Foodie News

Italian indulgence rules at Houston's Risotto Festival

The Risotto Festival brought out plate after plate of delicious creaminess.
Photo by Sarah Rufca
You can't argue with meat: The winning mushroom risotto with espresso-crustedbeef tenderloin, from Viking.
Photo by Sarah Rufca
If you haven't eaten lobster risotto with gold flakes (like this one fromCarmelo's) then you haven't really lived.
Photo by Sarah Rufca
My favorite: The fall risotto with amaretto cookies and plenty of cheese, fromRistorante Cavour.
Photo by Sarah Rufca

"Everything I love is either illegal, immoral or fattening," joked Fabrizio Nava, the general consul of Italy, as we took a breather somewhere between our eleventh and fifteenth risottos.

The International Risotto Festival, now in its ninth year and held at the Houston Design Center, is certainly fattening, with some of Houston's best chefs presenting dish after dish of arborio rice, butter, cheese and their own unique ingredients from the classic to the completely unexpected, all to benefit the Children's Assessment Center.

There was plenty of lobster risotto, and a few chefs definetely went the extra mile. Jamie Zelko of Zelko Bistro served a risotto with five-spice and golden beets paired with an Oregon lager (a welcome respite from endless wine), and Carmelo's truffle and lobster risotto was accented with flakes of edible gold. Yes, gold. Because risotto is for fancy people.

Carmelo's truffle and lobster risotto was accented with flakes of edible gold. Yes, gold. Because risotto is for fancy people.

Each judge on the seven-member blind panel, including Nava and myself, rated the dishes on visual presentation, smell, texture, flavor and overall presentation, and chef Scotty Campbell of Viking Cooking School came out with a victory for his creamy mushroom risotto served with strips of espresso-rubbed beef tenderloin.

David Grossman of Branch Water Tavern took second for his incredibly rich white truffle risotto, and The Grotto came in third with a lobster risotto gamely presented in actual lobster shape — red shell claws and tails included. Trevisio won in 2010 and has been something like the Yankees of risotto in recent years, and this year chef Jon Buchanon took honorable mention with a creamy risotto featuring shrimp, pancetta and chives.

My personal favorite was the cheesy risotto from Ristorante Cavour, presented on a bed of fake autumn leaves and offering a flavorful combination of salty cheese and sweet crunch in the form of crumbled amaretto cookies.

For visitors, the Risotto Festival also included appetizers, live music and the chance to look around the design stores that held offerings from Katz Coffee to a selection of Piedmontese Italian wines.

What restaurant serves your favorite risotto in town?

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free soft serve for all

Johnny Carrabba now serving Southern comfort food at new Bellaire locale

Mia's Table/Facebook

Mia's Table is now open in Bellaire.

A fast casual, family-friendly Houston restaurant has arrived in Bellaire. After a two-week soft opening, Mia’s Table is now open full time in the Bellaire triangle.

Located in the former CounterCommon space at 5413 Bellaire Blvd, the new restaurant is Houston’s seventh Mia Table, joining the original on Kirby Dr. as well as stores in Memorial City, Shenandoah, Katy, and more. An eighth location will open in Sugar Land later this year. Beginning this Saturday, February 14, the restaurant will be open its regular hours of 11 am-9 pm daily.

Houston restaurant legend Johnny Carrabba opened the first Mia’s Table in 2012. Unlike his pioneering Italian restaurant Carrabba’s that offers full service and an upscale environment, Mia Table is a family friendly, counter service restaurant that serves classic, Southern-inspired fare. Diners know it for dishes such as burgers, salads, chicken fried steak, and chicken tenders. In addition to the relatively affordable prices, families appreciate the free soft serve ice cream.

“At Mia's Table Bellaire, our focus is simple: serving great comfort food with genuine Southern hospitality in a welcoming, family-friendly environment,” managing partner John Cahill writes in a note on the restaurant’s website. “While this location already holds a special place in the neighborhood, we're proud to bring the consistency, care, and heart that guests have come to expect from every Mia's Table.”

Cahill adds that he grew up in Bellaire and has been with Mia’s Table since June 2014. Prior to opening the Bellaire location, he served as managing partner of the restaurant’s Bay Area location in Webster.

In addition to Mia’s Table, Bellaire recently welcomed the second location of Candente, Houston’s only Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex restaurant.

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