Shaving truffles in uptown
Luxurious Galleria-area hotel begins again with new fine dining Italian restaurant
Houston's luxurious Hotel Granduca has switched things up at its fine dining restaurant. After 10 years of operating Ristorante Cavour, the hotel will soon welcome a new concept called Alba Ristorante.
Slated to open next month, Granduca owner Giorgio Borlenghi named Alba Ristorante for both a city in northern Italy that's renown for its white truffles and the Italian word for "a new beginning."
"We wanted to create a new environment that was more in tune with these times," Borlenghi writes in an email about the decision to replace Cavour. "Also, we want to mark the end of the pandemic and launch a new venue for the public to enjoy."
The public will be enjoying dishes created by executive chef Maurizio Ferrarese (Quattro, Sud Italia), who will showcase his flare for Northern Italian fare, specifically truffles and risotto. Other options will include seafood dishes made with ingredients sourced from the Gulf and Mediterranean, such as Ferrarese's signature scallops with black truffle. In addition to dinner, Alba will serve tea daily.
With a more casual cafe available for Granduca guests who aren't looking for fine dining, Alba intends to lure Houstonians to its luxurious environs. Its interior will feature a champagne bar that includes an 18th-century Italian Bibliotheque complete with a painted ceiling. Designer Kara Childress' plans for the space include natural stone, checkerboard painted wood, and "pastoral wallpaper."
