​I was disappointed with the margherita pizza I had during my first visit to Luna Pizzeria.  Well, I ended up being disappointed with a great number of margherita pizzas during my odd odyssey that was the Margherita Pizza Project, and there were others far worse along the way.  I decided to give Luna another try, as a friend of mine whose judgement I trust is a regular customer.  I am very glad that I did.  On recent visit, I tremendously enjoyed their take on the pepperoni – which their crust is far better suited than for the bare-bones margherita – and stumbled upon an excellent lunch special. 
 
The smaller diameter pepperoni that gives its names to the pepperoni pizza is obviously much better than what Is typically found, and it shed off enough welcome grease to be soaked up with the not-so-thin crust, making it, and the pizza, overall, tastier.  An intermittently blistered and raised crown seemed to help, too.  The other ingredients beyond the pepperoni seemed to be generally better than usual, too.  The judiciously used mozzarella didn’t really stand out, but there was also provolone and the Parmigiano-like Grana Padano mixed and melted in.  Shavings of Grana Padano were also were brought to table on a small plate along with plenty of crushed red pepper and, something different, sprigs of fresh oregano.  Along with bringing complementary toppings to the table, the rest of the service and friendliness of these counter-service pizza parlors are somewhat unusual given the inexpensiveness, and another reason to like these casual eateries.
 
Yet another is that this fairly substantial 9” pepperoni pizza I liked so much is available daily until 4:00 for just $10.50 and served with a small green or Caesar salad, which are actually fairly substantially sized for starter salads.  It is a terrific value.  The other five Signature Pizzas can be part of this lunch special, too: Mushroom (baby portobello, shitake, oyster, button mushrooms, spinach, rosemary and whipped ricotta); Sausage (sweet Italian sausage, red onions and red peppers); Spicy Andouille (also with fresh jalapeños, red onion, red peppers, and green onions); Prosciutto and Arugula (also with tomato sauce, mozzarella, provolone, sliced and a lemon vinaigrette drizzle); and the Margherita, but I recommend one of the other five.
 
Luna Pizzeria
3435 Kirby (at Richmond), (832) 767-6338
7705 Westheimer (just west of Voss / Hillcroft), (281) 974-1818
107 Yale (south of I-10), (832) 834-7532
lunapizzeria.com

​A few years ago I was invited to dinner at the home of one of the city’s top wine professionals who happened to be a very good home cook.  The dinner was great and the array of wines might have been as good or even better.  One of the highlights was a white Hermitage from the cult producer Jean-Louis Chave that was nearly two decades old at the time.  Something that I found interesting, and much more imitable at home, was the pouring of a quality white Bordeaux to start the evening.  Served with canapes, it was more than pleasant, refreshing with its cool temperature and acidity, making it both a welcome aperitif and a fine complement to the light fare to start.
 
With that memory in mind, I recently went to a tasting of the wines of Graves and Pessac-Leognan, a part of Bordeaux, south of the city, that is known for their dry white wines.  It produces much more red, nearly 80% of the total, and is famed for its dessert wines, Sauternes and Barsac, but there are a number of good-value white wines made primarily from Sauvignon Blanc often with Semillon and sometimes a bit of Muscadelle.  These Sauvignon Blanc-based wines from Bordeaux taste unlike than what is popular here – much less fruit-forward, less assertive, and with more evident acidity and often minerality.  The addition of the lemon accents of the Semillon plays a part.  The whites of this area come in a range of different styles, which was evident in this recent tasting.  The wines at the event ranged from $11 to $35 with most under $20.  None of the twenty wines I sampled were great, but most were good and nearly all were enjoyable.  Nothing approached the fantastic, complex and elegant Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2015 ($88) that I sampled at Spec’s 2015 Bordeaux in March that both the Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator gave scores of 96.  A few that I liked included Légende Bordeaux Blanc 2017 ($18), Chateau de Rolland 2017 ($35), Chateau Haut-Reys 2017 ($11), and Chateau Luchy-Halde 2013 ($14). 
 
I asked one of the servers who was from the region how the whites are consumed there, with or as an aperitif.  She said that it mostly with food; fish, chicken, veal, sushi were popular partners.  Oysters, too.  The wines I tasted at the event led me to believe, or confirm my belief, that white Bordeaux, which are almost always medium-bodied at most, works very well, maybe best, for most Americans as an aperitif and with appetizers – like how it was served at that wonderful dinner I had been invited to several years ago.  Served chilled, these pair well with the six-plus months of heat and humidity that we have here.  But, I have enjoyed these with chicken and fish in the past, too.  These white wines of Bordeaux can work well in a number of ways.  

​I’m heading to Asti in Piedmont later this month to taste the wines of Moscato d’Asti and the Barberas from near Asti and Monferrato.  I feel the need to learn more about Moscato, and the Barbera d’Asti is one of my very favorite food wines that enhancing the enjoyment of a variety of dishes.  I visited the area about fifteen years ago, staying in nearby Alba, and loved it, even if the famed wines of Barolo and Barbaresco were too rich for my wallet back then.
 
Since then, what I’ve found has been a great resource for Italian wines is Italian Wines for Dummies that I picked up from a discount bin a few years after its 2001 publication.  Written by Master of Wine Mary Ewing-Mulligan and her husband Ed McCarthy.  Well-written, as it is easy-to-read, concise and filled with insight and recommendations that I have found to be spot-on over the years.  About traveling to the area they wrote:
 
“The region around Alba and Asti, where most of the great Piedmont wines are made, is one of the finest restaurant areas in Italy, if not the world. If you happen to visit between October and December, you’ll assure yourself ample shavings of the special treat of the region – pungent white truffles – on your pasta, soups, meat courses, and anything else you desire (we especially recommend them with egg dishes. But anytime of the year, the restaurants perform their magic for you.”
 
I found that the food was excellent when I went, robust, very flavorful and somewhat refined even for dishes of obviously peasant origin.  Historically, there were a lot of peasants, since region was poor until just the last few decades, somewhat surprising given that it traffics in the luxury goods that are Barolo, Barbaresco and white truffles.  I wasn’t there during truffle season where the precious white truffles (Tuber Magnatum Pico) are auctioned in Alba for a few weeks, drawing restaurants and food purveyors from around the world.  A retail shop from the area is selling white truffles now for 3.29€ per gram, or $1,835 per pound.  Quite a deal, as prices are about half of what they were last year, not that was shopping for them last year nor this year, either.  Yet, at least.
 
Hopefully, a few shavings of truffles are on the agenda during this upcoming trip.  The Dummies are right about truffles and eggs.  I had them in Acqualagna, another truffle capital, a few years ago, and the combination was fantastic, even if the bianchetto truffles in season at the time are not nearly as prized as the white truffles of Alba and the Langhe.

​I recently went to a tasting for the wines of Setubal peninsula, a region south of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.  It was quite enjoyable and informative, as the region was brand new to me.  The wines were all well-made with a variety of grapes, both indigenous and international, and often interesting.  And, local chef Soren Pedersen did a very fine job with an array of Portuguese dishes to pair with the wines.  I enjoyed the preparations for the quality, though the winery representatives also liked the dishes for its adherence to the tastes of where they had just flown from; especially impressive since Pedersen said that he’s never be to Portugal.
 
While learning about the wines and enjoying myself, I told several of the Portuguese that I had hopes to travel to Portugal within in the next year or two, largely to wine and dine, and that it has long been high on my list of places to finally visit.
 
Then I remembered the next day that I had actually been to Portugal and had had a Portuguese meal there, sort of.  Some years ago, on a trip with the Gruppo Ristoranti Italiani (now Gruppo Italiani) to Italy, I was booked along with an editor of Serious Eats on circuitous return trip home via Lisbon.  Both of us were schlepping oversized cartons of pasta courtesy of the fine folks at La Molisana, a pasta maker we had visited earlier in the week.  So, I’ve been to the Lisbon Airport, though that really doesn’t count for a country visit in my book.  Maybe the meal, more so.  She had on-going assignment, as she traveled internationally quite frequently: a brief article on a signature McDonald’s sandwich in countries around the globe.  In the Lisbon Airport, it was the McLusitano.  I joined in.  It was cheap and I didn’t feel like spending money at that point.
 
Even given moniker, a reference to the Roman name of Portugal, I was unsure of how representative it was of Portuguese cuisine.  And, if I am going to be honest with myself, the not-so-unfamiliar McLusitano really was not quite as good as any the meals that we had had in Italy the past week, on a trip led by one of America’s top Italian restaurateurs.  Nor, what was served the other day.  

​Featuring Creole or maybe more accurately Creole-inspired fare, the restaurant that became Eunice had garnered very considerable buzz beginning in 2016 when it was going to be star New Orleans chef and restaurateur John Besh’s first foray into Houston.  With Besh no longer actively involved in the restaurant group due to allegations of widespread sexual harassment, Eunice, named after the southern Louisiana hometown of its executive chef, Drake Leonards, fell a bit under the radar until almost its opening about a month ago.  And, without realizing it, I had driven by the attractive new setting for the restaurant for that features landscaped area in front of a sleek, contemporary office building that formerly housed Solvay.  Set away from Richmond, it can be easy to miss.  It’s definitely worth seeking out, though, based on my first visit last night.
 
It all started very well at the attractive and expansive bar just inside the entrance with a first-rate dry gin martini, made just with their well-selected well pours, that was a relative pittance at $6.50.  The receipt was humorously, and appropriately, tucked into a Mr. Boston’s cocktail guide.  We then walked to the table, passing through much of the smart and inviting modern setting softened by some comfortable rustic-themed elements like the different Gulf oysters waiting in wire-meshed bags at the counter of the oyster station set near the middle of the restaurants.  High ceilings provide for large, tall windows adding to a lightness along with the light-hued furniture, tabletops, wall treatments, and covered lights hanging down.
 
We started with a series of four appetizers that all worked out very well, vibrant and maybe a little lighter than you might expect from a Louisiana-bred concept, none of which last long on the table.  The roasted oysters with bits of shrimp, blue crab, and then brown butter breadcrumbs were excellent, with the toppings working well with the moist, milky oysters.  Maybe even more pleasurable were the chicken liver mousse served with a fig jam and thin slices of quality toasted bread.  Mild yet flavorful, I believe I liked it as much as the Tuscan version served nearby by at Giacomo’s.  The crispy Boudin Balls looked a lot like hush puppies but tasted far better.  The Dan Dan Shrimp – named after a friend and former co-worker of executive chef, not referencing the Szechuan noodles – were served with widely shaved carrots that added a little texture and sweetness to the excellent, fresh shrimp that were properly sautéed.   
 
For the entrée, I fretted over three items before settling on their version of shrimp and crab etouffee that was served over house-made pasta, "à la Harry,” likely a nod to the pasta dish created at the famed Harry’s Bar in Venice.  The smaller-sized medium shrimp that was studded with occasional pieces of crab were delicious and I enjoyed the dish, overall, but the pasta was overly soft to my palate, very soft and detracted from the rest of the preparation.  It was overcooked, at the least.  And, traditional rice would have been better.  Too many non-Italian restaurants make pasta in house that is rarely that good, in my opinion.  I might be a little tougher than usual having spent nearly a week this summer in Parma, the heart of fresh pasta country in Italy. 
 
My friends’ entrées were better, and terrific: a hanger steak from the lunch menu, slices of duck breast with some dirty rice not that clearly described as “Duck Duck Rice / sweet potato, celery root, dirty rice,” and a sautéed Gulf black drum with some crab and brown butter.  Everything was complemented with good wines at a good restaurant prices, a pleasant Gruner Veltliner by the glass for under $10, a bottle of minerally, nicely acidic yet fruit-laden Sancerre from Joseph Mellot La Chatellenie for $50, a plumpish but balanced white Burgundy that worked out very well with the shrimp, and a 2008 St. Emilion by the glass for only $12 or $13 that had nicely mellowed a bit but featured some nice fruit flavors.  One of the group, a big Sazerac fan, was so enamored with their versions, both traditional and one made with Cognac, that he stuck with them through the meal.  Service was friendly, solicitous, prompt and knowledgeable.  Just a few weeks old, the restaurant seemed to be operating on all cylinders.  It was a very enjoyable dining experience for us, highlighted by very good food.  It’s one of the best new restaurants I have been to this year.
 
Eunice
3737 Buffalo Speedway (at Richmond), 77098, (832) 491-1717
eunicerestaurant.com

​The ‘Stros collapse in the American Championship Series that finished on Thursday night was, and is, tough to take.  The ‘Stros pitching fell apart at the worst time, with the outstanding Garret Cole having his worst outing of the season in Game 2, aided by managerial ineptness by A.J. Hinch, especially in Game 3 with the too-soon departure of Dallas Keuchel who had settled down after a typically rocky first and had pitched four scoreless and had thrown just 83 pitches; his replacement, righty specialist, sidewinder Joe Smith missed his spot by at least 15 inches and a too-easy-to-see-and-then-hit gopher ball.  A miserable failure.  A less debatable decision by Hinch than that was letting Roberto Osuna stay in that game after losing three consecutive batters on 0-2 and 1-2 counts to a walk and two hit batters.  He had clearly lost it.  Unbelievable.  Hinch also stumbled a little bit last year in the playoffs with the pen what I remember, if doing a marginally better job than Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts, but that was understandably washed away with the World Series title.
 
Then there is umpiring especially from Country Joe West, who I have believed is an arrogant, obnoxious and terrible, if impressively jowled, umpire since the days of the Dome.  His blown call of Altuve’s home run cost the ‘Stros at least extra innings in Game 4 and likely a victory.  The slob certainly could not see the play well from his vantage point near second when he made a half-hearted call that it was interference.  The replays showed that the ball was clearly over the fence, so the fans could interfere if they so desired, according to the rule book.  But, the fans did not.  There was no contact and Betts’s glove was closed before the ball arrived.  There is no way Betts would have made the catch, though he has lied egregiously about it.  Though that was the most decisive of West’s bad calls, he overturned a play in Game 2 after review, except that the play in question was allowed to be reviewed.  It did not cost the ‘Stros, but it was wrong and indicative of the slovenly ump’s arrogance.  He also did not move on an errant throw to second from the Red Sox catcher, stopping the ball from going to the outfield and costing a runner at third base and possible extra run.  These are just the three most notable mistakes by West.  He is awful, but gets to work in the Championship Series.  Angel Hernandez, who is likely even worse, also worked the playoffs.  Seniority over competence.  Though not involving West, another egregious miscall was the missed third strike in Game 5 when Verlander threw a beautiful slider on 0-2 to slugger J.D. Martinez that was at least a couple of inches from the left side of the strike zone and an inch from the bottom of it, not a borderline pitch at all.  The umpire missed it.  Martinez hit the next pitch into the Crawford boxes for a 1-0 lead.  This very bad call it clearly upset Ron Darling, a former pitcher calling the game, who showed it a couple of times afterwards highlighting it.  Abysmal.  The poor umpiring did not cost the Astros the series, but it was still very frustrating to watch.
 
The biggest reason for my continued disappointment is that this was the very first team I have ever rooted for – on the professional or collegiate level – that was so good that anything but a championship would be a disappointment.  It is a very strange feeling for me, having grown in Houston and being a longtime Houston sports and ‘Stros fan.  I was even an Astros Buddy while there were in the Dome.  This series loss has been tough.  I could not pick up the phone when I saw a friend from the Boston area called yesterday.  I still haven’t listened to the voice mail message.  Maybe later today.  Or tomorrow.  

Happier times, at the first playoff game against the Tribe.

​When I was leaving the tasting from the producers of the Grandi Marchi, an association of the biggest and most well-known family own and run producers stretching much of the length of Italy such as Antinori and Gaja, I asked an acquaintance who is a wine educator if he had been to the newly opened natural wine bar.  He said that he hadn’t, and that natural wines he’s had had never approached the quality of nearly all of the nineteen wines that we had just sampled.  So true, I was quick to respond even as I still keep an open mind to those often wild natural wines.
 
The wines we tasted were surprisingly good from start to finish, one from each producer.  Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised.  But, nursing a slight cold, might palate was a bit dulled and in most tasting I have been to, there are always a few wines or more that I find no more than palatable or made in a style that I don’t enjoy.  There were a few wines that I viewed as no more than palate, or just decent, but a surprising fifteen of the nineteen I thought were excellent, including four that were phenomenal.  It was a terrific tasting, one of the best that I have been to.  Complexity and refinement were two notable characteristics found in most of the wines presented.  The only disappointment was from Alois Lageder, a top producer in the Alto Adige in far northern Italy, that decided to bring an obscure wine from its portfolio, a 100% of the very obscure Manzoni Bianco grape, rather than one of its many acclaimed wines.  I thought that they might have been trying to showcase something not currently distributed here in the hopes of some orders for it.  It certainly wasn’t a poor wine, but not one that showed well to me nor as nearly any other wine they might have brought instead would have.
 
Below are the wines from the tasting that you might want to seek out, especially if cost is of little object.  The first four I thought were exemplary.
 
Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2013 – $46 – Round, long and beautiful and “a richly refined expression of Sangiovese in Chianti Classico” to accurately quote the Antinori representative.
Donnafugata Ben Rye Passito di Pantelleria 2015 – $47 (375 ml) – This famed dessert wine lived up to its billing with its wonderful and strong aromas and a big, mouth-filling presence and flavors not unlike a nice Sauternes whose high sugar content is balanced with a lot of acidity, helping make this “very powerful wine” a gorgeous one, too.
Gaja Conteisa Barolo 2014 – $270 – Refined, beginning with very enjoyable aromas, a beautiful taste with terrific balance including a paucity of tannins that was a surprise for a Barolo so young, and a terrific wine to drink right now.
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2015 - $210 – Big, bold, and polished, this 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc blend with well-integrated is a gorgeous expression of a common Bordeaux blend that is something all together different from Bordeaux and more so, the Napa Cabernets.
 
Argiolas Turriga 2014 – $70 – 85% Cannanou that was developed by famed winemaker Giacomo Tachis is had a big aroma, with tannins that nicely fades; a proud flagship for the brand
Carpene Malvoti 1868 Extra Dry Prosecco Superiore – $14 – Balanced with good acidity, and though light was mouth-filling and still very easy to drink
Col d’Orcia Poggio al Vento Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2010 – $125 – Refined, long-lasting and powerful, but with fairly elegant tannins; what you desire from most Brunello Riservas.
Michele Chiarlo Cipressi, Nizza Barbera 2016 – $25 – With prominent acidity as expected with Barbera, it was a very enjoyed wine with less fruit than the others in the tasting, but certainly a very good wine with many foods.
Jermann Vintage Tunnina 2015 – $60 – 25% Chardonnay, 25% Sauvignon Blanc, 23% Ribolla Gialla and 22% Malvasia, aromatic, and almost luscious with the flavors of Chardonnay and Sauvignon taking duty at the first part of the sip while the Malvasia provided a touch of well-matched sweetness at the end
Lungarotti Rubesco Vigna Monticchio Torgiano Rosso Riserva 2011 – $50 – This fairly refined wine made entirely of Sangiovese nicely paired the fruit and acidity of the grape with a proper amount of oak for an excellent result.
Masi Campolongo di Torre Amarone 2011 – $160 – Very dark, rich with prominent dark fruits and tannins, and also noticeable acidity that was not overly rich nor strong for an Amarone, its 16% ABV well hidden by the expertise of the winemakers, and easily drinkable now.
Mastroberadino Radici Taurasi Riserva 2011 – $65 – A refined version of Aglianico that had a lot going on though with tannins only present and the end of the taste and nicely integrated with the rest.  We were told that this will be even much better in five to ten years.
Rivera 2012 Il Falcone Riserva Red – $45 – Mostly from the less known Nero di Troia grape of northern Puglia, this was somewhat aromatic, round and elegant with enough fruit and some tannins
Tasca d’Almerita Rosso del Conte 2014 – $57 – Over 60% Nero d’Avoloa, this wine was long-lasting and balanced with some ripe fruit that was very pleasant.
Umani Ronchi Campo San Giorgio Conero Riserva 2012 – $70 – This 100% Montepulciano was grapey, mouth-filling with ripe tannins that was slightly chewy, but almost elegant, a refined version of the varietal.
 
There is a reason that these wineries sport many of Italy’s most well known labels.  They often make excellent wines.

The Breakfast Klub has deservedly won some national attention in the past for its breakfasts.  I am huge fan, even of the counter service outpost in Terminal A at Intercontinental Airport.  But, it might be not an understatement to write that Goode Co. Taqueria serves the best breakfasts in the city; the state; the country; etc.  I confirmed that on a recent weekend visit with a brand new order for me, the somewhat unusual Hunter’s Delight: two large eggs hard scrambled and covered with a mild but flavorful chili con carne – no beans, of course – and served with excellent diced red potatoes and toasted, distinctive airy house-made bread or biscuits.  It was terrific.
 
The Goode family restaurant has been fashioning gustatory masterpieces with eggs, potatoes, mesquite-grilled meats, butter, nicely discernible manteca de cerdo, a bit of salt and pepper, and the ancillary grease, cholesterol and fat for years during, once only on weekends and every morning in recent years.  The place has long been busy on weekends, but those patrons must come solely from the nearby neighborhoods because, from unscientific polling on my part, seemingly too many people beyond the 77005 are still unaware of the amazing breakfasts here. 
 
The breakfasts are Texan and Tex-Mex in nature.  Strongly influenced by Mexico and south Texas ranch cooking, these are consistently exceptional and hearty.  But, it is all done in a distinctively Goode Co. manner and better than elsewhere.  It begins with top-notch ingredients, which are well-executed no matter how busy the place gets, and an understanding how to improve upon the familiar.  Dishes seem both more robust and refined than typical.  It is doubtful that any breakfast cooked at a run is nearly as tasty as these that Goode Co. turns out each morning.
 
There is the basic American Breakfast that consists of two jumbo-sized eggs, a choice between house-made sausage and thick, smoked bacon, diced potatoes listed as hash browns, and either the soft, house-baked bread or an English muffin.  Though similar dishes are served at virtually all other breakfast places, Goode Co. stands head-and-shoulders above the rest with its exemplary, often robust flavors.  The fresh, house-made bread with a little bit of butter is especially good.  Another breakfast combination offers venison sausage instead of the more mundane meat choices.  Some of the other combinations with eggs are one with pork chops, quail, another with steak, another with beef fajitas, and then one with catfish.  Though fried catfish and eggs may not sound appetizing to that many people, if it is offered here, it’s probably as good as it gets.  You can expect the meats – grilled over mesquite – to be tender, juicy and flavorful.
 
Other breakfast dishes are different Tex-Mex combinations featuring eggs scrambled with a choice of items: tocino (bacon) and egg; chorizo and egg; nopalito (nopalito cactus leaves).  All are excellent.  The fresh tortillas, either flour or corn, provide a nice complement.  There are also the other Tex-Mex breakfast dishes: migas, huevos rancheros; huevos a la mexicana; and a Mexican omelet.  The condiments bar with its pico de gallo, additional dark salsa, chopped onions and pickled jalapeños provide additional flavor to these dishes.  In case you are minding your cholesterol, thick, pecan-topped waffles are also very popular and sinfully delicious.

Breakfasts run between $10.50 and $17.25.  There are also plenty of sides including the meats, freshly squeezed juiced and a Screwdriver or Bloody Mary if the morning allows.
 
Breakfast – Monday through Friday, 6:30 to 11AM; Saturday and Sunday, 7:30AM to noon
 
Goode Co. Taqueria
4902 Kirby (at Westpark), 77098, (713) 520-9153
goodecompany.co

​At MInuteMaid yesterday my brother complimented the bartender in the Club Level working up the third base line for his quick and friendly service contrasting with the pitiful service we had to endure for years when we had season tickets in the upper level.  "For fuck's sake," replied with a bit of a brogue, "those people upstairs have only two speeds: slow and reverse.”  Very true.
 
His compatriot working next to him was quite slow, too.  We got stuck in her line for a while our first time up for beers before he rescued us from another few-minute wait.  In fairness to her, she did have to deal with an unusual request from an ancient woman who was just ahead of us in line.   This woman, whom my brother thought was her in eighties, ordered an entire bottle of wine, Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, and had the server pour it into a giant plastic cup, which did not seem meant for sharing.  I had never seen anything like that. 
 
Fun at the old ballpark.  That was even before the first pitch of terrific Astros playoff victory, going up 2-0 in the best of five versus the Tribe.  It was a good day.

Postscript - I was at Game 3 versus the Red Sox, a dispiriting loss, but actually had some good service, very friendly and prompt enough, in the upper deck at the Karbach stand in left field area.  The beers were a bright spot, and helpful, in watching the game.  And, I had good service there last year, too.

​New for this Texans season, po boys from Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys are being served at kiosks at NRG for Texans games.  These are the same ones found wrapped, and often sitting forlornly, in white paper in refrigerator cases in supermarkets across the area.  Though no longer bearing the Antone’s name, there are a couple of other casual po boy outlets that do a much better job representing the Antone’s legacy, serving much tastier sandwiches also wrapped white paper, Paulie’s Poboys and clunkily-named Angelo’z, the latter actually just beyond NRG’s parking lot.  Angelo’z and Paulie’s are still owned and operated by Antone’s descendents, changing the names of their restaurants from Antone’s Import Co. a few months ago.
 
Since its inception as a single grocery store on the edge of the Fourth Ward, Antone’s Import Co. was for many years, into the 1990s, the standard in Houston for cheap and tasty prepared sandwiches.  A family originally from the Levant bought the first Antone’s many years ago (now the site of The Pass & Provisions) and successfully expanded the concept into a good number of branches throughout the city before retrenching.  In the 1990s during the settlement of the estate of the founder’s widow, Antone’s became two separate companies, Antone’s Import Co., the current Angelo’z and Paulie’s, and Antone’s Po’Boys & Deli, now called Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys, the slicker and larger operation. 
 
Usually enjoyably crusty, unlike the smooth, malleable bread of the other concern, the bread at both Angelo’z and Paulie’s is much better than at Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys.  Bread is a rather significant part of a sandwich, after all.  These fresh buns are distinctively a tad dry and slightly crunchy, and help to distinguish these classic Houston sandwiches.  The crusty small loafs, which were similar among the local Lebanese-run po boy purveyors, might be a legacy of the French influence in Lebanon and Syria in the last century or so.  All come affixed with pickle slices, and many with the popular and unique hot chow chow, a fairly spicy mixture of pickled cabbage, onions, sweet green peppers and paprika.  One providing a nice textural contrast and the other some pleasant piquancy.
 
The current po boys at Angelo’z and Paulie’s are a similar array of offerings including the Regular featuring slices of Italian cold cuts and provolone, the similar but more so, Super, Turkey, Smoked Turkey, Tuna, Roast Beef, Chicken Salad, Club, and the love-it-or-you-don’t Piggy (or Porky at Paulie’s), a salty concoction that might not be for the overly squeamish or health conscious.  Prices are about a dollar higher per sandwich at Paulie’s than at Angelo’z, reflecting its setting across from West University Place.  These po boys are made in-house at both Angelo’z and Paulie’s while the po boys at Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys will taste like what you will find at a supermarket – all of their po boys are made at a central commissary according to a cashier during a visit last week.  You can certainly tell.
 
Both of these family run operations also serve other sandwiches, doing a creditable job with a Cuban sandwich, for example.  But, you might want to visit Angelo’z or Paulie’s for a po boy; a still-enjoyable, and fresh-tasting taste of Houston past.  At Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys, one of the other sandwiches will likely be the wiser choice than one of their po boys.
 
Angelo’z
8057 Kirby (between OST and La Concha), 77054 (713) 667-3400
 
Paulie’s Poboys
3823 Bellaire (between Buffalo Speedway and Weslayan) 77025, (713) 218-8383
pauliespoboys.com

​On the small tables for two at Pizzeria Solario there is not nearly enough room for even most of the courses you get with their weekday lunch special: a soup, salad, and a good-sized Neapolitan-inspired pizza made just for one.  Between Monday and Friday from 11:00 until 2:00, you can get a cup of soup, small house salad, and one of five different pizzas for just $10 plus tax and tip.  This is a terrific deal, because it’s all quite tasty – with the single exception of a lame version of a Caesar salad that costs an additional dollar and easy to avoid. 
 
The pizzas are why you are here in the first place, and Pizzeria Solario does a fine job with the thin crust, judiciously dressed pizzas with a slightly wet center that have its roots in Naples.  The noticeably good quality ingredients and a traditional Neapolitan wood-fired brick oven brought to high temperatures help ensure well-done pizzas most of the time with a proper fresh taste including a pleasant, soft crust.  Having eaten far too many mediocre and worse pizzas in my long-lasting Margherita Pizza Project, I’m happy to write that Pizzeria Solario does a far better job than most in the city, and its safe to order a Margherita Pizza here along with the four others that are offered as part of their $10 lunch special.  In addition to the Margherita, you can get the Quattro Formaggio (Cow’s milk mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Asiago, and aged Provolone), Pepperoni, the Bianca (Fontina, Cow’s milk mozzarella, Pecorino Romano and fried sage), and Filetti (Fontina, fresh heirloom grape tomatoes, arugula and fresh basil).  There does not seem to be a bad choice, at least three different ones I’ve had have all been quite enjoyable and worth ordering.
 
Though one of these pizzas for $10 would be a worth a special trip by itself, the house salad as probably better than it needs be – there were actually ripe and flavorful tomato halves, unusual for inexpensive Houston restaurants these days – as are the soups.  The oddly named sofrito soup featuring the browned vegetables, a roux, ground sausage pieces, vermouth and a bit of cream has probably been my favorite, though the minestrone-like lentil and cannellini bean soups are both worthwhile.  Three enjoyable courses anchored by a fine pizza for $10, there’s a lot to recommend at this fairly humble Greenway area spot.
 
Pizzeria Solario
3333 Weslayan (just north of Richmond), 77027, (713) 892-8100
pizzeriasolario.com

​I was finally able to return to Nancy’s Hustle in the EaDo the other evening.  I had not been since their third day in business last December when we had an excellent meal and very fun time.  This contemporary American bistro was one of my picks for top ten new restaurants in Houston last year, a very busy year for ambitious new restaurants.  I’ve wanted to return for a while, but the best of plans had changed, and then there were plenty of newer spots I felt I had to try.  And probably more so, as deservedly popular as the restaurant has been, it has more difficult to find a table there, especially on short notice.  It is not the largest of spaces, maybe seventy seats or so.  Unfortunately, last month they could not accommodate my dinner club with a dozen, as I was told that six is the maximum party size, and there was no chance for two tables to be adjacent on a weekend night.  Oh well.
 
I snuck onto a seat in the bar, at least it felt like I snuck onto it, as the tables were already filled and most of the bar just a quarter hour after opening.  As tough as it might have been for me to decide upon what to eat, I manage to do it quickly.  The mostly shareable and certainly fun menu made for dining in stages currently includes around ten smallish plates, a half-dozen larger ones denoted “medium,” a half-dozen large plates and five desserts.  There are a couple green salads, some vegetables, several protein-centered preparations with many of the main flavors ranging from the Mediterranean on either side of the Bosphorus to stateside, all of which are enticing.  There is even a version of the famed Au Cheval cheeseburger in Chicago, as Nancy Hustle's chef was on the opening team there.  I wanted try new items on this trip – so none of the somewhat surprisingly delightful Nancy Cakes this time – I managed to narrow it down to the Crispy hash browns with sour cream, sautéed duck hearts, and cognac sauce and the Roasted striped bass with melted tomato, Spanish chorizo, capers, and basil.  Both were excellent choices.
 
The hash browns turned out to be four thick rectangles of fried mashed or hashed potatoes arrayed on the plate with fresh flat-leaf parsley, chervil and chives and a half a dozen to eight duck heart halves.  It was very enjoyable with the tasty, light but creamy yellow sauce and the brightness of the fresh herbs that very nicely paired with the all-meat hearts, which had none of the mineral accents that many associate with non-traditional parts.  And fried potatoes certainly go well with pretty much everything, especially these crusty treats.  The fish entrée turned out to be even better centered about an excellently cooked crispy skinned bass featuring a moist, mild white flesh that went well with the acidity and flavors of the ripe, roasted tomato halves and also the creamy textured sauce of a puree of corn cooked with shallots.  The small nuggets of the chorizo sausage and capers, each provided a different but nicely complementary contrast to the fish and its corn sauce.  Delicious.
 
The bartenders were terrific, both with the cocktail and with the service in general.  I prefaced the dinner with the Mystery Plane, what I properly surmised was refreshing on a warm Houston summer after.  Made with nearly entirely Gallic components: Boudier, a dry gin from Dijon, a white wine from Corsica, lemon liqueur, and a spray of absinthe.  It was excellent, not just refreshing.  After it, a white Burgundy for $13 proved to go well enough with the bass entrée.   
 
My one minor quibble with the restaurant is that I wish the dishes were more specific to Houston.  It sports a menu that might be found in most top restaurant cities, especially Chicago.  As good as the food and drinks have been in my two visits, this is a very minor quibble.
 
Nancy’s Hustle
2704 Polk (east of Emancipation), 77003, (346) 571-7931
nancyshustle.com

​I had heard Astros broadcaster Todd Kalas encouragingly remark last season that Tony Luke’s, regarded by some as serving the best cheesesteak sandwiches in Philadelphia, might have a location in Houston.  I expected that Kalas, whose father was the legendary longtime Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster – after leaving the ‘Stros after a half-dozen seasons in 1971 – had presumably spent much of his younger years in Philly and had eaten a fair number of the city’s signature sandwiches.  Not just Kalas’s recommendation of its quality, but Tony Luke’s had been lauded as the best in Philly by The Best Thing I Ever Ate some years ago on the Food Network and is currently in the number two spot on the VisitPhily.com site, for those are worth.  Philadelphia is known for the Liberty Bell, Rocky, and cheesesteak sandwiches.  And those vociferously booing fans.  So, not long after hearing about a possible Tony Luke’s in the city, I had to find and visit it.  Located on the Katy Freeway on 1-10 near Bunker Hill in one of the faceless strip centers, it is pretty good, if I can’t really vouch for how it compares to its locations in its hometown.
 
But, just two or three blocks west in another banal small strip center is a homegrown Pappa Geno’s, which is clearly much better to my taste.  Each of the components tasted a little better than that Philly import, and the combination much more so.  The availability of plastic squeeze bottles of a good hot sauce at Pappa Geno’s helped, certainly for me, with a typically Houston need for some piquancy in many of my meals.  I don’t think that I am alone; we generally like a lot more spice than they do in Philly.  To properly compare, I had very similar half sandwiches at each place one afternoon, which definitely confirmed my earlier observations.  I did enjoy Tony Luke’s well enough, but I don’t think that there really is a reason to visit with a Pappa Geno’s so close by, as the latter is clearly better.
 
Since the back-to-back comparison, I’ve been back to Pappa Geno’s several times at this another location, and it’s been excellent every time.  To help confirm my feelings about the cheesesteaks, I had check out the new location of Texadelphia on Montrose.  It’s ground beef-like steak stuff in the sandwich was a big disappointment in comparison in both taste and texture to those served nearby at Pappa Geno’s on lower Westheimer, if in a much more inviting and comfortable setting.  But, Pappa Geno’s versions are probably among the best hot sandwiches in Houston, at least the ones served in bland, unprepossessing settings.
 
The sandwiches are large and a feature fresh, soft rolls; good bread a necessity for a good sandwich, after all.  The thinly sliced seasoned beef is tender and flavorful and well complemented by the plentiful melted provolone and nearly caramelized onions that come with it in their basic Pappa Geno’s Steak & Cheese sandwich.  The ingredients might not have the provenance of those on many upscale restaurants here, but they are more than good enough and work wonderfully together.  A cheesesteak sandwich here is a nearly glorious, very messy and caloric indulgence that is far from artful in appearance or construction but tastes better than most of the much fancier sandwiches around, not just its cheesesteak competitors.  The other versions I’ve had thus far have also been very enjoyable: the Smothered Philly that adds sautéed mushrooms and brown gravy and the Wicked Philly that has hot oil peppers with the basic sandwich.
 
In all, Pappa Geno’s has seven versions of the Philly cheesesteak sandwich plus five others with the less flavorful chicken.  There are also hoagies, the cold Italian-Americans that called subs here, plus burgers and cheese fries and other artery-clogging sides.
 
Though usually a caloric, cheesy indulgence, Philly cheesesteaks might be overrated, as it is.  I enjoy them, but these are rarely that great.  Cheesesteak sandwiches are popular, to be sure, but among the Italian-American hot sandwich canon, Chicago’s Italian beef sandwich featuring thinly sliced, long-braised boneless sirloin on an Italian-style roll dipped in the cooking juices and served with the pickled vegetable mixture in vinegar oil, giardiniera, is tastier, in my opinion.  Far more time-consuming to make than the cheesesteak sandwich, it has not migrated that successfully much beyond the greater Chicagoland area.  I do enjoy a good cheesesteak sandwich, though.  Unfortunately, there are a plenty of mediocre and worse versions out there.  I had one recently during a layover in the Philadelphia airport at a place called Chickie's & Pete's that was absolutely terrible.  Somehow there are two locations in that airport.  I had had a similarly bad cheesesteak in the same airport a number of years ago, though it might have been another crappy proprietor.  For better or worse, an old roommate and lifelong Philly area resident confirmed that Chickie & Pete’s really sucks, even outside of the airport.  I digress.
 
Pappa Geno’s now has six locations and recently opened a spot not far from my home and my office on lower Westheimer.  I am very happy, though it’s certainly not propitious for my waistline.
 
Pappa Geno’s
1801 Ella (at TC Jester), 77008, (713) 863-1222
6317 N. Eldridge Parkway (north of W. Little York), 77041, (713) 466-8080
515 Westheimer (between Taft and Montrose), 77006, (281) 501-3664
9330 Katy Freeway (on the north side, between Bunker Hill and Witte), 77055, (281) 501-1617
19859 Katy Freeway (on the south side, east of Fry Road), 77094, (281) 578-1900
8035 Spencer Highway, Deer Park (just west of Luella), 77536, (281) 884-8129
pappagenos.com


The wonderful mess that is Pappa Geno's Steak & Cheese sandwich

​I believe that I have a fairly good knowledge of Italian food, the foods of Italy.  I’ve studied the subject for a while – yes, studied in addition to eating nearly as much of it as I possibly could – and been to a fair swath of the country during ten trips or so.  But, with the Italian lands home to over 60 million people and an amazingly diverse range of geographies and deep regional and local histories and traditions, especially culinary, there are number of dishes and foodstuffs I hadn’t experienced.  Piadina was one of them. 
 
I had heard of piadina and was intrigued mostly since I thought it was the precursor to the grilled pizza in this country, created by the lauded and oft-televised Al Forno restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island during the 1980s.  But, I had never had one, nor seen one, for that matter.  I had never been to Romagna, the eastern portion of the Emilia-Romagna region – where the piadina hails – and only very briefly to Emilia, the western part of the Emilia-Romagna region.  The piadina is also found in northern parts of neighboring Marche, though I did not spot any while there some years ago.
 
So, while in Parma recently as we were wandering around the busy pedestrian streets near the city’s touristy heart, Piazza GaribaldiI on the first afternoon, I was actually excited when I espied the fairly tiny, tidy storefront called La Piadineria that serves inexpensive piadina. 
 
I had expected that the piadina was a flatbread-like pizza, sort of like the ones at Al Forno, but an Italian quesadilla was the apt description for how it looked.  Featuring a (very) flat bread that looked just like a flour tortilla and is folded in half over ingredients that seemingly always include some type of cheese, the piadinas served at La Piadiniera, part of a chain of nearly 200 restaurants mostly in northern Italy, looked a whole lot like an Italian quesadilla. 
 
When we returned for a meal the next day, I found that the flatbread portions of the piadinas, technically the piadinas, tasted similar to a flour tortilla to me.  That is not too surprising, as these are made with white flour, water, salt and wonderful lard, just like tasty flour tortillas are, and cooked on a flat griddle.  Among the thirty or so choices at La Piadiniera, I ordered The Legend that was filed with prosciutto crudo, arugula and something called squacquerone, another Italian foodstuff about which I was not familiar.  In fact, I had never even heard of it, nor was comfortable trying to pronounce it.  I had kind of figured that it was likely a cheese, and it is, a soft, spreadable mild, but a bit tart, cow’s milk cheese that is a common filling in a piadina.  Overall, not just in appearance, the piadina I ordered reminded me of a quesadilla done in a lighter, fresh-tasting Italian-style.  I really enjoyed it.  And, it was just €4.20 or so, tough to pass up when you are in that part of Parma when you want a cheap lunch or are in the need for some sustenance when it’s been a long time between meals.
 
My brother thought so much of it that he returned before we left Parma for a post-meal meal.

​Sometimes you get lucky, though in Parma it might not really be luck in finding a good meal in a restaurant.  There are numerous quality dining destinations in this the first Italian city to be named UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy in 2015, and one renowned for its prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano, and the fresh stuffed pastas that are staples of nearly every restaurant in the city. 
 
On our first evening in Parma I needed find a restaurant for our group quickly not far from the main Piazza Garibaldi, as some had been quite hungry well before the restaurants reopened for dinner service, and one nearby, since my mom was having difficulty walking due to a painful episode of stenosis.  My initial suggestion for a Michelin-recommended seafood restaurant around the corner didn’t gain any traction.  But, thankfully, not far was restaurant signage with the subtitle, “cucina pontremolino” or the like, the cuisine of Potremoli. 
 
Potremoli is a town in the gloomy northwest area of Tuscany called Lunigiana near the border of Liguria where I had my very first meal in Italy a couple of decades earlier.  It was memorable in that was both delicious and unusual.  The first course, well, the primo, was the very unique pasta served with pesto, testaroli al pesto, which was the reason why my friend’s father stopped in Petremoli in the first place, which happened to be en route from picking us up at the Milan’s Malpensa airport to points further south in Tuscany.
 
Looking somewhat like small pockmarked brown and beige rags slathered with the green pesto, this dish might not have been the most attractively served pasta, but it proved to be absolutely delectable, and different.  Not only did it look different, but the pasta itself was soft, with its texture reminding me of the Ethiopian injera.  That softness was perfect for absorbing the flavor and oil of the bright pesto, providing a wonderful melding of freshly made pasta and the vibrant and nutty basil-laden sauce.  It provided for a notable first meal in Italy – a very pleasant preparation of sautéed tender veal followed the testaroli – and an experience with dish I was not to see again until this serendipitous stop in Parma.
 
Testaroli is unusual not only in its texture and appearance but also how it is made and its lineage.  It might be the most ancient of the pasta dishes, possibly originating with the Etruscans before Roman times.  It takes its name from the cooking apparatus, a testo, originally a stone disk that was kept in the embers of the fireplace, which has come to mean a two-piece cast-iron griddle.  To make testaroli both pieces of the testo are placed on a wood-burning fire until they become very hot. When the bottom piece is sufficiently heated, the batter for the testaroli – just all-purpose flour, warm water and a little salt – is poured on it and it is closed with the top.  After cooking in the testo, the pasta is traditionally cut into diamond shapes and cooked in a pot of boiling water that has been taken off the heat for a few minutes.  It is then typically dressed with pesto.
 
Testatroli is also unusual in that it is rarely found outside of its home area, unlike many Italian dishes that have traveled far from their place of origins.  So, I was surprised to find it at a restaurant in Parma.  But, as it turns out, Potremoli is just 50 miles distant, a shade over an hour drive.  Lucky for me.  And, the restaurant, Oenopolium – actually, with a much more pretentious full name: Oenopolium, vino, cucina, scienza – did an excellent job with the testaroli.  It was delicious and tasted exactly what I had remembered it did many years earlier and what had made such an impression.  In fact, my entire meal was excellent, from the fried polenta topped with thin slices of lardo to start to the stewed rabbit with capers and innumerable and varied olives for the secondo.  Even our brusque, rude and painfully slow waiter, providing the very worst service of my two weeks in Italy, and who also snuck an extra bottle of wine onto our bill, could not come close to ruining the meal.
 
Oenopolium
Via Nazario Sauro 13 B 43121 (a few blocks south of Piazza Garibaldi) Parma, Italy, +39 0521 571288
No website