcine products. He likes the "rosy duck breast," and slow-cooked beef cheeks, which taste "like succulent pot roast." He's less impressed with the pork belly ("the most overexposed and overrated cut of meat") and pork blade steak, which is "a bit too sweet though nicely cooked." Ultimately, he says the restaurant delivers "robust flavors at excellent prices."

CHRONICLE — Claudia Alarcon digs North Loop's new Drink.Well bar for the "playful" booze offerings, "cool and unusual picks " on Jessica Sanders' wine list and the "outstanding" food. The Texas Kobe Burger is a "true revelation," while Alarcon is "wowed" by the charred brussels sprouts. The service? "Superfriendly yet professional and knowledgeable."

[Photo: Gusto Italian Kitchen/Facebook]