New name

Ruggles Green gets a new name as new owners move past controversy

Ruggles Green has rebranded itself as Bellagreen.

Courtesy of Bellagreen

Months after its former owner was implicated in an illegal seafood operation, local restaurant chain Ruggles Green has rebranded itself as Bellagreen.

In April, Texas Parks & Wildlife alleged that former owner Bruce Molzan purchased and sold illegal finfish off-menu at Ruggles Green and his other restaurant, Ruggles Black. Molzan may have profited more than $400,000.

A two-year investigation revealed that the illegal network was in operation since at least 2013 and, according to game wardens, could be the largest of its kind in Texas history.

"One of the things we believe as a company is to always do the right thing, we look at some of the history and we want people to know we aren’t affiliated with that," Bellagreen CEO Jason Morgan told CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler. "We bought 100-percent of (Molzan's) interest out last October. Other than licensing the (Ruggles) name, he has no interest in what we are doing. Now, he will have no involvement."

The chain's five existing locations — River Oaks, The Woodlands, City Centre, Sugar Land, and the Heights — will be rebranded as Bellagreen by the end of the year. Menus, staff uniforms, and the website already have the new name.

Click the video below for more details, and head to ABC13.com for the full story.

A rendering of the Village Marketplace location of Bellagreen, which will serve as a model for the company's plans to expand to Dallas in 2018.

Courtesy image

A rendering of the Village Marketplace location of Bellagreen, which will serve as a model for the company's plans to expand to Dallas in 2018.

news-you-can-eat

Anthony's song

Prolific Houston pizza chef fires up a new Italian restaurant in River Oaks

Courtesy of Anthony's New York Italian

Anthony's New York Italian is now open near Central Market.

One of Houston’s most prolific pizzaiolos has quietly opened a new restaurant in River Oaks. Anthony Russo, founder of Russo’s New York Pizzeria, has opened Anthony’s New York Italian in the former Pie Tap Pizza space at 3748 Westheimer.

While Russo is known primarily for his fast casual restaurants that sling New York-style pies, Anthony’s New York Italian is both more personal and more upscale. It takes inspiration from his Italian heritage — his father grew up in Naples and his mother grew up in Sicily — as well as Russo’s Italian Restaurant, the Galveston eatery his parents operated for almost 20 years.

“We had veal, lobster, Gulf snapper, a lot of nice, classic dishes. There’s where I grew up in the kitchen,” Russo tells CultureMap. “I was always around fine dining restaurants. My mom and dad used to bring in chefs from Italy. They were excellent chefs. That’s what we had in Galveston for 18 years.”

With Russo’s at more than 50 locations, the time felt right to open a more upscale concept. Partially inspired by New York restaurants such as Carbone and Quality Italian, Russo thinks Houstonians will appreciate his high-end take on Italian American fare.

The menu includes lobster fra diavolo, a 24-ounce prime porterhouse, bone-in veal parmesan, frutti di mare (shellfish with tomato sauce over pappardelle), and more. In addition, the dish utilize Italian olive oil that’s pressed by one of the chef’s friends. Anthony’s also makes all of its doughs, sauces, and sausage in house.

Of course, Russo is making pizza, too. They’re baked in imported Italian ovens using slightly different dough and sauce recipes — along with imported mozzarella and burrata — than his more casual restaurants.

And, no, Russo isn’t concerned that a pizzeria lasted less than a year in the space.

“I feel confident this location is going to be a killer for us. We make homemade pasta on site here, fresh from scratch.” he says. “We're bringing fresh lobster. We're bringing fresh clams. We got a nice veal chop. I mean, these are all chef-selected ingredients. I don't think anybody's doing that in town right now.”

The restaurant is still in such early days that it doesn’t have its own website or social media pages yet. For now, diners can follow Russo on Instagram for updates.

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Anthony's New York Italian is open for dinner Monday-Thursday beginning at 4 pm. It’s open for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday beginning at 11 am. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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