Nino's

A GuestLife Houston
Great Restaurant

When you sit down at one of Nino's tables, you are joining one of the largest and most respected restaurant families in Houston for some of the most delicious Italian food the city has ever offered. You sit down to a table that brings generations of culinary tradition to a quarter-century of restaurant tradition begun by Vincent and Mary Mandola, named for his father and joined in its operation by two daughters, Vinceanne and Mary Dana. Two brothers, by the way, are also restaurateurs.

Vincent and Mary started their corner of the family restaurant tradition serving le cose speziali Siciliane — the special Sicilian things of his childhood — in a little café the couple fashioned from a 1930s grocery store just west of downtown. The place caught on, and its popularity grew right along with the magnitude and the sophistication of its clientele. More and more locals were traveling farther and farther, more and more visitors were coming from greater distances. Altogether, they were discovering and sharing the tasty pleasures of Nino’s.

Mandola saw the handwriting on the napkins. With customer-driven creativity, and true to the Mandola culinary heritage, Nino’s expanded the menu beyond its nucleus of Sicilian and southern Italian specialties. He opened Vincent’s, literally next door, and simultaneously began juggling the traditional, the casual, the sophisticated and the trendy with remarkable finesse. The two places both feed and feed off each other, mainly because they each feed patrons, both new and regular, who enjoy them both.

From its relatively simple start, Nino’s has ripened into an elegant maturity, perhaps like the finest cataratto bianco grapes plucked from sunny Sicilian vineyards. Appropriately enough, Nino’s and Vincent’s have grown to include Grappino di Nino, a grappa bar serving lunch and dinner and a special event venue for private parties. Nino’s milieu has evolved from functional to beautiful, and with it the menu has evolved from simply delicious to artistically sumptuous. Merely reciting the specialties amounts to poetry.

Pollo arrosto, the chicken roasted to 24-karat perfection on a wood-fired rotisserie. Portobello con Gorgonzola, the giant mushrooms grilled like a steak and served with Italy’s best-known blue cheese, marinated tomato, arugula and balsamic vinaigrette. Bistecca pepe nero, a New York strip steak crusted with cracked black pepper, then pan-seared with oven-roasted sweet onion and sun-dried tomatoes, brandy and port. Linguini alla marinara, the flat, slender pasta tossed gloriously with sauteed shrimp, artichoke hearts, olives, mushrooms and tomatoes.

Sound wonderful? They are.
Taste wonderful? They do.

How wonderful? Join the Mandola family at Nino’s and find out.

Menu Highlights

Appetizers

Aspargi
Asparagus lightly breaded, sautéed and topped with lump crabmeat and lemon butter

Portabello con Gorgonzola
Grilled large mushrooms with gorgonzola, marinated tomato, arugula and balsamic vinaigrette

Crab Claws Lamonte
A house specialty of crab claws in lemon butter, garlic and spices

Caprese
Imported buffalo mozzarella, sliced tomato, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil

Entrées

Veal Vincent
A house specialty of tender veal coated with parmigiano, sautéed in olive oil and topped with artichoke hearts and lemon butter

Bistecca Pepe Nero
Black pepper-crusted New York strip, pan seared with oven-roasted sweet onion, sun-dried tomatoes, brandy and port wine

Mezzaluna
Half-moon shaped pasta stuffed with chicken, ricotta and parmigiano in a sauce of tomato with a touch of cream

Linguini alla Marinara
Sautéed shrimp, artichoke hearts, olives, mushrooms and tomatoes tossed with fine linguine

Desserts

Banana Split Pie
Layers of fresh bananas, pineapples and strawberries on a graham cracker crust, topped with fresh whipped cream

Raspberry Tart
Almond pastry crust topped with fresh raspberries and glazed

Zucotta
Rum-soaked lady fingers layered with chocolate and vanilla mousse and pistachios

pictured above: Nino’s menu of Regional Italian favorites includes such entrées as: wood-fired rotisserie chicken, veal chop Amadeo, Chilean Seabass with crabmeat and shitake mushrooms, Grilled lamb chops with squash blossoms, Lobster fra Diavolo.

Nino’s:
2817 West Dallas,
Houston, Texas 77019,
(713) 522-5120.
Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday;
Dinner 5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday;
5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Closed Sunday.

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