Relish: A taste of Italy at buono Grotto Ristorante

By Tim Pawul & Mimi Arnold     2/25/10 6:00pm

For an upbeat, upscale dining experience with friends, a date or beautiful people-watching, Grotto Ristorante in the Galleria area should fill all your needs. Boasting a diverse menu and extensive wine list, Grotto strikes a comfortable balance between luxury and playfulness. Although some dishes disappointed us, the lush atmosphere and several pasta and seafood dishes were so inviting and exquisite that we couldn't help but reward the Grotto with a four-star review. If you venture to this establishment, we're sure you'll share the same sentiments.

Ambiance

Grotto caters to Houston's lively upper crust, as reflected by the upscale decor. An ornate Italian mural with loud, vibrant colors stretches across the walls. The bar, which features a large antipasti selection, is situated in the center of the room, rendering the atmosphere both luxurious and welcoming.

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Food

We went to dinner with three friends, which allowed us to sample a wide variety of the menu. We shared eight different antipasti selections, including an array of chilled and warm vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, stuffed artichoke and fried cauliflower, goat cheese, mozzarella and prosciutto. Among the wide variety of offerings, we found ourselves most impressed by the stuffed artichoke.

For his appetizer, Tim ordered the Zuppa Maritata Traditional, an Italian wedding soup of chicken broth, chicken meatballs, Italian greens, carrots, tomatoes, celery and pasta. The waiter recommended the soup and soon lost our trust, as the dish proved to be nothing spectacular.

The Insalata Tre Colore con Gamberoni was a salad with grilled shrimp, endive, arugula, radicchio and cherry tomatoes in a vinaigrette with shaved parmesan. The vinaigrette topping was so acidic that it wasn't even worth trying, and we ended up sending this dish back to the kitchen.

Appealing to a different palate entirely, the Mussels Marechiaro were prepared in a tomato-garlic wine sauce, leaving a hint of spiciness. Tim also ordered Pappardelle alla Campagnola, a pasta dish tossed with chicken, mushrooms, peas, mozzarella and a sugo rosa sauce. While we found the dish enticing, it was heavy and underseasoned, a rarity in an Italian restaurant.

Next, we sampled the ravioli special with smoked salmon. With a predictably fishy flavor and slathered with a weak buttery sauce, this dish was a disappointment. However, Mimi adored the two other pasta dishes we tasted. First, the Linguine Tre Pomodori - linguine tossed with roma, cherry and sun-dried tomatoes, roasted chicken and homemade mozzarella - was light, well-seasoned with a bit of spiciness and popping with freshness. The second dish was the heavenly Mezzaluna, which featured half-moon spinach ravioli, mushrooms and roma tomatoes with a delicate sage essence. Richly flavored but not excessively large, this hearty dish was one of our favorites.

Service

Consistent with the calm, welcoming atmosphere, the service was personable, friendly and well- timed. The waiter politely and without argument removed the salad from our bill after we explained its offputting taste.

Price

For a restaurant in the Galleria, the prices are reasonable. The appetizers, soups and salads ranged from roughly $5-$13, while pasta dishes hover around $15, pizzas at $10-$11 and entrees at $15-$30.

Tim's Recommendation

I recommend the Mussels Marechiaro due to its flavorful wine sauce and lingering, warm aftertaste. This dish takes traditional mussels in white wine (one of my favorite meals) and reinterprets it through Italian cuisine, adding tomatoes and finishing with spiciness. I highly recommend eating all the mussels first and then soaking up pieces of bread with the tomato-white wine sauce - fantastico!

Mimi's Recommendation

I'm torn between two dishes this week, and will give a dual recommendation. If you are more health-conscious and want a lighter tomato sauce and a larger dish, the Linguine Tre Pomodori is nearly flawless. However, if you don't care about saturated fats and other things you may regret come swimsuit season, the Mezzaluna, delicately stuffed ravioli with a rich cream sauce, is perfect.

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