Mona Fresh Italian

"Mona Fresh Italian Food will move into a 525-square-feet section of Understory, serving up a five-step menu. Diners can choose between pasta, panini or salad, then add Bolognese, prosciutto, meatball, burrata, and more toppings and garnishes — including snipping herbs from an organic garden. This will be the second location for the Mona Fresh Italian Food, which opened up last year in Katy from Chef Sidney Degaine, formerly of now-shuttered Cafe Azur in Montrose." - Adele Chapin

"Carb lovers, get ready to fuel-up at Mona Fresh Italian Food, a new build-your-own pasta eatery in Katy. The new fast casual joint from Chef Sidney Degaine, formerly of now-shuttered Cafe Azur in Montrose, just debuted at 19355 Katy Freeway for a soft opening followed by a grand opening set for July 19. Here, diners will find flora-filled, green-house-inspired interiors from which they can assemble their own bowls from a variety of bases and toppings. The process is pretty straightforward: diners choose a pasta base, piadina bread, or salad, then add a handful of toppings like chicken breast, giant meatball, prosciutto, burrata, egg, Italian sausage, or stewed brisket. The bowl is finished with pasta sauces and salad dressings. For those who shy away from building their own, Chef Degaine also brought riffs on Cafe Azur’s much-loved pasta dishes to the new spot, including the “Mona” with caramelized onion, “perfect egg,” mushroom, alfredo, truffle oil, and shaved parmesan, or the “Tuscan” with roasted eggplant, garlic, zucchini, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and pesto sauce. In keeping with its plant-focused interior, MONA uses tomatoes, basil, oregano, and other vegetables and herbs grown in-house, plus dried pastas will be available for diners to purchase and take home. As far as desserts go, patrons can snag items familiar to the Cafe Azur menu including pistachio mousse, traditional Italian and Nutella tiramisu, and strawberry and Nutella panna cotta. Plus, boutique wines will be on offer by the glass and bottle, along with imported and domestic beers, and Italian soda. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m; Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m." - Alaena Hostetter