Best Couple o' Restaurateurs

Emmett & Lisa Fox

Emmett Fox has always been the kind of chef who likes to wander the floor to make sure his diners are happy. While working at the Wild Goose in Boston, he met Lisa, who was dining with a few of her friends and "invited her back for dinner." She took him up on his offer, and the rest is history. The couple moved to Austin in 1992, where they worked at popular Austin establishments (the now defunct Mezzaluna and Bitter End) before opening fine-dining establishments Asti in 2000 and Fino in 2005. Lisa usually works the back of the house, managing behind the scenes while Emmett is, not surprisingly, working the floor, greeting diners, making sure everything is coming out just right. Their tastes vary, but perhaps it is their happy medium that makes Fino and Asti such hits. But when they really disagree about a certain dish? "She's a bit more opinionated then I am," Emmett says, "which, at the end of the day, makes her the boss."

Asti
408-C E. 43rd, 512/451-1218
www.astiaustin.com