New businesses are sprouting at the recently completed Hanover mixed-use development center in Rice Village. Coppa Osteria, the more casual sibling of the original Coppa location on Washington Avenue, opened its doors to diners just a few weeks ago. This past Sunday, the highly anticipated Cloud 10 Creamery had its soft opening, which continues throughout this weekend. The best part? These two new Rice Village tenants are neighbors.

COPPA OSTERIA

At first glance, it looks like Coppa Osteria is just a second location for Coppa Ristorante Italiano, but there is a different attitude at work here. Osteria is, by definition, more casual than a ristorante — with a focus on wine and simplistic food.

Coppa Osteria actually seems to be reaching out to be a little bit of every Italian restaurant concept. It might soon become your favorite pizzeria, as a walk-up pizza-by-the-slice order window will be in service sometime over the next week or two. I tried 15 different lauded Houston pizza places for another publication recently and Coppa’s crispy pies were my favorite. Why would I choose flabby, chain restaurant pizza that’s been steaming in a box when I can have crunchy, bubbly, brown crust and top quality toppings such as prosciutto, dried pork shoulder, quail eggs and scamorza? Chef Brandi Key — who developed the menu at the Washington Avenue location — is at the helm here at the new Rice Village spot.

Many of the menu favorites from the original Coppa location are here, like the carbonara (with which I’ve had a long-time affair), meatballs al forno and “Chicken Under a Brick.” But there are some new items, too, such as a hearty lamb sausage burger on thick toast. It’s Greek-style, with yogurt dressing, cucumber, mint, arugula and feta. The bottom bread slice soaks up the meaty juices and I’d say that’s the best part, if it weren’t for the lamb patty itself.

The emphasis here is on family-style eating. There are plenty of bites and small plates to share, such as the crunchy spiced chickpeas and the fritto misto with shrimp and calamari. Coppa Osteria’s menu also offers a cheese plate that features selections from Houston Dairymaids, Marcona almonds and dried fruit.

And while they have fine desserts at Osteria, save some room so you can get up and walk down the street for something frozen and sweet.

COPPA OSTERIA 5210 Morningside  713-522-3535 coppaosteriahouston.com

CLOUD 10 CREAMERY

Pastry chef Chris Leung finally has his own place. I met Leung when he was kicking out some of the best pies I’ve ever had over at Bootsie’s, as well as fine-dining desserts, too. After Bootsie’s closed, he headed to Kata Robata  putting forth more sophisticated desserts and some fine ice creams as well. Those ice creams started showing up in little lidded Styrofoam cups at The Hay Merchant amongst other eateries, bars and food trucks. It wasn’t long after that Cloud 10 Creamery was announced.

My spouse and I made it a point to go through pretty much every available flavor at The Hay Merchant, from toasted rice to spiced chocolate. If you had these renditions, I have to tell you: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. At Cloud 10’s soft opening this past Sunday, we found that the ice cream’s texture was absolutely creamy, without a trace of an ice crystal. As I’m actually trying to cut back on my eating a bit (having to sample 15 different pizza places will do that to you) and I shared two small scoops of two flavors with my husband: pumpkin-cranberry and maple. While I preferred the pumpkin-cranberry, the maple was quite buttery and smooth. The ice cream is rich, but it’s not so rich that you can’t put away two small scoops pretty easily. It was hard to not say “Diet be damned!” and go barnstorming back into the shop to try every other flavor. A small cup of ice cream includes two scoops and was $3.75.

Currently through the soft opening Cloud 10 is offering scoops only of a handful of flavors, but once the grand opening is announced diners will be able to choose from ice cream novelties, such as push-up pops and ice cream sandwiches, as well as sundaes and banana splits.

CLOUD TEN CREAMERY 5215 Morningside  281-310-1662 cloud10creamery.com