In some ways, you really can’t go home again.

On Saturday night, I was having dinner with my friend George, and he made an observation that I had developed a habit of “dogging” on the north side of town.

I have to admit that he’s kind of right. Since moving from Spring (in the far north side of the Houston area) to Pearland (located on the south side of the Houston area) four and a half years ago, I’ve been coming to Spring far less and been more critical of the area. However, it’s kind of justified.

Since I’ve left (and probably even before I moved), the area has gone seriously downhill. For example, I can remember seeing at least three news reports of serious crimes (including armed robberies) happening at the intersection by my parents’ house. There’s a Denny’s that we used to go to after late night World of Darkness sessions that has been robbed at least three times in the past year. There was a mass murder that made global headlines in a neighborhood near where I grew up, that I would pass through every so often to go to the movies. I’ve been hearing about security issues in my parents’ neighborhood, as well, including burglaries in broad daylight. It’s just not going so well.

The area has moved on, as well. The aforementioned intersection has turned into something of a ghost town, with two of the three strip centers having become more or less empty. Old familiar faces like Strack Farms have since gone out of business. It’s not the area I grew up with anymore.

However, the most telling (if a tad petty) sign for me is what I noticed Sunday morning. I was preparing to leave my parents’ house to make my way back to Pearland, when I noticed someone had stolen the two Doctor Who magnets from the back of my car. These magnets had stayed on the car when I’ve been all over Houston, yet it wasn’t until I spent the night in Spring that they disappeared off of my car.

So, yeah, I am critical of the Spring area of town now, especially after moving down to Pearland. Then again, it’s not the area I grew up in. It’s become much more urban than rural as the Houston area has expanded, and as a result the area has gone really downhill. I worry for my parents and friends that are still there, but aside from them… I don’t miss living there.

Thankful for a new Italian restaurant…

For all of its expansion, Pearland leaves a few things to be desired. One of the big problems we have has to do with restaurants. While there are some VERY good local options like Center Court Pizza and Killen’s BBQ, most of the restaurants around here are chain restaurants. Chains have their place, but for the most part they tend to be disappointing compared to local places. In particular, the only Italian places around here used to be Olive Garden and Carino’s; Olive Garden tends to be disappointing pre-made microwaved Italian, and Carino’s quality and taste makes Olive Garden seem fresh and appealing.

Needless to say, we’ve been jonesing for a decent Italian place. Fortunately, a new place has opened to fill the void.

This new place is called Grazia Italian Kitchen, and it recently opened where Jake’s Grill used to sit. As Jake’s was a typical southern low-end grill with wood tables and benches, a walk-up counter to order, and TVs everywhere, we were surprised at how different it looked now, with a bar installed, a private room, the benches removed, decent tables and seats, and even a wood-fired pizza oven. The service was very good, with a friendly wait staff, and timely food delivery.

As for the food… yum. The bread was fresh and came with an herb-infused olive oil to dip it in that was excellent. We ordered calamari for an appetizer, and while calamari has a danger of coming out rubbery (especially in chain restaurants), this was extremely well done and had a flavorful breading. When it came to our entrees, Jennifer ordered the chicken marsala, and was marveling at how good the included fettucine alfredo was. The chicken itself was tender and the sauce tasty. I personally had the chicken parmigiana, and it also was very tender and full of flavor. In particular, it was obvious how they used fresh ingredients; the tomato sauces for the calamari and my chicken parm in particular were very obviously made in house and were delicious.

If anything, Jennifer and I compared it to Romano’s Macaroni Grill. This is a compliment, as it is by far our favorite of the chain Italian restaurants. It has the added advantage of being a local place, and we prefer to give our business to local places.

If I had any worry, it would be the location. While we liked Jake’s, it was always struggling for business, to the point where when it finally closed we were disappointed but not surprised. The restaurant, while at the end of the strip center, is tucked away in a corner and it can be difficult to see, especially with a stand-alone emergency room standing in front of it. On the other hand, Grazia doesn’t seem to be hurting for business; Jennifer has been there before me and said she had to wait a half-hour for a table. It also helps that while Jake’s was in a saturated market (burger/grill places are a dime a dozen), Grazia is the only locally-owned proper Italian place in our part of Pearland.

It’s nice to now have a decent Italian place to go to, where we don’t have to go into the city and either pay out the nose for an expensive Italian place or go to Romano’s. We’re hoping it sticks around for a while, so that when we have a taste for some Italian food, we can indulge it with quality food and not have to drive far for it.