Caffe Bello [Closed]
This entry was posted on 1/8/2011 9:06 AM and is filed under New Openings, Italian.
A new restaurant from the Vallone family, again housed in a former La Strada. We've heard sufficiently mixed reviews about Ciao Bello on San Felipe that we haven't been there. But we decided to give its sister location on lower Westheimer a try, only because the chef, Michael diMaggio, was formerly at the now shuttered Rockwood Room, a place we'd really liked. (Since we dined at Cafe Bello, the chef has left.)
While Tony's keeps going strong, there isn't much buzz about this new restaurant, which was evident in the relatively quiet scene we found one recent Saturday evening. By the time we left, most of the tables were full, but we doubt they turned much during the evening.
Service was friendly and prompt from the hosts to the servers. Wines by the glass were reasonably priced, which was a pleasant surprise. The menu had a number of enticing options. We started with a very tasty and unique pizzetta topped with oxtails, gorgonzola and mushrooms. We moved on to try the goat cheese risotto and the rigatoni Bolognese. Both were very good, with the latter chock full of meat which we particularly like. We finished with the day boat flounder special, a deliciously fresh whole grilled fish filled with seafood stuffing, with a light beurre blanc sauce and grilled shrimp.
322 Westheimer
713/520-5599
http://www.caffebello.com/index.cfm
