Expansive and sunny-yellow, Allora’s arched-window dining room and shaded loggia dispel any thought of red sauce even before you see the menu, which skews Amalfi Coast. It’s the latest from Peter Selig’s Maverick Restaurant Group, and the kitchen takes aim at large-format dishes—lobster lasagna, whole red snapper, grilled octopus—perfect to share. But it’s not all seafood. Start with the parsnip and Taleggio agnolotti or the bruschetta featuring cubes of pickled beet over whipped goat cheese. Grilled pork sull’osso (on the bone) topped with balsamic cipollini and an assertive smoked ham bordelaise was robust and decadent. Equally if not more satisfying was the Lemoncello, a layered confection of lemon curd, blueberries, and hazelnut streusel.
Disclosure: Texas Monthly editor in chief Dan Goodgame is an investor in Allora.