Best Italian Restaurant

Da MarcoYou'll get the best pizza and pasta dishes in the city at this intimate and unassuming little Montrose restaurant. And you'll also find cutting-edge fare such as tuna tartare salad and an appetizer of cold lamb's-tongue slices served with the Tuscan mustard-brined fruits known as mostarda. Some of the unusual varieties of fish, such as the branzino (Italian sea bass) are jet-flown in from Italy. Chef Marco Wiles strives to offer Houstonians the same kind of new Italian cuisine that Food Network boy wonder Mario Batali serves at Babbo, one of New York's favorite restaurants. The wine list is just as innovative as the food, with lots of crisp Proseccos and unusual Piedmont reds. Daily specials take advantage of local seasonal ingredients, such as the fresh fig compote with gelato. And the service is exceptionally well informed, attentive and cordial -- unless you ask for spaghetti and meatballs.