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    dining desination

    Ciao down: Galveston's Grotto restaurant brings top-notch Italian right to the Gulf beachfront

    CultureMap Create
    Aug 15, 2013 | 6:25 am

    While the San Luis Resort, Spa & Conference Center continues its reign as Galveston's premier spot for sand and sun, the popular hotel complex also has earned a reputation as a dining destination.

    Opened this summer, the resort's new Grotto restaurant is already making waves on the island thanks to its phenomenal beach views, impeccable service and classic Southern Italian cuisine.

    Located among the San Luis' exclusive collection of eateries — including the hip H2O lounge, the award-winning Steakhouse and a luxurious hotel cafe — Grotto is committed to freshness, says Executive Chef Brian Robertson.

    Pastas are made in house, pizzas are cooked inside wood-fired ovens and all seafood is sourced directly from Galveston's busy fish markets to bring customers the best catch available.

    “This is fine dining but in a relaxed, casual atmosphere,” the chef explains. "We have wonderful food as well as great views of the Gulf and our unique tropical pool area.”

    "We have wonderful food as well as great views of the Gulf."

    Robertson got his start at Houston hotspot Tony's, whose esteemed owner Tony Vallone launched the original Grotto in the heart of the city's Galleria area. His close personal and professional relationship to the restaurant — which has branches in The Woodlands and at the Golden Nugget casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City — further adds to Grotto's family atmosphere.

    Of the 10 restaurants dotting the San Luis resort's 32-acre beachfront property on Seawall Boulevard, Grotto boasts one of the area's most distinctive wine lists, with exquisite selections from Italy's top vineyards.

    Those interested in cocktails need look no further than the restaurant's famous Bellini, that fabled Venetian drink made famous by Ernest Hemingway, as well as an array of delicious martinis. Be sure to take advantage of all the cocktail specials at the Grotto's popular happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

    Whether you're planning a getaway to the San Luis resort or making a quick day trip to the beach, the new Grotto is a must for any foodie . . . And it's all just a quick drive south from Houston.

    So what’s your excuse for not hitting the road for some island time to ciao down?

    Grotto's wood-fired oven offers up some of the island's most inventive pizzas.

     
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    Your Expert Guide

    Oak Cliff: The underestimated historic and culturally rich 'hood

    Lindsey Wilson
    Oct 8, 2021 | 7:41 am
    Kay Wood
    Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman
    Kay Wood

    There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

    ---

    Bishop Arts is a huge attraction, but Realtor Kay Wood wants people to know that Oak Cliff is a lot more than just Bishop Arts.

    "Oak Cliff has a really rich and complex history," the Briggs Freeman agent says. "I think it's one of the most underestimated neighborhoods in Dallas."

    Wood has lived in Oak Cliff with her high school sweetheart-husband since 2008, but she's been helping people buy and sell homes there for the past 15 years, currently with her business partner Brian Davis.

    "The neighborhoods here are close to everything but still relatively affordable compared to other areas of DFW," she says. "I love all the historic homes with their architectural interest and variety, the strong sense of community engagement, and how there's so much to explore. Whether you're looking for the best new restaurant, the most authentic taco, film festivals, the zoo, the best public high school in Texas, parks, nature preserves — I could go on all day!"

    Wood offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in "the Cliff." Here's her guide to the area:

    Where to eat & drink
    The list is long: Nova ("you have to get the hummus," Wood says), Encina (pro tip: don't skip the blue cornbread), Cibo Divino for pizza and wine on the patio, coffee from Peaberry ("my husband swears their Vietnamese coffee is the best in town"), oysters at Boulevardier, the Perfect Picnic at Eno's Pizza Tavern, tio's elotes next to El Si Hay, the pistachio ice cream at Joy Macarons, and the spicy lobster ramen at Ten Ramen.

    Wood advises picking up a great bottle of wine from Neighborhood Cellars and some steaks from Cooper's Meat Market. And, of course, there are tons of taco options in the neighborhood: "We can't get enough of Maskaras, Trompo, and Taco y Vino," she says.

    Where to play
    Marvel at the best skyline views in town while playing a round at Stevens Park Golf Course, take a walk through Twelve Hills Nature Preserve, bike along the Trinity River, or play disc golf at Founders Park.

    The Kessler Theater is "such a great and intimate venue" for concerts, while the Texas Theater adds a touch of history to movie-watching. Escape to The Wild Detectives for books, music, and poetry, or head to the Dallas Zoo for a wild day out — "our whole family loves to feed the giraffes," Wood says.

    What to see
    Oak Cliff is home to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial at Kiest Park and the La Reunion Monument at Stevens Park Golf Course that honors some of Dallas' earliest settlers.

    On Jefferson Boulevard, you can pop into the Oak Cliff Cultural Center for regular art shows, and "my daughters love to walk down the street and look at all the quinceañera dresses in the shop windows," she says.

    Where to live
    A few years ago, Wood helped her buyers purchase 626 Rainbow Dr., a rare, two-acre midcentury modern estate that's wrapped on three sides by a babbling creek.

    "When you're there, it's really hard to believe you're less than four miles from downtown Dallas," she says. The buyers hired local architect Eddie Maestri to update some aspects of the house while carefully preserving its midcentury style. There was an original barn that had been previously converted to a studio, but the buyers reinvented it as a guest house and added a pool and outdoor kitchen.

    "It's hard to say what a 'typical' Oak Cliff house would be, because we have some of the very best examples of almost every architectural style in town," Wood says.

    "In Winnetka Heights, you'll find Craftsman architecture (four squares, bungalows, Sears catalog, etc). Kessler Park has Tudors and Colonials and Texas eclectics from notable local architects like Charles Dilbeck and David R Williams. Stevens Park has all of these, as well as Spanish Revival and Dutch colonials. Wynnewood, North Kiestwood, and Wynnewood Hills have some of the best midcentury moderns in Dallas, as well as wonderful ranches. East Kessler has cutting-edge contemporaries that take advantage of the rare-to-DFW hilly terrain. You could teach a pretty comprehensive architectural history of Dallas without ever leaving Oak Cliff."

    ---

    Kay Wood lives, works, and plays in Oak Cliff. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email kwood@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-908-5442.

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