Bistro Don Camillo [Closed]
This entry was posted on 5/19/2008 7:04 PM and is filed under New Openings, Italian, french.
We were in the Galleria on a recent Friday night, so we ventured a little bit further west to this recent addition to the Houston restaurant scene. Located on a side street off Voss just south of San Felipe, this restaurant is housed in a fading strip center across from Hartz Chicken and a do-it-yourself car wash. It's owned by the same folks that own Bistro Provence on Memorial. We were encouraged by the packed parking lot, and the cozy bistro style dining room was equally busy. The very accommodating hostess found us a table for two, and we were quickly greeted by our friendly waitress. Service was great from start to finish.
We aren't sure about the origin of the name, but the food is a somewhat odd mixture of French and Italian. (A merger of two of the best mediterranean cuisines into one concept, according to the website.) We saw a number of families, so they may be catering to a mix of tastes. The prices were very reasonable. It was quite refreshing to find good wines by the glass for only $8 or so. Once we ordered, we were served two large bread sticks right out of the pizza oven. Dipped in the accompanying olive oil, we had to restrain ourselves from filling up on bread alone. We tried the calamari (no surprise) with aioli and spicy tomato sauces. Served piping hot, it was very good, laced with a few fried zucchini and pepper strips. We moved on to the salmon carpaccio, thinly sliced house cured salmon with a taste of lemon and dill, which was probably the best dish we tried. The person sitting next to us offered us a taste of the duck liver mousse, which was a little too strong flavored, resembling chicken liver. Encouraged by the low prices, we tried a delicious Italian style thin crust pizza with ham, goat cheese (which they generously applied), and artichokes. The pizza also fared well for lunch the next day. Finally, we ordered the duck leg confit entrée. Served in a casserole over white beans, this dish was similar to cassoulet, but without any sausage, pork belly or the like. It was tasty enough, and we give the duck points for being crispy, although it was overly salty even for salt lovers like us. The dish was better a couple days later when the beans were cooked a little longer for Sunday evening supper.
We enjoyed our meal. Give this place a try. No reservations are taken except for larger groups. If we lived in the neighborhood, we'd probably be regulars. But with Cafe Rabelais and Max and Julie's nearby, we may not get out there very often.
6510 Del Monte
713/782-3011
http://www.bistrodoncamillo.com/
