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NARDINO RISTORANTE
14800 Westheimer Rd
(281-496-1022)
Lunch Tue-Fri 11-2. Dinner Tue & Wed 4-10, Thur & Fri 4-11, Sat 3-11. Closed Sun & Mon.
map | latest review | no access |  add to library |
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$$-$$$ |
Houston
| Italian |
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(From June 2012) Far west Outer Loopers need travel no farther than Highway 6 for some first-rate Italian food. We loved our two salads: the Nardino, which boasts arugula, baked goat cheese, and preserved tomatoes, and the classic Caesar, concocted table-side with oil, fresh egg, lemon juice, and Parmesan. Both the tagliatelle alla ruota—the house special, in which the pasta is swirled around in a hollow Parmesan wheel—and the tenderloin with Gorgonzola featured decadent creamy sauces. Beer & wine. |
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QUATTRO
Four Seasons Hotel Houston, 1300 Lamar
(713-276-4700)
Open Mon–Fri 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m., Sat & Sun 7–10.
web site | map | reserve through OpenTable | latest review | photo | access ++ | add to library |
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$$$-$$$$ |
Houston
| New American /
Italian |
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(From May 2012) The Four Seasons Hotel has one of the town’s most refined spaces for downtown dining, with window-view booths and contemporary styling. Tasting just right were our two appetizers: a butternut squash soup (sans cream) with a goat cheese raviolo and thin slices of both veal and seared tuna with classic tonnato sauce. Grilled tenderloin was nearly outshone by its side of truffled mashed potatoes, and a petite terrine of eggplant parmigiana proved the perfect light entrée. All in all, a civilized way to spend an evening. Bar. |
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SAPORI RISTORANTE ITALIANO
12225 Westheimer Rd
(281-496-4941)
Open Mon & Tue 11–9, Wed & Thur 11–10, Fri & Sat 11–11. Closed Sun. Reservations recommended.
web site | map | latest review | access ++ | add to library |
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$$-$$$ |
Houston
| Italian /
Seafood |
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(From November 2011) Fans of Simposio’s are heading west for chef Alberto Baffoni’s new digs in Royal Oaks. The convivial atmosphere belies its strip-center location, and meals worthy of special occasions are standard fare. We started with a fetching combo of peppery arugula, paper-thin beef carpaccio, and shaved Parmesan, then followed that with deliciously fresh strozzapreti pasta with broccoli and pancetta. Grilled red snapper with rosemary-scented roasted potatoes and sautéed green beans, zucchini, and asparagus was equally lovely. Bar. |
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TONY MANDOLA’S
1212 Waugh Dr
(713-528-3474)
Open Mon–Thur 11–10, Fri & Sat 11–11, Sun 5–9.
web site | map | latest review | access ++ | add to library |
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$$-$$$ |
Houston
| Italian |
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(From January 2012) In spacious, pleasantly contemporary new digs, Tony Mandola’s is still packing in the older River Oaks crowd as well as Montrose-area locals. Our recent meal started with lovely oysters on the half shell and a lively Sicilian salad with red cabbage and artichoke hearts. One of us went with the Fusilli Philly, a nice combination of pasta, grilled chicken, and a sweet cherry tomato sauce. The other struck it rich with the Salmon Sophia: grilled wild salmon, perfectly moist, topped with lump crab and an avocado-dill relish. |
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TRATTORIA IL MULINO
Westin Houston Memorial City, 945 Gessner Rd
(832-358-0600)
Dinner Sun–Wed 6:30–10, Thur–Sat 6:30–11. Reservations recommended.
map | latest review | access ++ | add to library |
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$$-$$$ |
Houston
| Italian |
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(From July 2011)
New York’s celebrated Il Mulino has opened a trattoria-style outpost, attracting a respectable crowd to the spanking new Westin hotel in Memorial City. The ambience is tailored and crisp, softened by an amber glow from the backlit bar and the overhead lamps. From the classic Italian menu we enjoyed a lovely meal of mussels in white wine garlic sauce, hearty cavatelli with nutty ricotta salata, and rustic risotto with clams, scallops, and squid. Nice touches included complimentary antipasti, to start, and grappa, to end. Bar.
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VINOTECA POSCOL
1609 Westheimer Rd.
(713-529-2797)
Dinner Tue–Thur 5–10 (light food until 11), Fri & Sat 5–11 (light food until midnight), Sun 5–10. Closed Mon.
map | latest review | photo | access ++ | add to library |
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Houston
| Italian |
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(From January 2011) Ultra-casual Poscol invites noshing and sampling from the wine list in the company of good friends, and we did just that, our bruschette and impressive array of meats and cheeses setting off our rich red wines perfectly. Unfortunately the rest of the meal proved less successful; we liked our braised pork in a red wine–plum sauce with goat cheese mashed potatoes, but tripletail with shrimp, artichokes, and rapini was bland. And our romaine, walnut, and pecorino salad had only a trace of dressing. Beer & wine. |
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