The Houston Astros’ 2017 opener is just a few weeks away. So maybe it’s fitting that Astros owner Jim Crane’s second of two Italian-focused restaurants, Osso & Kristalla, is set to open this weekend. The casual Italian trattoria is only a few weeks behind the debut of its upscale sister (and neighboring) restaurant Potente, which opened the first week of February. The two restaurants are located at 1515 Texas at Crawford, just a block from Minute Maid Park.

Potente is only open for dinner, but across the courtyard at Osso & Kristalla, you can stop in for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The same culinary team at Potente is also behind this more casual restaurant: operational manager Bill Floyd, executive chef Michael Parker, chef de cuisine Micah Rideout and baker/pastry chef David Berg. My Table was invited in this week to preview what the restaurant has to offer.

From left to right: chef de cuisine Micah Rideout, pastry chef David Berg and executive chef Michael Parker.

Osso & Kristalla will open bright and early at 6:30 am, ready to serve the building’s residents and downtown workers coffee and breakfast items. Expect a variety of pastries and grab-and-go items like mini breakfast pizzas.

For lunch and dinner, there will be a selection of personal pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and larger entrees. Pizza dough and sandwich breads are made with Berg’s bread starter, so you can expect no crust will be left behind. These carbs are more than just a vehicle for meats and cheese. They add a level of complexity to the dish – fresh, yeasty flavors and a crusty-and-chewy texture.

Margharita pizza at Osso & Kristalla

Pizzas (around $12-$14) will include choices like a margharita (Roma tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, oregano, organic basil topped with an arugula salad, photo above), a four cheese pizza and a smoked chicken, mozzarella and caramelized onion option. The pizzas are still evolving, and the menu will constantly be rotating dishes in and out. Rideout is playing around with ideas like a shaved Brussels sprouts pizza and a meatball pizza.

Italian sausage and wagyu beef burger at Osso & Kristalla

It may not be a classic Italian dish, but Rideout has created a burger with a slight Italian twist. It features two six ounce Italian sausage-and-wagyu beef patties with provolone, peperoncinis, romaine lettuce and a sweet-and-sour caponata ($14, photo above). It’s served with curly fries, drizzled with a tiny amount of truffle oil and parmesan.

Italian Dagwood sandwich at Osso & Kristalla

A sandwich Floyd expects to be a signature at Osso & Kristalla is the Italian Dagwood (photo above), which layers Italian meats, cheeses, tomatoes and lettuce – it’s an American-meets-Italian sandwich (sandwiches are expected to be between $12-$14). The stacked sandwich is served cut in half, but really there are four sandwich halves to be had. It’s a meal meant for sharing.

For non-meat eaters, Rideout has created a veggie panini filled with grilled zucchini, eggplant, red bell pepper, alfalfa sprouts, arugula, monterey jack cheese, avocado and a tarragon aioli. There’s a slight char on the crust, adding a nice touch of smoke that complements the grilled vegetables and the robust aioli. Again, this sandwich could easily feed four.

Pork belly entree at Osso & Kristalla

The most indulgent dish we sampled was the pork belly entree. A hunk of luscious pork belly, wrapped in its own fat and rolled with Italian herbs, is cooked low and slow for 16 hours. It’s served with roasted apples, figs, quinoa and a black garlic Earl Grey balsamic ($22-24, photo above). A balanced sweetness and pop of acid helps tone down the porky belly’s inherent richness.

Tiramisu at Osso & Kristalla

Desserts are kept small and classic here. Berg’s tiramisu is beautifully layered with house-made ladyfingers and a sturdy-yet-silky custard ($8, photo above). His chocolate chambord torte ($8, photo below) is a dainty but decadent slice of layered chocolate – a chocolate brownie bottom, chocolate mousse filling and chocolate ganache topping.

Chocolate mousse cake at Osso & Kristalla

The atmosphere inside Osso & Kristalla is more relaxed than at Potente, but it’s also certain that the team has put in just as much effort at this casual trattoria. So sit back, relax and enjoy what they’ve been working hard to perfect.

Osso & Kristalla, 1515 Texas at Crawford, 713-221-6666, ossoandkristalla.com