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The Woodlands just welcomed new destination for Italian fare Sorriso Modern Italian Kitchen headed up by a notable Italian-born chef.
The new eatery located in the Westin hotel at 2 Waterway Square Place offers “spectacular” views of The Woodlands Waterway and Waterway Square. EDG Design dreamt up the restaurant décor of neutral tones, leather, and wood, complemented by industrial touches of metal and steel that’s all centered around an open kitchen.
Famed former D.C. Chef Enzo Fargione created the menu for Sorriso in his new role as executive chef for the Howard Hughes Corporation, its parent company. Fargione was well-known in D.C. for his Italian fine-dining establishments Barolo, Teatro Goldoni, Elisir and Osteria Elisir, which were heavily covered in the press, even earning him a nod as one of Esquire’s “Four Chefs to Watch” in the nation in 2008. After shuttering his most recent D.C. restaurant, the chef spent a couple of years in Naples, Florida before relocated to Houston for his current position.
At Sorriso, Fargione’s menu uses Texas ingredients to create classic Italian standbys. Diners will find a charcuterie bar, bruschetta, and bread baskets with spreads to start. Housemade pastas like tagliatelle pomodoro and pappardelle short rib ragu follow, plus entreés including grilled branzino and braised veal ossobuco. Also on offer are Neapolitan pizzas baked in the restaurant’s brick oven, visible from the dining room. Fargione says he aims to provide an experience that’s “visual, fun, and diverse.”
“I am humbled to have been entrusted with the wonderful opportunity to transform the dining scene of The Woodlands by opening the eyes and palates of hotel guests, passing travelers, and area residents with authentic Italian regional cuisine,” Fargione said in a statement.
Sorriso opened today and operates Sunday through Thursday 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
