Azul

In the city of Boston, it’s hard to throw a rock without hitting an outstanding Italian restaurant. In fact though its Little Italy section is relatively small, its boast over one hundred authentic Italian eateries where recipes and food traditions are little changed, since its founding in the 1630s. It was within this rich culinary heritage that award-winning chef Roberto Rosa opened His first restaurant and was proclaimed among the Top Fifty Chefs in Massachusetts.

Hailed as a culinary genius and a magician of a chef, even among such formidable competition, Roberto kept his focus on quality and authenticity. He insisted on visiting the fish monger himself each day, to be the one to select the seafood that would find its way onto his patron’s plates. From sunup to sundown—and usually far beyond—he was involved in every aspect of his wildly successful restaurant, hand-selecting the freshest ingredients, overseeing all cooking, visiting with and getting to know guests.

There was one thing however that was more important to Roberto than his restaurant—his Young Andres and daughter Andrea. As they grew and he witnessed the changes taking place in his city, He realized it was no place to raise a family. So he moved to Katy, Texas and Boston’s loss became Our gain as he opened Antonia’s Cucina Italiana, first in Katy in May 2007, then Cypress in September 2009 and Sugar Land in September 2011.

The food as good as any we’ve had in Italy. The service is professional, while remaining friendly, and maitre’d and chef make us feel like family. Chef/Owner Roberto selects the freshest fish available from the East coast, cold water lobsters, Cape Cod scallops, Atlantic salmon each day, and prepares them with a deft and respectful hand. The Snapper Raphael served over capellini is about as perfect as it gets. The Osso Bucco is so tender, meaty and flavorful, it reminds me of the first time I had it, in a small restaurant in Rome.

"You can feel love and special attention put into the preparation of each dish. The servers are friendly and knowledgeable and the manager Rafael, stay in close relationship with each guest."

"This restaurant is like no other in the area."

"Azul Italian Kitchen is the best Italian restaurant in the Houston area! It’s intimate without feeling stuffy. The food is surpassed only by the service. Restaurants this great are hard to find."

"Everyone from the manager to our servers to the chef who visit our table are so passionate and seem to Have a vested interest in us enjoying our meal. There’s a pride and feeling of ownership from each one of them. And the food is beyond descriptions."

My husband and I are from New England and Boston’s Little Italy was a favorite place to go for genuine Italian food. Azul Italian kitchen is clearly Katy, Cypress and Sugar Land very own Little Italy.

That sentiment is echoed by nightly. "There’s a lot of misconception about Italian food,’’ Chef Roberto explained. “It’s not about heavy red sauce and meatballs. It’s about the freshest regional ingredients. It’s about the freshest Mussels and and scallops in my Linguine Di Mare ( Italian for Fruit of the Sea), the tenderness, fresh veal in our Vitello Saltimbocca and unique original recipes like our signature Calamari Fritti. It’s exciting for us to introduce our patrons—some some for the first time—to the joy of authentic Italian cooking.’’

If you adore Italian cuisine, the way it’s done on the shores of Northern Italy or if you realize you’ve never experienced the centuries’ old tradition of authentic Italian cooking, make your reservation at Antonia’s Cucina Italiana in Katy, Azul Italian Kitchen in Cypress or Antonia’s Ristorante Italiano in Sugar Land and prepare for a taste adventure like no other.