Prego

Prego Restaurant Review:

Prego is a longstanding restaurant in Rice Village that more than lives up to its hype. Chef and co-owner John Watt offers simple Italian dishes that include house-made pastas, Texas cheeses and fresh Gulf Coast seafood. Watt changes the menu seasonally, but you might find prosciutto and arugula pizza topped with a fried farm egg; verdure risotto made with local mushrooms, fresh peas and roasted corn; or lasagna. You can’t go wrong by ending the meal with a chocolate soufflé. On weekends, try the frittatas for brunch. In addition, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes are part of the line-up. And did we mention the wine list? Sommelier Rafael Espinal has created a menu of wines by the glass that’s heavy on Italians and Californians, with a few French and South Americans thrown in. Half bottles are offered. Among tempting Italian cocktails is the Prosecco float featuring a scoop of sorbetto aloft in a glass of bubbly.