LOCAL Houston | The City Guide January 2017 | Page 16

FOOD

COUNTER CULTURE Paul Petronella Dishes It Out

PAUL PETRONELLA grew up around the restaurant business , like many other Italian-Americans in Houston . His family opened Paulie ’ s in 1998 , and he took it over in 2009 . “ I did not want to change what made many of our regulars happy , but I did want to tighten things up ,” says the chef . The three major improvements included : making pasta in-house , installing a specialty coffee program and changing the staff culture as a whole . In 2013 , Petronella opened the wine bar , Camerata at Paulie ’ s , in the restaurant ’ s adjacent space . Camerata has been recognized nationally for its integrity of wines and for its culture of hospitality . Besides the compound at 1834 Westheimer , Petronella also contributed to opening Houston ’ s only charity bar , OKRA Charity Saloon , at 924 Congress in downtown Houston . In the next 12 months , the effort will have reached $ 1 million dollars contributed to Houston area nonprofits .
How did you learn to cook ? By doing ! I first learned from my Sicilian great-grandmother . Also , of course , by working on the line at Paulie ’ s . From there is experimenting and refining .
What ’ s the first recipe you ever mastered ? Stuffed artichokes .
What ingredient can you not live without in the kitchen and why ? Lemons . I am an acid freak .
What utensil can you not live without ? I like to have a spoon around . I like to taste as I go .
Favorite affordable wine ? Scarpetta Friulano Bianco ( great guys behind this label ).
Favorite place for dessert ? I like the ice creams Chris Leung is making at Cloud 10 .
Who are your favorite chef , restaurant and dish ? I love Pass & Provisions and Seth and Terrence . They always are looking to do cool stuff . I miss that burrata / tomato burst pizza !
Is there a food you won ’ t eat ? Eh , I will try anything at least once .
What is your comfort food ? Rigatoni with red sauce .
What do you see as the next food trend ? I don ’ t really keep up with trends . Italian-American food isn ’ t trendy , it ’ s just homey and delicious . I do hope we can get away from the era of pretentious food .
At home , what do you keep on hand to serve drop-in guests ? Mescal !
What would people be surprised to find in your home refrigerator ? Ha , a very old sourdough starter . It ’ s still alive !
What would be your last meal ? Burrata / tomato burst pizza from P & P .
Is there a particular food that is underappreciated ? And what would you do to help its reputation ? I think most people who know me know I ’ m really into pasta . Paulie ’ s isn ’ t always the best venue for progressive dishes , but I do love the reward of hand-rolled pasta at home . I would encourage everyone to experiment with making pasta at home ; it ’ s very easy . It satisfies more than just your hunger . ( Try my pasta recipe in the Paulie ’ s Cookbook coming 2017 !!) Ha , ha !
1834 Westheimer Rd . Houston , TX 77098 | 713.807.7271 | www . pauliesrestaurant . com
Photography by Max Burkhalter
16 LOCAL | january 17