Good for Business

  I went on a business luncheon recently to Fratelli’s. While the location isn’t supremely convenient, it’s worth the drive. I had the Tagliatelle con Ragu Bolognese –  it was fresh hand made tagliatelle pasta with ragu Bolognese meat sauce. I’ve only shared my meat sauce recipe with one other person on this earth, so that said, I understand how hard it is to get this right.

They do a great job of it. Amazing in fact so much so that I overlooked the somewhat stale bread. The salad is typical greens, the balsamic isn’t necessarily a vinegarette, but a heavier dressing where I think the heft isn’t needed. The pasta was cooked perfectly though and the meat sauce isn’t overwhelmed by any of the spices, as I find alot that meat sauces do.

The atmosphere is homey, with a touch of class. I found myself staring at the oddly arranged palm tree orchid “garden of Eden” like center of the restaurant, thinking that another table could fit there, but besides that the service is tops, and I never want for more, they refill and check in periodically, always ready to lend a hand. Definitely recommended for a business lunch, I can always hears the people I’m with and there’s no clanging pots or noise issues.  Although busy, there never seems to be a wait either, a big plus in my book!

Fratelli’s -http://www.fratellishouston.com/ -  (713) 957-1150

Rating: Spoon and  Fork – good, but could be better!

They Aren’t Going Anywhere….& Shouldn’t!

 

Recently had dinner at a spot that I tend to forget about when I’m thinking special. Each time I consider a place for Italian, this slips my mind, but only in the way that you’ve forgotten your favorite sweater at the back of your closet during a heat wave, and then in the winter welcome it’s remembrance with alot of exuberance.

Michelangelo's is a wonderful gift to the Italian food that I adore. It’s traditional, it’s fresh, the service is top notch and even when it’s hosting a rehearsal dinner, as it did on my last experience there, my date and I weren’t forgotten about in any sense. It’s a small house and the atmosphere is classy with a pinch of “grandma’s house”, there is a tree growing up the center of the structure, you wouldn’t notice the trunk at first, but it’s there, and I think it adds a neat little unique touch to the place.

My date and I enjoyed a bottle of a light red Valpolicella, Masi "Bonacosta" (Valpolicella Classico) during our meal. The starter we chose was a wonderfully picked array of  Sautéed escargot, scallops, crabmeat & shrimp with salsa bianco called Piatto di Mare con Lumache. I adore saying the dishes here. I’m going to Italy next year and this makes me feel as if I’m preparing to go there!

As our salads we chose the Insalata Pomodoro e Mozzarella and the Insalata di Asparagi e Pomodoro where fresh sliced tomato, asparagus, basil, and mozzarella abounded on each plate in a nice red vinegar based dressing (instead of the usual balsamic which was a nice change up) The asparagus salad is seasonal, fyi. But well worth it on both accounts.

The bread here is served with a lovely whipped butter, so in between sips and bites, this is a lovely treat.

For dinner itself I enjoyed the Cannelloni Pavarotti perfectly formed noodles stuffed with spinach, cheese and ground veal accompanied by mushrooms, spinach and broccoli on the side. The only critique for me was that the broccoli was unnecessary…it seemed too raw and a bit out of place. My date had the Tortellini de Anitra a tender duck and spinach tortellini with sweet berries and gorgonzola sauce. This dish was surprising to me at first, the sweet sauce actually made it gentle for me, where duck tends towards gamey tasting, this was a much welcome change up.

For dessert we split both the Chocolate Mousse and the Italian Cream Cake - both to me speak volumes for being able to do well in this category. The mousse was light and had a touch of coffee or dark chocolate to it where the cake was spongey but not soggy and the sugar factor was light and not overly cloying.

One thing to note, Michaelangelo’s includes the tip on the bill automatically, no matter what size your party.  Normally this would irk me, but I’ve yet to have any hint of a bad experience there, so the math, after a few glasses of wine, is welcomed!

Michaelangelos - http://www.michelangelosrestaurant.com/ - (713) 524-7836

Rating: spoon, fork and knife – I need to remember this place more often, like my favorite sweater!

Like-a-Mama-Used-Ta-Make-ah!

Northern Italian Meat Sauce Recipe

3 slices bacon, cut up

1 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground veal or ground pork

1 28-ounce can tomatoes, cut up

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped carrot

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup snipped parsley

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup dry white wine

Hot cooked spaghetti

How to make Northern Italian Meat Sauce

In large saucepan or Dutch oven cook bacon till crisp. Add ground beef and ground veal or ground pork; cook till meat is browned.
Drain off fat.If desired, press undrained tomatoes through sieve. Add undrained tomatoes, onion, carrot, celery, parsley, tomato paste, bouillon granules, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to meat mixture. Stir in wine and 1/4 cup water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes or till desired consistency, stirring occasionally.
Just before serving, stir 1/3 cup light cream or milk into the hot sauce, if desired.

I have been studying the Northern Italian region lately in an attempt to acclimate myself for my upcoming trip to Italy. That said, I wanted to see what the “big deal” was for Northern Vs. Southern food. I’m learning quickly that they are a much leaner and more vegetable based than the South. There seems to be a lack of the heavy feeling that the Southern food takes on. Being an aficionado of fettuccine alfredo myself, I still find that I don’t miss the richness in this recipe. In fact the bacon gives it that, forgive me for saying it, hint of grease, that makes this dish great.

I personally made the pasta myself when making this dish. It’s a formidable experience to do so, but well worth the effort when you want to learn something new. I think making the pasta brought a lovely lesson in and of itself. I think next time I will try ravioli with meat inside along with this sauce. The carrot and celery provided a lovely “beef stew” kind of feel to it, it’s definitely more home-style feeling than the spaghetti sauces I ‘ve had before. I used ground pork this time, enjoy yours with the veal option as well.

and the great part? you have a glass of wine while it simmers. Molto bene!

A Lady Who Lunches

 

I was a lady who lunched. I treated myself recently to a lunch at the Carillion Center Forno’s. I had the insalata caprese to start – which disappointed a bit as the tomato was accompanied by an “ok” mozzarella rather than a nice fresh slice of a round mozzerella. The toasted bread that accompanied it was made up for by the by the fresh bread and butter on the table.

I ordered off the menu for lunch, simply the fettuccine alfredo. Now, that said, I’m a dieter. I work out every day, I eat properly as much as my soul can take it, which is pretty regularly. This dish came to the table piping hot, and it was fantastic. It was a good portion, the noodles cooked perfectly al dente and no over hinting of pepper. The extra sprinkling of parmesan added that nice little after bite that should occur after this dish. For me, alfredo should not just be a creamy sauce, it needs to taste of parmesan, have the texture of a good pasta, it needs to be perfect and unseparated in it’s mouthful. This accomplished that perfectly.

The restaurant was lovely for a business luncheon, had a good amount of patrons, but not loud, and not overly packed. It’s also a nice place for a romantic dinner, a bit mobster-Godfather styling, and the white tablecloths give me the feel that I’ve treated myself well, but not at the price of a mortgage payment.

Forno’s - (713) 789-5552

  Rating: spoon & fork - a little dicey on some of the food, but simple food was perfection!

Zuppa Toscana

4 cans of chicken broth
3 medium potatoes, quartered
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. of Owen's Italian Sausage
1 bunch of kale, cleaned and torn into pieces
1 quart of half & half

In a skillet, fry sausage and onion until soft.

Boil potatoes in water until cooked through and fork tender. Drain off water. Add broth and kale and cook on medium until it wilts. Add sausage and onion and cook for 20 minutes to blend. Add half and half, salt and pepper to taste.

This is one of the easiest and most impressive starter soups for an Italian Feast. It's different tasting though pleasing and not overly "odd" for cuisine. It's a crowd pleaser and surprising instead of your basic minestrone.

I'm a dieter and replace the potato with frozen cauliflower and fat free half & half works fine here too. I make it and take it for lunch. It's fantastic!

Base Sauce

Alfredo Sauce

1 Pint of Sour Cream (full fat only)
1 stick of butter (or margarine)
1/2 onion, minced/grated
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bar of Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan.


Melt butter and saute onion and garlic until onion is clear. Break up cream cheese and stir until melted and combined. Add sour cream and parmesan. Serve over hot pasta.

This is the beginning sauce for alot of things. You can add cajun hot sauce or seasoning, a little shrimp, green & red bell pepper and it's fantastic over linguine. Add chicken and broccoli for another dish. I've used it over top of shrimp and scallops on shell pasta for a seafood alfredo. I've added it to tortellini with bacon and peas.

Because of the fat content, it tends to break up if you keep it overnight in the fridge, so always make it the day of. Margarine is perfectly fine in this dish, just salt it a bit less as butter is delicate and can take the salt.

Sides? Just about anything here. I throw it with garlic bread and salad on the table. Be wary, this stuff is pretty rich, it's diet unfriendly as all get out. But it's worth it, don't do the jar any more, it's too easy to turn this out in 30 minutes.