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    ciao, il bracco

    2 Houston's vets debut new Italian eatery boasting housemade pastas and more near Galleria

    Eric Sandler
    Aug 8, 2022 | 11:38 am
    il Bracco desserts
    Desserts change seasonally.
    Courtesy of il Bracco

    A Dallas-based Italian restaurant will make its Bayou City debut next week. Il Bracco has begun its soft opening and will celebrate its grand opening on Monday, August 15.

    Located in the Post Oak Plaza shopping center, il Bracco occupies the former California Pizza Kitchen space at 1705-A Post Oak Blvd. It joins Kenny & Ziggy's in the Galleria-area development; in the months to come, the center will add a number of new tenants, including Australian-inspired cafe Bluestone Lane and global chicken chain Nando's Peri-Peri.

    Two veterans of the Houston's/Hillstone restaurant group developed the concept, which debuted in Dallas in 2019. Robert Quick, CEO of il Bracco owner Western Addition, worked for legendary chef Thomas Keller at Ad Hoc and Bouchon before becoming a kitchen manager for Hillstone. COO Matt Gottlieb spent 10 years as a Houston's general manager, including a stint at the Westheimer location that closed in 2019.

    “Being a part of the Post Oak neighborhood is like coming home, as we have worked and lived in Houston previously, and have immediate family and many friends here,” Gottlieb said.

    To transform the space, il Bracco hired Texas firm Michael Hsu Office of Architecture (Uchiko, Loro). The 6,000-square-foot space features a contemporary design with a dedicated bar/lounge area, custom light fixtures, and a 35-seat patio. Quick's wife, il Bracco design director Mary Lucille, selected the restaurant's artwork from their personal collection.

    Turning to the food, il Bracco serves an Italian-inspired menu of shareable starters, salads, sandwiches, entrees, sides, and pastas that are made fresh in house. In addition, the restaurant butchers all of its own seafood and USDA prime beef and makes all of its own breads and desserts. Dishes are paired with both New World and Italian wines as well as Italian-inspired cocktails, such as the Bracco, a frozen greyhound made with grapefruit juice and Aperol.

    Other menu highlights include:

    • Housemade focaccia with ricotta, roasted garlic, and thyme.
    • Italian beef sandwich made with tri-tip, Provolone sauteed broccolini, and giardiniera spread.
    • Meatballs made with beef, lamb, and pork that are served with house tomato gravy, Reggiano, and housemade focaccia.
    • The Plaza salad: roasted chicken, golden beets, pancetta, marcona almonds, goat cheese and honey vinaigrette
    • Cacio E Pepe made with bucatini, black pepper, and pecorino.
    • Chicken Picatta: lemony chicken with capers that's served with a kale salad.

    “We look forward to opening our doors in Houston and having guests experience the dishes and bar program we have perfected over the past few years," Quick said. "We hope our community feel the love and passion that has been poured into this kitchen and enjoy dining with us whether it’s for business lunch, dinner with loved ones or a special occasion."

    The restaurant opens daily for lunch and dinner beginning at 11 am.

    Il Bracco opens next week.

    il Bracco NY strip steak
      
    Courtesy of il Bracco
    Il Bracco opens next week.
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    what's on tap

    Dough-obsessed pizzeria picks River Oaks for first Houston location

    Eric Sandler
    May 22, 2025 | 6:10 pm
    Dough-obsessed pizzeria picks River Oaks for first Houston location
    Courtesy of Pie Tap

    A Dallas pizzeria known for its artisanal dough is coming to Houston. Pie Tap will open its first Bayou City outpost in June.

    Located next to Fielding’s River Oaks in the Novel Residences luxury apartment building, Pie Tap is an endeavor from Dallas restaurateur Rich Hicks and Italian chef Giovanni Mauro. The chef is responsible for the restaurant’s pizza dough, which uses a mother starter and a 96-hour fermentation process that uses natural yeast to achieve a good balance of crunch and chew.

    "Without great dough, you can't have great pizza," Mauro told CultureMap Dallas when the first location opened in 2016. "The idea that the crust is simply a vehicle for toppings is the wrong approach. There has to be a perfect balance of sauce and topping, but you have to have a commitment to the dough. If dough is everything it should be, the pizza is stellar."

    Using Italian flour and natural yeast are essential components of the dough’s flavor, Mauro added.

    "It's the kind of dough our great-grandparents used to eat," he says. "It's a very natural, slow process. We don't use any commercial yeasts. We started a 'mother dough' with a starter that's proprietary to us. It's a five-day process, an absolute minimum of 96 hours, from when we start to when we put the pizza on the plate."

    The restaurant uses that dough to create pizzas that include classics like a margherita, pepperoni, and veggie. Some of the more creative options include the Prosciutto (topped with dates, pistachio, arugula, cheese, and balsamic) and the Salami (calabrese salami, fennel sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and mozzarella).

    In addition to pizza, the restaurant touts its rotisserie chicken, which is served both as a half bird with mashed cauliflower and vegetables and as part of sandwiches, pastas, and salads. Other pastas include pappardelle bolognese, ricotta gnocchi, and the on-trend rigatoni in spicy vodka sauce.

    Having covered “pie,” let’s turn to the “tap” portion of the restaurant’s name. The bar program starts with 30 beers and wines on tap. They’re joined by cocktails, more wines by-the-glass, and non-alcoholic options. Taken together, it’s a compelling package that earned Best New Restaurant in the 2017 CultureMap Dallas Tastemaker Awards.

    “Our talented and dedicated team has been anxiously awaiting this exciting entrance to the Houston market as it is the epitome of all things interesting in food and culture and one of the friendliest and most diverse cities in the U.S. When it comes to our brand, if it is not exceptional, it is unacceptable,” Hicks said in a statement. “We are proud that we have one of the most clean, healthy, and delicious artisan pizzas you can enjoy out there because it has no preservatives, fillers, or additives.”

    Pie Tap will be open for lunch, dinner, happy hour, and weekend brunch.

    Pie Tap Pizza
      

    Courtesy of Pie Tap

    That's what crust looks like when its dough is fermented for 96 hours.

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