italian stallion

Arancini, Italian meaning fried rice balls covered in breadcrumbs. Arancini, also a trailer in south Austin with a cute mustache on their sign. The second (trailer) Arancini serves arancini daily Tues - Sat, along with a mix of other Italian dishes on a constantly refreshed and seasonal menu. In this South First trailer park you can also find Grill Haven, Azafran, and Heads Up Tacos.

 

The mustache was a major factor in getting my attention, but once I looked at their menu online the gimmick was forgotten and replaced by a need to eat. Their food. Immediately. So, as I do, I gathered a group of my best trailer eaters and we set out on another culinary adventure. We circled the impressively displayed menu (I felt like I was at one of the beach-side restaurants in Sydney again!) and thoroughly discussed what we should order. It took us an embarrassingly long time to figure it all out, but we made it through the ordering process and ended up getting one of almost everything. The guys working in the trailer were helpful and hilarious and even posed for a photo.

Now, their menu changes daily so I can't recall the exact names/ingredients in each item we ordered, but this is the jist: 2 orders of Arancini (because it's the namesake afterall), Fried Brussels Sprouts, Fried Artichoke, Pasta with mussels, Meatball Slider, Summer Melon, Tomato, and Fresh Herb Salad, and Grilled Stone Fruit Brushetta. Yep, we were hungry. And everything was so reasonably priced and sounded so good that we couldn't hold ourselves back! They gave us each a number and we took a seat in their wonderful outdoor eating area. They even had misters to help us stay cool, which at first was weird because we were getting kinda wet, but then we really appreciated them as we sat there longer. The area is all BYOB and we wished we had brought some wine to accompany our meal. Next time that is definitely happening.

When our food started to come out, it was sorta overwhelming. He brought the trays to our table for us and there was just SO MUCH FOOD. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we felt like kings. The food just kept coming, too! Our table was full of delicious (mostly fried) treats and we all shared, family-style. It was all fantastic, every single bite. We even enjoyed the Brussels Sprouts which was a big shock to most of us. My favorite was probably the cheesy rice balls (Arancini) because I have a soft spot in my heart for anything involving a cheese and rice combination. And that fruit salad! Wowie! It was the only thing on the entire table that made you feel slightly healthy for eating it, but the taste fit right in with all the other dishes. It was art in food form. I could eat that everyday, no joke.

As the destruction shows, we loved this place. The staff was wonderful and had a great sense of humour while still deliverying an amazing meal. The food was out-of-this-world impressive and we stuffed ourselves until we couldn't take another bite. The seating area was cute, clean, cool, and conducive to friendly conversation. This trailer knocked it out of the park and gets the highest rating I can offer, 5 out of 5 trailers. No doubt. Let's grab a bottle of wine and eat there again ASAP!

Guest Reviews (in the order I received them):

P Diddy's back in the house, and this time he went Italian!

As we headed out to this place I was definitely expecting your typical Italian menu; however, this place way surprised me with it's random compilation of menu that somehow came together quite well. The set-up was perfect and I would say it's must-do in the evening as the lights would be lit-up and set the mood for sure. On to the food, my favorite was FOR SURE the deep fried brusselsprouts with capers! sidenote: I hate brusselsprouts, no matter which way you cook them.....except for this way. Somehow the typical bitterness had been sucked out by the magic-ness of all things deep fried. The watermelon salad mixture was refreshing and tasty and we all concurred that it was like 'summer in your mouth'. The roasted stonefruit's on skewers on this whippy sweet cheese on brushcetta was my second favorite; I'm all about the sweet and savory and it definitely satisfied. It was definitely one of the most random meals I've had at a food trailer but it was still delicious and had a great ambiance...but then agin, I was with the lovely Shayface- who's super-cala-fraga-listic-expi-alle-doshess-awesomeness can't be beat. :0) 

Courtney

For the first time in my life, I was easily convinced to try brussel sprouts and they did not disappoint. My mom would be so proud. However, they were only my second favorite item, coming up behind the Arancini. After a quick lesson in Italian (are-an-chee-nee) we waited a short time and out came these perfectly fried balls of breaded mozzarella, bacon, and Italian spices. I don't know much about what makes Italian food "authentic", but I do know when something tastes good, and these were great. They also pair very nicely with a cold Dos Equis. So go check these guys out, BYOB, and enjoy some delicious Italian trailer food.

Green

Arancini (Thumbs Up)

I could eat at Arancini’s every single week. No joke! It is so good that you may slap yourself, twice! The fried artichoke hearts are awesome and complimented with a creamy dressing that will make you want to lick the container (literally).  In fact, they should sell the dressing by itself. However, my favorite was the summer melon, tomato and fresh herb salad. The watermelon and cantaloupe were sweet and cherry tomatoes were perfect on a hot afternoon. If you aren’t drooling over something else on the menu, try the pasta of the week. I opted to have the pasta with mussels and cherry tomatoes. It exceeded my expectations. The mussels were fresh, the pasta was perfect and again, the tomatoes were awesome.  This pasta dish was so tasty that I didn’t want to share. I’m glad that no one asked for another bite.

Menu standouts: meatball sliders and the fried Brussels sprouts with capers.

Fell Short: Tuscan fries. Not good, not bad, but nothing to write to home about. Only order these if you’re in the mood for fries. With so many other items on the menu, I would definitely try something else. 

Alisha

Arancini

First of all, let me point out the wicked moustache that proudly displays the Arancini name...how can you not stop and check it out? It's so wonderful! Anyway, I have been looking for a good place to have Italian food for awhile, and Arancini definitely had what I was look for and more. While their menu looks fairly simple, each dish comes with its own unique blend of flavors, which was actually quite surprising and so good! First, the Summer Melon, Tomato and Fresh Herb Salad, tasted like summer in my mouth! The watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew was perfectly sweet, and when combined with the tarragon, basil and chives, you get this earthy sweetness that just so unique and so different that you can't imagine how herbs and fruit can be paired so wonderfully. Next, my favorite was the Grilled Stone Fruit Bruschetta with Mascarpone, Honey and Lavender! I could eat this everyday day, it was so light and so fresh. I usually don't enjoy grilled fruit, but how they grilled the plums, nectarines, and apricots was truly amazing and with the drizzle of honey...I nearly died each time I took a bit. I cannot describe how good this tasted, it was definitely comfort food at its finest. In the end, the food was so delicious that everyone had stopped talking and started enjoying all the food on the table. I love when food can silence you...leaving you in total bliss. 

Menu standouts: Fried Brussels Sprouts with Capers and Meatball Sliders. 

Shee

And this one is just for funsies... and Courtney. :)