​Located in a small strip center on Durham and 21st Street near the Heights, Salsa’s appearance doesn’t really seem to warrant it a visit.  I drove past it more than a few times before I decided to dine there.  And, it’s a worthy stop, at least for the tortas, those hot Mexican-style sandwiches served on a crusty roll. Though not primarily a torta-specialist like, say, the excellent Mexico’s Deli on Dairy Ashford, nor in quite the same league, Salsa’s does do these very well.  It’s been tough for me to order anything else after my first one about ten visits ago.  
 
Served on a crisp, tasty and fresh-enough bolillio bread along with a smear of refried beans, mayo, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, a few slices of avocado, a ring or two of raw white onions and some pickled jalapeños, these come with a number of choices for meats among beef fajita, chicken fajita, shredded beef or chicken, a version of the Cuban sandwich, milanesa with beef, pastor, lomo, and the Hawaiian.  Lomo is the boiled then shredded pork, and is the star of the meats for the tortas.  It was recommended when I asked the server for the best one, and it’s been my favorite among the several I’ve tried.  The lomo has been tender, moist and clean-tasting with an enjoyable, subtle pork flavor.  The similar Hawaiian might be the next best; the lomo with pineapple, ham and cheese.  But each of the meat choices, dished in an adequate portion, have made for an enjoyable sandwich, which are even much tastier for me with some of the piquant spicy and viscous jalapeño salsa that’s available at the small salsa bar that gives the restaurant its name.
 
The sandwiches might be an average size for a local torta, and have been priced at $6.99, which makes for a decent value.  With some waffle fries made with new potatoes, a fairly hearty lunch has been had for $10.99 or so before tax and tip.  Those prices might be changing.  When I was in quite recently, I was told that the lomo torta I had ordered was now $10.99 but larger.  When it arrived, it was the same regular size as always though I was charged the same $6.99 as before.
 
Salsa’s is an odd place.  Sometimes it is counter-service.  Sometimes not.  Sometimes chips and salsa come.  Most often not.  What was initially a breakfast and lunch place, is now open for dinner, but not breakfast.  And what was a Mexican restaurant is now Mexican and Chinese.  It seems that the restaurant had changed hands.  Now there are two separate menus, one with the Mexican dishes it has long served and a second one with all of the familiar Chinese-American preparations.  Though it might not have the best tortas in town, Salsa’s certainly serves the best tortas at any Mexican-Chinese restaurant in town.
 
Salsa’s
2025 N Durham (at 21st Street), 77008, (713) 426-3259
ordersalsasmexicangrill.com

​Recently in the Spec’s on Smith Street where I have shopped for years, I was amazed at the number of wines in the sales or closeout section.  I instinctively shudder when I see those wines: I had been burned far too many times thinking I had gotten a deal only to drink the wine that inevitably turned out to be far past prime or worse.  Every single wine I’ve purchased over the years on steep discount at Spec’s has been bad.  Every single one.  I certainly don’t do it anymore.  And it might be physically impossible for me to purchase one of these wines now, as deeply scarred as I’ve been. 
 
Words to the wise wine drinker: avoid wines that are substantially marked down at Spec’s, unless you want to waste your money, of course.  

​My friend John was paraphrasing what he had read in the Wall Street Journal, as we were scratching our heads over the not-so-good, not terribly professional service we had been receiving at various stops in New Orleans a couple of weekends ago.  Surprising, because both of us were of a similar mind that the service at restaurants in New Orleans is typically higher because of a seemingly larger class of professional and dedicated servers.  And, he had a very good perspective having been to New Orleans over a couple of hundred times over or more the years.
 
It was also surprising given the restaurants where our group was dining: Brennan’s, Galatorie’s, SoBou – part of the Commander’s Palace family of establishments – Emeril’s, and Drago’s near the river.  In contrast to the others, the service at Commander’s Palace was fantastic, as it always is – the food was even better.  At the others, the service was at varying degrees brusque – especially at the terrific tiki bar in the Quarter, Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 –unfriendly, not polished, and at the worst, at SoBou, unknowledgeable, even in terms of their menu, and nearly incompetent.  The wine service was laughably bad.  The staff never responded to several calls over an hour-and-a-half that the women’s restrooms was out of toilet paper.  And, our group of twelve, was told that they would only accept four credit cards.  I had never heard that before.  Thankfully, the food was very good.  We all enjoyed the meal, with a number of smirks along the way.  The quality of the service was in shocking contrast to what we had at its sibling Commander’s Palace the next day.
 
Thankfully, the service issue didn’t really affect our enjoyment.  A big group of friends, usually excellent food helps.  Not to mention a fair amount of alcohol.  But, it was unexpected, given past experiences there.

An excellent fish dish at Galatoire's, where the service was not terribly good.  The food was great, though, as was the lunch.

​This past summer, Marco Wiles, the owner of Dolce Vita put its property on lower Westheimer up for sale, which would have meant that Houston’s best pizzeria – easily its best pizzeria since its inception in early 2006 in my mind – would be shuttering.  I wasn’t even sure that it was still open until a co-worker alerted to the fact that it was.  I had to visit at least one more time.
 
It was as tasty as always last night, with the Neapolitan-inspired pizzas featuring a flavorful and thin crust somewhat charred on the bottom and topped with a judicious and thoughtful, often vibrant, mix of very good ingredients.  Both the Taleggio that’s topped with plentiful arugula, thinly sliced pears, along with the noticeable aroma truffle oil, and the Calabrese, a slightly artisanal take on the pepperoni pizza, were more than satiating.  Paired with a very reasonably price rosé from the Veneto, and a lively setting, it was quite an enjoyable dinner.
 
We had to ask the waiter when the restaurant was closing, hoping for some more time for at least another visit.  Surprisingly, he replied that it’s not.  Seemingly, Wiles could not get the price he wanted and decided to keep Dolce Vita going.  This is great news.  In what turned out to be very dispiriting research into the city’s margherita pizzas, Dolce Vita was the best I had, which further confirmed its primacy among the local pizza joints.  With an engaging wine list, cocktails, and very well-done dishes beyond pizzas, it’s really much more than a pizza joint.  But, I’ll continue to go there for the pizzas.
 
Dolce Vita
500 Westheimer (between Taft and Montrose), 77006, (713) 520-8222
dolcevitahouston.com

It took me at least a couple of times around the block to find Polanquito the first time though it’s right on Shepherd at Feagan, at the light, right by St. Thomas High School.  Its signage spells its name in a mishmash of different fonts and in a way that can be very tough to decipher.  Just a warning.  It’s quite easy to get to once you know where it is.  And you should want to go there, if you enjoy Mexican food.
 
In the world of Mexican dining in Houston, the restaurant occupies a middle ground in both the setting and cooking somewhere between a taqueria and Hugo Ortega’s trio of terrific upscale offerings and also the more casual Cuchara on Taft.  Taking its name from the upscale neighborhood of Polanco in Mexico City – Polanquito is "little Polanco" – this is a nice, if casual, at-times, counter-service spot that serves up well-made, usually enticing and nicely presented versions of unpretentious dishes from several areas of Mexico, and found in Mexico’s largest city.  The chef was quoted in the Houston Chronicle as saying that: “Our food represents many Mexican provinces such as Sinaloa, Veracruz, Puebla, and Yucatán.” 
 
Polanquito provides a welcome, often lighter taste of Mexico, with a welcome array of choices.  It’s evolved since opening from a breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch place that serves lunch and dinner – from Tuesday through Saturday – while keeping the brunch component during the weekends.  The menu is divided among tacos in several guises, larger plates, seven dishes to share, a half-dozen breakfast options, and a handful each of desserts and pastries.  The attractive croissants are made in house, though, maybe a bit oddly, the bread and tortillas are not.  No real matter, though.
 
The dishes look and taste like these do in Mexico, or at least the nicer places where I’ve had similar preparations in years past.  The flavors are usually vibrant and distinct, and properly complex in the case of the mole poblano that is served atop the traditional chicken.  And, also, to a lesser extent with the green mole with the pork ribs, Pipian.  There is even a pink mole preparation on the menu now.  The conchinita pibil, the slowly cooked pulled pork dish from the Yucatan and served with red pickled onions has been a favorite, and it does commendable double duty in both a taco and in a sandwich.  And, the fryer works well for both the beer-battered fish and shrimp taco plates.
 
Portion sizes and prices are moderate.  The piquant, bright shrimp agauchile tops that prices at $12.99 while one of the two single-serving tacos, the neat potato and chorizo version with diced onions and poblanos, is just $2.49.  No alcohol.
 
Polanquito
404 Shepherd (at Feagan), 77007, (713) 485-4047
polanquito.business.site

The Green Pipian Mole with Pork Ribs

​This past year, 2019, was an enjoyable one for me dining out; somewhat indulgent and even gluttonous at times.  Below are my favorite and best meals during the course of the year, listed chronologically.  Fun for me to recount, this list might actually provide some helpful suggestions on where to eat in the future. 
 
Galatoire's (New Orleans) – Oysters Rockefeller; Galatoire Goute (Crabmeat Maison - jumbo lump crab, green onions, capers, creole mustard aioli, Shrimp Remoulade - boiled shrimp, classic spicy remoulade sauce, iceberg lettuce); Oysters in Brochette (fried oysters, bacon, meunière butter); Turtle Soup au Sherry (turtle, trinity, tomatoes, veal stock medium brown roux, sherry); Hashed Browns; Sautéed Lemon Fish with Meuniére Sauce and Jumbo Lump Crab – Friends had been raving about the Friday lunch in the main dining room at Galatoire’s in the French Quarter for years, both for the food and the fun.  It lived up to the anticipation, with excellent takes on classic Creole fare in a very lively setting, complemented by excellent service and nicely priced wines, a white Bordeaux and a white Sancerre, that did very well with the foods and the guests.  The late lunch was primed while having wait at their adjacent bar for a couple of hours, and a cocktail or several, which was a lot of fun in itself.  During the course of the lunch, scanning the packed, very boisterous room where several tables were celebrating birthdays, I thought to myself that this scene is like an upscale wedding reception, except with far better food and service, and maybe even fun, than ever imaginable.
 
Peche Seafood Grill (New Orleans) – Louisiana oysters on the half-shell; Shrimp Toast; Baked drum in a mushroom broth with mushrooms and Cajun hush puppies – Chef Ryan Prewitt, who had won a James Beard Award in 2014, had impressed me with his offering at the annual Southern Smoke event and Peche had recently been highly recommended by friend, a native New Orleanian. So, I had to schedule a meal there during a long and very enjoyable gastronomic-centric weekend in the Crescent City.  It turned out to be the best meal of the trip highlighted by a baked drum, flaky, moist, and clean-tasting but flavorful served in a mushroom broth with a nice complement of sliced mushrooms that worked wonderfully with the impeccable Gulf fish.
 
Georgia James – Chicken Liver Pate; Uni Panna Cotta (with crushed peanuts, scallions, drizzled with a Fresno chile gastrique); Wagyu Zabuton (wet-aged, nicely marbled cut of chuck steak from Snake River Farms cooked in an iron skillet); Brown Butter Roasted Mushrooms; sourdough bread from Bread Man Baking served with liquified smokey butter – Chris Shepherd’s chef-y take on the great American steakhouse and successor to One Fifth Steak was terrific in every regard, starting with the not-so-dry martinis to the rich appetizers, decadent, tender steaks, an well-priced Nebbiolo from well-regarded Scarpa that worked quite well with the meats in a lively, pleasant atmosphere.
 
Vieng Thai – Spring rolls (Thai-style crispy rolls filled with shredded vegetables and tofu and served with sweet chili sauce); Paneang Curry with pork (curry with coconut milk, green beans and kaffir lime leaves) – I hadn’t been to what had been my favorite Thai restaurant in years, and this lunchtime visit proved it had not lost a step.  The rich, piquant curry was especially delicious, with the thin pieces of pork doing a better job as the protein center than always less flavorful chicken.
 
Izakaya – “Tori Kawa” Chicken Skin (skewered and grilled); Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings; Simple Tuna (sashimi with yuzu, soy sauce, crushed black salt, and olive oil); Agedashi Tofu (crispy tofu in a tempura ginger broth) – A modern, locally suited take on the Japanese izakaya concept with influences from Peru and elsewhere done with more subtlety and flavor than in similar dishes elsewhere in town; not surprising in a restaurant that’s a sibling of Kata Robata.
 
Ristorante Cavour – Gnocchi alla Bava (semolina dumplings in a light cream sauce) – For me, a plate of gnocchi is a test of an Italian restaurant, as it is too often delivered with the flavor and near-consistency of a pencil eraser.  Of course, in a kitchen headed by Maurizio Ferrarese there should be no pause for concern about this or any other dish.  It was outstanding and nicely balanced even with a cream-based sauce, as were the two other orders, a risotto with lobster and ravioli with porcini and other mushrooms.  These dishes would do any highly rated restaurant in Italy proud, and I’ve been fortunate to dine more than a few there in the past year or so.
 
Izakaya – Original Peruvian Cebiche (celery, garlic, red pepper, ginger, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, snapper, shrimp, roasted corn, salt, pepper); Steamed Seafood dumplings; Takoyaki (battered and fried octopus, kewpie, bonito, nori); Agedashi Tofu (crispy tofu in a tempura ginger broth) – Delicious dining again and at the bar, even.
 
Indigo – Omnivore Menu: Convict Leasing (shaved, cured and smoked butternut squash tartlet with dried peaches, herbs); Gold Links - Part 2 (dry-aged duck breast with yellow barbecue sauce); Slum Village (ash-aged potato ashcake with okra condiment, caramelized potato crème, crispy shallots and thyme); Forty Acres and a Mule (oxtail and collard green stewed in slabber sauce with Carolina gold rice); Acres of Diamonds (smoked beet red velvet cake, creole cream cheese cremeaux; shortbread cookie – Excellent throughout with a chef who has true skill in creating delicious combinations with evident technique featuring disparate ingredients that might seem unusual or be unfamiliar to many.  It’s dinner with a message as the chef helpfully explained the dishes at this 13-seat restaurant with a version of history that provided inspiration for each. Very difficult to get to for most Houstonians with traffic for the early seating during the week and with no beverage program to speak of, it’s still definitely worth a trip for any dedicated local diner.
 
Goode Co. Seafood (Westpark) – Campechana Extra (Mexican-style seafood cocktail made with al blend of pico de gallo, fire-roasted Anaheim peppers and diced avocados, with shrimp and crab); Gulf Shrimp (marinated then bacon-wrapped and mesquite-grilled shrimp served with fries and a seafood empanada; garlic bread – An exuberant take on the bounty of the nearby Gulf that almost always satiates more than it seems it should.
 
Arnoldo Richards’ Picos – Camerones al Mojo de Ajo (jumbo Gulf shrimp lightly breaded and pan-sautéed in garlic-infused olive oil with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocado slices and tomato habanero salsa and sides of Spanish rice and refried beans) – Some more excellent shrimp from a long-standing favorite of mine that has done nice work with seafood over the years.  This visit impressed my cousin and his girlfriend who don’t get food anything like this in suburban Chicago.
 
The Pit Room – Two Meat Dinner (a plate with brisket, jalapeno-cheddar sausage; mac and cheese; potato salad; slice of very white bread) – Highlighted by the brisket, naturally, that was moist, very flavorful, especially the crusty exterior when eaten with a bit of nearby fat.  Excellent.
 
BCN – sampler platter (Spanish Ibérico ham and toasted “pa amb tomaca”; Spanish Ibérico ham croquettes; “Patatas bravas BCN” potatoes, spicy oil and aioli); sautéed calamari – Grabbing one of the nine seats at the bar after work made for another very enjoyable visit featuring excellent, artistic takes on traditional Catalonian and Spanish small plates and along with similarly artful and creative gin-and-tonics that worked very and refreshingly well in seemingly unusual creations from a talented and engaging bartender.
 
Habanera and the Guero – Beef fajitas with flour tortillas, charred onions; guacamole, crema, shredded Cheddar cheese; black refried beans and Spanish rice – This dumpy place off the Gulf Freeway is worth the drive for most, not just for their more traditionally Mexican dishes, but also their first-rate beef fajitas, one of the best versions I’ve had in a while.
 
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse (downtown) – Caesar Salad; New York Strip; mashed potatoes; haricot verts; potatoes au gratin; key lime pie tartlet – This was the best New York Strip I’ve had in memory and also the best Houston Restaurant Weeks meal I’ve ever had.  It was an outstanding meal, period, and wonderful dining experience, even just sitting in the bar area.  For Restaurant Weeks!
 
Cascina Vittoria (Rognano, Italy) – focaccia, eggplant with three consistencies of Parmigiano-Reggiano (an eggplant flan, an involved flan with the delectable Parmigiano served in three states - crispy, as a sauce, and ice cream); risotto with squash and gorganzola; Brasato di Manzo (slices of beef cooked in red wine served with mashed potatoes); panettone – This best meal during a week-long gastronomic trip to northern Italy, which was highlighted by the very best versions of focaccia, an eggplant preparation, and panettone that I’ve ever had.
 
Xochi – Taquitos Dorados (flautas); Ostiones de Lujo (wood-roasted oysters, mole amarillo, cotija, breadcrumbs); Tlayuda Puerco (very large, thin Oaxacan tortilla with mole negro, Mexican chorizo, bacon, egg, Oaxacan cheese cooked over wood); Cacao (chocolate cocoa pod, chocolate textures: tejate foam, milk chocolate cloud, chocolate criollo soil) – The delicious oysters disappeared quickly at the table to start our Saturday brunch, and though my tlayuda was a bit awkward to eat, it was quite tasty.  The dessert that we split among a half-dozen of us was something special: a very cool milk chocolate shell that looked like a squash when presented that was filled mostly with different chocolate ice creams that was absolutely delightful.
 
UB Preserv – Crispy Rice Salad (fresh cilantro and parsley, tomato, cucumber with a serrano vinaigrette); Wok Fried Beets (with a sweet and sour sauce, fried cheese, bits of orange, and sesame crunchies); Lamb Tartare (served with paratha, shabazi spice mixture. habanero aioli); Vietnamese Short Rib Fajitas (slowly cooked 44 Farms beef short ribs with the usual complement of lettuce, pickled carrots and more) – A terrific meal featuring the expected bold flavors coming in interesting, wide-ranging and very intelligently done combinations from Chris Shepherd’s team at this successor to Underbelly, which serves up some of the very best food in the city.  The attentive and friendly staff at the bar proved more than adept at suggesting dishes and drinks that all worked extremely well.
 
Xochi – Ostiones de Lujo (wood-roasted oysters, mole amarillo, cotija, breadcrumbs); Hongos en Mole Amarillo (wild mushrooms, mole amarillo, masa dumplings, green beans); Cabrito con Chichilo (crispy goat with charred chilhuacle pepper mole) – Yes, this place is good.

Sautéed Lemon Fish with Meuniére Sauce and Jumbo Lump Crab at Galatoire's

On a recent tour of the Italian city of Pavia and its environs, a tour mostly meant to publicize its charms for tourists, I was surprised that the restaurant chosen after our visit to the area’s tourist highlight, the impressive Certosa di Pavia, was not the long-standing Michelin-starred one just a mile away.  Instead, it was one called Cascina Vittoria.  After the meal, it was clear that it was a more appropriate choice, and was likely at least as good. The meal was excellent and was the best meal of my weeklong stay in Italy, a week of dining fairly grandly.
 
Whereas the acclaimed Locanda Vecchia Pavia ‘Al Mulino’ was described as “Cucina Creativa” (creative cooking) in a recent Michelin guide and reinforced in the less reliable Fodor’s, Cascina Vittorria proudly offers more locally rooted cuisine, if done in a sensible contemporary fashion at times.  And done terrifically.  The lunch we had there was like a meal I had at Brennan’s in Houston in 2015 when Danny Trace was heading the kitchen.  I had three different items or preparations that were the best of each type that I had ever had.  At Brennan’s it was strawberries – sourced from a small farm in Louisiana during the height of the season – soft shell crabs, and Lemon Meringue Pie.
 
The delicious surprises at Cascina Vittoria began at the start of the meal, with the bread service, with plump, moist-looking squares of focaccia.  I thought that this was a bit odd. Focaccia is something that I hadn’t associated with the region of Lombardy where we were.  But Pavia is just an hour-and-a-half by train to Genoa, the capital of coastal Liguria, and the land of focaccia as much as it is that of pesto. Expectedly soft, a touch oily from the fragrant, light olive oil, the bread was very fresh and absolutely delicious with a long, very pleasant taste.  I had to force myself to eat three (or four or five) pieces before the first real course of the meal.  I do like focaccia, quite a lot, in fact.  I ate it daily, more than daily, during the near-week I spent on the Ligurian coast some years ago, including buying about half a pan of it studded with a few sprigs of rosemary for a light lunch during a few-hour drive.  It made for a memorable, savory crutch before dinner.
 
That had been my focaccia of memory. The version we had at Cascina Vittoria was better, and better than all of the excellent focaccias I had in Liguria, and elsewhere. The chef, Giovanni Ricciardella, came out to explain the focaccia, for which he was very proud.  The flour for it is milled on the property, which is more than a restaurant, and is 100% whole grain.  Spurred on by a starter with more than a few years to it, the bread is baked in a wood-fueled oven.  No herbs are used in the bread, just some salt and olive oil.  That’s certainly all that was needed.
 
Then came the antipasto course, Millefoglie di melanzane e le tre consistenze del parmigiano: cald-freddo-croccante.  This is essentially an eggplant flan, an involved flan with the delectable Parmigiano served in three states: crispy, as a sauce, and ice cream, and so three different temperatures and textures.  Complemented with excellent tomatoes and mozzarella and other complementary ingredients, this imaginative and quite involved culinary exercise succeeded grandly.  It was absolutely delicious and quite interesting when more than one of textures and textures was combined in a bite.  This was certainly the most intricate eggplant dish I’ve ever had, and it was also the best.  Probably not surprisingly, the menu showed that it was the Piatto firma dello Chef, the chef’s signature dish. 
 
After the secondo, the main protein-centered course, the chef returned to describe what we would be having for dessert.  It was to be something that’s never really served at restaurants, but made sense as Christmas was not too distant and we were just south of its home, Milan, panettone. It was especially appropriate because the restaurant and chef had won acclaim for it earlier the year as one of the best versions in Italy from the leading Italian paper, the Milan-based Corriere della Sera, and also because they were selling the panettone.  At least a couple of my travel-mates bought one.  If I had room to spare in my suitcase, I would have, myself, even at €35, more than three times what I typically dole out for one, as I did yesterday.  As wonderful as their panettone was – simply much more vibrant, fresh-tasting, with noticeably better and more compelling ingredients than usual – it was probably worth more than what they were charging.
 
It was an excellent meal, through and through, highlighted by the very best versions of focaccia, an eggplant dish, and panettone that I’ve ever had.  Cascina Vittoria is worth a detour if you are in the Milan area with a car, and the chef told me that about 70% of their patrons come from the big city.  Smart folks, or least ones with fine palates and a few euros to spend.
 
Cascina Vittoria
via Roma, 26, 27010 - Rognano (Pavia)
+390382923772
cascinavittoria.it 

The Millefoglie di melanzane ​at Cascina Vittoria

This year that was has been a fun one for diners in Houston seeking new options.  Among the very best ones to open were Italian-themed, Gulf seafood specialists, a diner of sorts, another desirable Spaniard, and a few others.  Other notable openings were an upscale Indian in Upper Kirby, and a couple proficient, enticing and somewhat unique new Mexican options not too terribly far apart from each other on Shepherd and Yale, respectively, including one serving about the prettiest tacos in town.  There were also a couple of cool new food halls including one that has become a downtown destination; also, an attractive new wine and cheese shop and bar in Montrose, with an exceedingly descriptive name and excellent pasties (if a surprisingly lame selection of wines by the glass the other night).  Not much further west on Westheimer one of the best wine bars in the city, Penny Quarter, opened adjacent to Anvil and so, a small amount real estate for so many tempting alcoholic beverages.
 
Below are the top ten new restaurants to open in Houston in 2019, listed alphabetically, and described in a somewhat concise if occasionally blowsy way.  To note, the approximate average prices for each reflect a typical dinner, which might be an appetizer, side or dessert in addition to the entrée – or a suitable number of small plates – a couple of drinks, tax and a 20% tip. 

Atlas Diner – $25 – Richard Knight of Feast fame is the biggest name associated with Bravery Chef Hall, across from Market Square Park downtown, and his effort, though seemingly still a work in progress, is the most accomplished of the several restaurants in what is easily the city’s best, most interesting, and most fun food court.  This is a diner, but a diner with a British bent including a bit of the British sense of humor, from one of the city’s top toques.  There is breakfast all day in offbeat but enticing forms, very good fish chips, a version of butter chicken, and a copious braised rabbit and white bean filled chimichanga.  Maybe not quite as polished as it could be, there is plenty reason to hope that this will be even better and more fun and possibly some Feast-like preparations in the future. 409 Travis (at Preston, in Bravery Chef Hall), 77002, (713) 364-2481
 
Elliot's Table – $65 – Set in a tiny, newish if ungainly strip center on TC Jester just north of I-10, this quite quaint place – only about 28-seats snuggly fit into an open space fronting an open kitchen – might be described as a neighborhood restaurant that is worthy of a trip across town for.  Some global influences, top-notch local and regional products, and excellent execution of approachable and enticing items such as an excellent and piquant take on shrimp and grits, Gulf fish, steaks, lamb, even duck. along with a fair share of greens that are prepared with evident skill and welcome imagination. 465 TC Jester (just north of I-10), 77007, (713) 485-0340

Eugene's – $100 – The successor to Danton’s, which had to close as its longtime home in the Chelsea Market on Montrose was redeveloped, has found a home in Mockingbird’s former site tucked into the neighborhood between W. Gray and Westheimer.  It doesn’t seem to have lost a step during its hiatus.  The focus remains on locally attuned Gulf seafood preparations with a hearty dose of Louisiana influences.  Its seafood gumbo sporting a really dark roux is still terrific.  There are shrimp, oysters, blue crab, redfish and other fish in a number of delectable dishes served in a handsome dark-wooded setting.  Not chef-driven but a destination for the long-loved Houston-style seafood that’s usually done much better than it was back in the day.  1985 Welch (at McDuffie), 77019, (713) 807-8883
 
MAD – $140 - Sibling to BCN, its name is also an airport designation, this one for Madrid.  And the menu here provides dishes from the tapas scene of Spain’s capital plus a lot more in a distractingly dramatic, dynamic and upscale setting that’s the most intriguing – or wondrously odd, especially the trippy bathroom area – since the original location of Americas in the 1990s.  The best restaurant in the pricey River Oaks District upon opening, the food is the real draw here with excellent chef-tuned takes on traditional Madrileño small plates along with some cool molecular gastronomy tricks that actually taste great, plus paella, and fire-roasted proteins from an easy-to-espy hearth.  4444 Westheimer (in the River Oaks District at Kettering, on Bettis, 77027, (281) 888-2770
 
One Fifth: Gulf Coast – $120 – The fourth concept for One Fifth, this one focuses on the cooking of the Gulf Coast from Texas and points east, especially Louisiana, and is another smashing success. Chef Chris Shepherd builds on his years at Brennan’s to craft a menu that is at once familiar and exciting for lovers of seafood.  “Oysters, crab, shrimp, clams, crawfish—raw, cold, roasted, smoked, cured, fried” mostly featuring the spices and flavors popular here and with our neighbors in the oft-swampy east.  The fish and shellfish preparations are excellent, but there is are also a Slow Roasted Duck Crown served with duck heart dirty rice and a blackened ribeye.  Like its One Fifth predecessors in Mark’s old space, it’s all done with excellent ingredients, considerable skill in crafting combinations that work and a sense of fun.  Plus, there’s an expectedly very well-chosen and fairly priced wine list once again from Matthew Pridgen. 1658 Westheimer (nearly at Dunlavy) 77006, (713) 955-1024

​Rosalie's – $75 – Houston has historically been tough on out-of-town restaurateurs and hotel dining, but things might have changed, as west coast-based television chef Chris Cosentino has channeled his Italian-American roots into what has been a popular and adept smallish spot in a refurbished and now surprisingly hip hotel at the southwestern edge of downtown.  Chef-created Italian-American might be the best description of the offerings here.  The crab cannelloni features Sauce Americane, a French concoction featuring cream and lobster shells.  Fairly rich and redolent of the sea, it’s quite tasty if not what any Italian-American family (or restaurant) makes.  The menu is enticing with other pastas, spot-on sides such as roasted cherry tomatoes with garlic and breadcrumbs, and protein-centered preparations like a spicy Shrimp Fra Diavolo, a hanger steak Pizzaiolo also with peppers and capers, and a milanese with chicken – there’s no veal on the menu.  There are pizzas, too.  Though the crusts are not nearly flavorful nor soft enough to pull off a successful margherita, the other toppings should work well.  This is a fun stop, and it’s in a hotel!  400 Dallas (at Bagby, in the C. Baldwin Hotel), 77002, (713) 351-5790
 
Rosie Cannonball – $125 – The second of five concepts, four serving food, to open in a very smart and neat complex in the heart of Westheimer’s restaurant row directly across the street from the estimable UB Preserv, this is essentially an Italian restaurant with a more than a few nods to the Iberian peninsula on the short menu.  There are a trio of very well-crafted, if quite precious, fresh pasta preparations in the Emilian tradition, pizzas, plus breads and greens and other vegetables, and a quartet of proteins including the requisite steak and a bass filet Basque-style.  These crowd-pleasing dishes and stylish space have made it an attractive stop for the ladies who lunch and a busy spot at night.  The wine list is expansive and mainly Old World, but for an Italian-themed place an odd emphasis on Beaujolais – if with appealing producers like Guy Breton, often in large format.  It’s pricey, too: the average 750ml bottle price is $120 and just a handful of Italian reds are under $75.  1620 Westheimer (between Mandell and Dunlavy), 77006, (832) 380-2471
 
Squable – $90 – Offbeat offerings mostly in small plate format done well are the calling card for this Heights hotspot that pairs the guidance of James Beard Award-winning chef Justin Yu of Theodore Rex and cocktail star Bobby Heugel of Anvil.  They’ve assembled an experienced and skilled squad cooking, crafting and serving in an approachably hip space.  On the menu there are several of each of breads, small plates, big plates and desserts compiled in contemporary fashion. The Common Bond heritage in the kitchen is evident with the baked goods, but there is much more to entice, from the sea, from plants and also tasty mammals like the crispy-skinned heritage pork served with salsa verde and the French cheeseburger – featuring raclette and butter – which is just a whole lot better than any Royale with cheese.  632 W 19th St. (just east of Shepherd), 77008, (832) 834-7362

​​1751 Sea & Bar – $125 – From the folks at The Pit Room who took over the spaces and operations of Cherry Pie Hospitality in 2018 – and grandly improved just about each of the three places – this specializes in Gulf seafood with a raw bar featuring colder water creatures along with over 100 different gins spun into a number of different cocktails.  Those are fun, if not nearly the magic concocted by the gin tonics at BCN / MAD.  Fish from the nearby Gulf are very nicely represented with flounder, a crispy snapper, mahi mahi, and a version of the classic redfish on the half-shell served with collards and Steen’s lacquer.  There’s also a shrimp curry and a version of the increasingly commonly found hot pot, this one Thai-flavored like the curry.  Japanese ingredients and inspirations are found on other dishes on a menu and restaurant that should appeal to any area seafood lover and seemingly it has, as crowded as it’s been.  191 Heights (just south of I-10), 77007, (832) 831-9820
 
​Truth Barbeque – $30 – This fairly spacious contemporary barbecue joint on busy Washington Avenue that began in Brenham is a testament to how much Houstonians love Texas barbecue, top-notch Texas barbecue, as customers continue to fill the parking lot by late morning and queue up for terrific brisket before it sells out as they’ve done since soon after opening early in the year.  Beef ribs are only on Saturday, unfortunately, but more-than-commendable pork ribs, pulled pork and sausage and more join the brisket every day (if not on Mondays when it’s closed).  Among the best ‘cue in the area.  110 S. Heights (at Washington), 77007, (832) 835-0001

Five Ants on a Log, one of the whimsical dishes at Atlas Diner

​The decade is just about to end (or is it?) and it’s time for some reflection or at least another list.  It’s been an interesting one for the Houston restaurant scene that has changed, becoming more dynamic, diverse, and generally much better.  Below are the ten restaurants to open since the start of 2010 that have proven to be the most notable or influential.
 
Crawfish and Noodles – 2010 – Viet-Cajun – Near the western part of Chinatown on Bellaire Boulevard, this bustling and fun outpost helped to introduce and popularize Viet-Cajun crawfish in the area so much so that it’s drawn national attention to the restaurant and proprietor and chef, Trong Nguyen, along with making the dish one of Houston’s signature culinary offerings, a testament to Houstonians love of the Louisiana-instigated mudbug culture and Vietnamese flavors.  Even more, their crabs, wings and more show that casual, communal fare done very well can make the day that much more enjoyable and rewarding.
 
Underbelly – 2012 – Diverse Houston and Chris Shepherd’s restaurant group – Juxtaposing many of the city’s ethnic cooking traditions with an emphasis on those from Asia onto a menu and often on a single plate and usually succeeding in dramatic fashion brought chef Chris Shepherd deserved national acclaim. That spotlight has helped shine more light on other local restaurants and chefs. Underbelly, boisterous and confident, interesting and extremely competent, also helped show that a meal built around small plates can work well. The terrific wine program from Matthew Pridgen encourages customers to drink wine with its palatable price points and that help enhance Shepherd’s cuisine. The space proved more attractive to Shepherd’s steakhouse concept (see below), but Underbelly lives on, exploring new directions in similarly enticing fashion, as UB Preserv just down the road.

Killen’s Barbecue – 2013 – Barbecue – Opening late that year, this barbecue joint in Pearland immediately became a destination for its brisket and beef ribs, especially, and seriously raised the bar for Texas-style smoked meats in the Houston area, providing the spark that has made the barbecue landscape significantly better in the ensuing years.

Common Bond – 2014 – Breads and Pastries – A slick café setting that is both a boulangerie and patisserie in the French sense – baking bread and creating pastries – it excels grandly with each effort, with bread that’s probably the best in the city, and served at many of the city’s top restaurants, and items like croissants that are likely as good as any made in this country. Somewhat like Killen’s for barbecue, Common Bond has made the baked goods scene better since its inception.

BCN – 2014 – Spanish – Though Spain had captured international attention with the ground-breaking molecular cuisine of Ferran Adria in Catalonia and others, and San Sebastian on its northern coast has the most Michelin stars per capita in Europe, the very few Spanish restaurants in Houston over the years had been rather dull and quaint until BCN opened in an attractive older house in Montrose, providing a very well-executed glimpse into Spanish fine dining, both contemporary and deeply rooted.  This helped expand the culinary landscape and paved the way for its sibling, MAD, another and different, somewhat delirious Spanish gem.

Les Ba’Get – 2015 – Vietnamese 2.0 – The second generation of inexpensive counter service Vietnamese banh mi and pho specialists done more slickly, with better ingredients, better service, more alcohol and generally much more attuned to the broader city while still serving excellent food, this Montrose spot proved too popular for its tiny parking lot, but replaced by its sibling with a more limited menu, Les Noo’dle, as it moved to bigger digs in Garden Oaks.  Roostar, the sandwich star, is another shining example of this very welcome concept.

Pepper Twins – 2016 – High quality Chinese inside the Loop – Authentic Chinese food was not to be found inside the Loop until the humble Sichuan specialist Cooking Girl opened deep in the heart of Montrose where it drew crowds, including plenty of Chinese nationals and even national press.  Transforming into the similar, if more proficient Pepper Twins and multiplying into several locations throughout the area, the spots on W. Gray and Kirby are terrific places for affordable and delicious Sichuan-rooted fare notable for serving much higher quality proteins than most area Chinese restaurants.  Not just these, but also Mala Sichuan and Wanna Bao are other Chinese highlights not far from downtown.

One Fifth: Steak – 2017 – Steak – The first yearly concept that’s part of a five-year plan of essentially five different restaurants in five years, this chef-driven steakhouse from Chris Shepherd and team was something much different than the familiar steakhouse concepts, and mostly just better, starring terrific steaks often cooked in an iron skillet that don't include a filet or New York Strip.  Excellent starters and sides, plus and superb wine list on which Cabernet is not king complemented the beef and everything else on the menu.  It lives on as Georgia James in the original home of Underbelly, and along with the Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, the best in the area.

Xochi – 2017 – Downtown Dining – The third upscale Mexican restaurant estimable husband-and-wife duo of Hugo Ortega and Tracey Vaught, this Oaxacan-themed destination joined the other two, Hugo’s and Caracol, as the top trio of Mexican places in Houston, and very invitingly set in the Marriott Marquis across from Discovery Green, it helped show that excellent dining can thrive downtown.  Well-conceived and -presented, Xochi offers dishes that are unique to the area while remaining approachable to most – if maybe not the insect preparations.
 
Nancy’s Hustle – 2017 – EaDo – This fun, and quite delicious spot is well-suited for the still-gentrifying EaDo with its casual and quickly boisterous and nicely casual set-up in a newly constructed strip center in an older part of town coupled with a serious kitchen and an expertly chosen array of wine, cocktails and even beers to complement the evening.  The mostly shareable and fun menu made for dining in stages, with flavors ranging from the Mediterranean on either side of the Bosphorus to stateside, all of which are enticing.  Made for present-day diners, this is favorite of a great many diners, with good reason or reasons.  The only knock on it is, with dishes that aren’t too reflective of the region, this could easily be set in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York or San Francisco.  And likely doing extremely well there. 

Reaching into the refrigerated case at Paulie’s Poboys on Bellaire the other day, I looked among the white-paper-wrapped sandwiches for a Porky, the successor to an old favorite from its Antone’s progenitor, the Piggy.  The exact same sandwich is also served at the similar Angelo’z not too far away on Kirby, where it’s called, even more unattractively, the Pigly. 
 
The Piggy and its descendants were, and are, apparently either loved or, well, not loved.  For most, it’s not really a good idea to open the bread and look into the heart of the sandwich, at least for the squeamish.  Described exactly the same on menus at Paulie’s and Angelo’z as “Ham salad, jalapeno, cheese, mayo & pickles,” its fillings are a surprisingly garish pinkish mixture of minced ham and hard salami, dried oregano and mayonnaise.  The sandwich is finished with jalapeño jack cheese and slices of pickles, for agreeable texture, and Hot Chow Chow, a piquant mixture of pickled cabbage, onions, sweet green peppers and paprika.  The Porky and Pigly are favorites among many customers like myself who enjoyed this odd, and once very cheap, sandwich many years ago in the heydays of Antone’s. 
 
The Porky and Pigly, like the other po boys, are cold sandwiches featuring a 9-inch long, fresh hero-style bun.  These buns are distinctively a tad dry and slightly crunchy, and help to distinguish these sandwiches from many lesser competitors.  These crusty small loafs, which are similar among the po boy purveyors with roots in the Levant, might be a welcome legacy of the French influence in Syria and Lebanon in the last century. 
 
The Porky at Paulie’s is $6.45, but it still seems to be a fairly fair price, especially when an often stomach-unsettling fast food burger will cost you three-quarters of the price.  It’s just $5.25 at Angelo’z.  The Porky the other day was as enjoyable as ever, if a little saltier than desired, and properly leaving crumbs from the sandwich loaf as I consumed it quickly and messily.
 
Paulie’s Poboys
3823 Bellaire (between Buffalo Speedway and Weslayan) 77025, (713) 218-8383
pauliespoboys.com
 
Angelo’z
8057 Kirby (between Main and La Concha), 77054, (713) 667-3400
angelozpoboys.com

The Pigly and a sibling at Angelo'z on Kirby

​Char-grilled pork has been what has drawn most Houstonians over the years to the wonders of banh mi, the Vietnamese sandwich. Delicious and easily recognizable, as a sandwich filling, it has long been the centerpiece of a ridiculously cheap lunch option for the savvy diner.  It’s seemingly the easy favorite Vietnamese sandwich among the non-Vietnamese, myself included.
 
The char-grilled pork sandwich, or Banh Mi Thit Nuong, at the bare bones and usually bustling Thien An is especially notable. I hadn’t dropped by there in a while, so I made it a point to grab the sandwich from there for lunch today. The restaurant is more generous than most with the pork, which is nicely cooked, tender and richly flavorful. Tender slices are nestled in a local standard short Vietnamese baguette that is properly crusty and airy. The pork is joined by a light smear of house-made mayonnaise, shredded pickled carrots and daikon radish, a slice of cucumber, cilantro leaves and stems, and prominent wedges of jalapeño. The result is an enticing mix of textures and flavors – predominantly the moist and savory pork – that is satiating while remaining vibrant, not heavy. Even better with a few dashes of vinegar and squirts of sriracha from bottles on the table, it can be tough to eat just one of these.  This is still one of the very best versions in the city.  It’s gotten a bit pricey, though, now up to $3.99.
 
Thien An
2611 San Jacinto (just south of McGowen), 77004, (713) 522-7007
No website

Eating a first meal in Pavia near Milan with a couple of other food media people last month, an item on the menu immediately caught my attention: Orecchia di elefante.  That translates to “elephant’s ear.”  It’s not elephant ear, though, which is probably difficult to procure in northern Italy, but an amusing way to describe the costoletta alla milanese, the fried veal chop that is a staple of Milan.  With the bone attached to one end of a large flat piece of breaded meat that nearly covers a plate, it does look somewhat like the ear of elephant.
 
I made sure that was part of our meal at the restaurant Peo, as one of my hopes for that trip was to taste an authentic veal Milanese, a dish I had long enjoyed and I often make its Austrian cousin, schnitzel, with pork at home.  It is one of the most famous of all Italian dishes.  I had been to Italy over ten times previously and had never had the dish there, simply because I hadn’t spent any time in Milan and avoided the dish if it was on a menu far from the city, opting for something more local.  I had really hoped to try it in Milan during this trip, but having dinner during my one day there was precluded by a train strike announced for that night that I was fortunately alerted to, which would have got me stranded far from my hotel.  So, I missed both these Italian specialties: the veal Milanese in Milan, and a transportation strike.  A trade-off.
 
I do have the dish a couple of times in Pavia and found it enjoyable, and little different than I expected.  The veal was not as flattened as I had imagined, barely so, in fact, and both preparations were from the veal rib, with the bone attached.  Though I came across renditions in articles and on the websites of restaurants in Milan without the bone attached, it seems the dish is always made from the veal rib chop.  As it turns out, veal Milanese is more different from the Viennese wiener schnitzel than I had believed.  The schnitzel is flattened much more so, is popular in versions other than veal – like what I do in my kitchen – and the schnitzel is dipped in flour before meeting the beaten eggs and breadcrumbs, and can be cooked in something other than butter.  The recipe for costoletta alla millanese – or the less frequently found cotoletta alla milanese, which is actually the exact same thing even without the “s” – is basically and simply a barely flattened cut from the rib of a calf, dipped in beaten eggs then breadcrumbs and then pan-fried in butter or clarified butter over medium heat for about six to eight minutes a side, and then salted and served with lemon wedges.
 
With good quality meat, it is delicious, not-so-complicated dish with a nice interplay of textures and tastes, with savory veal, a crisp breading, a citrusy acidic bite from the lemon and some necessary salt.  The first version of it I had featured it ladled with halves of ripe cherry tomatoes and arugula, the primavera (spring) version.  I’ve read that this newer rendition, a creation of the past decade or so, is way to aid a lesser cut of meat.  This seemed to have some truth as the dish, and meat, was better at the second restaurant where I had it, the oddly named Habanero, also in Pavia.  Though it did initially look like the other elephants’ ears, it was made with a cut of t-bone.  The restaurant is a meat specialist, seemingly looking to do things a little differently.  Their version of the costoletta alla milanese was very good, especially the less-cooked, more tender and flavorful pieces near the bone.
 
I had to assume that these two versions of the famed dish were very similar to what is served in Milan.  Hopefully, I can confirm that in the future.  An organization that anointed the costoletta alla milanese as one of Italy’s most iconic a few years ago has an interesting and very believable history of the dish on its website.  It’s a dish that’s been around since at least the middle of the 19th century, the moniker of elephant’s ear seems fairly new as it doesn’t appear with the recipe in any of the several older classic Italian cookbooks I have or guidebooks.  Some fun with an older dish, I guess.  I certainly had fun with it.

A very recent version of the costoletta alla milanese from a restaurant actually in Milan. Photograph by Anthony Campofelice

​On my gastronomic trip last month to Pavia and its surroundings, the meals each featured a locally popular red wine from the Oltrepo Pavese, the productive wine region south of the city, Bonarda Vivace.  Bright and vivacious, just slightly bubbly in fact, and very pleasant, this dry medium-bodied red is very well suited to seems to the task of accompanying a large share of the non-seafood dishes in the area.  When it was already on the menu as part of the group, it was recommended for at least part of the meal when I dined on my own in Pavia.  And, it worked well in every case. 
 
Bonarda Vivace exhibited characteristics of a broad a style of wine that I have really enjoyed when I’ve encountered in Italy over the years: lighter in body and alcohol, a refreshing tartness, low tannins and enough fruit for my palate.  Very moderate prices, too.  The seven or so Bonarda Vivaces on the wine list at an acclaimed old-line trattoria ranged from €13 to €16.  Easy to consume a sufficient amount around the meal without worrying too much about the effects, on the head or in the wallet. 
 
As much wine that I consume, as much Italian wine that I shop for and consume, Bonarda Vivace wine about which I was unfamiliar as it doesn’t appear to be exported to the United States.  I recently had a fully still version at 13 Celsius, a wine that is a little bigger and more structured and less of a quaffer.  And that might be the only one I’ve encountered on a wine list here.  And I also get the impression Bonarda Vivace does not take much in the way of wine list space even in the big metropolis of Milan, just thirty to forty miles distant, and a perusal of a few lists seem to confirm that.  Just from their province of Lombardy, these have to compete with excellent Nebbiolo-based wines from Valtellina and then the great wines from Piedmont aren’t even 100 miles.  Even among the wineries of Oltrepo Pavese, Pinot Nero, Pinot Noir, is considered the better varietal.  And it is.  Their sparkling wines grab more attention, too.
 
But I found these wines to be very easy-drinking, helped with its effervescence and welcome acidity, light tannins and some nice fruit – often red currants, plums and sour cherries – judicious in typical Italian fashion and tempered with some earthiness or underbrush.  These are food wines, tasting better with food, as most Italian wines do.  These are wines that are not great, at least the dozen or so I sampled, but more than good enough.  No Bonarda Vivace received the coveted Tre Bicchiere in a very recent Gambero Rosso wine guide I have, though about fifteen received the two-glass designation, the next level down.  In different guises, it’s been simple well-made Chianti, a surprisingly light on the palate Aglianico, or the lighter Dolcettos and Barberas and Valpolicellas of more than decade ago before the warming globe helped to pump up the alcohol content.
 
Part of the difficulty for consumers with Bonarda Vivace – after the fact that Americans can’t get them – is that there are the two Bonardas, the Vivace, which will almost always have “Frizzante” on the back label – the fuller, still one that I mentioned above.  These Bonarda wines are made with 100% Croatina.  Sometimes wineries will bottle the grape as Croatina.  And then there is Bonarda made in neighboring Piedmont.  It is a different grape, as is the Bonarda made in Argentina and California.  It is confusing, even more than most Italian wines, a difficult thing to achieve.
 
I believe that it’s certainly worth sampling, but you almost have to go to source to do so.  Another reason to visit Pavia, a place that I quite enjoyed.

​Today, Thanksgiving, is pinnacle pumpkin consumption in this country with pumpkin pie leading the way.  And I’m looking forward to having at least a large size even after overeating beforehand.  I do like pumpkin pie.  Pumpkin pie and Saint Arnold Brewing Company’s fall seasonal Pumpinator are about my only consumption of this iconic American fruit.
 
While I was in northern Italy last month, I had several dishes, savory flans or light souffles (sformatos) and risottos, made with pumpkin according to the English translation of “zucca” on the menus we were given.  Each of these dishes was very good, at least a couple especially so.  The pumpkin taste with which I was familiar was absent.  Pumpkin can have a strong flavor and the various flavors in these different preparations were rather subtle, with the exception of the gorgonzola that complemented the zucca in a risotto, a combination that works very well and which I had enjoyed before.
 
The reason for the lack of pumpkin-ness, as I might have known, is that zucca is not a pumpkin in the American sense.  It “closely resembles our butternut squash” according to a phrase in a cookbook I came across after returning home.  So, in case you have the hankering for more pumpkin after Turkey Day, Italian recipes calling for zucca in the original Italian might not work as intended with it.  Or, it will just taste more American.

An excellent Risotto Carnaroli del Pavese mantecato alla zucca Bertagina di Dorno, salsa al gorgonzola e polvere di liquirizia at Cascina Vittoria, about 20 miles south of Milan, last month

​The Certosa of Pavia was part of a nearly weeklong tour of Pavia and its surroundings I was on last month.  The Certosa is a famous church and monastery compound, about twenty miles south of Milan, “The pinnacle of Renaissance architecture in Lombardy,” according to a fairly erudite and wordy older English guidebook I have.  And Jacob Burckhardt, the famed 19th century Swiss historian of Italian Renaissance architecture, called it “the decorative masterpiece in all of Italy.”  I found the Certosa impressive.  The church, which is most of the complex, especially its façade, was gorgeous on a foggy morning and filled with more than a few striking works of art, from its ceilings to chapels.
 
It’s also an active monastery, somewhat active, as there are just six monks that lead a contemplative life there including the one or two that help out with tourists like us.  The Certosa has a small gift shop, much smaller than the much more visited monastery and church in Assisi.  It’s rather quaint and homey and it even sells the peppers that the monks grow in the courtyards on the grounds.  I saw a couple different peppers, including the Carolina ghost peppers.  I quickly joked to another person on our trip that that the Certosa should be selling another ghost pepper, “holy ghost peppers.”  And they probably could get quite a fair penny for the “Holy Ghost Peppers,” especially if labeled accurately.