LOCAL Houston | The City Guide APRIL 2015 | Page 22

Local April.qxp_002houston 3/23/15 2:15 PM Page 22

PERFECT PAIRS
Some of the greatest pairings come with a side of humble respect, at
least in our humble opinion. Ask EFISIO FARRIS his perfect pair?
“Company,” he enthusiastically says. And Efisio should know.
As the head chef and owner of ARCODORO Houston since
he and his wonderful wife Lori opened the doors in
1996, the guy knows a thing or two about food and
certainly about company. Arcodoro has quietly held
court adjacent to The Galleria on Post Oak, earning
accolades and dishing out perhaps our country’s most
authentic Sardinian (think Italy) cuisine. He has also
cooked at the James Beard House in NYC (twice), and
on the Martha Stewart show. Annnnnd, he runs an
import business bringing Sardinian foods to the US for
the benefit of both the restaurant’s authenticity and us
consumers. Anyway, all this is said to pass on a simple message: Go eat at Arcodoro. Soon.
So while we agree with Efisio about the whole “company” pairing, an extremely close second would be
the Efix Prosecco-style sparkling wine and the
steamed branzino fish. A glass of Efix goes with
just about anything! With a medium body, great
bubbles and a crisp finish, the Efix sparkling
prosecco, created by Efisio, is awesome. Our
opinion, anyone who is anyone will enjoy a
glass of this. Drink one as your cocktail,
and again with dinner and dessert. We
did. And the fish!!?? Arcodoro has relationships with fishmongers all over the
world, so it’s fair to say they specialize
not only in Sardinian cuisine, but also in
fresh seafood, a staple of the Sardinian
diet. Branzino (also known as
European or Mediterranean seabass) is
brought straight to the restaurant from
IAH (via the Mediterranean) and is
covered in a salt rub and steamed to
the perfect temperature. Brought out
whole (like the photo, just lying down)
and carved tableside, this is a special
event. Together we have a pair that
deserves serious respect, respect that a
chef such as Efisio should be getting on
a regular basis.

By Mike Cook | Photography by Kennon Evett

EFIX

ITALIAN
SPARKLING WINE

+ BRANZINO

Arcodoro | 5000 Westheimer, Houston, TX 77056 | 713.62 K