"Marmo, an anticipated Italian chophouse with a Baltimore connection, has finally opened in Houston’s mixed development hub Montrose Collective — and it’s putting steak, pasta, and live music in the spotlight. Marmo officially opened its 120-seat dining room on Wednesday, April 6, inviting diners to views of Westheimer’s bustling road and a robust menu featuring dry-aged meats — some hand-cut on-site. The restaurant, which also features a 10-seat lounge and U-shaped bar that hosts 19 people, offers Italian classics like chicken and eggplant parmigiana, chicken marsala, and veal chop Milanese. Curated by executive chef Eli Jackson and Julian Marucci, a chef-partner of Marmo’s Baltimore-headquartered parent company Atlas Restaurant Group, the menu also features inventive seafood dishes like the squid ink campanelle with blue crab, uni cream sauce, basil and chile; red snapper, served with caramelized fennel and a fennel pollen pesto; and a vibrant hamachi dish topped with basil, avocado, and squid ink rice chips over a passion fruit ponzu. In addition to beer, Italian aperitifs, cocktails, and a happy hour that boasts Peroni on tap and spritz and cocktail specials, Marmo’s wine list spans 22 pages. Guests will be also be serenaded by tunes from the restaurant's grand piano, which will welcome a rotating cadre of Houstonian musicians on weekends, or can opt to enjoy dinner and drinks on Marmo’s covered patio, which shares space with Montrose Collective’s outdoor area. The restaurant, which is sister to Tagliata in Baltimore, joins Atlas Restaurant Group’s other local properties, including seafood establishment Loch Bar, and Mediterranean spot Ouzo Bay in the River Oaks District. Dinner is served from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, with bar service until midnight, and from 4 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday, with bar service until 1 a.m. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Sunday, and happy hour will be available at the bar, in the lounge, and on the patio from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Friday. For more information, please visit Marmo’s website." - Brittany Britto Garley
