Yao's

A friend of mine once said, "If there's one thing professional athletes know, it's food." Obviously he was being completely facetious. Let's face it -- celebrity restaurants aren't always the best places to eat (Kenny Roger's Roasters, anyone?). However Yao's (owned by basketball player Yao Ming)was recently featured on Huffington Post's 25 Best Celebrity-Owned Restaurants List, so I thought I would give it a shot.

From the outside Yao's doesn't look like much. Don't let that dissuade you, because the inside is very spacious and actually quite elegant. The menu is very large, but seeing as how my husband is out of town this week and I can openly eat shellfish, I went directly for the shrimp chow mein (on the right in the picture below).



As you can see, portions at Yao's are quite generous. My chow mein was pretty basic: noodles, shrimp, some green onions and carrots. The shrimp were perfectly cooked (not always a given) and everything was tasty, but it was ... basic. My friend/stand-in husband, Grady, had a similar opinion of his pork dish. It was big, inexpensive, well cooked, but nothing special. BUT it was served by very nice people in a very nice space, and that does count for something.

Is Yao's the best restaurant I've ever been to? Heck no. Is it the best celebrity restaurant? Sure ... but the only other celebrity cuisine I've ever sampled is the aforementioned Roasters. My suggestion is to forget the celebrity connection and enjoy Yao's for what it is: tasty and accessible low-cost food. And nothing more.

Dolce Vita

My friend Adnan (the only person who seems to eat out more than I do) recommended Dolci Vita, so my husband and I hit it up on a hot Saturday afternoon. All the sane people were eating inside, so we decided to take a table outside to make our wait shorter.

It was quite warm on the otherwise lovely patio, so to cool down, my husband had a Peroni and I ordered a diet Coke. Unfortunately, the soda machine was broken, so our sweet and accommodating waitress brought me an imported regular Coke in a glass bottle. So far things were not going so well.

Everything began to look up when our appetizers arrived. We had two: anchovies with peppers and scallions and a special off-menu artichoke stuffed with salami and bread crumbs.



Both of these dishes were real treats. The anchovies were delightfully salty and savory, especially when paired with roasted red peppers and capers. It was kind of like taking a bite out of the ocean (but not in a gross way). The stuffed artichoke was warm, crusty and very filling -- something that should definitely be added to the menu full-time, or at least for the fall and winter. For the summer, however, it might be a bit too heavy to be called an appetizer. It's really big and hearty enough to serve as a meal.

We could (and probably should) have stopped with the apps, but since it is a pizzeria, we caved and ordered the Margarita Pizza, their most popular pie.



Overall this was a successful pizza. Tomato, basil and mozzarella are obviously a crowd-pleasing flavor combination. My husband thought that the crust was too thin and therefore got soggy. I really like a thin crust, however; it's reminiscent of what I grew up with in New York. My only complaint was that the pieces of basil were too big and too few. I think that this dish would be better if the basil was chopped into slightly-smaller pieces, so that you never end up eating a bite of pizza without all three flavors (or end up eating a bite of just basil).

Dolce Vita is a nice little find in the Montrose area. The staff are hardworking and friendly and the food is made with fresh ingredients and authentic recipes. At a place like this, the enjoyability of the experience really comes down to the guest --the more adventurous you are, the more likely you are to have a memorable meal. So go ahead and order a plain old pizza, but get some anchovies too. You'll find that the anchovies probably make the meal.

PS: parking in this area can be tricky, and cars are frequently ticketed/booted/towed. Your best bet is to utilize the low-cost valet service at the restaurant, or to park on Whitney Street, next to the restaurant. Pay very close attention to parking signs, where other cars are parked, and the advice of the restaurant staff. And remember not to block anyone's driveway!

Rio Ranch

Remember when I wrote my little rant about "voting" for restaurants with your business, and how you shouldn't frequent restaurants out of habit when they're not very good? Well, that principle works both ways. The only thing that bothers me more than seeing a really bad restaurant remain open is watching a really good one close. And I'm worried that is exactly what will happen to Rio Ranch if something doesn't change soon.

My family and I visited on a Saturday night and were surprised to find that we were one of only two tables of patrons. Since they were visiting from NY, I wanted to choose a restaurant that really said "Texas", and I couldn't have done a better job. Rio Ranch is decorated with steer heads, a large stone fireplace, and (friendly and professional) waiters wearing bolo ties.

The special that night was filet mignon with cream sauce, a baked potato and a skewer of shrimp and veggies. Quite an impressive plate of food!



And not a bite of it was bad. Every single one of us had a perfectly cooked piece of meat and shrimp. We were also treated to very good margaritas and large beers. It wasn't cheap or fast, but it wasn't overly expensive or fancy either -- the meal was comparable in price and the restaurant in atmosphere to Outback. Only the food was a lot better than at Outback.

So I'll end this review with a plea: please, please go to Rio Ranch. I hate seeing local places go under, particularly really good places. And Rio Ranch is really good.