Editor’s note: Arthur Ave announced this morning (March 9, 2017) that they’ll be closing on March 19 and re-opening soon thereafter as a second location for their Rice Village Greek restaurant, Helen. The location will be known as Helen in the Heights.
The restaurant group behind raved-about Helen Greek Food and Wine is back with a new concept. They’ve taken the blueprint behind Helen – uncomplicated food with high-quality ingredients that pays homage to a specific heritage’s cuisine – and translated that to their newest restaurant, Arthur Ave. The menu highlights those comfort food dishes made popular by Italian-American eateries across the Northeast.
Located on Studewood at E. 11th in The Heights, Arthur Ave. officially opened for dinner last Friday, July 29, and they will begin serving lunch this coming Monday, August 8. The restaurant is named after the street generally considered the home of “Little Italy” in The Bronx, and executive chef William Wright (photo above) has fully embraced that Italian-American food culture. Wright’s red sauce is prominent on the menu, but it’s made with extra-good ingredients – a theme that continues across the entire menu.
The four-cheese pizza ($11, photo below) starts with a high-gluten dough for a slightly thicker crust than a classic New York-style pizza. Wright’s pizza crust test? When you pick up the slice, toppings and cheese shouldn’t come sliding off and the crust shouldn’t go limp. Shredded mozzarella with minimal moisture ensures so sliding of toppings. Fresh red sauce and wild Sicilian dried oregano are the only other ingredients needed.
The caprese salad ($14, photo below) is built around mozzarella that is hand-pulled and made-to-order with fresh curd, hot water and sea salt. Wright describes it as the “peak of perfection,” and we have to agree. Surrounding the mozzarella are heirloom cherry tomatoes, basil, olive oil and a touch of aged balsamic.
For Wright’s penne alla vodka ($16, photo below), the dish uses pasta imported from Italy and made by a family near Pisa. This Martelli pasta is slowly dried, which results in a porous pasta ideal for absorbing sauces. The creamy mascarpone vodka sauce clings to the pasta’s ridges, and with a finishing sprinkle of parmesan and red chile flakes it’s ready.
Most menu items at Arthur Ave. are big enough to share – and there’s something just right about sharing these old-school comfort dishes with family and friends – including the chicken parmesan ($29, photo below). The chicken used is free-range and organic from D’Artagnan. Wright takes the rind from his 75-pound wheels of parmesan and uses it to brine the chickens – no additional salt is needed. Half a chicken is the portion for the parm, so white-meat and dark-meat eaters will both be happy. The chicken is breaded with herbed breadcrumbs and then topped with the house red sauce (made with San Marzano tomatoes) and micro basil for a bright finish.
The dish Wright knew from the beginning would be on the menu? The cannoli (photo below). Wright was inspired by his time working in Sicily, where his employer made an upside-down cannoli just like Arthur Ave’s. The pastry shell is made with marsala wine and cocoa powder and filled with Calabro ricotta from New Haven, Connecticut. It’s filled to order and topped with candied orange rind, dark chocolate and pistachios. This might be the one dish you won’t want to share.
Portions are definitely big here, so bring your family and friends. It’s the spot to share plates, bottles of wine and plenty of laughs. It’s good food, meant to share with even better company.
Arthur Ave, 1111 Studewood, 832-582-7146, arthuravehouston.com