Pizza - Could This Be The Best Pizza In Houston?

ORG Pizza 006 

Andrea dal Monte. Of Rome. A Roman style "pinsa". Crunchy. Superb flavor. Well, just perfect.

Open from 9:00 to 2:00 on Sunday, ORG Pizza 006 is tucked away a little north of Tidwell on Yale at 5618 Yale.  

Chef Andrea dal Monte. 

For me, the crust is perfect. Chewy and delicious. The quality of ingredients is about as good as it gets. His skill as a pizzaolo, well, for me, I wouldn't want to eat anywhere else on a Sunday, mid-day. Prices are almost too reasonable. 

And, he also produces excellent gelati in remarkably interesting flavors.

John Nechman writes: “. Thank you, thank you, thank you to H-Town mortgage guru John Frels, curator of the Houston Heights Foodies page, for sharing the "secret" of ORG Pizza Garden (5618 Yale St., in the northern stretches of Independence Heights). The business model for this hidden-in-plain-sight spot is somewhat baffling:  open only Sundays from 9-2; 3 tables inside and a few more hard benches outside, mostly exposed to the elements; a masonry pizza oven set up in a trailer in the middle of the outdoor patio; barbed wire topping a chain link fence surrounding the rather bleak looking property; business development coming mostly from word-of-mouth from those who've dined here before.

And it works!

Why? Because the food is spectacular. Frels and Houston foodie extraordinaire Jay P. Francis (who also visited ORG yesterday) have called the pizza the best in the city. It's definitely a contender.  If you've had the 2 most famous styles of Roman pizza: al taglio (square and thicker crust, sold in "cut" squares) and tonda (thinner, crispy crust and usually round), this pizza from Chef Andrea dal Monte is like the best of both--pizza alla pala. It somehow manages to be both fluffy and crispy at the same time and comes out in an oval shape on  a traditional wood paddle. At $10 for the most expensive version (the magnificent matriciana, made with a rich marinara infused with guanciale and pecorino), this is one of the best deals in town and one of the tastiest pizzas.  I couldn't get a close look at the oven, but it appeared to be a Marona forni oven--perfect for cooking this style of pizza.

Also from within this magical oven comes the bread for the farciti, sort of a stuffed toast.  We tried the version with fresh-sliced prosciutto, camembert, a slather of figs compote, organic arugula, and golden local honey, and it soars to the highest rankings of Houston's best  sandwiches. I hope Jeff Balke, who compiles a list of best sandwiches for the Houston Press, gets to try this one).  A stunner of a sandwich.

We somehow managed to scarf down a maritiramisu maritozzo (sweet bun) as well and left with a pint of peach, balsamic venegar, and roasteed honey ice cream to enjoy later.

You can bring your own booze (for $14 a bottle, Total Wine & More sells an orange Sun Goddess Pinot Grigio Ramato from Mary J Blige that is refreshing and pairs with everything!), which means an exceptional Sunday lunch with wine for 2 can easily come in under $40. This place is still under-the-radar enough to likely have seating if you show up early, but before long, unless they expand (and hopefully open on other days, too), it won't be possible to find a seat here.“

Mimo on Telephone Road

With three others to help me dine, we were able to sample many items on the lunch menu including two salads,  bucatelli with sausage, a fettucine with mortadella, orechiette in a light tomato sauce, and their Hoagie #1, as well as the panna cotta dessert. I can tell you truthfully that there was not a dud in the whole order. Flavorful. And the service was excellent.

Thanks to Alison Cook's Houston Chronicle review, which is how we heard about this restaurant, located in the old Kanomwan location on Telephone Road, across from Bohemeo's.

A high point were the zucchini fritters. Wow. Listed as a happy hour offering, but they were happy to fry some up for us. Panko (and some secret stuff) made for a delicious, crispy, crunchy crust.

Highly recommended. But with one caveat emptor. See comment below.

I have a good friend who owned a one star Michelin restaurant in Rome. And he is Roman to the core. And passionate about Italian, well, all cuisine as presented in Europe (which is very differently prepared, for him, based on his experiences here in Houston).

His "al dente: is REALLY "al dente". "To aid in digestion" he would say. I know, cause he's made a pasta a la Amatriciana for me in his home, and softened the pasta for me. Not much. But a little. What he called "al dente American style".

Well. He took one look at the parsley, topping the bucatini (and let's not get into the soft pasta which he would hate but which I prefer) and said "No, no, no, absolutely not! If you brought a dish with the parsley stems still intact, you would be laughed out of business. That is NOT done in Italy. Ever." He also was amused by the mortadella topping the fettucine and the general appearance of the dish. I've learned a lot from him. 

John Nechman writes of the lunch:

"You’ve likely heard amazing things about Mimo ( https://www.mimohtx.com/ ) the unassuming spot that has taken over what was once Kanomwon in the Tlaquepaque complex at 736 ½ Telephone Rd. Believe everything you’ve heard. Dramatic flavors from the finest ingredients set forth in a simple manner so that every individual element shines through. Superb wines. A caring staff who knows how a dining experience is supposed to be managed. Dining at Mimo yesterday for lunch with a couple of delightful friends, we tried a wide assortment of dishes and found all of them good.

You don’t want to rush this. Mimo is the ideal place to relax, share plates and conversation, and contemplate the magic of each plate set before you. We started with a snappy suppa del giorno of creamy chickpeas in a slightly tart and aromatic broth and a salad of red-tip lettuce dressed in a classic Caesar. We couldn’t pass up another salad about which the Chronicle’s Alison Cook (a Mimo regular) raved—tangy and just-bitter-enough layers of burgundy-speckled Castelfranco radicchio with watermelon relish doused in preserved lemon-miso vinaigrette, then buried under a snow flurry of fine shaved parmigiano. Simply stunning.

We split 3 excellent pastas—a fettucine coated in lemon, crushed pistachios and English peas, then topped with sliced mortadella; orecchiette blended with crispy pancetta, roasted cherry tomatoes, and lemon butter, with the unique nuttiness of fresh chunks of Romanesco and the earthy qualities of mature Pecorino; and a daily special of bucatini in a velvety sugo rosa-like sauce with nuggets of sweet rosemary-spiked homemade salsiccia. Nothing was left from these 3 plates.

Of the 5 mouth-watering panini, we chose and loved the one simply called “hoagie,” featuring finocchiona (a rarely-seen-in-Houston fennel-flavored salami), mortadella, and provolone on spectacular bread, served with a homemade giardiniera of iceberg lettuce, tomato, and peppers in top quality vinegar and evoo. One of my favorite dishes is easy to miss on the menu—look under the sides for the corn and zucchini fritters, served with truffled honey. These are totally addictive and would make a sensational antipasti. If you are more than 2 people, you will want more than 1 order of these. An Azimut Brisat Parellada, a bracing orange wine, set off all the flavors of these wonderful dishes we enjoyed.

We went with 2 desserts—an insanely rich panna cotta topped with a candied lemon and mint honey-like syrup, and fresh-baked lemon amaretti cookies served with crema di vin santo.

After lunch, I tried to remember where I’d seen the handsome gentleman with the gorgeous blue eyes who was one of 3 who took such great care of our table—the receipt showed M. Sammons, and I saw his name in Alison Cook’s review (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/.../mimo-italian... ). He has managed or owned several of our favorite places—How to Survive on Land and Sea, La Dolce Vitá, and 13 Celsius, Weights & Measures, and Mongoose vs Cobra in Midtown. We’ve enjoyed all of these places, and Mimo brings together much of what we’ve loved in all of them. "

Eatwell Italian Bakery and Cafe - Italian and Lebanese Restaurant

It’s funny. You think you pretty much know every place in Houston and then you come across something. The owner of Eatwell had the Lebanese restaurant, Sammy’s, a restaurant on Richmond where many of us Houstonians were first introduced to Lebanese cuisine many years ago. His current venue has a commitment to “clean”, made from scratch, foods. Today I sampled some cookies, including one using dates for sweetness instead of sugar. The cookies were excellent. We had a fascinating discussion about the different styles of falafel in Lebanon. I am looking forward to my next visit.

My friend, Luis Chen, wrote the following of his visit : "I was so surprised to discover this establishment. I saw the sign "Eatwell" from distance. I thought this might be a great place to relax, unwind and enjoy what nature could provide. (I had an image of springtime in my head while feeling that 40-degree wind.) 

I was craving for a bowl of hot soup. The owner offered me 3 choices. They all sounded delicious, but I have some restrictions. He said, "You'll like our lentil soup." It came steaming hot, perfectly seasoned, and the beans just melted in my mouth. It also came with some fresh pita chips. Mmm... Mmm... Good.

He came to my table and asked about my dietary preference. He told me he made all-natural yogurt from scratch. I was quite awake once I saw them very reasonably priced. He gave me a sample. I said, "Oh, yeah. I have to say goodbye to the White Mountain yogurt from Austin..."


A collection of photos from Yelp reviewers follows:

Pasta - Pasta in Houston

I have a tremendous respect for complex foods. For example, Thai food with its complexity of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy ingredients all rolled into a particular curry.

But, actually, I prefer simpler food. And that is why I love and look forward to eating Italian food. In my opinion, and I am certainly not the first person to note or acknowledge this, Italians love simplicity, in order to allow the flavor of the meats or vegetables to not be masked by a lot of different herbs and spices. And so for this reason you find dishes that maybe just have the seasoning of some salt, some pepper, maybe one or two types of dried herbs. Fish will still taste like fish. Spinach will still taste like spinach. Which isn't to say that sauces are always simple, ragus for pasta can be complex.

Although there are many Italian chefs who are doing fusion dishes, the Italians do have a saying about the importance of using ingredients that complement each other. This is summed up in the expression, 'si sposa o non si sposa'. Roughly translated that means it either marries or it doesn’t marry. So for example if you were making a risotto in the style of Milano you would not want to use a Sicilian cheese. Regions have their preferences for the way the foods go together. 

And fitting in beautifully in this Italian universe of cuisine is pasta. Now initially of course you have several courses in a typical Italian meal. You have the appetizer course that proceeds the pasta, the antipasto, meaning meaning "before". Then you have your pasta dish. And then, you have your main entrée which will be some sort of protein and some vegetables and then you’ll have some dessert. The sauce accompanying the pasta may be simply butter, butter with garlic, a fresh tomato sauce, or a more complex ragú with its ingredients of onion, celery, carrot, garlic, pancetta, milk, wine, tomatoes and stock. Check out the pasta map further down in this blog to get an idea of regional pasta dishes.

And then, there is the glorious category of Italian-American cuisine, where the wonderfulness that is pasta in a thickened sauce has lent itself to becoming the actual meal itself here in the United States. When we go to Italian restaurants we will order a delicious plate of pasta only, spaghetti for example with a meat sauce, or meatballs or other things. Tagliatelle for a ragu Bolognese.

Here's an example of that Italian-American 'pasta as a meal in itself' twist. This is a tray bake spaghetti and meatballs recipe by my friend, Mesha (see link) :

Mesha's Corner Bake Tray Spaghetti and Meatballs

Initially angel hair pasta, that is, cappellini, a thin pasta, could be found in desserts, but here in the US of A, angel hair pasta has taken on a life of its own and shows up as a main course in Italian-American restaurants. 

Other pasta dishes paired with sauces show up at restaurants. There is the black pepper dish of Rome, (cacio e pepe). The beloved lasagna (or tagliatelle) alla Bolognese. Pasta alla Norma. There is spaghetti alla carbonara, in which the hot pasta 'cooks' the eggs to finish the dish. And the fettucine Alfredo (though the following map seems to say "no" to it). Notice how different pasta shapes match up with different recipes?

(Map courtesy of www.tasteatlas.com)

And there are many stories associated with pasta. And there are hundreds of different types of pasta shapes created and named. 

Some pastas lend themself to sauces and are formed with old style bronze dies in shapes that work really well with the sauces. The rough surface helps to hold the sauce.

One would spend an entire lifetime, I suspect, just exploring the pasta types and accompanying sauces of the different regions of Italy. 

Pasta is my passion. Pasta is what I look forward to eating. I would eat pasta every day if I could.

My love of pasta is such that I even own a copy of this book here, about the architecture of pasta.
(Pasta by Design)

I make pasta. It's easy. Eggs, flour, salt. A KitchenAid mixer with the pasta making attachments. A gazillion recipes on the web. And I had an aha moment once when I realized that plastic coat hangers are perfect for drying pasta.

(Photo courtesy of Williams-Sonoma)

I'd been making it on my own for many years but a class with Giuliano Hazan in the 80's  took my skills from very good pasta to spectacular pasta. He has written several excellent books. Here is a link to his Amazon page:
Link to Giuliano Hazan Amazon Page

Here is a link to his website with a how-to-make pasta instructional from Giuliano:

Giuliano Hazan Homemade Pasta Recipe

One of my favorite pranks is to purchase the extremely

l  o  n  g   Garofalo brand of spaghetti and then sit back and watch as my guests twist and twist the pasta on their fork while wondering "just how long is this?". And it is an excellent spaghetti.

Now, what are some places to find better than grocery store brands of pasta? Well, my three favorites are:

Italian-American Grocery Store, 3605 White Oak in the Heights

Spec's Downtown Location, 2410 Smith Street

Central Market, 3815 Westheimer

Four, actually. We need to include the two Phoenicia's (downtown location and Westheimer).

For freshly made pasta, there is the historically significant Fabio Milano's Artisan Pasta at 2129 West Alabama. A Houston treasure for almost 40 years.

Follow this link for more information on ordering fresh pasta from Fabio

What about dining out in Houston? The following is not a definitive list, but just a sampling of restaurants which I respect, helmed by an Italian chef or owner. If you can think of any others, please post in the comments section.

Fresco Cafe Italiano

Link to Fresco Cafe Italiano

Sud Italia Ristorante

Link to Sud Italia Ristorante

Mascalzone

(web link currently not operational. Here is their address on Westheimer: 12126 Westheimer Rd

Giacomo's Cibo e Vino

Link to Giacomo's Cibo e Vino

Recently a query was made to the FB group Houston Foodie Friends moderated by Cleverley Stone about where one can find home-made pasta in Houston. In addition to Fabio Milano's Artisan Pasta, the following restaurants were recommended by members of that group:

Boada Cuisine
6510 Del Monte Dr, Houston, TX 77057
Campioni Restaurant
13850 Cutten Rd, Houston, TX 77069
Ciao Bello
5161 San Felipe St, Houston, TX 77056
Coppa Osteria
5210 Morningside Dr, Houston, TX 77005
DaMarco Restaurant
1520 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006
Fresco Cafe Italiano
3277 Southwest Fwy Ste A, Houston, TX 77027
Giacomo's Cibo e Vino
3215 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77098
North Italia Restaurant
1700 Post Oak Blvd #190, Houston, TX 77056
Prego
2520 Amherst St, Houston, TX 77005
Paulie's
1834 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX
Vallones
947 North Gessner Road, Houston, TX 77024
Vinoteca Poscol
608 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006
Giuseppe's (in Spring, Texas)

8320 Louetta Rd # 160, Spring, TX 77379

abio Milano Owner, 

Italian - La Sicilia Bakery

Opening in 2018, La Sicilia Bakery offers sandwiches, Lavazza coffee, and Italian style pastries and cookies.

Special Note: I found the dough recipe that they are using to be very "bread-y". Such that these dry out fairly quickly. However, there is an easy fix. When you take them out of your refrigerator the next morning, steam them to bring them back. I've included a photograph of my steamer set-up in the following photos section:

Italian - Sacred Heart Society of Little York Road - Spaghetti Thursdays

The Sacred Heart Society on E. Whitney just off of Airline Drive has been sponsoring a Thursday spaghetti lunch from 11:30 to 1:00 for decades (since 1953, actually). Historically significant. And a Houston institution. The sausage is made by one of the society members and it is excellent. A plate of spaghetti with four meatballs and one sausage, salad, bread, iced tea came to about $16 with tax. The meatballs and/or sausage are priced on a per piece basis. And I happily doggie bagged half the serving for later. Meeting up with friend, Brandon Cook, was an added bonus.