Photo by Nick RamaFood & Drink
Eat Local: Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano
The Hello Woodlands Eat Local series is brought to you by Nick Rama of Nick’s Local Eats, and highlights a local restaurant and its owners. Read our interview below with Mac DeLaup and partner Chef Bob Getchell, and learn more about Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano.
THE STORY
Dolce Niente Ristorante Italiano opened in mid-August of 2023 at the corner of Rayford Rd and Birnham Woods Dr in Spring, TX. Owned by Mac DeLaup with partner Chef Bob Getchell, the new concept started taking form during Hurricane Harvey when Bob contacted Mac, whom he knew as an acquaintance, offering to help feed evacuees. Gibsons Restaurant Group supported the effort, Mac organized the logistics in Houston, and together they gathered and led a team of BBQ Chefs feeding over 60,000 meals to people housed in the NRG Center. This experience formed the bond that made Chef Bob and Mac friends for life.
During their Harvey relief efforts, after seeing Chef Bob’s passion for cooking, Mac told him that if he ever retired from the car business, they were going to open a restaurant together. The concept started after Mac retired from the John Eagle Dealerships in 2020 and they formed Our Hospitality Group with the plan to build upon it in the future.
Individually, this dynamic duo each have impressive backgrounds. Mac grew up in the Houston area, eventually settling in Benders Landing after retiring at 36 from a Honda dealer in 2020 after a partnership with the John Eagle Dealerships. Long Island native Chef Bob grew up fishing, clamming, and wrestling, then attending USN to become a nuclear power engineer. After changing his career goals he attended Johnson & Wales university in Norfolk to begin a career in the Food and Beverage industry.
Mac and Chef Bob looked at several locations, and after watching a new strip center in Benders Landing being built, Mac contacted the sales team. He discovered they were looking for a quality restaurant for the area and not a franchise. He then moved forward with buildout over an 8-month period.
THE NAME
Mac explains “Dolce Far Niente,” a common Italian phrase meaning “the sweetness of doing nothing,” is an attitude. “We wanted to bring a place where you can relax and experience the sweetness of doing nothing to our area. The wine company Far Niente owns that name so we copyrighted Dolce Niente,” said Mac.
THE VIBE
The restaurant is upscale casual dining with authentic Italian food, focusing on the area and family dining. It has an open kitchen, impressive pizza oven, and a nice size outdoor patio.
THE INSPIRATION
Chef Bob, with his experience working for Disney and Gibsons, was often tasked to run a restaurant with a menu and style of food that he wasn’t familiar with, such as Kona Cafe, Boma, Spoodles, and Sanaa, all wildly different ethnic based cuisines. Chef Bob has always had a passion to take a deep dive into what is unique about a cuisine and do extensive research and practice, respecting the basics and traditions of the place and the way people cook. “This is what I did for the Italian concept, years of baking, pasta making, and pizza making. Testing and researching techniques and ingredients is how I approached this challenge,” said Bob.
“Some of the dishes such as the Fettuccine Alfredo and Margherita Pizza, we have decided to pay homage to the originators of the dish by attempting our best to serve them exactly as they are done in Italy. Other items such as the Chicken Parmigiana, we have a unique marinade on the chicken which adds flavor and we are using a locally made Smoked Italian Sausage by Zummo, a 100 year company in Beaumont Texas. Mastering technique, the use of fresh high quality ingredients, and respecting the cuisine is how we develop recipes,” explained Bob.
Mac and Chef Bob both understand the importance of hospitality and their goal is that every customer leaves happy. “Italian food is quality ingredients, never frozen and fresh made in a scratch kitchen. It’s not processed foods delivered by a commissary, it’s fresh made daily. We have the ability to turn very quickly and deliver exactly what our customers want every day,” shared Mac.
“Our success so far is by developing and delivering a restaurant that people want to exist and we feel like we are accomplishing just that. It’s all about the 3-P’s: People-Processes-Product, which we work hard to accomplish all three,” continued Mac.
THE GOODS
Dolce Niente prides itself on its scratch made Italian food with no short cuts. The Fettuccine Alfredo on the menu is more traditional than other Italian restaurants, with every order being finished and tossed tableside.
Chef Bob says It is made exactly as described by the Executive Chef and General Manager of the restaurant Alfredo alla Scrofa in Rome.
“You can watch the Youtube video. The recipe for the pasta consists of the same ingredients, 00 pizza flour, Semolina flour, and eggs. The method, cooking the fresh pasta then placing it with some of the pasta water onto an oval platter slathered with soft high quality butter, then adding a very generous portion of grated 24 month Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and mixing to form the ‘sauce’ is exactly as it is done in Rome and has been since 1914,” said Bob.
“What most Americans know and think of as Alfredo is a milk or cream based sauce, containing various other ingredients including garlic, herbs, cheese, even chicken stock, and bears absolutely no resemblance to the dish that was the inspiration for the dish. We wanted to bring the authenticity to the dish and were pleasantly surprised when it became our number one seller,” he revealed.
THE BAR
The bar area is inviting and fun, featuring a walk-up outdoor window where you can order a cocktail to enjoy on the patio or order a pizza and cocktails, beer, or wine to go.
Highlights from their cocktail, beer, and wine menu include Dolce Niente’s Frozen Lemon Ice-A-Rita, a one of a kind signature, but all of their crafted creations are equally impressive. You can find quality wines from Napa, Italy, and of course Texas, giving the bar a well rounded assortment of wines. Popular beers on tap include Italian Peroni, which is their best seller.
Recently Dolce Niente rolled out a Happy Hour everyday from 4-6pm, with additional Happy Hour specials on Sundays including some incredible brunch features.
COMMUNITY
“I believe it is our place to give back,” shared Mac. “For the last 40 years I have given back to Houston as often as possible. We plan on doing the same thing in time. Just this week we are honoring our Grand Oaks High School girls volleyball team for winning State with a pizza party provided by Dolce Niente.”
OWNER & CHEF’S FAVORITE MEAL
Chef Bob: “Everything to share amongst friends and family: A Brick oven flatbread to start, then the Limone Caesar Salad, some marinated olives, perhaps an order of our meatballs marinara made with Veal, Pork, and Beef. Then moving to a Margherita pizza, made with our 72 hour fermented authentic pizza dough in the Neapolitan style. Then the Fettucine Alfredo is a must try. Then a Florentine Steak or share the Chicken Parmigiana. Finish with a mix of cannolis, Tiramisu, or try the NY Cheesecake. For Beverages, the Limone Ice Arita and Peroni Beer on tap!”
Mac: “Bob’s description (above) is spot on. How fun is it to be able to share plates and in turn sample multiple quality dishes instead of just one entree?”
WHAT THE LOCALS ARE ORDERING
Dolce Niente’s top selling menu items for each category on the menu:
- Antipasta: Fried Calamari
- Insalata: Limone Caesar Salad
- Pasta: Original Fettuccine Alfredo
- Sandwich: Centrale
- Hearth Stone Pizza: Pepperoni
- Bisteca e Pollo: Chicken Parmigiana
- Side: Sauteed Spinach
- Bambinos: Spaghetti and Meatballs
- La Dolce Vita: Cannoli
- Brunch: Breakfast Calzone
CATERING
What makes Dolce Niente’s catering different? “The difference is the attention to detail and the craftsmanship and flavor of our food. Our food is scratch made daily and is unique, a bit different from the other Italian restaurant fare. We have high standards for quality and it shows,” said Mac.
WRAPPING IT ALL UP
The Birnham Woods area has had a void of quality mom and pop restaurants. Mac DeLaup and Chef Bob have filled a much needed niche with a family-friendly Italian restaurant. The hospitality is second-to-none and the scratch made food has already made them a slew of regular patrons and fans.
5 WORDS TO DESCRIBE DOLCE NIENTE
Chef Bob: “The Sweetness of Doing Nothing”
Mac: “Our core values happen to be 5 words: Family, Quality, Hospitality, Value, Integrity. They are listed on the wall in Italian. Our mission statement is very simple: ‘Every Customer Leaves Happy.'”
Nick Rama is a food writer, contributor to Hello Woodlands, and shares his restaurant experiences on Nick’s Local Eats at NicksLocalEats.com and on the TX BBQ, Burgers, and Brew Facebook page. Nick enjoys helping small business owners, supporting his community by fundraising for food banks, and plans tasting events with locally owned mom and pop restaurants.
0 comments