Pat’s Pick
Bice
Bice
Talk about international style. Those sleek cream-colored walls and sexy blond- and-auburn wood floors could be anywhere in the world: New York, London, Tokyo— all of which happen to be among the 26 cities that Bice has colonized since it was founded in Milan, in 1926. So, yes, this Houston newcomer (pronounced “Bee-chay”) is an upscale chain. But wait. Don’t turn that page. Otherwise, you’ll miss some lovely contemporary Italian food. I adored the baked tortelli (like giant, fat ravioli) filled with a sybaritic purée of butternut squash and ricotta. The sautéed skate with a buttery sauce of capers and fresh cherry tomatoes defined “bliss.” True, the calf’s liver was goopy—too heavily dredged in flour—but the flavor, punched up by a balsamic jus, could not have been sprightlier. How nice that Bice has decided to occupy Texas too. 
Beef Carpaccio With Black Summer Truffle
Bice, Houston
Greens Goddess
Friends, you haven’t tasted lettuce until you’ve tasted Camille Waters’s lettuce. Simply put, these greens are the Lamborghini of lettuce. The Bulgari of lettuce. The Giorgio Armani of lettuce. For a dozen years, the tireless Ms. Waters has cultivated extensive organic gardens in Houston, selling her crop of exotic and heirloom greens (which have names like devil’s tongue, blackjack, and tango) to top local restaurants such as Cafe Annie, Mark’s, and La Mora; occasionally she also sells to the Bayou City Farmers’ Market. Once a year, she invites the public to visit her garden on Jackson Hill Street and graze on an assortment of delectable dishes prepared by the chefs who use her provender. The event—which benefits two charitable organizations, Urban Harvest and the Chefs Collaborative—will feature live music and a prize for the most outrageous garden hat. Can’t attend? Do the next best thing: Make La Mora’s colorful rainbow chard tart.
Sunday, March 19, 1 p.m.–4 p.m., 813 Jackson Hill, one block south of Washington Avenue; 713-880-5540. Tickets $30, available at the gate. Bayou City Farmers’ Market open Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, 3000 Richmond Avenue.
La Mora’s.
My Library
