New and Noteworthy
Il Cane Rosso, Dallas and Rockwood Room, Houston
Rockwood Room, Houston
Photograph by David M. Jackson
Debra says: Noteworthy? I don’t think so! If anything it was a total disappointment for a $$$$$ resturant. Our waiter greeted my husband with a heft slap on the back and "HELLO MY FRIENDS!" not something one expects in this dining environment. Wine list is noteworthy and reasonably priced. (That is about all I can give them) The waiter behind us described a lovely appetizer special which was a tuna tartar. Our waiter never even told us about it; we had to ask..then we received "uhh mm let me see - after consulting the cheat sheet - yes we do have a tuna tartar this evening" We ordered it..it was just as disappointing as our had been so far. Chef you loose points for plating! You would have been chopped in my kitchen. Giving the chef a second shot especially since the menu writer had such a lovely way of selling the combination of Tuna and Lamb let’s see what they are made of! How one would even begin to marry lamb and tuna deserves a go...I should have known better....there was a divorce in the making before it even hit the plate. The bed of beans were hard and cold, the lamb was gamey and the two didn’t even begin to compliment each other. My husband had the pork-pot belly. (he is from Europe..they eat those things) Such a brave man...his too was a disappointment it pork belly was undercooked, and the pairing of saurkaut was totally off. Call us gluteons for punishment - we took a stab at dessert. Again they were all described with elegance. We had the Chocolate Soufle which was a dry chocolate muffin with chocolate infused to look like molten chocolate (our least favorate) next we tried the Amaratto Italian Ice Cream pie ... good a little heavy on the amaratto but at least it got rid of the lingering tuna/lamb combination. Lastly we had the apple fritters!! THEY ROCKED AND ARE noteworthy!!! Sadly to say, the best part of our experience at the Rockroom Room was the Wine, Apple Fritter and the effienecy of the valet attendant. SO wasn’t worth the 3 hour drive from San Antonio. (March 25th, 2010 at 9:30pm)
Il Cane Rosso
Dallas All we’ll say is run, don’t walk, to sample Jay Jerrier’s microthin Neapolitan pizzas cooked in a portable oven brought over from Italy and fired with Texas hardwoods. We started with disarmingly plain but delicious focaccia, followed by the pizza capricciosa, with prosciutto cotto, artichokes, olives, basil, and hand-pulled mozzarella. We finished with a dessert calzone filled with chocolate and marshmallow, generous enough for four. For now, Il Cane Rosso is time-sharing the dining room of Chocolate Angel Too bakery (the bakery’s open during the day, the pizzeria at night; look for the pizza trailer in the parking lot). And don’t wait till late to show up: When they’re out of dough, you’re out of luck. BYOB. 11909 Preston Rd, at Forest Ln, northwest corner (214-577-6747). Dinner Thur–Sat 5–10 (or until the dough runs out). Closed Sun–Wed. $–$$ W+
Rockwood Room
Houston The contemporary open kitchen is about the only nod to modernity. Otherwise, Rockwood is retro: Sinatra in the background, a TV over the bar, comfy booths for chatting, classics like prime rib and lobster tail occupying a goodly portion of the menu. We enjoyed a nice endive salad with pecans and Gorgonzola and a hefty twelve-ounce New York strip, broiled, with cognac-peppercorn cream sauce and french fries. More stylish, the tasty shellfish chowder—really more a creamy soup with morsels of fish and a few clams—outclassed the three “Pumpers”: “patty melts” of Kobe beef, Muenster, and onion on pumpernickel. Bar. 5709 Woodway (832-251-9463). Open Tue–Thur 11–11, Fri 11–midnight, Sat 11–1 a.m., Sun 11–9. Closed Mon. Reservations recommended.
$$$–$$$$ W+
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