Italian-American restaurants in Houston
Called “Italian” by nearly everyone, the Italian-American food is really what most restaurants serve. This is the familiar, hearty, often red-sauced cooking loved by all Americans. Italian-American is not a bad thing, but it is more descriptive and correct. The food found in these restaurants here is fairly similar to Italian-American restaurants elsewhere. There has been a recognizable national Italian-American cuisine since at least the 1930s. That has developed and been bolstered with dishes from Italy and elsewhere over the decades.
Though the menus will be readily familiar, there are a few regional variations. Located near the Gulf, shrimp and crab have long been popular on local Italian menus, as have the fish, red snapper and sometimes redfish and flounder. Descendants of Immigrants from Sicily provide the bulk of the Italian-Americans in the Houston area. For diners, this notably includes the extended Mandola clan, who run several very popular restaurants. Sicily’s favorite vegetable, eggplant, makes it into at least a couple menu items everywhere, and several local restaurants have adopted an addictive starter featuring breaded and pan-fried asparagus topped with lump crab meat and a lemon-butter sauce. There are always several pastas including lasagna, almost always chicken breast preparations, usually several veal dishes, including a hefty veal chop, and several steaks.
Updated December 13, 2014
To note per each of the entries below: 1) average total dinner cost per person, 2) "entrees: " price, and 3) average entree price. For example: $70, entrees: $16 to $31, $21 - the entrees are priced between $16 and $31, and the average of an entree is $21.
Antica Osteria – Upper Kirby – $60, entrées: $11 to $30, $18 –2311 Bissonnet (west of Greenbriar), 77005, (713) 521-1155 – This capable Italian eatery delights more than its Southampton neighbors in a rambling and comfy house. Its solicitous service is partly evidenced in that they will readily serve half-portions of the pasta entrées for an appetizer, or primo. It all makes for an easily likeable and fine-value restaurant with cooking that might not be adventurous, but is quite appealing. It’s more Italian than Italian-American. Some of the favorites found here are beef carpaccio, spaghetti alla carbonara, spaghetti alla puttanesca, fettucine alla crema, veal Milanese, and eggplant Parmesan, plus a number of less familiar dishes, too. A couple of the highlights are the braised lamb shank and sautéed chicken breast with prosciutto in a wine sauce. There are always a few nightly specials that are likely to entice. The wine list is not extensive, but there are many well-priced bottles. Service is usually attentive and proficient.
Carmelo’s – West Houston – $75, entrées: $16 to $34, $24 –14795 Memorial Drive (west of Dairy Ashford), 77079, 281-531-0696 – The Sicilian-infused Continental, upscale Italian-American dishes and truly Italian creations – owner Mauro Carmelo is from Taormina on Sicily’s eastern coast – can be quite good at this white tablecloth stalwart that has been a fixture on the western stretches of Memorial Drive since the early 1980s. Much of the menu and presentation follows a time-worn model, but the ingredients are fresh and true, and the kitchen is very adept and can shine with its more soulful Southern Italian creations. A dish of eggplant stuffed with quickly sautéed seafood then baked seemed straight from an upscale trattoria in the Mezzogiorno, and can even excite a diner from northern Italy not prone to praise things Sicilian. It was also awarded by a couple Italian governmental bodies for its authenticity in 2011. Pastas, veal, steaks, dishes with seafood from the Gulf and beyond, will be sure to satisfy most diners.
Carrabba’s – Upper Kirby, Galleria – $70, entrées: $12 to $39, $24 –3115 Kirby (between Richmond and West Alabama), 77098, (713) 522-3131, and 1399 South Voss (at Woodway), 77057, (713) 468-0868 – These two locations, still owned and operated by co-founder, cookbook author and PBS cooking show host Johnny Carrabba, are exceedingly popular after twenty five years by serving big, flavorful dishes in a casually upscale and festive environment. The original Carrabba’s helped define the exuberant Sicilian-rooted Gulf Coast cooking that is one of the well-loved staples of the Houston dining scene. In vibe, it is the almost perfect Italian-American trattoria. There are lively salads, hefty pizzas and pastas and robust easy-to-like dishes like crab cakes with a sweet red pepper sauce, Chicken Bryan, a grilled breast of chicken with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and a lemon-butter sauce, and Stuffed Shrimp Mandola featuring a crab dressing. Not only is the original location on Kirby seemingly always packed, the bar is still crowded and lively many nights of the week.
Ciao Bello – Galleria – $70, entrées: $15 to $38, $21 – 5161 San Felipe (just east of Sage), 77056, (713) 960-0333 – With a large menu including a number of contemporary Italian dishes, the flavors and the ethos might be more Italian than Italian-American, but the big portions, meatiness and number of American restaurant standards like meatballs and fried calamari helps to hedge its bets with heritage from the latter, too. The dishes are usually well executed. This is from local restaurant legend Tony Vallone, who can create an appealing and vibrant setting, so even a visit to the bar area for their cracker-thin Roman-style can be enjoyable. The wine list is Italian and American with many rewarding choices.
Ciro’s – West Houston – $50, entrées: $11 to $26, $15 – 9755 Katy Freeway (between Gessner and Bunker Hill), 77024, (713) 467-9336 – Around for a quarter-century, this neighborhood stalwart has built up plenty of area goodwill over the years. The menu is generally straightforward Italian-American with some twists like the Penne “Covarrubias” featuring sautéed crawfish tossed with piquant sauce that appeals to local tastebuds. There are also pizzas and a top-notch filet for $20.
Coppa – Rice Village – $70, entrées: $13 to $38, $19 – 5210 Morningside (at Dunstan), 77005, (713) 522-3535 – From the team behind Brasserie 19, Ibiza and the much acclaimed late Catalan, this has been packed since its summer 2011 opening. Serving an exuberant Americanized Italian style of cooking – the type that was inspired by Mario Batali and company a decade ago – it has proven to be spot-on for Houston. The menu is pasta and pizza heavy and the wines very affordable.
Damian’s – Midtown – $75, entrées: $13 to $39, $22 –3011 Smith (between Elgin and Alabama), 77006, (713) 522-0439 – This Midtown stalwart set in a stolid stand-alone building has been a well-worn stop for downtown diners since it opened in the 1980s. This does not quite excite as it once did, but it remains a fine-dining Houston favorite. The cooking here might be described as an upscale Gulf Coast version of the country’s beloved Southern Italian-American fare. Flavors and portions are generous. In dining rooms made cozy by low-ceilings and lights, you can enjoy specialties like filet mignon grilled and finished with the piquant Sicilian ammoghiu sauce, plump veal chops, Shrimp Damian, and Fra Diavolo Linguine, a medley of seafood including lobster and lump crabmeat in a piquant marinara sauce. The food is accompanied by one of the most attentive waitstaffs in the area.
Grotto – Galleria – $70, entrées: $12 to $33, $18 –4715 Westheimer (just east of Loop 610), 77027, (713) 622-3663 – of the Landry’s empire, this is not nearly as proficient or interesting as it once was during the 1990s under founder Tony Vallone, but its more limited charms can still satisfy. It is now more recognizably Southern Italian-American with Gulf Coast influences, less modern upscale Neapolitan, but the sprawling and often bawdy murals and soaring ceiling help make for a fun setting that’s different than the ordinary. A pretty crowd still lingers in the bar area near the front door, and dishes like their thin crust pizzas; ravioli in vodka sauce; rigatoni with roasted sweet peppers and house-made sausage; and Veal Kickerillo, Parmesan coated scaloppine with mushrooms and lemon, can still entice.
La Griglia – River Oaks – $75, entrées: $12 to $36, $21 –2002 West Gray (at McDuffie), 77019, (713) 526-4700 – Stylish, loud and seemingly packed since it opened in the mid-1990s, this is another prime Vallone property snapped up by the Landry’s corporation in 2003. Still enjoyable, the deft Vallone touch has never been fully replicated, but the well-coifed, well-heeled business, political, and social-types have never been deterred. The busy bar area in front has long been a fine place to grab a cocktail, especially when complemented by their crispy thin Italian-esque pizzas. Colorful and busy murals help add to the playfully upscale ambience. The Gulf Coast-accented dishes on the menu are nearly as smart as the setting and customers, such as a rich seafood and crab “cheesecake” as a starter, and linguine with a marinara sauce with shrimp and lump crabmeat. Most of these are long-popular holdovers from the Vallone years. There are many familiar, and even interesting, items on the rest of the menu. The wines are fairly well chosen, though a tad pricey by the glass.
Maggiano’s Little Italy – Galleria – $65, entrées: $12 to $40, $18 –2019 Post Oak Boulevard (between Westheimer and San Felipe), 77056, (713) 961-2700 – This boisterous, masculine and handsome Italian-American chain serves many people’s idea of Italian food. There are huge portions of dishes drowned in red sauce and white sauce, plenty of protein, and exuberant, straightforward flavors. There are usually decent versions of fried calamari, ravioli with four cheeses, a towering multi-layered lasagna, veal piccata, and chicken Parmesan. Though there might not be a lot of subtlety in the preparations, a meal here can be enjoyable – if not always – but, especially when aided with the nonstop soundtrack of 1950s era Italian-American crooners. The crowded bar is well-plied by a very competent bar staff. To note, half-portions are a good bet, as these are still generous, and a good deal less expensive than a full order.
Nino’s – Montrose – $80, entrées: $11 to $35, $20 –2817 W. Dallas (between Montrose and Waugh), 77019, (713) 522-5120 – Nino’s is the fine-dining option restaurant among the appealing small cluster of eateries on a block on W. Dallas that Vincent Mandola and family have assembled over the years. The menu has plenty of robust Italian-American choices with evident Sicilian roots among the appetizers, salads, soups, pizzas, meats and seafood entrées: and pastas, including those made with freshly made pasta more than is typical. Among the best dishes is their superb Veal Vincent, a tender veal scallop that is coated with Parmesan, pan-fried and topped with artichoke hearts and lemon-scented butter, which is a local classic. There is also their moist rotisserie chicken, eggplant stuffed with crabmeat, breadcrumbs and basil, filet mignon with a sauce of red wine, mushrooms and gorgonzola. Or, you can really indulge with the expensive, enormous marinated and grilled veal chop.
Patrenella’s – Washington Corridor – $65, entrées: $10 to $22, $16 –813 Jackson Hill (between Memorial and Washington), 77007, (713) 863-8223 – Set in the house west of downtown near bustling Washington Avenue that his father built in the late 1930s after immigrating from Sicily, a prominent bocce court, and a one acre organic garden, owner Sammy Patrenella has created a popular local Italian-American eatery that has plenty of family charm. There are pastas, shrimp, veal scaloppini, and chicken breast dishes, plus cannoli and spumoni for dessert that should appeal to most. Though mistakes such as sloppy service, under-ripe tomatoes and wine served very warm occur more often than it should, these are often easy to dismiss among the hominess and heartiness of the cooking.
Piatto – Galleria – $70, entrées: $12 to $35, $19 –4925 West Alabama (at Post Oak), 77056, (713) 871-9722 – Piatto serves well-crafted Southern Italian-American food that Houstonians love. The restaurants are loud, and robust and exuberant flavors resonate through the on-target menu with appetizers, pizzas, pastas and meat and seafood entrées. There are tempting grilled items such as a large veal chop, steaks, pork chops and a fish fillet of the day. A must order is the asparagus appetizer with lightly breaded and fried asparagus, topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and plenty of lemon juice and butter. Specialties like veal braciola, stuffed with spinach and Italian sausage, and their version of spiedini with breaded and grilled shrimp, can be eminently satisfying.
Prego – Rice Village – $70, entrées: $12 to $28, $19 –2520 Amherst (just east of Kirby), 77005, (713) 529-2420 – This proficient Italian-American with modern and local sensibilities has a smart, attractive and comfortable setting among the small retail outlets in the pedestrian-friendly Rice Village that has helped make this a neighborhood favorite since the late 1980s. Cornmeal-crusted oysters with pancetta and chives; jalapeño fettuccine with grilled chicken, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro and avocado; risotto with roasted butternut squash, Gulf shrimp, pancetta and scallions; grilled red snapper; and a Berkshire heirloom pepper-crusted pork chop, with rapini and sweet potato gnocchi are few of the representative dishes. It also sports a notably well-chosen wine list.
Sorrento – Montrose – $80, entrées: $16 to $39, $26 –415 Westheimer (between Taft and Montrose), 77006, (713) 527-0609 – Attractively set in the heart of Lower Westheimer’s restaurant row, Sorrento turns out Italian-American restaurant cuisine with contemporary Gulf Coast touches that can be both inviting and satisfying. A jumbo lump crab cake with a garlic-infused cream sauce; mushroom and sage ravioli; porcini crusted Gulf red snapper with herbed polenta; and prosciutto wrapped beef tenderloin are some of the representative dishes that seem to match the intent of the décor. The wine list has some well-regarded names such as Kistler, Massetto and Sassicaia, albeit from the recent vintages. Nicely, the handful of pasta dishes are each available in smaller side or starter portions.
Tony Mandola’s Gulf Coast Kitchen – River Oaks – $75, entrées: $12 to $34, $25 – 1212 Waugh (between West Gray and W. Dallas), 77019, (713) 528-3474 – Much more than an Italian restaurant, this is a uniquely Houston restaurant that manages a seamless blending of Southern-Italian, Creole, Cajun, Mexican, and native Gulf Coast influences to create wonderful Italian and seafood dishes that can work for a variety of moods. The fish and shellfish are always fresh, and the preparations are dependable; often piquant and usually hearty, and right-on for Houston palates. Crawfish ravioli and tasty fried calamari with pepperoncini (Calamari a la Mama) might be found in Louisiana, but certainly not the baked oysters with pico de gallo. Influences from Mexico and Louisiana are felt on the pasta dishes and throughout the fairly large menu. Additionally, expert hands usually ply the shiny zinc bar creating spot-on Ramos gin fizzes or Cajun martinis with jalapeno-infused gin, or even just a smooth pint of Guinness to accompany those raw Gulf oysters. In the mid-summer of 2011 it is slated to move to 1212 Waugh (between West Gray and W. Dallas).
Trevisio – Medical Center – $80, entrées: $12 to $36, $21 –6550 Bertner (north of Holcombe, 6th Floor of the John P. McGovern Texas Medical Center Commons), 77030, (713) 749-0400 – Run by the same people who also operate well-regarded Prego, Backstreet Café and Hugo’s, Trevisio is an attractive facility in the heart of the Med Center serving up modern Italian and Italian-American restaurant fare with plenty of fun New American accents. Among the starters, soups, salads, pizzas, meats and seafood might be items like tuna meatballs, roasted butternut squash soup with crème frâiche, tortellini filled with smoked duck, ricotta, dried cherries and toasted pistachios in a white wine sauce, and a moist, grilled pork chop. A well-chosen wine list provides nice complements. Lunchtime is usually busy, but dinners can be quite quiet. To note, there is parking next door in the McGovern Building's garage.
Up – Greenway Plaza – $100, entrées: $18 to $41, $30 – 3995 Westheimer (between Mid and Weslayan, 3rd floor, above the Cole Haan store), 77027, (713) 640-5416 – Opened quietly in the spring of 2011, this upscale spot features both what can be described as American and Italian-themed preparations. The former includes dishes like salmon with a sorrel sauce, steak salad, crab cakes and a couple of steaks. Even these might include pesto, pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes. Then there are also insalata Caprese, Caesar salad, caponata, osso buco, pizzas, and house-made pastas featuring the very soft ‘00’ flour.
Vincent’s – Montrose – $70, entrées: $11 to $35, $18 –2701 W. Dallas (between Montrose and Waugh), 77019, (713) 528-4313 – One of the three restaurants in Vincent Mandola’s charming and usually bustling complex of Italian eateries near northern Montrose, Vincent’s is a comfortable, if usually noisy spot for familiar, often piquant and hearty Southern Italian-American cooking. Somewhat differently, Vincent’s is known for its moist rotisserie chicken redolent with plenty of lemon and garlic. There are pastas, solid pizzas cooked in a proper wood-burning oven, Gulf seafood dishes, steaks, and several veal preparations. The signature Veal Vincent is worth a visit alone; a perfectly tender veal scallop is covered in Parmesan and sautéed in olive oil, topped with artichoke hearts and lemon butter. Though the atmosphere is much more casual, the menu is quite similar to the fine-dining Nino’s next door.
Though the menus will be readily familiar, there are a few regional variations. Located near the Gulf, shrimp and crab have long been popular on local Italian menus, as have the fish, red snapper and sometimes redfish and flounder. Descendants of Immigrants from Sicily provide the bulk of the Italian-Americans in the Houston area. For diners, this notably includes the extended Mandola clan, who run several very popular restaurants. Sicily’s favorite vegetable, eggplant, makes it into at least a couple menu items everywhere, and several local restaurants have adopted an addictive starter featuring breaded and pan-fried asparagus topped with lump crab meat and a lemon-butter sauce. There are always several pastas including lasagna, almost always chicken breast preparations, usually several veal dishes, including a hefty veal chop, and several steaks.
Updated December 13, 2014
To note per each of the entries below: 1) average total dinner cost per person, 2) "entrees: " price, and 3) average entree price. For example: $70, entrees: $16 to $31, $21 - the entrees are priced between $16 and $31, and the average of an entree is $21.
Antica Osteria – Upper Kirby – $60, entrées: $11 to $30, $18 –2311 Bissonnet (west of Greenbriar), 77005, (713) 521-1155 – This capable Italian eatery delights more than its Southampton neighbors in a rambling and comfy house. Its solicitous service is partly evidenced in that they will readily serve half-portions of the pasta entrées for an appetizer, or primo. It all makes for an easily likeable and fine-value restaurant with cooking that might not be adventurous, but is quite appealing. It’s more Italian than Italian-American. Some of the favorites found here are beef carpaccio, spaghetti alla carbonara, spaghetti alla puttanesca, fettucine alla crema, veal Milanese, and eggplant Parmesan, plus a number of less familiar dishes, too. A couple of the highlights are the braised lamb shank and sautéed chicken breast with prosciutto in a wine sauce. There are always a few nightly specials that are likely to entice. The wine list is not extensive, but there are many well-priced bottles. Service is usually attentive and proficient.
Carmelo’s – West Houston – $75, entrées: $16 to $34, $24 –14795 Memorial Drive (west of Dairy Ashford), 77079, 281-531-0696 – The Sicilian-infused Continental, upscale Italian-American dishes and truly Italian creations – owner Mauro Carmelo is from Taormina on Sicily’s eastern coast – can be quite good at this white tablecloth stalwart that has been a fixture on the western stretches of Memorial Drive since the early 1980s. Much of the menu and presentation follows a time-worn model, but the ingredients are fresh and true, and the kitchen is very adept and can shine with its more soulful Southern Italian creations. A dish of eggplant stuffed with quickly sautéed seafood then baked seemed straight from an upscale trattoria in the Mezzogiorno, and can even excite a diner from northern Italy not prone to praise things Sicilian. It was also awarded by a couple Italian governmental bodies for its authenticity in 2011. Pastas, veal, steaks, dishes with seafood from the Gulf and beyond, will be sure to satisfy most diners.
Carrabba’s – Upper Kirby, Galleria – $70, entrées: $12 to $39, $24 –3115 Kirby (between Richmond and West Alabama), 77098, (713) 522-3131, and 1399 South Voss (at Woodway), 77057, (713) 468-0868 – These two locations, still owned and operated by co-founder, cookbook author and PBS cooking show host Johnny Carrabba, are exceedingly popular after twenty five years by serving big, flavorful dishes in a casually upscale and festive environment. The original Carrabba’s helped define the exuberant Sicilian-rooted Gulf Coast cooking that is one of the well-loved staples of the Houston dining scene. In vibe, it is the almost perfect Italian-American trattoria. There are lively salads, hefty pizzas and pastas and robust easy-to-like dishes like crab cakes with a sweet red pepper sauce, Chicken Bryan, a grilled breast of chicken with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, basil and a lemon-butter sauce, and Stuffed Shrimp Mandola featuring a crab dressing. Not only is the original location on Kirby seemingly always packed, the bar is still crowded and lively many nights of the week.
Ciao Bello – Galleria – $70, entrées: $15 to $38, $21 – 5161 San Felipe (just east of Sage), 77056, (713) 960-0333 – With a large menu including a number of contemporary Italian dishes, the flavors and the ethos might be more Italian than Italian-American, but the big portions, meatiness and number of American restaurant standards like meatballs and fried calamari helps to hedge its bets with heritage from the latter, too. The dishes are usually well executed. This is from local restaurant legend Tony Vallone, who can create an appealing and vibrant setting, so even a visit to the bar area for their cracker-thin Roman-style can be enjoyable. The wine list is Italian and American with many rewarding choices.
Ciro’s – West Houston – $50, entrées: $11 to $26, $15 – 9755 Katy Freeway (between Gessner and Bunker Hill), 77024, (713) 467-9336 – Around for a quarter-century, this neighborhood stalwart has built up plenty of area goodwill over the years. The menu is generally straightforward Italian-American with some twists like the Penne “Covarrubias” featuring sautéed crawfish tossed with piquant sauce that appeals to local tastebuds. There are also pizzas and a top-notch filet for $20.
Coppa – Rice Village – $70, entrées: $13 to $38, $19 – 5210 Morningside (at Dunstan), 77005, (713) 522-3535 – From the team behind Brasserie 19, Ibiza and the much acclaimed late Catalan, this has been packed since its summer 2011 opening. Serving an exuberant Americanized Italian style of cooking – the type that was inspired by Mario Batali and company a decade ago – it has proven to be spot-on for Houston. The menu is pasta and pizza heavy and the wines very affordable.
Damian’s – Midtown – $75, entrées: $13 to $39, $22 –3011 Smith (between Elgin and Alabama), 77006, (713) 522-0439 – This Midtown stalwart set in a stolid stand-alone building has been a well-worn stop for downtown diners since it opened in the 1980s. This does not quite excite as it once did, but it remains a fine-dining Houston favorite. The cooking here might be described as an upscale Gulf Coast version of the country’s beloved Southern Italian-American fare. Flavors and portions are generous. In dining rooms made cozy by low-ceilings and lights, you can enjoy specialties like filet mignon grilled and finished with the piquant Sicilian ammoghiu sauce, plump veal chops, Shrimp Damian, and Fra Diavolo Linguine, a medley of seafood including lobster and lump crabmeat in a piquant marinara sauce. The food is accompanied by one of the most attentive waitstaffs in the area.
Grotto – Galleria – $70, entrées: $12 to $33, $18 –4715 Westheimer (just east of Loop 610), 77027, (713) 622-3663 – of the Landry’s empire, this is not nearly as proficient or interesting as it once was during the 1990s under founder Tony Vallone, but its more limited charms can still satisfy. It is now more recognizably Southern Italian-American with Gulf Coast influences, less modern upscale Neapolitan, but the sprawling and often bawdy murals and soaring ceiling help make for a fun setting that’s different than the ordinary. A pretty crowd still lingers in the bar area near the front door, and dishes like their thin crust pizzas; ravioli in vodka sauce; rigatoni with roasted sweet peppers and house-made sausage; and Veal Kickerillo, Parmesan coated scaloppine with mushrooms and lemon, can still entice.
La Griglia – River Oaks – $75, entrées: $12 to $36, $21 –2002 West Gray (at McDuffie), 77019, (713) 526-4700 – Stylish, loud and seemingly packed since it opened in the mid-1990s, this is another prime Vallone property snapped up by the Landry’s corporation in 2003. Still enjoyable, the deft Vallone touch has never been fully replicated, but the well-coifed, well-heeled business, political, and social-types have never been deterred. The busy bar area in front has long been a fine place to grab a cocktail, especially when complemented by their crispy thin Italian-esque pizzas. Colorful and busy murals help add to the playfully upscale ambience. The Gulf Coast-accented dishes on the menu are nearly as smart as the setting and customers, such as a rich seafood and crab “cheesecake” as a starter, and linguine with a marinara sauce with shrimp and lump crabmeat. Most of these are long-popular holdovers from the Vallone years. There are many familiar, and even interesting, items on the rest of the menu. The wines are fairly well chosen, though a tad pricey by the glass.
Maggiano’s Little Italy – Galleria – $65, entrées: $12 to $40, $18 –2019 Post Oak Boulevard (between Westheimer and San Felipe), 77056, (713) 961-2700 – This boisterous, masculine and handsome Italian-American chain serves many people’s idea of Italian food. There are huge portions of dishes drowned in red sauce and white sauce, plenty of protein, and exuberant, straightforward flavors. There are usually decent versions of fried calamari, ravioli with four cheeses, a towering multi-layered lasagna, veal piccata, and chicken Parmesan. Though there might not be a lot of subtlety in the preparations, a meal here can be enjoyable – if not always – but, especially when aided with the nonstop soundtrack of 1950s era Italian-American crooners. The crowded bar is well-plied by a very competent bar staff. To note, half-portions are a good bet, as these are still generous, and a good deal less expensive than a full order.
Nino’s – Montrose – $80, entrées: $11 to $35, $20 –2817 W. Dallas (between Montrose and Waugh), 77019, (713) 522-5120 – Nino’s is the fine-dining option restaurant among the appealing small cluster of eateries on a block on W. Dallas that Vincent Mandola and family have assembled over the years. The menu has plenty of robust Italian-American choices with evident Sicilian roots among the appetizers, salads, soups, pizzas, meats and seafood entrées: and pastas, including those made with freshly made pasta more than is typical. Among the best dishes is their superb Veal Vincent, a tender veal scallop that is coated with Parmesan, pan-fried and topped with artichoke hearts and lemon-scented butter, which is a local classic. There is also their moist rotisserie chicken, eggplant stuffed with crabmeat, breadcrumbs and basil, filet mignon with a sauce of red wine, mushrooms and gorgonzola. Or, you can really indulge with the expensive, enormous marinated and grilled veal chop.
Patrenella’s – Washington Corridor – $65, entrées: $10 to $22, $16 –813 Jackson Hill (between Memorial and Washington), 77007, (713) 863-8223 – Set in the house west of downtown near bustling Washington Avenue that his father built in the late 1930s after immigrating from Sicily, a prominent bocce court, and a one acre organic garden, owner Sammy Patrenella has created a popular local Italian-American eatery that has plenty of family charm. There are pastas, shrimp, veal scaloppini, and chicken breast dishes, plus cannoli and spumoni for dessert that should appeal to most. Though mistakes such as sloppy service, under-ripe tomatoes and wine served very warm occur more often than it should, these are often easy to dismiss among the hominess and heartiness of the cooking.
Piatto – Galleria – $70, entrées: $12 to $35, $19 –4925 West Alabama (at Post Oak), 77056, (713) 871-9722 – Piatto serves well-crafted Southern Italian-American food that Houstonians love. The restaurants are loud, and robust and exuberant flavors resonate through the on-target menu with appetizers, pizzas, pastas and meat and seafood entrées. There are tempting grilled items such as a large veal chop, steaks, pork chops and a fish fillet of the day. A must order is the asparagus appetizer with lightly breaded and fried asparagus, topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and plenty of lemon juice and butter. Specialties like veal braciola, stuffed with spinach and Italian sausage, and their version of spiedini with breaded and grilled shrimp, can be eminently satisfying.
Prego – Rice Village – $70, entrées: $12 to $28, $19 –2520 Amherst (just east of Kirby), 77005, (713) 529-2420 – This proficient Italian-American with modern and local sensibilities has a smart, attractive and comfortable setting among the small retail outlets in the pedestrian-friendly Rice Village that has helped make this a neighborhood favorite since the late 1980s. Cornmeal-crusted oysters with pancetta and chives; jalapeño fettuccine with grilled chicken, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro and avocado; risotto with roasted butternut squash, Gulf shrimp, pancetta and scallions; grilled red snapper; and a Berkshire heirloom pepper-crusted pork chop, with rapini and sweet potato gnocchi are few of the representative dishes. It also sports a notably well-chosen wine list.
Sorrento – Montrose – $80, entrées: $16 to $39, $26 –415 Westheimer (between Taft and Montrose), 77006, (713) 527-0609 – Attractively set in the heart of Lower Westheimer’s restaurant row, Sorrento turns out Italian-American restaurant cuisine with contemporary Gulf Coast touches that can be both inviting and satisfying. A jumbo lump crab cake with a garlic-infused cream sauce; mushroom and sage ravioli; porcini crusted Gulf red snapper with herbed polenta; and prosciutto wrapped beef tenderloin are some of the representative dishes that seem to match the intent of the décor. The wine list has some well-regarded names such as Kistler, Massetto and Sassicaia, albeit from the recent vintages. Nicely, the handful of pasta dishes are each available in smaller side or starter portions.
Tony Mandola’s Gulf Coast Kitchen – River Oaks – $75, entrées: $12 to $34, $25 – 1212 Waugh (between West Gray and W. Dallas), 77019, (713) 528-3474 – Much more than an Italian restaurant, this is a uniquely Houston restaurant that manages a seamless blending of Southern-Italian, Creole, Cajun, Mexican, and native Gulf Coast influences to create wonderful Italian and seafood dishes that can work for a variety of moods. The fish and shellfish are always fresh, and the preparations are dependable; often piquant and usually hearty, and right-on for Houston palates. Crawfish ravioli and tasty fried calamari with pepperoncini (Calamari a la Mama) might be found in Louisiana, but certainly not the baked oysters with pico de gallo. Influences from Mexico and Louisiana are felt on the pasta dishes and throughout the fairly large menu. Additionally, expert hands usually ply the shiny zinc bar creating spot-on Ramos gin fizzes or Cajun martinis with jalapeno-infused gin, or even just a smooth pint of Guinness to accompany those raw Gulf oysters. In the mid-summer of 2011 it is slated to move to 1212 Waugh (between West Gray and W. Dallas).
Trevisio – Medical Center – $80, entrées: $12 to $36, $21 –6550 Bertner (north of Holcombe, 6th Floor of the John P. McGovern Texas Medical Center Commons), 77030, (713) 749-0400 – Run by the same people who also operate well-regarded Prego, Backstreet Café and Hugo’s, Trevisio is an attractive facility in the heart of the Med Center serving up modern Italian and Italian-American restaurant fare with plenty of fun New American accents. Among the starters, soups, salads, pizzas, meats and seafood might be items like tuna meatballs, roasted butternut squash soup with crème frâiche, tortellini filled with smoked duck, ricotta, dried cherries and toasted pistachios in a white wine sauce, and a moist, grilled pork chop. A well-chosen wine list provides nice complements. Lunchtime is usually busy, but dinners can be quite quiet. To note, there is parking next door in the McGovern Building's garage.
Up – Greenway Plaza – $100, entrées: $18 to $41, $30 – 3995 Westheimer (between Mid and Weslayan, 3rd floor, above the Cole Haan store), 77027, (713) 640-5416 – Opened quietly in the spring of 2011, this upscale spot features both what can be described as American and Italian-themed preparations. The former includes dishes like salmon with a sorrel sauce, steak salad, crab cakes and a couple of steaks. Even these might include pesto, pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes. Then there are also insalata Caprese, Caesar salad, caponata, osso buco, pizzas, and house-made pastas featuring the very soft ‘00’ flour.
Vincent’s – Montrose – $70, entrées: $11 to $35, $18 –2701 W. Dallas (between Montrose and Waugh), 77019, (713) 528-4313 – One of the three restaurants in Vincent Mandola’s charming and usually bustling complex of Italian eateries near northern Montrose, Vincent’s is a comfortable, if usually noisy spot for familiar, often piquant and hearty Southern Italian-American cooking. Somewhat differently, Vincent’s is known for its moist rotisserie chicken redolent with plenty of lemon and garlic. There are pastas, solid pizzas cooked in a proper wood-burning oven, Gulf seafood dishes, steaks, and several veal preparations. The signature Veal Vincent is worth a visit alone; a perfectly tender veal scallop is covered in Parmesan and sautéed in olive oil, topped with artichoke hearts and lemon butter. Though the atmosphere is much more casual, the menu is quite similar to the fine-dining Nino’s next door.
