Restaurant
Reviews: Fratelli's, Houston
Nestled in a corner of a strip shopping
center, in the midst of the chain restaurant
wasteland that is the central Houston stretch
of Highway 290, Fratelli's is a warm, lovable
café populated with Italian expats
enjoying authentic renditions of their homeland
cuisine.
Whatever else you do, be sure to start
with an order of the Scaccitina,
a pizza cum flatbread, crispy from the brick
oven, and drizzled generously with olive
oil, herbs, Gorgonzola and Parmesan. Frankly,
a Scaccitina, a house salad and a bottle
of red make a delicious meal without exploring
the menu any further.
But it would be a shame to miss the fresh
pastas and main courses that follow.
Fratelli's version of Lasagna Bolognese
is excellent - rich and complex with creamy
bechamel layered with tender meat sauce
and well-seasoned tomato sauce. It's our
new favorite in town. Same goes for the
Ravioli Bolognese, with essentially
the same ingredients rearranged. We also
recommend the Linguini al Orto, with its
fresh tomato, basil, garlic and olive oil
playing off toasted pinenuts and ricotta
salata. This is the kind of place where
Spaghetti and Meatballs ought to be perfect,
and they are - tender, moist polpette with
just the right amount of basil-flecked tomato
sauce.
Fratelli's also does an appealing traditional
version of Veal Marsala, with mushrooms
and nicely reduced Marsala sauce. A recent
grilled salmon lunch special proved serviceable
and came with a mix of vegetables (though
we found ourselves reaching for more Scaccitina
on a regular basis…)
Getting back to the pizza, as lovers of
crispy, flat crusts, we couldn't believe
that the pizza might actually come out as
thin and perfect as the Scaccitina starter,
so we tried it. Surprise! It's exactly the
same crust - practically paper thin. Not
as crispy as the Scaccitina, but still appealing
and a nice balance to the array of tasty
ingredients - particularly the grilled eggplant
on the Rustica or the fresh basil on the
Margherita.
The wine list is a work in progress, and
we understand that ownership plans on elevating
the selection with additional high end Italian
wines from a variety of regions. That would
be great, as long as the list maintains
a few moderate Chiantis and the like - so
appealing in this atmosphere and with this
food.
Service is casual and friendly, allowing
diners to linger in true Italian fashion.
Prices are very good, with dinner entrees
in the $12 to $20 range, and starters averaging
$6. (The Scaccitina is just $4!) We'll definitely
be back for more! (june 2005)
Fratelli's
10989 Northwest Freeway (US 290)
(34th St. Exit, inbound, behind the Black
Eyed Pea)
Houston, TX 77092
Phone: 713-957-1150
www.fratellishouston.com
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