On the wall, there's a photo of a young Marlon Brando. Audrey Hepburn is on the opposite side. And in the middle?
"They have a picture of me," says chef Carla Pellegrino, "so here I am." It's early evening, and light is streaming into Teatro Bistro in downtown Grapevine. Inside, the vibe is nostalgic, with wood paneling, marble tabletops and chandeliers. It feels like the 1940s, but the restaurant opened this past February.
Pellegrino, the restaurant's culinary director, immediately asks, "Are you hungry?" Yes, yes we are. "Good," she says. Pellegrino, a Throwdown with Bobby Flay winner and Top Chef star, moved from Las Vegas and now calls North Texas home. "I love it here," she says.
"Vegas made me a celebrity chef," says Pellegrino. "They had pictures of me at the airport." And for good reason. She made her name at Las Vegas-based Limoncello and Rao’s in Caesars Palace in 2006. Before that, the Italian-raised and classically-trained chef opened Baldoria Restaurant in New York. She was also named a VIP member of the James Beard Foundation.
"I'm known for my simple, honest and fresh food," says Pellegrino.
This is Italian-style comfort food, executed with expert technique and care. I love it.
We start off with Teatro salad — a salad that Pellegrino says is great if you like beets. I'm so-so on beets. But the salad is fantastic, with said beets, cantaloupe, watercress, goat cheese and citronette dressing achieving a wonderfully refreshing balance that's pitch perfect for summer.
The charred octopus is crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. That freshness comes through, even on the seafood side of the menu.
That's followed with chef's famous meatballs — she previously had a meatball-specialty restaurant in Las Vegas called Meatball Spot. "We don't order meatballs in restaurants in Italy," she says. "This is something that we make at home." And that's what makes the meatballs so deliciously comforting: They're some of the best home-cooked meatballs you can order. "I just make them like my grandma did, but with more technique."
The rigatoni Bolognese (Italian rigatoni, slow-cooked beef, veal and pork bolognese sauce, Burgundy wine and San Marzano tomatoes) and penne vodka (penne rigate, Italian prosciutto, fresh tomato, vodka cream sauce) were also highlights.
For mains, Pellegrino served up the Berkshire pork chop with sweet and hot cherry peppers and mashed potatoes. "This is a dish that guys usually like," she says. "It season with salt and pepper, but it's really about the pan-searing technique." Thick, juicy, perfect. That is followed by the halibut, and again, the freshness and flavor are quickly evident.
As 7 o'clock turned to 7:30, Teatro started to get packed. Locals were coming in for dinner and drinks. The restaurant's centerpiece is the bar, and in an age with $20 cocktails are quickly becoming the norm, it's refreshing to see craft drinks priced at $15 and under, even with a lavishly presented old fashioned coming in at $13 — a steal.
For dessert, Pellegrino brings out berries and gelato. Fruit, lemon juice, cabernet sauvignon and gelato. It's a simple dish that I might have overlooked. "Be sure to mix up the gelato," she says. I take a bite, and my goodness. "This is a great dessert, even if you don't want to eat a dessert," she says. Heck, I say, it's great even if you do.
With a name like Teatro, I was expecting more theatrics — more smoke and mirrors, more pretense and more performance, more glitz and glamor. But what I found in dish was honest, comforting and, most important of all, delicious.
____
Hungry for more? Check out our dining guide.
Don't miss anything Local. Sign up for our free newsletter.
