Italian Garden Restaurant Canyon Lake TX

The date was Saturday, April 5, my birthday. And to celebrate my birthday we went to Italian Garden Restaurant Canyon Lake TX.

Welcome to Italian Garden Restaurant Canyon Lake TX

Canyon Lake is just one of many small towns the dot the Texas landscape. But those small towns are filled with hidden gems like Italian Garden Restaurant! It was just down the street from our campground and just a little bit further from our friend Jacki’s home. It turned out to be a perfect spot for my birthday celebration.

Chalkboard with specials at Italian Garden Restaurant Canyon Lake TX and a little chef sculpture pointing to it.

The Tempting Specials

We were greeted warmly when we entered the charming establishment. You know, the kind of greeting your Nonna gives you when you come to her house for dinner. The atmosphere was cozy.

Our gracious server brought us warm bread along with seasoned olive oil for dipping to enjoy while we perused the extensive menu.

Shallow bowl filled with dressed salad, bread basket in background at Italian Garden Restaurant Canyon Lake TX

Fresh and delicious House Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

The three of us started our meal with House Salads. The huge portions were amply dressed, fresh and delicious. We were certainly off to a good start.

Oval platter of lightly battered fried calamari and ramekin of red sauce at Italian Garden Restaurant Canyon Lake TX

The best Fried Calamari with Marinara Sauce ever!

Salads were followed by the best Fried Calamari I’ve ever tasted! So often the calamari overcooked which makes them taste like greasy rubber bands. Not these! They were lightly coated, perfectly cooked and amazingly tender. They didn’t even need the accompanying marinara, but the rich tomatoey sauce just added another layer of flavor.

The three of us all ordered the Parmigiana Crusted Veal. But each of us chose a different version. The portions were so enormous that we knew we’d be asking for doggy bags.

Plate topped with veal parmesan, red sauce and rigatoni pasta at Italian Garden Restaurant Canyon Lake TX

Steve’s Parmigiana Crusted Veal Parmesan with Rigatoni

Steve, as I could have predicted, had his with melted cheese and marinara sauce, over rigatoni. The veal was tender and cheesy and the marinara was the perfect compliment.

Plate topped with veal, mushrooms, linguine, brown sauce and parsley at Italian Garden Restaurant Canyon Lake TX

Veal Marsala with Linguine

Jacki selected the Veal Marsala which was loaded with lots of sliced mushrooms that brought added umami to the veal and lovely marsala wine sauce.

Plate topped with crusted veal, lemon butter sauce, capers, artichoke hearts and linguine at Italian Garden Restaurant Canyon Lake TX

My Parmigiana Crusted Veal Piccata Carciofi with Linguine and Capers

Of course, I thought mine was the best of all. Veal Piccata with Capers, Artichokes and a real lemony wine and butter sauce. I’m making myself hungry just writing about that delicious meal. And yes, we all brought half of our entrées home for another meal!

Plate topped with wedge of cheesecake drizzled with chocolate sauce and a birthday candle. Also on the plate at Italian Garden Restaurant Canyon Lake TX is a twisted orange slice and fork.

Black Forest Cheesecake

Two dessert plates topped with cheesecake wedge and chocolate mousse cake square at Italian Garden Restaurant Canyon Lake TX

Black Forest Cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse Cake

Tiramisu

But that was to save room for dessert. To our delight and surprise, our server told us to choose three desserts on the house, to celebrate my birthday! We had no problem deciding on three very different selections – Black Forest Cheesecake, Chocolate Mousse Cake and Tiramisu.