Dolce Vita
I could not stop talking about the pizza at Dolce Vita after a recent visit. The tallegio pie blended the eponymous Italian cheese, pears, baby arugula and truffle oil on a perfectly crisp crust. What a great blending of flavors ? this is why we go out to eat, to experience the creative, sublime blending of flavors from a top chef like Marco Wiles. (His high-end DaMarco is exquisite.) On our most recent visit, we sampled the pancetta and parsley, salad. A layer of Italian parsley and a few thinly sliced red onions are sprinkled with pecorino cheese. At table, thickly chopped pancetta (Italian bacon) and some tasty grease are spooned atop. Yum. Salads are fresh and delightful whether it is baby arugula salad with roasted tomatoes or
the shaved Brussels sprouts with pecorino. Dolce Vita is cozy, fun and delicious.

500 Westheimer, 713.520.8222, www.dolcevitahouston.com

Rioja
Rioja has been at the top of our list for a visit, since moving back to Houston this fall. We’d tasted Nacho Fonseca’s paella at the Houston Polo Club’s International Paella Festival and it was tops. So one evening we settled in for tapas and paella. We were delighted that not much had changed in the 2 years since our last visit. Fonseca?s paella, traditional in style and studded with calamari, shrimp and his housemade sausage, is richly flavored with perfectly cooked Valencia rice, and a crunchy soccorat around the bottom edge that disappeared quickly. We ate it our favorite way with a squeeze of lemon over top and a little garlic tinged alioli on the side. Tapas were delightful — shrimp in garlic and olive oil, a sublime tortilla. Nice wine list with helpful staff to guide diners through it. Rioja has flamenco on the weekends. Enjoy this taste of Spain in west Houston.

11920-J Westheimer
Houston 77077, 281.531.5569, www.riojarestaurant.com