Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1172262
HALLOWED HALLS R estaurant owner Carmelo Mauro ran his Memorial Italian eatery for 37 years. Before he retired, Benjamin Berg of Berg Hospitality Group (B&B Butchers & Restaurant, B.B. Lemon, The Annie Café & Bar) made him a deal he couldn't refuse. Berg quietly ran Carmelo's until earlier this year, when he closed and overhauled the 8,000-square-foot space, revealing it anew as B.B. Italia Kitchen & Bar, and B.B. Pizza To Go. Restaurants are in Berg's bloodline. Throughout his career, he ran front- of-house operations, while his younger brother, Daniel Berg, worked in the back. Chef Daniel was based in New York for years and worked for Andrew Carmellini at A Voce, among other concepts. He studied Italian cuisine in Colorno, Italy, and worked at Michelin- starred restaurants in Sicily and Milan. The brothers modestly refer to their eatery as a neighborhood joint. Noodles are made fresh daily; the menu is filled with Italian-American dishes made with quality ingredients. Standouts include Sunday ragù (a favorite of GM Joe Malheiro), pasta shells tossed in pomodoro sauce with sausage and meatballs ($14), and Grandma's ravioli with braised short rib, napped with marsala and mushroom sauce ($14). The Bergs have left Carmelo's leaning-tower bus station intact, but they've dressed it up with crisp black- and-white lines. The bar and outdoor patio are new, as is the to-go concept for pizzas, calzones, and the like. B.B Italia Kitchen & Bar, 14795 Memorial Dr., 281.531.0696; B.B. Pizza To Go, 281.962.5500, bbitaliakitchen.com. TWO BROTHERS, TWO RESTAURANTS, THE BERG BROTHERS, BENJAMIN AND DANIEL, REINVIGORATE A CLASSIC ITALIAN JOINT. F ood halls are the food courts of this millennium — and they're popping up everywhere. One of the newest is Bravery Chef Hall in Hines' Aris Market Square on Travis Street. Anh Mai and Lian Nguyen (Conservatory Underground Beer Garden & Food Hall) collaborated with sommelier and restaurateur Shepard Ross on Bravery, which has five open-style kitchen islands and three bars. Each micro- restaurant is a one-of-a-kind concept offering an immersive dining experience. Table service is eliminated; saunter up to a stool and interact directly with the chefs. (Or call ahead for takeaway.) At BOH Pasta & Pizza, Ben McPherson's team makes pasta noodles from scratch daily, as well as Roman-style pizza dough that's fermented up to 96 hours for an airy, chewy texture with a crisp exterior. Then there's chef Christine Ha — winner of the third season of Gordon Ramsey's Master Chefs — at The Blind Goat, a modern Vietnamese gastropub. At Cherry Block Craft Butcher + Kitchen, sommelier turned pig farmer turned restaurant owner Felix Florez and his partner, chef Jess DeSham, want to change your idea of a steak restaurant. At Kokoro, former Uchi sushi chefs Daniel Lee and Patrick Pham wow with sushi and yakitori. English chef Richard Knight, late of Hunky Dory, runs Atlas Diner, a twist on American diner fare. For spirited fun, look to Lockwood Station, where David Daiquiri mixes up draft cocktails; Secret Garden Coffee & Cocktails, manned by Jonathan Gallardo; or Bravery Wine Bar, where Shepard Ross shares his latest wine finds. Bravery Chef Hall, 409 Travis St., braverychefhall.com. JENN DUNCAN Fried Brussels sprouts Crab fingers KIRSTEN GILLIAM KIRSTEN GILLIAM JENN DUNCAN Secret Garden Bar at Bravery Chef Hall CLAUDIA CASBARIAN