That’s Amore: Nothing hits your eye like a pizza pie

There’s more to love, too, with new pizzerias opening in Houston. Pizza connoisseurs have more serious local contenders for the best pies to bicker endlessly over. In my three decades of covering the food scene in this city, I’ve never seen such a wide array of notable artisanal pizzerias, with some of the city’s most talented chefs elevating their obsession with pizza into a vocation. 

So, does a wood-burning oven yield more flavorful crusts than a gas-burning one? How long should you let the dough rise? Three hours? Three days? Truthfully, you can go in circles, trying to pin down answers for extraordinarily flavorful dough. Everyone has their preferences – all ending in a tasty reward. It’s pizza, after all. What is apparent is that many restauranteurs want in on pizza, as do some classically trained, notable chefs. See the sidebar for a snapshot of some recent newcomers. Meanwhile, I decided to do a deep dive into the recently opened Elro (2405 Genesee Street) and Magdalena’s Trattoria & Pizzeria (5110 Buffalo Speedway Suite B). Both restaurants serve Italian fare, but they couldn’t be more different, especially in their pizza. 

For five years, I’ve lamented the celebrated Pass & Provisions closing, which Elro chef-owner Terrence Gallivan opened with talented Seth Siegel-Gardner in 2012. So, when I heard that Terrence (a two-time James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: Southwest) had resurfaced with a fresh Italian crudo and pizza concept, I was intrigued. Particularly since I relished his former co-chef’s wood-fired sourdough pizza at Para Llevar in Marfa, Texas for four summers, a reward for driving my daughter for eight-plus hours to Prude Ranch in West Texas. Even though Seth has left the pizza business and is back in Houston to oversee Benjy Levit’s restaurants as culinary and creator director,  I wondered if Terrence’s sourdough version of the circular classic resembles Seth’s.

As for Magdalena’s, that goes back to 2006 when there weren’t many “authentic” hand-tossed Neapolitan options. On numerous nights, I entered the dark, gloomy interior of the now-defunct Dolce Vita in the Montrose area. I was transported to sun-kissed Italy by the slice, thanks to chef-owner Marco Wiles’ nicely charred margherita pizza crust topped with silken buffalo mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. Eagle-eyed Nicolas Nikic was always present. He had worked for Marco as general manager and sommelier at Da Marco and Dolce Vita for more than 17 years. 

“Sure, beer goes well with pizza,” Nicolas would say, “But you can be creative with pizza. You can have a nice pinot noir. You can have a medium-bodied Brunello di Montalcino. Barolos also go nicely with pizzas.” 

When Nicolas unveiled Magdalena’s in West University, I was eager to witness the culmination of his decades-long career spanning cruise ships, hotels, and restaurants. Named after his Northern Italian mother, her namesake eatery showcases handmade pastas and dishes inspired by her recipes.

Elro chef-owner Terrence Gallivan’s array of pizzas. (Photo: Julie Soefer)

I ventured into Elro on a breezy spring evening. Although tempted by the tree-covered outdoor patio lit with table orbs, I opted for indoor seating inside the 1928 bungalow near downtown. I was transported to a poetic Jane Austen sphere of vintage chairs, art deco pendants, and enchanting French gray and emerald wallpapers of frolicking butterflies, turtles, sparrows, and hares. A framed pizza made of Lego blocks hangs on the wall. The artwork is by chef Terrence's son, Ronan, whom this petite 100-seat restaurant is named after, along with his daughter, Eleanor. A couple sat at barstools at an intimate L-shaped counter next to a giant pizza-dough mixer, which served as decoration and a kitchen workhorse. The machine gets cleaned and mixes the sourdough for the pizza crusts. When it comes to pizza, it all comes down to the crust. 

Ninety-one percent of the 2,000-plus people polled earlier this year by General Mills Foodservice said that a good crust matters, and a lousy crust can ruin a pizza. The online nationwide poll also found that 80% of Americans are willing to pay more for a high-quality crust. 

At Elro, you have a high-quality sourdough crust puffy around the edges, lightly blistered, deep golden-brown on the bubbles, and blissfully not charred. Don’t get me wrong, I love a flame-throwing coal or wood-burning oven that can give a sooty crust. But in this case, Terrence prefers the consistency of a 500-degree electric oven from Sweden. And without that char veil, the crust’s complexity sings – starting with its yeasty fragrance from a three-day rise to the precise equilibrium of saltiness and tang. It was more like eating a bread baker’s pie, a deftly raised crust that stays crisp to the center, yet chewy and full-flavored even without toppings, and with a cornice or raised wheaty rim that may remind you of fresh baked old-world bread. So, no, chef Terrence’s sourdough pizza isn’t anything like his former partner’s wood-fired scorched pizza back in Marfa. 

The care Terrence puts into his food and the quality of his ingredients remind me a bit of Alice Waters. In the 1970s, this pioneer of the farm-to-table movement built a brick oven after a trip to Italy and started making Neapolitan-ish pizza – her way. She got creative with her toppings and topped pizzas with shrimp, yellow tomatoes, crawfish, nettle, and fennel. Her California-style pizza inspired Wolfgang Puck, who introduced California-style pizza to the rest of America in the ‘80s. 

Like the culinary legends above and many chef-driven pizzerias, Elro takes a free-form approach. Sure, he has the margherita-style mozzarella with fresh basil and zippy tomato sauce, but the rest are his twists. Take the mortadella pizza with pistachio pesto and balsamic onions or the mushroom pie with smoked maitake, Italian scamorza cheese, and rosemary. Understated, but not to be overlooked, is the tomato pizza with clear, bright marinara, wheels of tomatoes, and pickled Calabrian chiles showered with toasted breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan. 

With the Houston heat, seafood crudo plays equal billing at Elro. Plus, Terrence says this is how he likes to eat – this and that, everything on the table at once and shareable. “You don’t have to think about ‘What’s my first course? What’s my second course?’” he says. “I wanted this place to be casual. I want people to come here for date night or in flip-flops and T-shirts with families or friends.” 

Fan-favorite prosciutto pizza topped with fresh arugula. (Photo: Alex Montoya)

Elro’s pizza is a unique and flavorful experience, while Magdalena’s pizza offers a more traditional taste. 

 “It’s hand-crafted, artisanal Neapolitan-style pizza,” says chef-owner Nicolas. “A great pizza is about 70% flour and the ratio of salt and yeast you use, along with how long you rise the dough. Oh, forget what I said. The truth is a pizza is a pizza. It’s been around for hundreds of years. What makes the difference is the talent that makes the pizza and how you execute it.” 

At Magdalena’s, Nicolas relies on executive chef Luis Silva, who honed his skills at Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse and La Griglia. For the pizza dough, Luis uses the Italian brand Caputo, known for its “00” flour. You’ll frequently hear chefs use the term “00” to make their pizzas. Italians don’t use such terms as self-rising, all-purpose, etc. Instead, they use numbers, from double zero to two, to indicate how finely sifted and milled the flour is. Double zero is the finest grind, and two is the coarsest. 

Whether it’s the kitchen talents or the quality ingredients, three-month-old Magdalena’s is off to a promising start. Packed during the week, this upscale casual spot with cozy cognac PU leather banquette seatings attracts nearby River Oaks, South Hampton, Bellaire, and West University neighborhoods with classic Neapolitan pies emerging from a 500-degree white tiled pizza oven that are thin, supple-centered, and with character-building leopard spots of char along a crispy rim. 

But aside from the pizzas, I plan to return for chef Nicolas’s hand-made pastas and entrees such as the fork-tender Barolo braised veal osso bucco with risotto. And I’m thrilled, too, to have found my new dessert haven. When I lived in Europe, I loved the desserts. They were never too cloying, which is often the case here. And some of the best desserts I had were in Vienna, which is legendary for desserts. So, I wasn’t surprised to learn that chef Nicolas was born and raised in Vienna. 

His panna cotta had just enough jiggle, creaminess, and sweetness. His tiramisu was perfection – the creaminess had stature, and the ladyfinger still had a bit of crispiness for texture. It wasn’t the atypical soggy mess. But the highlight was the lilting budino di limone, a fluffy lemon cake pudding with homemade lemon gelato. It’s always especially sweet to end a meal with an unexpected find, such as this Northern Italian dessert you rarely find in Houston restaurants. 

Hearty, crowd-pleasing tuna on toast crudo. (Photo: Julie Soefer)

Elro’s Tuna Crudo on Toast

This flavor-packed crudo is one of chef Terrence's most popular creations. If you can, he suggests asking your fishmonger to give some tuna belly, too, to add extra richness to the crudo. 

1 head of garlic
2 cup mayonnaise 
2 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 
2 1/2 teaspoons ground fennel
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 whole Calabrian chiles in oil (stems and seeds removed and finely chopped)
1 pound sushi-grade tuna loin 
1 loaf of sourdough bread
¼ cup of pistachios, toasted and chopped
1 bunch chives, chopped fine
1 ounce nori paper, sliced thin

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the garlic in half and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in the oven seam side up for 20-30 minutes until soft and golden brown. Remove it from the oven and allow to cool. Once cool, squeeze out the garlic into a bowl and mash into a paste with a fork, discarding the skins.

In a bowl, make seasoned mayonnaise by combining the roasted garlic paste, mayonnaise, lemon juice, ground fennel, smoked paprika, salt, and Calabrian chilies. Mix well to combine, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in the refrigerator (this can be made several hours ahead). 

Using a sharp knife, dice the tuna loin into small ¼ inch squares or to the desired texture. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and combine with seasoned mayonnaise. Add more lemon juice and salt to taste if desired. Cover the tuna crudo with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator. 

Slice the bread into 1-inch-thick slices and toast on both sides. Spoon the tuna crudo mixture onto the toasted bread and top with chopped chives, toasted pistachios, and sliced nori paper. Serve immediately. Makes 4-6 servings, depending on the size of the loaf of bread.  

Magdalena’s panna cotta with fresh berries. (Photo: Alex Montoya)

Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries Compote 

Panna cotta translates to "cooked cream," and Magdalena’s version from pastry chef Maribel Zarate has the perfect amount of jiggle. This is an adapted version of this ideal summer dessert. 

For panna cotta: 2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin 
5 tablespoons sugar  
2 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cup whole milk 
2 whole vanilla beans, split lengthwise or 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract

For strawberry compote: 1 pint of fresh strawberries, sliced 
1 tablespoon sugar

Place water in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Stir and set aside to soften for two to three minutes. 

Prepare the ice bath for the sauce. Half-fill a large bowl with ice and add enough water to make the ice bath. Set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, heavy cream, whole milk, and split vanilla beans over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in the softened gelatin (add vanilla extract if using). Remove the vanilla pods and scrape the seeds into the mixture. Discard the empty vanilla pods.  

Set the saucepan in the ice bath, making sure it is well above the surface of the water. Whisk the mixture until lukewarm. Feel the mixture with your fingers. There should be no grit from the undissolved sugar or gelatin. 

Ladle the mixture into the ramekins and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. If you keep them longer than overnight, cover them with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap gently against the panna cotta to prevent a skin from forming. Preparing panna cotta more than 24 hours in advance will result in a firmer setting.  

While panna cotta sets, combine all ingredients in a saucepan to make fresh strawberry compote. Add strawberries and sugar over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir gently until sugar dissolves. Continue to stir occasionally until the fruit softens and the compote thickens to the desired consistency, about three to four minutes.  Transfer to container, cover, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

To serve, top the strawberries compote on panna cotta and serve immediately.  Makes 8 servings.

Houston Pizzerias

Antonio’s Flying Pizza (2920 Hillcroft St.), Coltivare (3320 White Oak Dr.), Amore (3310 S. Shepherd Dr.), Bollo Woodfired Pizza (2202 W. Alabama), and Vinny’s (1201 St. Emanuel St.) are some of the pizza favorites Houstonians already know. Here are more recent pizzaiolos. 

Coastline Pizzeria (1720 Houston Ave.) – Located between downtown and the Heights, this joint is quickly building a devout fan base for stellar Texas and 900-degree wood-burning Neapolitan pies. What’s Texas-style? Oblong-shaped, thin pizzas that are oiled, topped with herbs, and grilled crisp. 

Tiny Champions (2617 McKinney St.) – Imaginative pizzas by the sister concept of Nancy’s Hustle, such as anchovies with salsa verde and spicy salami with hot honey and goat-cheese ricotta star at this east side joint. 

The Gypsy Poet (2404 Austin St.) – This Heights restaurant offers two winning combinations – live music and 13-inch artisan pizzas, including prosciutto and arugula with truffle oil, and fan-favorite pepperoni with mozzarella and hot honey.  

Nonno’s Pizza (1613 Richmond Ave.) – Martin and Sarah Sayer, the owners of Nobie’s and Toasted Coconut, serve tavern-style pizza with an extra-thin and crispy crust and combos such as spam with pineapple and smoke jalapeño.

VIA 313 (10201 Katy Freeway, Suite 350) – Rectangular Detroit-style pan pizza seems to be a “thing” these days.  Even though this is a chain, Food & Wine magazine proclaimed it “one of the very best pizzas,” and the Food Network recognized it as among the “Top Pizzas in America.”