Dolce Vita

07/13/09

Good Neopolitan Pizzas

by DCAllen at Citysearch

I've visited Dolce Vita twice now, once with my husband and parents and again with a group of 25 women. Each time the service and food were superb. If you've been to DaMarco's you won't be disappointed with this sister restaurant. I've had the cheese and meat board, the brussel sprouts, and a couple of different salads that were all of the highest quality. The pizzas feature interesting flavors by Houston standards, and each I have sampled were wonderful with crispy (not soggy) crusts. Dinner companions have thoroughly enjoined the nightly specials as well.

Bottom line: if you are looking for American style pizza go to Romano's on West Gray, but DV has the best thin crust Neopolitan style pizzas in Houston.

By the way to the previous reviewer, it is not illegal to record a phone conversation so long as one party consents, in your situation, that was the manager.

• Pros: Very inventive menu for Houston
• Cons: Loud in the upstairs dining room; overwhelming truffle smell

06/29/09

Good food Good service

by rlajr4u at Citysearch

The manager was very friendly suggesting cavas and cool drinks on a hot day. Very good customer service. The pizza was good... it was the prosciutto, basil, almonds and tomatoes pizza. Crust is thin and crispy and generous servings of prosciutto. Ordered a olive oil, garlic and calamari spaghetti (made to order) ... good try but a bit watery....

I'd still go back for the pizza and try the other pastas...

That campari and cava on a hot day is good and so was the bloodorange vodka drink was even better.

• Pros: Friendly manager
• Cons: made to order spaghetti so so

06/17/09

Manager has major problem!

by FoodieinHouston at Citysearch

Several weeks in advance, my friend made dinner reservations for 12 at Dolce Vita Pizzeria to celebrate my birthday. The day of the reservation I called to speak to the manager, as I wanted to arrange for something special for my friends and I to share; an antipasti plate and/or desserts, and wanted to arrange to pay for that separate from the rest of the bill, as a treat for my friends. Well, first the "manager", Patricia, couldn't get passed the fact that I was asking to pay for something separate. She kept insisting that they don't split checks/no separate checks, no way. Nothing I could say could make her understand that I was not really asking to split the check, and she became more rude by the minute, talking about their "regulations" and if I didn't like it, too bad. Then she referred to the reservation book and after insisting that we never had a reservation to begin with (she later found it, misspelled) she claimed she wasn't going to be able to hold the table as we hadn't reserved it with a credit card (the friend who made the original reservation was asked for a cc, but told she didn't need to leave it as long as she called in advance to confirm). For trying to bring 12 people to dinner at her restaurant and trying to arrange something extra special on top of that, all I received was major attitude and argument from the so-called manager. When I told her that I thought Marco Viles would be extremely disappointment in how this conversation had gone, she actually had the gall to tell me that the phone call was being recorded (illegal last time I checked). Well, good, I said, since he should then have clear evidence of the disgusting treatment she is giving people while he is supposedly "out of town" (I asked to speak to him). I would have been happy to give my credit card if she had broached the topic in an acceptable manner and I would have gladly reexplain what my intentions were (there may have been a language barrier?), but at that point I gave up promptly canceled all plans there and fortunately, was able to get us into Benjy's in the Village at the last minute and still have a great celebration. I even arranged for appetizer pizzas...in honor of my never, ever going to Dolce Vita. There are way too many great restaurants in Houston to ever bother giving them any business. Shameful!

• Pros: We'll never know!
• Cons: Horrible management