Want to know what you should do if you live in Houston (or find yourself there soon)? If you like gnocchi, you should head to Coltivare, a Heights restaurant worthy of many visits, and order the ricotta gnocchi that’s on the menu now. I did that very thing recently, and I’ll soon do it again. Every component of this dish is done well … the Parmesan, the greens, and, the star ingredient, the gnocchi. It is one of the best things I’ve eaten in Houston this year (and perhaps since I landed there), and I’ll urge you to visit Coltivare and have a glass of wine in the garden before your dinner, then sit at a table inside and love the gnocchi. Click here for more on this great dish, a piece I wrote for PaperCity.

A few nights later, perhaps on a Sunday, late in the afternoon, wander to River Oaks, and sit at the bar at State of Grace and ask the bartender for a glass of Albariño. Take a few sips, then order the Basmati “Fried Rice” (quote marks from the menu). You perhaps are not ready for dinner, but you’re wanting something to go with the wine. That’s what you should do. Order this. Sit. Taste the rice and the pepper and the curry and peanuts and the jalapeño. Read more about this very good plate here.

This goes well with redfish, and peanuts.