Some of the very best pizzas to be found in Houston are at restaurants where pizzas are just one small part of the menu. These are almost all Italian-focused, or Italian-leaning, and mostly fine dining. Pizzas have not typically found at nice restaurants in Italy outside of the Naples area, but American restaurants are not bound by those conventions, or most others, for that matter. And that’s usually a good thing.  More pizza is usually a good thing, too. Quality pizza, always so.
 
The best of these pizzas are inspired by those found in Naples: individually sized, a thin, soft crust with raised edges, and a minimal amount of high-quality toppings that’s been cooked in a very hot, often wood-burning oven that’s been built for the purpose. It is a testament to the skill of a kitchen to be able to make tasty pizza dough and then adorn and cook a pizza properly, consistently. It is not easy. I know, having countless mediocre and worse renditions in recent years sampling margherita pizzas in restaurants throughout the city. Below are restaurants where you can order a pizza with confidence. Those at the top of the list, you might even go just for the pizza. Listed in order of preference.
 
The Best
 
Da Marco – Marco Wiles introduced Neapolitan-inspired pizzas to Houston here, which begat the stellar pizza-centric Dolce Vita for many years down the street. Only offering its excellent take on the margherita and only at lunch, but it’s still one of the best pizzas in the city. Montrose
Amalfi – Chef-proprietor Giancarlo Ferrara hails from Salerno down the coast from Naples and his pizza oven helps showcase the pride he takes in his region’s beloved creation. The skillfully rendered Neapolitan-inspired pizzas come in ten different versions ranging from a margherita with Buffalo mozzarella and grape tomatoes to one featuring marinated salmon, a cacio e pepe and another with roasted pork, spicy salami and jalapeños. Briargrove
 
Very Good
 
Ostia – Just a red and white – no tomato sauce – and just at lunch. The red might involve a margherita with a protein the white cheese and maybe an egg. Both feature a properly enjoyable, fairly flavorful soft crust with ingredients that are noticeably higher quality and so tastier than usual. You might want a little more integration between the toppings and crust, but these are still pizzas were returning for.  Montrose
Amore – This replication of sorts of Da Marco from a former chef also does a very creditable job of Neapolitan-themed pizzas featuring a well-made thin crust and pleasing, appropriate toppings, much more than just the margherita. Cooked in a prominently displayed golden tile-covered pizza oven at this simply set 86-seater somewhat hidden away on Shepherd near W. Alabama sharing a pizza can be a fine way to start a meal or as a lunch.  Montrose
Rosie Cannonball – The upscale, pricy, mostly Italian, often Emilian cuisine-inspired eatery takes a detour to Naples for its commendable, thin individual pizzas available with a half-dozen including a couple vegetarian ones that almost hit the $25 mark, but you’ll willing pay that. Top-notch ingredients are used properly with a fine crust anchoring the pizzas that are Italian in style if not necessarily Neapolitan.  Montrose
Trattoria Sofia – The pizzas might be the only reason to visit this Italian-American spot on 11th Street that is part of the Berg collection of restaurants. Small in size, even for an individually sized pizza, the crust is light and flavorful. Thin crust, the pizzas are not Neapolitan, more like an American restaurant imitation of it, but quite enjoyable. Available in several appealing versions. These are even better than the ones at its sibling B+B Butchers, which are also fairly well done.  Heights
 
Good
 
Weights + Measures – This very versatile spot also does a commendable job with pizzas cooked in a wood-burning oven including a unique version topped with roasted carrots, the cooked onion and cream soubise sauce, Fresno chiles, cilantro, dukka and gruyere that has earned plenty of fans. There are several other options including the necessary margherita if you don’t want to stray too far from tradition. For all of them, you can expect that the dough will be of high quality from a restaurant sharing space with Slough Dough bake shop. Midtown
Tiny Boxwoods / Tiny’s No. 5 – These precious spots perfect for moms dining with daughters returning home from the sorority don’t skimp on the quality of its fare, which includes some tasty, nicely light pizzas made with quality ingredients in a handful of enticing options including a margherita-like with pesto substituting for basil solo.  River Oaks, West U
Carrabba’s (Kirby and Voss) – Houston’s favorite Italian-American restaurants, the two original Carrabba’s still run by Johnny and mother, serve creditable individually sized but hearty pizzas from pizza ovens set near the seemingly always bustling bar area. There is a margherita and pepperoni, of course but another with sausage, eggplant, and sweet peppers and another with fig, arugula, and prosciutto along with lemon preserves, goat cheese, and pine nuts with a balsamic glaze. Plus, different than the others on the list, you can create your list of toppings. Upper Kirby, Briargrove

The tasty Pesto & Mozzarella Pizza at Tiny's No. 5 in West U.

You really shouldn’t eat chicken fried steak: it’s about as unhealthy an item on the menu, battered and deep-fried beef with a thick black pepper-spiked gravy that’s usually heavily caloric; plus, it features as poor a cut and quality of beefsteak that you will find served at any restaurant. And I certainly shouldn’t eat chicken fried steak – and I always neglect to mention these occasional orders to my cardiologist – but it’s a guilty pleasure and something I’ve enjoyed since childhood. It was long a Texas staple, once found almost everywhere, after all. Maybe enjoyed is too strong of a word; many of my early experiences with it were the tough and gristly versions from the school cafeteria, even tougher and more gristle-laden ones weekly during a college meal plan and the too often dull and far-from-tender preparations where the dish is still cooked. Enjoyed at times is more correct. There are very good preparations every now and then, though restaurants serving the dish in any level of adeptness are found diminishingly so on the more competitive local restaurant landscape. Pappas Burgers, where I had one of the best chicken fried steaks in recent years, no longer offers it, to give one example.   
 
Through four years, off and on, I’ve eaten chicken fried steaks at three dozen places in town in an effort to find the best and recommendable versions in general. There are numerous bad preparations and I ended my research on this with an attractive, if appropriately lousy one at Ouisie’s Table; tough and bland beef, cheap-tasting, with the breading falling too easily away from it, a place once known for the dish and where it was once done fairly well. The dining scene in Houston has largely moved far beyond chicken fried steaks and places like that, thankfully, but a savory chicken fried steak is still welcome every now and then for some of us. Here are the restaurants where you can find at least a decent one.
 
The Best
 
Wild Oats – $18 / $32 – Designated on the menu as “Wagyu Chicken Fried Steak / Fancy meat…” this upscale version from the Texas-themed outpost of Underbelly Hospitality is the top take on the statewide “classic” now found in our fair city. Featuring excellent meat, the regionally raised Wagyu beef, for a chicken fried steak, it is quite tender with a welcome hint of beef flavor, something that is lacking in most renditions. The breading will fall off somewhat, but no matter, it is delicious, aided by not-so-piquant jalapeño and bacon gravy. Very whipped mashed potatoes and crip green beans served with a little crumbled bacon and micro chives on top provide nice complements for the steak. For $32 for a large order, which is not terribly large at all, this might not be much of a value, but it sure is tasty.  Heights
 
Best of the Rest
 
Frank’s Americana – $28 – On a section of Westheimer that borders River Oaks, this nice, clubby restaurant serves a slightly upscale, well-crafted and flavorful take on the Texas staple that will please any income class. Served under cream gravy with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables cooked al dente for a satisfying full meal. Greenway Plaza
Killen’s – $20 / $26 – Fittingly, in the building on Waugh that housed Hickory Hollow for many years, a destination for many for its chicken fried steak, Ronnie Killen’s Inner Loop location does a more-than-creditable job with the dish. The well-seasoned steak here is noticeable, welcome and somewhat unusual, and needs no help from any bottled hot sauce, though the cream gravy is reflexive must. Served with mashed potatoes.  Washington Corridor
Killen’s STQ – $34 – It’s chicken fried ribeye at this expensive, mostly steakhouse that’s pricier and of a higher quality than most versions of the dish. It comes in a manageable size with the necessary white gravy, its frequent partner mashed potatoes that are conspicuously well-done here, and also collard greens for more of a Southern bent to the dish and restaurant.  Briargrove
Barbecue Inn – $17.50 – You don’t travel to this charmingly old school and friendly Houston relic on the north side, now near north side, for the barbecue but what comes out of the deep fryer: the fried chicken, fried shrimp and chicken fried steak. Comforting, satisfying, if nothing spectacular, but value-oriented. It’s a meal coming with cream gravy and a choice of two sides among a iceberg lettuce salad, French fries, mashed potatoes and green beans.  Near North Side
Mia’s Table – $19.99 – Johnny Carrabba’s casual, counter-service concept for hearty family friendly, locally inclined fare is justifiably popular as it does fine versions of almost everything including the tender-enough and tasty chicken fried steak; with jalapeño cream gravy for just a little bite even before the splashes of hot sauce.  Upper Kirby District, Spring Branch, Katy, Cypress, Clear Lake, The Woodlands
 
Worth a Visit For It
 
Mucky Duck – $16.95 – Just on Wednesdays, this British-themed showcase club and pub with a kitchen much better than it needs to be, offers a tender take on the battered, deep-fried steak, which is served with creamy mashed potatoes, a lot of gravy, Mexican-style street corn, and a piece of moist cornbread.  Upper Kirby District
State Fare – $24 lunch / $28 dinner – The stylish Texas-centric spots have, maybe, too many pitfalls on the menu, but its offering of the chicken fried steak is not one of them. Here, it’s a half-pound of sturdy ribeye steak that has more flavor than most versions and a crust that nicely adheres to the meat and which comes under a lot of welcome salty, cream gravy, mashed potatoes, bacon-and-onion aided green beans.  Memorial City, Sugar Land, The Woodlands
Laurenzo’s Grill – $25.99 – It’s called Vitello Fritto here, chicken fried veal, a fancier Italian-American take on it, well on the name, at least. More tender than usually found as its veal, the sausage gravy provides some additional gustatory oomph that might be necessary. The dish nicely comes with bread and a choice of side from a list of nearly twenty choices.  Washington Corridor
Hughie’s – $15 – This family run Vietnamese duo catering to a non-Vietnamese clientele also serves hamburgers and Country Fried Steak. Featuring higher quality filet mignon that is smothered in sausage and bacon gravy, it’s an appetizing interpretation. It comes with sides of just decent garlic-spiked mashed potatoes and a kale salad for just $15.  Heights (2)
Jax Grill – $15.99 – These longtime, lower key counter service places provide one of the best values for chicken fried steak. If not quite fork-tender, the beef is soft and tasty enough under a crispy crust served with a flour-y white cream gravy that all calls for some more black pepper and cayenne-based hot sauce that is now served with French fries.  Washington Corridor, Bellaire, Katy
Hickory Hollow – $12.60 / $15 / $18 – Once the local favorite for it, a stop for one can still satisfy, and even be a belt-busting diversion. Coming in small, large, and ridiculously large sizes, the last of which will engender stares from fellow diners. This familiar and crusty preparation is on the mild side and calls for hot sauce. Served with a couple sides, it’s a wallet-friendly order, especially for the considerable amount of calories.  Cypress
 
Chicken fried steak comes in more disappointing versions than just about any type of dish so it will be helpful to mention some of the restaurants where you should definitely not order it, in addition to the aforementioned Ouisie’s Table: Federal Grill, House of Pies, Luby’s, of course, and Union Kitchen.

The value-laden version at Jax Grill of a dish that is never pretty.

You might have heard commercials on sport talk radio this summer during the recent glorious baseball season touting this quaint restaurant as an easy, if usually warm and humid, stroll east to MinuteMaid Park.  It’s true, having strolled many a times from a few blocks further to the game, but there are reasons to visit Solecita last well into the off-season.
 
This slick, bright and friendly counter-service spot opened in April and provides the heart of downtown with well-made versions of tortas and tacos filled with a small number of more traditionally Mexican items: the recently popular birria, carnitas, chicken tinga, Campechanos (fajita beef, chorizo, topped with dried chicharron), poblanos and potatoes, and barbacoa de borrego.  It's odd to find stewed goat in the heart of the office towers and expensive high-rise apartments a block from Market Square, but it is very welcome and tender and delicious.  The large tortas are served on the softer telera bread of good quality.  The tacos come first with corn tortillas but flour can also be had.  Cool and breezy open-air seating is upstairs and there is a patio out front that shares space with the churro cart, a welcome addition to the nighttime street scene.  Those are also worth an order.  This is a fun and very useful place.
 
Solecita
413 Travis (between Prairie and Preston) 77002, (713) 225-1115
solecitahouston.com

I was excited for a presentation and tasting for wines of Masciarelli the other week during Milano Wine Week. Yes, there was a Milano Wine Week, and it was in Houston, too, at least as a part of it, via videoconference.  I was familiar with Masciarelli as a value producer of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  I knew that it had some well regarded wines but I had just experienced its base wine, a very affordable rustic red that would adequately wash down a weekday dinner.  This tasting highlighted some of its best bottlings, both Montepulciano and the white Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, all of which turned out to be quite good.  That wasn’t surprising.  Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, along with Barolo, are the favorite wines of legendary restaurateur Piero Selvaggio, who won a James Beard Award for wine and whose Valentino in Santa Monica had, for decades, one of the very best wine collections in the country
 
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo ("mohn-tay-pool-chee-AHN-oh duh-BROOTZ-oh) translates to the native red Montepulciano grape from the largely mountainous Italian region of Abruzzo that is east of Rome and abuts the Adriatic in the center of the country. Both the mountains and sea give the wines its often unique character. From Burton Anderson's The Wines of Italy these are generally, "full-bodied, even robust, with a capacity to age but with a supple smoothness that can make it eminently drinkable even when young." These wines have gotten much better in the past couple of decades, especially at the higher price points. These are the ones that Selvaggio really likes. But, bargains still abound.  Eric Asimov in The New York Times had an informative piece some years ago, "For Wine Lovers on a Budget, Try Montepulciano d'Abruzzo."
 
The better Montepulciano’s from Masciarelli, from the Marina Cvetic and Villa Gemma, provide something a little different, even for those familiar with Italian wines – a leanness to the wines, a lean structure.  Still deeply rub red colored, but the rusticity, maybe the most noticeable facet of the inexpensive versions of Montepulciano, is not much in evidence in these.  There are still noticeable tannins, but are firm and smooth, but the nose in each is noticeable, exuberant for the Villa Gemma Rosso Riserva 2017. The wines are smooth and flavorful.  Delicious, especially, with the Villa Gemma, which retails for around $80. The Marina Cvetic sells for roughly $30. 
 
To note, it's not related to the similarly named Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from Tuscany. That is made with a clone of Sangiovese. These can also be very fine wines, too, and a wine label with even more syllables.

The foot-long hot dog was my sustenance during the Game 2 victory over the Yankees; much better than the Chick-fil-A sandwich that my friend had and complained about.  The ‘Stros won and the roof was open.  The dog wasn’t too bad, either.  The concession options where I sat were pretty basic, nothing like the fancy dogs of some years back when concessions might have been the highlight near the end of the often hapless and usually annoying tenure of the Astros previous owner, Drayton McLane.
 
I had fun with one in a post back in 2011:
 
“Ken Hoffman says he will no longer touch his wiener….”
 
The one real reason to still make it out to MinuteMaid to catch the historically dreadful Hooks, er, ‘Stros, is the major league ballpark experience.  Part of that experience is the concessions, which have improved quite a lot in recent years at our hometown park.
 
On yesterday’s Richard Justice Show on 1560 AM – which airs each Wednesday from 10 to noon – beloved columnist Ken Hoffman openly disavowed the hot dog named after him that is sold at MinuteMaid. 
 
The Ken Hoffman New York Dog served with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard is one of the usually tasty Extreme Dogs that are available near sections 125 and 154.  As you would expect, the Hoffman dog is not the best – that honor likely goes to the Diablo – nor is it anywhere close to being the most popular – “the Blue Dog is our stadium favorite dog topped with roasted red peppers, blue cheese and bacon,” according to the ballclub.  But, the Hoffy dog is actually a very good hot dog. 
 
So, it was odd to hear Hoffman say on the air that he was going to forsake his namesake, one that he worked so hard to claim as his own.  In so many words, he said he was no longer going to touch his wiener. 
 
Though he is probably partial to the traditional “dirty-water dogs” of New York from his formative years, it was not the grilled aspect that is making him forgo these in the future.  But, just to be clear, Hoffman did not actually state that he was not going to eat the dog that bears his name.  He said that he has begun eating healthy. 
 
And, healthy eating, by definition, means the exclusion of hot dogs, including his grandiosely named wiener.

Following Game 4 in Yankees Stadium, AP

The e-mail awaiting me this morning from The Mucky Duck was touting The Mark Portugal sandwich, it's best-selling sandwich.  As most diners know, what is primarily a live music venue has  a very adept kitchen makes the Mucky Duck a worthy stop even when there are no performers.  The food is far better than it has to be.  One of its best sandwiches - and sandwiches are certainly one reason to visit for lunch - is The Mark Portugal, which is sliced turkey with avocado slices and topped with melted Muenster cheese and large strips of bacon on a crusty, quality French roll that is served warm and with properly crispy fries and a pickle wedge.

Who is or was Mark Portugal?  Mark Portugal was plump-when-he-was-playing starting pitcher for the Astros who was a regular at the Mucky Duck while he pitched here in the 1990s. The Astrodome, where the team played until 2000, was just a few miles straight down Kirby from The Mucky Duck and Portugal along with several players for the team including Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell frequented the bar for beer and food.  Portugal might have enjoyed those more than his teammates spending a lot of time at the place and even helping to devise the sandwich that bears his name.  Turkey, yes and expected for a professional athlete, but buttressed with fatty melted Muenster cheese and avocado and thick slices of bacon, befitting someone who looked like Portugal in a uniform.

Portugal became good friends with Chris Black who devised the beer program at bar and who later moved to Denver opening along with his brothers The Falling Rock Tap House, the best beer bar in the Mountain Time Zone for about a quarter century.  Longtime friends with Chris's brother, Steve, and knowing Chris, too, I happened to be the recipient of Portugal's players' tickets in the field box for a game at Coors Field when I was visiting Denver some years ago and The Rockies were at home against the Phillies, Portugal's team at the time.  So, I have special regard for The Mark Portugal Sandwich beyond its evident qualities as a sandwich.

The Mark Portugal Sandwich from The Mucky Duck

Though it is on a Bagby and Gray Streets on a much-traveled section of Midtown blocks from the edge of downtown, I sense that Izakaya is one of the more underappreciated restaurants in Houston.  That is good for me, as it is always easy to get a table during lunch and enjoy one of its midday dining specials, which are terrific values.  I’ve drifted to the attractively presented bento boxes in recent months that are especially wallet-friendly for the quality.
 
For between $11 and $13, you’ve got a choice among four proteins to anchor the order: sliced beef steak, chicken teriyaki, miso-glazed salmon and curry tofu.  And another choice of two sides to go along with the steamed rice sprinkled with black sesame seeds, a green salad with the recognizable creamy dressing, and pickled vegetables that come with each.  Six preparations in all, all done quite well in my several recent trips to the restaurant.
 
The flavors are expected for each item, highlighting informed technique and good quality ingredients.  The miso-glazed salmon has been my favorite thus far with the chicken teriyaki a close second.  The salmon initially seemed a little dry and overcooked at first but was still moist throughout and with a very pleasant taste helped by a marinade that did not overwhelm the fish.  The chicken is made with thigh meat, nicely.  The steak was pretty good, I thought, with a nice reddish center evident in the thin pieces, but certainly not a prime cut of Prime with beef prices as they are.
 
For the sides – which have been the highlights for me – there are chicken karaage, edamame, agedashi tofu, tykoyaki (octopus), chicken wings, roasted vegetables, and cucumber salad.  Chicken karage that comes with an interesting lemon-tinged dipping sauce, agedashi tofu and the cooling cucumber salad have been items I’ve enjoyed the most along with the side salad, as much I as enjoy the dressing.
 
A sibling of Kata Robata, one of the best restaurants in Houston, Izakaya also produces excellent fare that is largely also Japanese but with some thoughtfully tuned influences from elsewhere in the world.  Though usually slow during lunch, it can be lively in the evening but still seemingly flying under the radar, which is somewhat odd as it is serving easily the best food in that part of Midtown.  The lunch menu is an affordable way to experience some of it.
 
Izakaya
318 Gray (at Bagby), 77002, (713) 527-8988
izakayamidtown.com

The line between Mexican and Tex-Mex (and Texas Mexican, too) can be blurry at times and getting blurrier as restaurants continue to evolve.  For this, Mexican restaurants serve preparations that are more truly representative of the cooking of Mexico, with few concessions to American tastes.  The exception is that Texas creation, breakfast tacos, at the more casual stops; local customers of all stripes demand them on the weekends.
 
The king of Mexican restaurateurs is Hugo Ortega, our version of Chicago’s terrific Rick Bayless, except he was born and raised in Mexico.  Along with his wife, Tracy Vaught, Ortega has created a small restaurant empire that include four of the very best Mexican restaurants in the area that highlights the cooking in many areas south of the border with a welcome refinement.  The settings in each are attractive and comfortable, beverages are well beyond excellent margaritas, and service is always nicely professional, something that stands out in Houston.  Enticing Mexican fare can be found is much more humble settings and lower price points.  There are several counter-service stops that work very well for tacos, tortas and more.
 
The restaurants are listed below in order of preference.
 
The Best
 
Hugo’s – Montrose – The restaurant that introduced the authentic fine dining Mexican restaurant to Houston in 2002 is still going strong and a fixture in the heart of Montrose that works well as a stop for dinner, lunch and brunch.  Approachable, lively and easily appealing and most everything works well from a menu that takes inspiration from much of Mexico across meats, seafood, vegetables and even chapulines.  Crispy duck in mole Poblano, grilled octopus, delectable carnitas, lamb barbacoa and the decadent churros stuffed with dulce de leche served with thick Mexican hot chocolate are just a few of the enticements.
Xochi – Downtown – Xochi opened in 2018 in time for the Houston-hosted Super Bowl – there has never been a Houston team in the Super Bowl, of course – with an array of enticing Oaxacan-themed offerings, most well-suited for sharing that was something a both little different and also quickly familiar.  There are crudos, roasted oysters, an array of moles, as Oaxaca is the land of seven moles, after all, and other preparations, all bolstered by excellent sourcing.  There are even a few insects on the menu, for the adventurous, even if these tastes might not be too far out.  As at their other restaurants, Sean Beck puts together compelling wines and cocktails that makes this a clear winner both dining and imbibing.  Located in the Marriott Marquis across from Discovery Green downtown, the interior is quite attractive, more so the further you are from the lobby, though the patio seating can be an invitation to be pan-handled.  The cooking is as good as Hugo’s – and maybe more consistently so – though it is less of a value.
 Caracol – Galleria – More lively, attractive and atmospheric than Hugo Ortega’s other local Mexican spots, this specializes in seafood preparations inspired from the cooking along much of Mexico’s long coastlines.  Crispy calamari with serrano peppers, mussels with distinctly Mexican flavors, wood-fire-grilled butterflied fish, wonderful oysters roasted in a wood-burning oven, and any one of several creatively turned ceviches are a few of the highlights from an expectedly enticing menu.

Very Good
 
Maize – West Houston – On the western stretch of Memorial, the kitchen here is headed by Fabian Saldana, a native of Mexico and former executive chef at Xochi, and this serves a well-executed “blend of homage, authenticity, and innovation.”  The offerings are familiar and less so.  There is a seafood tower done Mexican style, enchiladas with duck confit, vegan items and a section on insect preparations.  But there will be plenty to entice even the most casual fans of Mexican cooking on its good-sized menu, and everything is prepared with a greater refinement and complexity than is typical.  The setting is comfortable, bright, a few rooms in what was the longtime home of Carmelo’s.
Cuchara – Montrose – Self-described as a Mexico City-style bistro, the preparations here are vibrant, often surprisingly light, and always enjoyable from a menu that highlights dishes not often found in Houston.  Portions are sensibly sized, maybe more so than large appetites might appreciate.  The setting is comfortable with an industrial and minimalist, urban feeling highlighted with whimsical cartoons that dot the wall from the chef’s sister that is well-suited to its address on Taft and Fairview near the heart of Montrose. 
Urbe – Uptown Park – Though this does not have the culinary fireworks you may encounter at one of Hugo Ortega’s other three local Mexican restaurants, Urbe is easily the most accessible and maybe the most useful for many diners that is counter-service morning and midday and full service in the evening with pandemic-friendly take-away items easily feeding two. You can your quality Mexican fix here for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week all for a very fair tariff at an enticing, welcoming place that seats almost 300 people plus a patio. Attractively plated dishes inspired by the street foods of a lot of Mexico with maybe an emphasis on its sprawling capital include highlights like the Torta Ahoga, shredded inside a terrific birote bread with a side of chile de arbol-centric salsa, the large fried pork rind with sides of guacamole and salsas, an entire roasted cauliflower with aioli and cojita cheese, and the Arrachera, a tender and flavorful wood-grilled skirt steak complemented by roasted pineapple and mushroom relish.  In a testament to Ortega and team, even the roasted cauliflower head here is delicious.
Saltillo – Bellaire – Unfortunately hampered by staffing issues more so than just about any other quality restaurant – there might not be anyone at the hostess stand, tables are not bussed, it can take a long while even in a nearly deserted dining room – but the food is so tasty, interesting and often refined, it is worth the inconvenience (and mess).  Cubed chicken breasts in the enchiladas are another demerit.  This specializes in very large cuts of steak meant to be shared by several diners.  Namesake Saltillo in northern Mexico is cattle country.  The setting is quiet, not really charming, and tucked away in a sliver of a nicer strip center in Bellaire, it is visiting for the cooking alone.
Polanquito – Washington Corridor –  This full-service spot occupies a bright café-like space in an old house on Shepherd.  Taking its name from the upscale neighborhood of Polanco in Mexico City – Polanquito is "little Polanco" – this is a nice, if casual, spot serving up well-made, usually enticing and nicely presented versions of unpretentious dishes from several areas of Mexico, and found in the Distrito Federal.  Not ambitious, but it provides a very welcome, often lighter taste of Mexico, with a nice array of choices with preparations that do look and taste like that do in the home country.
Picos – Upper Kirby – This has been favorite of Mexican food fans and discerning margarita drinkers for decades beginning with its more humble location on Bellaire Boulevard and can make for a very enjoyable visit with its well-executed Mexican staples from across its seven culinary regions that the restaurant touts like conchinita pibil, chile en nogada or mole coloradito with a leg of lamb and terrific margaritas bolstered by an impressive array of tequilas.  Don’t expect to do much afterwards, as the food can be on the heavy side and portions are usually substantial; the margaritas, too.  Amazingly loud with anything approaching a full house.
 
Counter Service / Very Casual Stalwarts
 
Tio Trompo – Washington Corridor – A fairly bare-bones counter service taqueria with a limited menu that specializes in cuts of pork from the spinner, the trompo, the vertical spit used to cook pork al pastor, is a key attraction.  That slowly roasted pork, which retains its moistness unlike at far too many taquerias in Houston, makes its way into traditional tacos, excellent tortas and the Torta Arabe, a type of gyro or doner kabob from the Puebla area.  The Taco Oriental is another oddity from there that is also worth ordering.  This is nicely across the small street from Polanquito on Shepherd just north of Memorial Drive. 
La Chingada – Heights – The humorous, or crude, name – the successor to its previous cheeky one –  obscures that this fairly humble spot serves some seriously good cooking that often references Mexico City and Oaxaca and is a terrific value on Cavalcade just north of the Heights proper. Made to order breakfast tacos provide a draw in the mornings, then there is an array of chilaquiles dishes, excellent enchiladas verdes, milanesas, tacos in a variety of ways, tortas and much more, with nothing topping $20 except for the fajitas and mixed grill.  Margaritas, micheladas and other libations, too.   
Mexico’s Deli – West Houston – Excellent, hot Mexican-style sandwiches, which are not only delicious, but a tremendous value is the simple reason to visit here.  There are roughly two dozen tortas, plus soups, tacos, burritos, grilled items (alambres), pambazos (tasty, but very messy guajillo chile-dipped stuffed sandwiches), and breakfast, all prepared to order on the flat grills and a meat-laden spinner in the open kitchen.  This comfortable, low-key and informal small eatery with muted brass and copper hues has a proper modern Mexican feel for its torta-centric menu.  These large sandwiches are served on airy telera bread, which is light, relatively thin and quite flavorful, if barely containing the bounteous filling.  It might take a while to properly digest the very wide array of tempting sandwiches on this small menu.  Don’t worry, it is tough to make a mistake. 
100% Taquito – Upper Kirby – The fare here is the street food of Mexico City: tacos, quesadillas, tortas, sopes, molletes, banderillas, etc., though done in a slightly more upscale and air-conditioned fashion. The tacos here are taquitos, small tacos in Spanish, and n order consists of three small tacos filled with a choice of usually excellent ingredients: chicken, regular brisket (barbacoa de brisket), spicy brisket cooked with chipotle peppers (tinga), and pork al pastor.  You can get these with either small fresh corn or flour tortillas, which seem to taste a tad better with the more traditionally Mexican corn tortillas.  All taquitos are garnished with just cilantro and onions, and he complimentary salsas, red and green, of course, are excellent and helpful, as is the suitably vibrant and zesty pico del gallo.  With these atop, you will likely have an excellent dish.
La Guadalupana – Montrose – Though not much to look at, and really not much at all in terms of size, this is nonetheless an excellent neighborhood place for a pleasing Mexican meal in the morning or afternoon, or to grab some attractive and scrumptious pastries, Mexican and otherwise, and coffee. The dumpy little dining room has become increasingly more crowded, and less dumpy, in recent years as more have discovered the considerable charms of the inexpensive breakfast and lunch spot. For around ten bucks or so, you can get lighter-than-typical enchiladas verdes or poblano enchiladas – with a proprietor from Puebla, the mole poblano are worth ordering – or, for about the same price, the terrific stewed pork slathered in a verdant spicy salsa, asado de puerco. The breakfast tacos are not what they once were, but the other, dine-in-type morning preparations are worth a stop.
Solecita – Downtown – This slick and friendly counter-service spot opened just in April 2022 and provides the heart of downtown with well-made versions of tortas and tacos filled with a small number of more traditionally Mexican items: the recently popular birria, carnitas, chicken tinga, Campechanos (fajita beef, chorizo, topped with dried chicharron), poblanos and potatoes, and barbacoa de borrego.  It's odd to see stewed goat in the heart of the office towers and expensive high-rise apartments a block from Market Square, but it is very welcome and delicious.  The large tortas are served on the softer telera bread and the tacos come first with corn tortillas but flour can also be had.  Cool and breezy open-air seating is upstairs and there is a patio out front that shares space with the churro cart, a welcome addition to the nighttime street scene.  Those are also worth an order.  
La Vibra – Heights – A unique taco specialist offering something a little different, this mostly serves three different styles of tacos from Mexico City: costra, volcan and classico.  The unusual costra, which here means Gouda cheese cooked on the flattop grill to create a shell, traces its origin directly from a taco spot just outside of a club in Mexico City in the early part of the century.  These can be fun.  The volcan is a lot like a tostada and the classico is the familiar type.  The tacos are on the small side but fillings – beef steak, shrimp, fish, pastor with pineapple are tasty – and the complementary salsas like mole poblano, tamarind, roasted tomato and tomatillo are generally mild but particularly flavorful.  In a strip center not far north of I-10, this is in a fairly slick counter-service space well-suited to a prosperous more youthful Heights.
Master Taco – Montrose – This food truck that’s been park on Richmond and Woodhead since March of 2020 is run by a friendly family originally from the state of Guerrero, home of Acapulco.  “Taco” is in the name for a reason.  With both the flour and corn tortillas made in-house and well-done, and with a well-prepared, interesting array of fillings, tasty salsas and the necessary lime quarters and chopped cilantro and onions to complement, the small tacos, taquitos, actually, are why you should stop here.  An order of five or six will be necessary for most.  Tasty but tiny.  The non-taco items are not as reliable.

The Green Pipian Mole with Pork Ribs at Polanquito

The posterboard affixed to the exterior of the empty half of a tiny strip center on Shepherd just north of Memorial Drive warns that the parking spaces are only for Tio Trompo.  Just across the two-lane Feagan, Polanquito, which sits in an older one-story house, has seen about half of its parking spots taken away by the interminable construction on Shepherd.  It’s been tough to park for Polanquito for months now.  I’ve given up at least once recently and when I did dine there recently, it was only after I returned a few minutes after my initial try.
 
It is a shame.  Polanquito has a liquor license as of the past several weeks and along with Tio Trompo, it offers high quality Mexican cuisine that is somewhat unique for Houston in an approachable and friendly space.
 
Tio Trompo and Polanquito offer two different aspects of Mexican food.  Tio Trompo, which opened at the end of last year, is a fairly bare-bones counter service taqueria with a limited menu that specializes in cuts of pork from the spinner, the trompo, the vertical spit used to cook pork al pastor, is a key attraction.  That slowly roasted pork, which retains its moistness unlike at far too many taquerias in Houston, makes its way into traditional tacos, excellent tortas and the Torta Arabe.  Though I was not exactly familiar with this large taco-style item, served on a type of pita bread, its name was not surprising as I was familiar with the story of Lebanese immigrants bringing the trompo to Mexico a century or so ago.  The taco arabe, I have come to learn, is a specialty of the city of Puebla near where the proprietor is from.  Tio Trompo also does a really nice job with breakfast tacos and tacos with barbacoa de res.  It is one of the best dining values to be found inside the Loop.
 
The full-service Polanquito occupies a bright café-like space.  Taking its name from the upscale neighborhood of Polanco in Mexico City – Polanquito is "little Polanco" – this is a nice, if casual, spot serving up well-made, usually enticing and nicely presented versions of unpretentious dishes from several areas of Mexico, and found in Mexico’s largest city.  It is broadly similar to Cuchara in Montrose in style and substance.  Polanquito provides a welcome, often lighter taste of Mexico, with a nice array of choices.  Its chef was quoted around its opening in 2019 in the Houston Chronicle as saying that: “We make authentic, elaborate Mexican dishes that will make you feel like you're dining in Mexico.  Our food represents many Mexican provinces such as Sinaloa, Veracruz, Puebla, and Yucatán.”  The dishes do look and taste as 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 with the Green Shrimp Aguachile.  And, also, to a lesser extent with the green mole with the pork ribs, Pipian.  I’ve had good luck with a number of dishes here. 
 
Polanquito is currently open for lunch Wednesday through Friday, dinner on Friday and Saturday with a more ambitious menu, and brunch and lunch on the weekends.  Tio Trompo is open from breakfast beginning at 8 AM through dinner Tuesday through Saturday and for breakfast and lunch on Sunday.  Try to ignore the current construction, which is easier to do for Tio Trompo, and visit these restaurants if you enjoy Mexican food like in Mexico.
 
Polanquito
404 Shepherd (at Feagan), 77007, (713) 485-4047
polanquitohtx.com
 
Tio Trompo
316 Shepherd (at Feagan), Houston, 77007, (832) 804-6364
tiotrompo.com

When we finally booked our rental in Verona for June, I knew for sure that I was going to head to Soave, just about a half-hour away, during the stay there.  That was because of ignorance.  I really didn’t know much at all about the wines of Soave other than a few producers like Pieropan and Pra were highly regarded and I remember enjoying those in the past.  Soave is made primarily with the Garganega grape, which is largely unknown to most, myself included.  Reading about the spectacular, brand new winery at Pieropan made the trip there even more desired.  Then the town of Soave was named this spring as the "Borgo dei Borghi 2022” or the most beautiful village in Italy by an Italian travel television show.  The most beautiful village in all of Italy, which is filled with hundreds of beautiful villages, towns and cities, is quite something.  I felt that it would have been a sin not to visit.
 
Thankfully, we were able to get a reservation for a tour and tasting.  As Italy has changed with he pandemic and reservations required for seemingly most everything, we almost missed our chance.  My brother and sister-in-law ran to the winery near the close of business the previous day to sweettalk us into a nearly last-minute spots for a visit.
 
Not far from the autostrada, the next day our van drove through some of the village and then snaking through vineyards to a parking space in front of the winery.  Pieropan’s entrance is rather dramatic: numerous irregular tan columns set in front of a lengthy curving portico with a walkway leading to small glass door entrance and the bulk of the winery hid under the rising hilltop that is covered in more vines.  I’ve been to a number of wineries, mostly in Italy, and I’ve never seen anything like Pieropan in Soave.  Finally finished and opening to the public in April and costing a reported 20 million euros, it takes advantage of current technology, inspired industrial design, beautiful contemporary architecture, a minimalist décor, and a strong sensibility for a low-impact to the environment and sustainability in production.
 
After an introduction by the entrance, our smallish group was lead through dark gray, mostly unadorned and soaring hallways to the first of the production rooms.  That was one of the most striking aspects of the winery’s design was the compartmentalization.  Each part of the wine production – crushing, fermentation, aging for each type of Soave, bottling, packaging – seemed to have its own room.  Another was the extensive use of nitrogen, which was distributed from a room of its own, too.  Pieropan claims to be one of the first to use nitrogen in the bottles, allowing for much less use of sulfites as a preservative, just 30 to 40 grams.  Those lower amounts help the wines age much better they believe.  Their basic Calvarino bottlings of Soave can easily age fifteen to twenty years.
 
Large rectangular fermentation tanks fit snuggly against each other with no wasted space in the fermentation room.  The aging room for Calvarino initially appeared to be something out of Alien, large almost egg-like cement vessels in two sizes set in three straight rows alighted from below in a largely darkened room.  The next chambers, for wood-aged La Rocca wines was nearly as dramatic, featured rows of similar-looking red-banded tonneaux, the French 500-liter barrels, on the floor with a few larger vertical wood tanks visible along the walls, and a pithy phrase shown in neon above some of them.  We saw rooms for bottling, for the direct distribution to restaurants in Italy of specially aged bottles, and for bulk distribution that had plenty of space for trucks to be loaded.  There was a lot of extra space for substantial expansion.  The winery makes around 700,000 bottles of Soave now.  The most surprising thing to me was that there are just two production employees, if I heard our guide correctly.  That is efficient.
 
There were several other men in our small group for the tour.  Tall and poorly dressed, I assumed that they were German or Dutch.  Taking non-touristy photos like the inside of a large fermentation vessel and asking very technical questions, it turned out that they were from a winery in Croatia getting tips and inspiration.  There was a lot to learn from this new subterranean palace.
 
Though each of us was quite impressed with the design and look of the winery, we were mostly there to taste the wines, which did not disappoint after we had moved to a clean-lined conference room that looked out to the expanse of vines.  All were beautiful balanced, fruity enough and noticeable acidity and a certain depth of flavor.  Pieropan’s wines are made only with organic grapes if selected yeasts.  From the base Soave Classico, crisp and tasty and a very welcome aperitif, especially on a warm day.  The Calvarino Soave that is aged in the glass-lined cement tanks was my favorite, with a pronounced minerality, a salinity, and a long taste and notable finesse.  The wood-aged La Rocca was a favorite of a few of the others, offering a different, more deeply flavored aspect of the Garganega, with even a small portion of grapes that might see some botrytis depending on the year.  We also tasted a Valpolicella that Pieropan makes in a separate winery in the Valpolicella territory just to the west of Soave.  They “make red wine like white wine.”  Delicious, too.
 
A visit to Pieropan was the start to a very enjoyable day – there were two more stops in Soave – and one of the highlights of two weeks in Italy this summer.

All photos courtesy of Rob Montoya with the exception of the "Pieropan" wall, which is from Italian Weekly Wine News.

I dine out frequently; it’s been even more so this August with Houston Restaurant Weeks that benefits the Houston Food Bank – doing charity work while at the table – and also some renewed desire to try and re-try places on my lengthy list of eateries.  And I’ve eaten at a number of well-regarded restaurants very recently including Izakaya, The Grove, Brasserie du Parc, Kiran's, Coppa Osteria, Weights & Measures, Bludorn, Riel, Toro Toro, and The Annie.  A few a visits were for lunch or happy hour and a few were quite good, but clearly the best meal I’ve had in the last three restaurant-packed weeks was at Saldivia’s, the Uruguayan steakhouse in west Houston.
 
Long a favorite of the family, we ate there in early August for the first time since the advent of the pandemic.  It had been too long.  My meal was terrific, no surprise.  The star, as almost always, was the entraña, a dark-brown cut of skirt steak crisscrossed with darker grill marks and topped with a nearly addictive chimicurri sauce and in a small pool by some bloody juice from being perfectly cooked to medium-rare.
 
The entraña is the signature cut at Saldivia’s.  It is the rather humble outside skirt steak – which is from the plate section, below the rib and between the brisket and flank and whose fat has been trimmed off by the restaurant.  Proprietor Gus Saldivia told us that he purchases halal steaks for its more natural and better flavor.  The entraña remained juicy and remarkably tender for the cut, while being nicely beefy and extremely flavorful.  Though no assist was necessary, the oily, tart and garlicky house-made chimichurri sauce is an excellent accompaniment.  Made in the traditional Uruguayan, Argentine way, it is much more savory and complementary to food than the versions of chimichurri served at Churrascos and the newish Toro Toro in the Four Seasons.
 
The twelve-ounce steak came with a half-dozen slices of grilled carrot, squash and zucchini displayed in an alternating orange, yellow and green-tinged array, a thick column of yellow rice and some plump, roasted potatoes with a few small pieces of parsley, all provided welcome partners to the meaty centerpiece.  It was an impressive plate for now just $35 or so.  Excellent empanadas in several varieties, blood sausage, sauteed sweetbreads and crusty, fresh bread provided the delicious opening rounds.  And there was plenty Tannant, the star varietal of Uruguay, to wash down the meats and everything.  It was a fun, caloric and noticeably very tasty visit once again, notable even among meals at top local restaurants.
 
Saldivia’s
10850 Westheimer (between Walnut Bend and Westheimer), Houston, 77042, (713) 782-9494
saldivias.com

An order of the entraña at Saldivia's earlier this month

The name “Soave” doesn’t mean much to most wine drinkers.  If the name resonates at all, it doesn’t resonate well: it’s as a bland or insipid white wine, at least for those with a few vintages under their belts back when Soave was one of the most popular wines from Italy.  And, much of what was sold here under the Soave banner – from Bolla, for example – was truly bland and insipid.  However, the influential Italian wine critic James Suckling has asserted that “Soave should be your go-to dry white for food… [as a] fresh Soave pairs well with almost everything on your dinner table thanks to its approachable styles, freshness and wonderful balance that are keys to drinkability.”  That was a key take-away after recently spending nearly a week in Verona and visiting a few wineries in nearby Soave, the town, which gives its name to white wines made there and close by.
 
The cool, typically crisp, slightly fruity and balanced, surprisingly fuller flavored than anticipated Soaves, often with welcome minerality, paired extremely well with the very warm Italian summer and the Italian version of air conditioning.  Thanks to its evident acidity, these are very capable and versatile food wines, as Suckling wrote, more so we found with lighter fare.  We drank quality versions readily, as an aperitif, with the pasta course and even at the end of the evening.  
 
Soave does not feature a well-known varietal.  It is made with a minimum of 70% Garganega and a maximum 30% Trebbiano di Soave, which is Verdicchio in the Marche region, and possibly also up to 5% of Chardonnay.  Pronounced gar-GAHN-eh-guh, Garganega came to the Veneto, where it is almost solely grown, centuries ago from Sicily where its antecedent is known as Grecanico.
 
The Soaves we quite enjoyed there were: Ca’ Rugate Soave Classico 2021 San Michele; I Campi Soave Classico Campo Vulcano 2020; Le Battistelle Soave Classico 2021; Pra Otto Soave 2021; and three different expressions from Pieropan.  I was hooked, but it can take some effort to find these are similar quality Soave here.  There are seven Soaves at the closest Total Wine to me, including the terrific, mineral-laden Calvarino that regularly garners a prestigious Tre Bicchieri rating from Gambero Rosso and the richer, La Rocca that is aged for fifteen months in fairly large barrels then in 500-liter tonneaux, both that I really enjoyed both at the winery and afterwards.  The big Spec’s on Smith Street has only five, but the base bottling from Pieropan, the Soave Classico, which is still quite nice.  Be sure to check the vintage dates at Spec’s, which can’t really be trusted, especially for its Italian white wines.  From Houston for Soave, it might be easier to order from out of town.

At the new Pieropan winery in June in Soave.

You hear Frank Sinatra.  If Sinatra or any of the other notable Italian-American crooners are on the restaurant’s soundtrack, the restaurant is certainly not Italian; it is most likely Italian-American.  Sinatra was not from Italy, but from the New York area and his music was American and something that those seeking to create a genuine Italian atmosphere, usually primarily with its menu and food, will not play.  You don’t really hear Sinatra in the trattorie or ristoranti in Italy, after all.
 
His music is still great, and I am a huge fan.  It and that of fellow mid-century Italian-Americans, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Louis Prima, Bobby Darin, and even sometimes Vic Damone and the overly smooth Perry Como, have helped to provide a very enjoyable and complementary musical background to restaurants here – mostly Italian-American and steakhouses – for decades, long after they’ve stopped recording.  I’ve made note of that before.
 
I have enjoyed myself countless times when dining out with Sinatra and friends playing around.  It just wasn’t with Italian food.

Tajarin with shaved white truffles a few years ago at Ristorante San Marco in Canelli near Asti.  It wasn't bad.

“Wine was food, part of the necessary calories of the day” for those that worked here in years past said Vittorio delle Ore, the proprietor of the Villa di Maser, to our small group visiting earlier this summer.  Even the site of the villa, long called Villa Barbaro after its founders, was because the Barbaro brothers in the mid-16th century thought it was advantageous for vineyards he further explained. 
 
That statement was not surprising to me, but the juxtaposition of it with the extraordinary setting, in one of the most famous buildings designed by Andrea Palladio – “the perfect Renaissance villa,” according to a British Academy article and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site – while we were surrounded by magnificent and sometimes whimsical frescoes by Renaissance master Paolo Veronese covering its walls and ceilings, helped to emphasize just how important wine has been to Italian life over the centuries.  Though wine is luxury to many people today, where vineyards grew historically, wine was an important part of the daily diet for nearly all.
 
And in a link to its history, the vineyards here are still producing wine, now under the Villa di Maser label.  Wine remains a significant part of Italian life, maybe not as essential to everyday living but important for economic and cultural reasons, not to mention gastronomic and celebratory.  And, Villa di Maser’s wine were part of our enjoyment later.

The front of Villa di Maser, from Wikipedia

The strong smell of fish wafted by as the waiter brought a second platter with two very popular local items, baccalà and slices of prosciutto crudo, to the pair of slight college-aged women sitting nearby in the alleyway that provides the seating for the suitably small wine bar La Piccola Vineria in the medieval section of the port city of Trieste in Italy’s northeastern edge.  It’s certainly something not to be seen in wine bars in this country, an order, much less two, of reconstituted salt cod as happy hour snacks.  Nor the prices, which hovered around four euros – just four dollars these days – for most of the dozen or so likely delicious selections by the glass.  These are high quality wines that are at least $15 to $20 per glass here, if imported.  Maybe it was a little cheaper than most, but this is emblematic of the wine bars in Trieste, where high quality wine is very affordable, as the city lies quite near terrific wine areas all around, especially the Collio – which extends Brda in adjacent Slovenia – but also the Carso and Friuli Colli Orientali.
 
The wines of the Collio are generally serious but approachable, seemingly always with evident minerality, sufficient and enjoyable fruit notes, a complexity, pleasant acidity – a brightness – and nearly always balance among its white varietals from the crisp Ribolla Gialla both in still and sparkling versions; Pinot Grigio, which seems to reach its apex here; the local favorite Friuliano that seems made to accompany seafood; the rich and savory Sauvignon and Chardonnay, both tasting different than elsewhere and nearly always quite pleasurable.  And others.  I believe that it is clearly best region for white wine in Italy.  And then the wines from the small Carso appellation surrounding Trieste, lead by light and often almond-scented Vitoska, Malvasia, the unique, vivid red Terrano, can be quite nice.
 
Though it was wine that played a part in bringing me to Trieste – I had been on a trip nearby sponsored by the consortiums of Collio and Carso a decade ago – it took me a few days to discern the bars where best to discover and enjoy quality wines, as I didn’t come across signs announcing “wine bar” or its Italian counterpart “enoteca” in my walks around the city.  I miss some things.  There are certainly no shortage of places to get a glass of wine in the tourist-friendly expanse of central Trieste, though.  Cafés and restaurants both with plenty of sidewalk-facing seating abound.  Coffee might be the beverage that most would associate Trieste with.  It is home to the famed Illy brand, around 40% of Italy’s coffee comes through its port, and there are still a few grand Viennese-style cafés.  Then Trieste has culture of drinking that might be more pronounced than elsewhere in Italy due, in part, to its Austrian and Slavic influences. The enjoyment of coffee, aperitivi and wine might be on display at many of these places, often at the same time, even well before noon.
 
You can get some really good wine by the glass at many or all of these, but it really helps to do some research.  I finally did that, or remembered some, after my first few days.  My unimpressive and uncomfortably warm business hotel had a magazine guide of the city from the end of last year, and in it was a page recommending spots to drink wine from Stefano Cosma, a food and wine writer in the area.  I also found a piece online a few years earlier from the estimable Jancis Robinson and re-read a helpful “36 Hours in Trieste, Italy” from The New York Times.  I used these to track down a spots, and wines, especially where there was overlap between the articles. 
 
Here are wine bars to suggest in Trieste near the tourist heart of the city, all unpretentious, which provided some excellent white wines to help quench my summertime thirst:

• Al Ciketo – Just off the pedestrian via Cavanna that is strewn with shops and restaurants, and a stone’s throw from La Piccola Vineria, this tiny, atmospheric place with alleyway seating can be a popular happy hour stop, and it’s blackboard filled with interesting wines both local and from elsewhere in Italy and there are cicchetti, small plates, to accompany.
• Enoteca Nanut – Around for a quarter of a century tucked away in the touristic center by the Canal Grande but easy to miss, here you can explore lesser-known Italian labels along or indulge in bubbles from Champagne, and it has a kitchen, too.
• Gran Malabar – Walking by, a visitor would probably just see this as a comfortable attractive café with tables on the small piazza in front.  The chalkboard of wines by the glass is notable, enticing with about three dozen selections, mostly white and mostly regional, but also a nice collection of bubbles from Champagne and Franciorta, and items like Gaja’s Chardonnay and a Gewurztraminer from Elena Walch.  The staff might have no idea what a barrique or tonneaux is, but what they are pouring will be very enjoyable. 
• La Bottiglia Volante – A couple of blocks from the Canal Grande, this smart and contemporary space is inviting and gives off a trendier vibe with its penchant for natural wines.  
• La Piccola Vineria – Invitingly quaint and friendly, you might enjoy a Collio producer like Toros that’s not widely distributed in this country, or even a Champagne from a historic house.
• Portizza – On the busy Piazza della Borsa, this popular café sports a terrific collection of regional wines that many spritz-drinking tourists and locals might not notice.

 
Though these wine bars might be the best places to casually explore the wine regions nearby, seemingly all the local restaurants will serve quality wines for a pittance.  Along those lines, I had to stop and gaze at the wines by the glass menu – “vini alla mescita” – posted outside of a humble restaurant serving the hearty fare of Alto Adige. For between all of between three and five-a-half euros per glass was about a dozen choices including the excellent wineries Venica & Venica, Villa Russiz, Russiz Superiore and Jermman, that last with a couple wines. 
 
Trieste is a wonderful place to drink wine, especially white wines.
 
Something else to mention concerning wine and Trieste: Though it doesn’t ship to the U.S. – I tried when I was there – Enoteca Bischoff, a retail shop along the busy via Mazzini and about a block or so from Enoteca Nanut that’s been around in some form since 1777 is worth a perusal for wine lovers for its impressively curated selection of wines, mostly Italian and well beyond the region and more.

Just the white wines at Gran Malabar in Trieste in June