La Dolce Vita in Houston

One of the best things about travel (and perhaps the worst, depending on your eating habits and choices) is the food. Just a little effort can allow you to come across some wonderful restaurants in your travels. Over time, I hope to share a few with you that we’ve enjoyed and, with this entry, I’ll share one in our own backyard - Houston.

That restaurant is Dolce Vita, located in a two-story house at 500 Westheimer. This “pizzeria” is anything but a fast food joint but more of a typical pizzeria you might find in Italy. No overloaded pizza with pineapples or canadian bacon. Rather, pizzas made in wood-burning ovens that are deliciously thin and crisp. Options include standards like margherita, quattro staggioni or even a Taleggio pizza drizzled with truffle oil. You’ll recognize the truffle’s intoxicating aroma when it is being served nearby - either you'll love it or hate it. Of course, the menu features more than just pizza but I couldn’t tell you a thing about their other dishes – we’ve only had the pizza and some tasty suppli like the ones found in a neighborhood tavola calda. My grandmother would make suppli but hers were with mortadella and without sauce.

The restaurant is terribly popular so plan accordingly. We've sat upstairs in the house as well as outside on a beautiful night. If you can, nab a spot on the patio. Since space is very limited, the restaurant offers complimentary valet parking. Otherwise, you’ll have to find a spot on a nearby street (not recommended). To the left of Dolce Vita is the recently-built Indika, a wonderful fusion Indian restaurant that once was walking distance from our house (our loss is the Montrose area’s gain).

On an completely unrelated note...

While flying back from Philadelphia on Friday, I spotted an article in USA Today called Valentine's Day:50 Dates in 50 States. See if you can use it to get some fresh ideas. Admittedly, their idea of taking a surfing lesson together at Waimea bay kind of cracked me up. Ever seen the waves at Waimea? Try getting past the shorebreak... (total tangent)