Mascalzone
My brother in law introduced me to this chain when they opened their Westheimer location. This one is in the Heights off Shepherd near I-10. Its originally from England, and is known for their fresh made pastas and pizza.
When it comes to Italian food, I'm a huge sucker for lasagna. I love pasta, spaghetti, linguine alfredo, etc. However, when I see lasagna on the menu, I just can't help ordering it. The first time I had it at the Westheimer location was pretty mind blowing. The second time, I ordered it to go, but it was close to when they were closing. When I heated it up later that night, it definitely wasn't the same.
So with that first awesome taste, and the second not so great experience, I went to check out their second Houston location for the rubber match.
So of course you get started off with some bread. The garlic knot was really good. Beware of the orange sauce, it pretty spicy.
For an appetizer, I got the Melanzane Alla Parmigiana, which is basically baked eggplant and tomatoes covered in mozzarella. Even if you aren't a fan of eggplant, this dish might make you change your mind. Everything just kind of melts together into a creamy delicious mix of flavors. Size wise its basically a main course especially for vegetarians, but a good size to share as well.
Now the main course is lasagna. Classic, but not totally basic. Mascalzone's recipe is a little bit different from what I'm normally used to when it comes to lasagna. While most recipes tend to be just ricotta cheese and meat in between the layers of pasta, Mascalzone uses a bechamel sauce as well. It seems to make the lasagna have a smoother and creamier texture.
Mascalzone is a little pricier than your average Italian place like Olive Garden or Collina's. However, their dishes have a more unique flavor to them which makes it more enjoyable in my opinion. This wouldn't be an everyday haunt for me, but definitely a once in a while treat when I'm craving Italian food.
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