La Vista on Fountainview

Eat here. Last night's dinner was delightful. We brought our own bottle of Jordan Cabernet to this popular BYOB restaurant on Fountainview between Westheimer and San Felipe. Amazingly, we didn't have to wait for a table, which was a nice surprise, considering we arrived at 7pm. It was warm enough to sit outside, but we judged it too humid. And who wants to sit at the edge of a parking lot anyway? The atmosphere inside was pleasant, although nothing fancy. Our server, Octavio, provided excellent service that was attentive and efficient. After perusing the menu, we ordered a few dishes that sounded good, even though they weren't entrees. We chose a medium sized garden (veggie) pizza, which we were able to customize (half with no olives, half with no eggplant) without any trouble, the goat cheese stuffed pepper, and the marinated tomato salad. Wow! The thin crusted pizza was weighed down with colorful fresh ingredients: mushrooms, tomatoes, red onions, bell peppers, sliced olives/eggplant, basil, zesty tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. The unusual stuffed pepper dish featured venison sausage that was absolutely delicious. The marinated tomato salad had sliced artichoke hearts, sliced Romas, onions, black olive slices, basil, Parmesan cheese, and two large slices of their warm, fresh-baked and grilled bread to dip in the slightly sweet balsamic marinade at the bottom of the dish. Yum! These three dishes made a perfect meal for two, with some pizza to take home to savor for today's lunch. Prices are moderate, but with the small wine corkage fee of $7 per bottle, you can save quite a bit over comparable restaurants.