Category: Uncategorized (Page 6 of 19)

I am not one to visit a restaurant before it has had time to iron out the details, before back of the house and front of the house teams have gone through a good number of services.

I made an exception last week in Houston. Rosie Cannonball is the name, and I trust the executive chef there. His name is Felipe Riccio, and his approach to cooking appeals to me. (The other principals at the restaurant — David Keck, Ryan Cooper, June Rodil, and Adam Garcia — also made it easy for me to join the early-days crowd.)

Angela and I arrived for our 9 p.m. reservation, and the next two hours passed in a wonderful and delicious way. We began with burrata and charred tomatoes, which, we eventually decided, was the best dish of the evening. The tomatoes were juicy and rich, the burrata — partly melted, partly solid — was substantial and authentic, and the bread accompanying it was among the best I’ve had in Houston, the crust crisp and charred, the interior moist, hot, and almost chewy.

Charred leeks were next, and though not as satisfying as the first course — my palate was a bit confused by the flavors here, as a lemony/citrus note seemed to battle back and forth with an anchovy/briny undertone, never achieving unity, and the thickest parts of the leeks were a bit too mushy — the crisper and charred portions of the vegetable were memorable. I like the application of flame to vegetables, and this dish is something I want to try one more time.

Pizza was next; we went for simple cheese pie, because I love the source of the cheeses used here. Lira Rossa is a creamery based in Texas, run by an Italian, and everything I’ve tried from the place has been authentic and good.

As with the burrata, the dough part of this pie was superb, as was the tomato sauce, but … we needed more cheese. Simply put, the amounts of mozzarella, latteria, and caciotta were deficient (in our opinions). We did not mention this to Maggie, the woman who was taking our orders and delivering our food and wine (as I told you, Rosie Cannonball is a new restaurant, and we did not expect perfection), but when the check arrived, we were told the chef had been unhappy with the pie so was not going to charge us.

Desserts? We debated this decision for a few minutes, then decided on the Good Thyme Farm Mint Gelato and the Torrijas. Angela has had a long and satisfying relationship with mint chocolate chip ice cream, and she gave this version of the flavor a hearty “yes” … it was creamy and rich and made with care.

My brioche was over the top, in the best way. I have been scaling back my consumption of desserts, but was glad I made an exception here. I was served a brioche that was dense and crisp, roasted in the embers of Rosie Cannonball’s wood-burning oven, accompanied by a fine ice cream swirled with dulce de leche. It was all a success, a dish whose individual components sang together with grace

I am in the process of dining at my favorite restaurants in Houston, an exercise designed to “bid farewell for now” to some people and places I’ll miss when Angela and I move to Los Angeles (in November), and I have saved an evening for one more visit to Rosie Cannonball. Focaccia di Recco, you will be mine.