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20 T he team behind the acclaimed restaurant Helen Greek Food in Rice Village (chef Wil- liam Wright, managing partners Sharif Al-Amin, Tim Faiola, and sommelier Evan Turner) has brought Little Italy to the Heights. Their newest restaurant, Arthur Ave, is named for a street in Bronx that was once the heart of that borough's Little Italy. The menu is an amalgam of dishes from the urban immigrant communities that sprang up in the tenements of the North End of Boston, South Philadelphia, Manhattan, and the Bronx from the late 1800s to the first decades of the last century. Chef Wright is recreating Italian-American specialties in huge, hearty portions, such as: two platters (plenty for three to share) of spaghetti tossed in red sauce accompanied by a groaning plate of meatballs, sausage, and braised meats; an enormous plate of chicken parm; and satisfying pizza pies. Wright spent time roaming the kitchens of Italy in preparation. Along the way, he befriended a couple who ship their pastas to Arthur Ave, with the exception of the ravioli and potato gnocchi verde tinged with pesto and parmesan ($16), both made in-house. The wine and cocktail list is tight, edited by Shepherd Ross and Evan Turner — no sur- prise, it focuses on Italian and California varietals.Designer Erin Hicks took the brick-lined space and created a low-lit din- ing room with comfy banquettes and framed mirrors to add eve- ning sparkle. Arthur Ave., 1111 Studewood St., 281.770.4445 or 832.582.7146, arthurave hou.com. Laurann Claridge LOVE FROM LITTLE ITALY F or years, debate has swirled around who should be hailed as Texas' top 20th- century painter (notwithstanding the Dallas Nine and the great Alexander Hogue). From the mid-century on- ward, this contest has waged in Houston. In this historic year for women, it's fitting that the per- son whom we nominate for this title is Dorothy Hood (1918 – 2000), at last taking a bigger stage in American art history. The curator, art historian, and author to thank is Houston-based Susie Kalil; the institution responsible is the Art Museum of South Texas (AMST), in Corpus Christi, which has mindfully tended the archive of the late artist. Hood was a remarkable woman: Rhode Island School of Design-educated, she enjoyed a colorful life in Mexico for double decades as a member of an illustrious circle of writers (Pablo Neruda penned a poem to her), musicians (she married the foremost Bolivian composer of the day, José María Velasco Maidana), and artists (sharing a studio with José Clemente Orozco and meeting her future husband at the casa of Diego Rivera) before she settled in Houston in 1962. In the '70s, '80s, and '90s, Hood ruled the Houston art scene along with fellow painters (all male) Dick Wray, Richard Stout, and Earl Staley. After her death, Hood has not exactly been forgotten — she's in the collection of MoMA and the Whitney, as well as 28 other museums — but she's been on the back burner while the art world moved on. With historic female artists being celebrated for their accomplish- ments, Hood's time is now. Her canvases soar this fall in a years-in-the-making traveling retrospective at AMST. The 288-page exhibition catalog — glori- ously illustrated with the best of Hood's abstract, color-field, deep-space-evoking canvases — is a fitting companion for the blockbuster, which, rumor has it, may be traveling to Houston in the coming years. Take note: AMST organizes a Houston Collectors Weekend, all about Dorothy, during the run of this show. "Dorothy Hood: The Color of Being/El Color del Ser," Thurs- day, September 29 through January 8, 2017, at Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, haveyouseendorothy.org. Exhibition catalog: Dorothy Hood: The Color of Being/ El Color del Ser ($45, Texas A&M University Press. Catherine D. Anspon Restaurant Buzz One of the world's most famous Japanese restaurants, Nobu, opens in Houston's Galleria in late 2017. Look for chef Nobu Matushisa's signature miso black cod, langoustines with red chili shiso salsa, spicy salmon skewers, sea urchin tempura, and sushi … Nick Adair and Katie Adair Barnahart, proprietors of the much-loved kid-centric eatery Adair Kitchen, are opening Bebidas Juice, Coffee & Bites at 2606 Edloe at Westheimer in River Oaks this fall. And the duo opens Eloise Nichols Grill & Liquors mid-September, near River Oaks District. Chef Joseph Stayshich (Benjy's) will man the range ... This fall, Triniti Restaurant chef Ryan Hildebrand adds FM Burger to Houston's burger scene, at 1112 Shepherd Drive. Inspired by iconic Texas burger stands and icehouses, FM Burger will serve backyard-style burgers. Loaded milkshakes and homemade hand pies round out the menu, courtesy of Triniti pastry chef Caroline Ramirez … New at 3217 Montrose Boulevard is breakfast spot Snooze, with eye-opening prosciutto and cream-cheese hollandaise-topped Benedict, pineapple upside-down pancakes, and morning cocktails. Jailyn Marcel F orty years after its debut in Paris, Bon- point opens a new boutique in River Oaks District. The fine French children's wear, conceived by Marie France and Bernard Cohen, captivates parents with apparel inspired by everything from Wes Anderson films to John Keats poetry and Mediterranean gardens. Artistic director Christine Innamorato's seamless head-to-toe collections for newborns, babies, boys, and girls include frilled blouses, jewel-toned trousers, and stately nightdresses, plus YAM (Y'en A Marre de Bonpoint) collection for teens and Bonpoint-branded hypoallergenic skincare and signature scents. Bonpoint, 4444 Westheimer Road, River Oaks District, 832.831.7096, bonpoint.com. Jailyn Marcel BONJOUR, BONPOINT TEXAS' BEST PAINTER? Dorothy Hood, circa 1943 The definitive Dorothy, the exhibition catalog penned by curator Susie Kalil Dorothy Hood's Untitled, circa 1980s, at Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi Bonpoint opens in River Oaks District Deconstructed cannoli with candied orange Arthur Ave ART MUSEUM OF SOUTH TEXAS, CORPUS CHRISTI TEXAS A&M PRESS DOROTHY HOOD ARCHIVE, AMST, CORPUS CHRISTI