The Beat on La Strada

My friend, John, suggested that I do a full review on some of these restaurants.  I always thought there were already enough reviews on restaurants to fill Reliant Stadium but then I thought about it.  How many times does a restaurant get reviewed from the "brunch" perspective.  Brunch is a totally different atmosphere than any other meal the restaurant offers. 

So, I begin by reviewing La Strada on Westheimer.  It seems as good as any place to start.

On their website, they claim their Bellini's are "out of this world" and though I have to admit they are some very tasty Bellinis, I would insist that the term they use would better describe their Sunday Brunch overall.  As soon as you hand your keys, and cash to the valet guy, you're immediately hit with the aroma of caramelized onion.  But the experience is short-lived and quickly replaced by the sound of the rhythmic beat of dance music resonating from within.

I arrived early and quickly observed what appeared to me as a continuation of the partying and drinking of any given Saturday night.  People arrived dressed as though they were going to a nightclub downtown.  Girls in faded jeans, fur lined stiletto boots and mini skirts.  As they waited for their tables they milled about with frozen drinks in plastic cups.  I couldn't help but look at everyone's hands searching for the "entrance stamp" indicating their legal drinking age.  No such stamp here.  Still, it's definitely a young crowd.

After the remainder of our party arrived, we were seated upstairs at a table that allowed us all to sit on only one side.  At first I felt like I was on some sort of panel but after one Bellini, I quickly gave into the spell of the dance music and my spirits were lifted; I didn't care where I sat.  Realizing how crowded this place was, I was just grateful we had a seat. 

Waitresses worked the crowd with trays of Jell-O shots.  Wow! Jell-O shots for brunch!

So, how was the food?  Let's be honest.  People don't come to this brunch for the food.  They come here to see and be seen, to eat, and then dance and drink the rest of the day away. 

But of course, we want to know about the food.

I ordered steak and eggs, one of my favorite brunch dishes.  The dish was delicious, I was only disappointed by the amount of fat on the meat itself.  I had to cut a lot of it away.  Another member of our party had the waffles and I was informed they were absolutely delicious.  And on a scale of 1 - 10, the calamari was ranked a 7 by members of our party.

The service was really outstanding.  Our food arrived promptly and as ordered.  Our friendly waiter gave our table lots of Jell-O shots, "on the house".  And I have to admit, it was a lot of fun eating and tapping my foot to songs by Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson.

At 3:00, the upstairs patio area is cleared and then turned into a dance floor.  I wish that I had planned on making a full day of this brunch as I would have loved to have stayed and danced and danced and danced.