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Story | ROBIN BARR SUSSMAN
DREAMS
hen it comes to a warm comforting bowl of pasta, it doesn’t get more decadent
than stuffed pasta—think manicotti, tortellini, agnolotti or ravioli. But how often
do all the elements—the noodles, filling and the sauce—turn out just right? Here’s a Texas
trio of pasta pockets sure to induce fork fights!
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GREEN WITH ENVY FAT & FLIRTY
How fresh can fresh pasta be? At North
FLORENTINE
Italia, through the glass kitchen window,
NORTH ITALIA | RUSSO’S | PAUL BARDAGJY
watch executive chef Jonathan Willis and
his crew make the spinach pasta dough, roll
it out, and punch cut the tortellini rounds.
Then they pipe in the filling and skillfully
hand fold each pocket right before boiling
the pasta. This painstaking process ensures
fresh and fluffy dough.
There is only one stuffed pasta dish
on North’s menu and the puffy oversized
Spinach Tortellini, filled with four cheeses
including mascarpone, melt in your mouth.
Expect generous layers of olive oil-glossed
garlic spinach and roasted mushrooms
interwoven in the dish, which magically
create a natural sauce. For the final fruitysweet touch, Italian saba vinegar reduction
is drizzled over the pasta. Although this
verdant green jumble of tortellini looks
virtuous—after all, it is spinach—the overall
effect is wicked.
NORTH ITALIA
HOUSTON
1700 POST OAK BLVD., #190
NORTHITALIARESTAURANT.COM
At this Italian shrine, regulars rave over the
unique ravioli di pollo stuffed with tender
chicken confit and haricot verts baked in
rich gorgonzola crema and paved with pine
nut bread crumbs. But for just as much
luxury and more flavor notes, we can’t resist
the tangy, creamy and bright Manicotti
Florentine. The light and airy handmade
pasta dough is rolled thin enough to be
tender to the bite but sturdy enough to hold
plenty of filling. The filling is ultra creamy,
oozing with fresh ricotta—and we mean lots
of ricotta. Laced inside the cheese is garlicky
sautéed spinach with just the right spark of
lemon zest flavor. The manicotti is topped
with spicy arrabbiata tomato sauce and fresh
mozzarella before being baked. It’s the fresh
and tangy tomato sauce—not too sweet,
not too thick nor too thin that keeps the
dish balanced. We just can’t get enough of
Enoteca Vespaio.
Insider tip for pasta fans: Go next door
to beloved sister restaurant, Vespaio, for
pansoti—half-moon pasta filled with
butternut squash and amaretti, sage brown
butter, walnuts and Parmigiano-Reggiano. It
could stand in for dessert.
ENOTECA VESPAIO
AUSTIN
1610 S. CONGRESS AVE.
AUSTINVESPAIO.COM
CRÈME DE LA MER
Chef-owner Anthony Russo opened his
first restaurant in Galveston after moving to
Texas from New York. Now he owns several
Italian concepts around Texas known for
convenient, tasty and fairly priced food.
One of the most popular items on Russo’s
Coal-Fired Italian Kitchen menu is the
Lobster Ravioli. Have you noticed old
school square ravioli have gone round and
puffy? This means more dough and filling
for us—and this filling is impressive with
big chunks of Maine lobster claw meat. The
generous serving is blanketed in a divine
tomato cream sauce flavored with garlic,
white wine and mascarpone cheese. Finally,
it’s freshened up with tart diced tomatoes
and fragrant just-picked basil.
“Our lobster ravioli sold so well during
a special that we decided it should be a
permanent menu item,” Russo says. Smart
move. Meat and mushroom lovers will like
the giant veal and beef stuffed tortellacci
with mushrooms, garlic and a heady Marsala
cream sauce.
RUSSO’S COAL-FIRED ITALIAN KITCHEN
RICHARDSON
700 E. CAMPBELL RD.
RUSSOSCOALFIRED.COM
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER • 2015
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