Italy

5 Essential Foods for a Lucky, Healthy, Prosperous New Year, with Recipes

All throughout the world, different cultures have their own way of celebrating and ushering in the New Year. (And, of course, not everyone celebrates the New Year on January 1.) And while most Texans are familiar with the idea of having a pot of black-eyed peas or Hoppin' John on New Year's Day, the ... More >>

How To: Classic Italian Panna Cotta

Two summers ago, I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and got to taste and cook some of the best food I have ever had in my life. The first dessert we ate while in Italy was a creamy, pudding-like sweat treat, otherwise known as panna cotta. I had never had panna cotta before, but I read about it i ... More >>

Pinot Grigio, I Love You Just the Way You Are

"Italy's finest white wine," reads the copy in an advertisement for Pinot Grigio that appeared in an issue of New York published in November, 1980, "magnificently dry with a beautiful straw-like color, Cavit Pinot Grigio has opened to rave reviews from wine critics. If you love white wine, discover ... More >>

What Is Terroir and Why Is It Important in Wine?

One of the greatest examples of terroir is Parmigiano Reggiano, the unmistakable and incomparably delicious cheese made in the region of Emilia-Romagna (in northern Italy). They make a similar cheese, using similar methods, just across the Po river on the north side of the great waterway (which flo ... More >>

How to Send Back a Bottle of Wine at a Restaurant

A few months ago, when I was dining with family in a Houston restaurant (that shall remain unnamed), I ordered a bottle of Dolcetto, one of the classic food-friendly grapes of Piedmont, in northwestern Italy. The server disappeared and swiftly returned with the bottle I had asked for. And presumabl ... More >>

Climate Change, a Hard Fact for European Winemakers

My wife, daughter, and I are on the last leg of a road trip that has taken us through ten of Italy's 20 regions, from the far northeast to Mt. Vesuvius on the western coast of the south, to the tip of the heel of the boot in Lecce (Apulia [Puglia]). Today we're in central Italy, along the Adriatic s ... More >>

A Great Italian Wine List at Nundini

For an Italian wine lover like me, the wine list at Nundini Chef's Table Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, the subject of this week's cafe review (I filled in for Katharine Shilcutt), is a dream come true. It covers nearly every wine-growing region in Italy, and its prices are not just reasonable... they ... More >>

The Trouble with Truffle Oil (Farts and Formaldehyde)

People, I'm sorry to break it to you, but there are just no two ways about it: truffle oil (or truffled oil) is a sham, it's bad for you, and it's just downright evil. I'm currently traveling in Italy, where the world's most famous truffles are foraged. When I received an email from my editor here ... More >>

Flags and Cycles

Chef Chat, Part 1: Bill and Matt Hutchinson of Pizaro's Pizza Napoletana

Pizaro's Pizza Napoletana 14028 Memorial Drive 713-855-0085 www.pizarospizza.com This is the first of a three-part Chef Chat series. Look for parts two and three in this same space Thursday and Friday. Tucked away in the back of a nondescript strip mall at Memorial and Kirkwood is a tiny little ho ... More >>

Last Night: Sublime With Rome at The Woodlands

Rewind: Friday: Sublime with Rome at Discovery Green (April 1, 2011) Friday Night: 311 & Sublime with Rome at The Woodlands (August 12, 2011) Sublime with Rome Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 14, 2012 Fifteen minutes into their set Tuesday night at the Woodlands Pavilion, Sublime with Rome ... More >>

Life Before Pinot Grigio: A Favorite Pinot Gris from Oregon

Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio from northern Italy changed everything. I'll never forget the first time I saw a bottle of the wine in a Southern Californian gourmet super market in the 1980s. The bottle was not the classic green but transparent (a stroke of marketing brilliance) and showed off the w ... More >>

Euro 2012 Final: Houstonians Love Fútbol

According to UEFA predictions, approximately 250 million soccer fans tuned in to watch the Euro 2012 final match on Sunday evening. Compare that to the 111 million that watched this year's Super Bowl, and you get an idea as to the impact and significance of this event. The game pitted reigning champ ... More >>

Woody's Roman Holiday

Woody Allen and two co-stars meet in L.A. to talk about his new film, To Rome With Love, and some old themes (art, death, love).

Health Department Roundup: Roman Delight, Droubi's and a Troubled Taqueria on the North Side

We had an Italian professor who told our class that in Italy, if you eat at a restaurant and get sick, you don't sue or make a fuss. It's just part of the deal. Also, Italian barristas don't clean coffee machines between each use, because that's pointless. For some reason we remembered that lesson a ... More >>

Mediterranean Film Festival

B[ring] Y[our] O[wn] B[arbera]

In the aftermath of recent posts here at Wine Time on corkage and tipping etiquette, Lucio's BYOB and Grill seemed like an ideal destination for a working dinner with a colleague -- a demilitarized zone, as it were. After all, it has "BYOB" in the name of the venue. Not knowing what to expect in ... More >>

Odd Pair: What Wine Goes with Breakfast Tacos?

One of the things that I crave the most when I'm traveling in Europe is homemade breakfast tacos made with handmade white flour tortillas by Central Market. And so, when I recently returned from a two-week (and too long) trip to Italy, this staple of Tex-Mex gastronomy was at the top of my list: fre ... More >>

Wine Time: A Favorite Wine for Easter Lamb

When it comes to pairing wine with food, we live by two maxims at our house. 1. If it grows with it, it goes with it. (Motto attributed to the great New York restaurateur Danny Meyer.) Look to traditional pairings as rules-of-thumb. For example, the inhabitants of the western coast of France famo ... More >>

Odd Pair: Eggplant alla Parmigiana and Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc

Calling the marriage of melanzane (eggplant) alla parmigiana and a Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc an "odd pair" may seem like a stretch to some. But when you consider the ingredients, flavors, and aromas in the dish, the pairing options are more challenging than is immediately apparent. Gently bitte ... More >>

Bartender Chat: Stephen Caronna Of Piola

​The first time I went to Piola, I thought "damn, this place is bright." It had been a crappy, rainy Monday. I was hungry and in a nasty mood, but the place actually cheered me up. It was happy hour, and I ended up getting pretty happy. I ordered a few French 75s for $5 each and the Rio de Jan ... More >>

Ingredient of the Week: Prosciutto

Photo by John SuhI dream of prosciutto pizza.​What is it? Pronounced "proh-SHOOT-oh," prosciutto is a thinly sliced Italian dry-cured ham. The uncooked version highlighted today is called prosciutto crudo (the cooked kind is prosciutto cotto). The most revered cuts of prosciutto come from t ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Orange Wine (Yes, Orange)

​White wine, rosé wine, red wine, orange wine... Orange wine? Qu'est-ce que c'est? No, it's not a wine concocted by Longhorn fans. (They call UT the orange tide? Call me Deacon Blue Nun). Orange wine is a loosely codified category of winemaking and winemakers who macerate the juice obtained ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Bastianich 2008 Rosato Refosco

​Maybe it was the atmosphere, perhaps it was the good company, and maybe it even had a little something to do with the fact that I was on vacation - no husband, no kiddo, no worries - but I had a glass of what could be a contender for one of the best wines I've ever tasted. To set the scene, ... More >>

The Leopard (Il gattopardo)

Health Department Roundup

"Just eat-a around the filth-a, paisan"​Sometimes, we wonder whether all the health regulations the city enforces actually keep people from getting sick. Were you more likely to suffer unpleasant food-related maladies 50 years ago, when restaurant regulations were less stringent? (We hesitate ... More >>

What to Do with Leftover Risotto

​Anyone who has made risotto more than a handful of times has certainly realized the down side (apart from the endless stirring necessary in the traditional method) of this otherwise delightful dish. Risotto makes terrible leftovers. The interplay of creamy sauce and tender rice with a firm in ... More >>

Biscuits at Branch Water Tavern

​On a recent visit to Branch Water Tavern, I enjoyed the chicken fried oysters, seasonal cocktails and perfectly cooked rare cheeseburger. Truly bloody meat can be, ahem, bloody hard to find in Houston restaurants. My favorite part of the meal, however, was a dish I didn't have to pay for or ... More >>

"Secrets of the Silk Road"

Meet a woman who's 3,800 years old - and still looks good

Italian Expo This Weekend Features Lombardy Region of Italy

​Apparently the inaugural Houston Italian Expo was in 2009, but this is the first year in which the Regione Lombardia is partnering with the Italy America Chamber of Commerce - Texas. The Regione Lombardia is one of Italy's "regions," like their version of a state. Its capital is Milan, and ... More >>

Game Time: Jim Rome Smack-Off 2010, A Five-Time Champ Weighs In

The Rome show may have mellowed, but the Smack-Off still delivers​If you're a sports fan in the Year 2010, you probably know who Jim Rome is. If you read my blog posts each day, you almost definitely know who Jim Rome is.For those who don't, I'll be brief with the history lesson -- Rome is a syndi ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Borgo SanLeo Brut Prosecco

​Sometimes our champagne budgets are a little tight. So when we're feeling thrifty, we opt for prosecco instead. One of our favorites is the Borgo SanLeo Brut Prosecco from Italy. Prosecco is made from the prosecco grapes in Italy. It does have the same sparkling quality as champagne. ... More >>

New Year's Pigs' Trotters

​This weekend, Da Marco will be serving zampone, the stuffed pig's foot that's traditionally eaten on New Year's in Italy. Da Marco is serving the zampone with lentils and the mustard-marinated fruit called mostarda. December 31 is called La Festa di San Silvestro in Italy. You eat lentils, ... More >>

Restaurant Bill Padding: How Often Does It Happen?

Photo by kake pugh​I recently had an expensive dinner at an established, well-known French restaurant in Houston. There were just two of us, and we ordered sparingly: one glass of wine each, one appetizer, two entrees and one dessert. The food and service were worth it, so I didn't blink when ... More >>

Obscure Wine Grapes: Piculit Neri

Photo by Robb WalshPiculit Neri is an ancient grape varietal from Italy that was popular in Roman times but went out of favor. Progressive winemakers have recently revived the almost-forgotten grape, along with several others that were once popular in the Friuli Venezia-Giulia region, an area in the ... More >>

Magical Mystery Tour

Exotic fisherman's plate at Jonathan's The Rub

Amazing Astronomers of Ancient Rome

Web exclusive!

Celebration of Beer Dinner

Chef Igor Rosi proves Italians know beer as well as wine

Antica Osteria

Rice Spaghetti

Amici

Mystery Food

Roman Scandals

The HMNS looks at the turmoil and traditions of Ancient Rome

Pungent Pizza

Cava Bistro

Mama Mia

Smokin' Duck

Michelangelo's

Best Place to Play Bocce Ball

Hans' Bierhaus

Eat Your Heart Out

Friday, February 14

The Pig's Nose Knows

It's time to try a tiny bit of truffle

Black and White

Arcodoro

Toque Off

Viva la differènza!

Hot Plate