Mandola Estate Winery and Trattoria Lisina

This past weekend, the Trophy Fiancee and I decided to head down to Driftwood, Texas to the Mandola Winery. If you live in central Texas, you know that this time of year is absolutely gorgeous so we had a beautiful drive down and back in the 'stang.

The winery itself is still relatively young, but it was a neat little trip. There is a 10 minute tour (yeah, TEN minutes) that shows you the basics of the winery and there is a tasting room. Five dollars lets you sample all of the wines they have. I didn't care for most of the wines they had, except the Canto Felice.

However, the reason to go there is Trattoria Lisina. This is the BEST italian restaurant I think I've ever been to. We each go a glass of the local wine (she got the Pinot Grigio, I got the Canto Felice) which was quite nice. The meal started off with a foccacia like bread brought to the table with some local olive oil that was out of this world.

We ordered Artichoke fritters as an appetizer. They were served with a tomato basil dip and another white dip that I don't recall the details of. These were so tender and mild as to almost taste like a high-quality fish dish.

The main course was Cannelloni which we split. We often split entrees so that we can get appetizers and dessert. The cream sause actually had a light and fluffy quality that few restaurants ever achieve.

Finally dessert was a Tiramisu that was absolutely wonderful.

With a glass of iced tea and a cappuccino, the entire meal was $55 even before tax.

For the quality of food you get here, it's well worth the price and the trip. If you are looking for a romantic date location, this is the place to go.

Now, tonight - Ruthie Foster at Blues on the Green!