Reviews on italian restaurants

I was never a big fan of italian food in italian restaurants when I was a poor student. Understandably, when I had to choose a dish from the top five of the "least expensive list", it wasn't that exciting:Pasta, pasta and pasta. For those who know me, I love meat, the more the better. But you can't put too much meat in a pasta dish. Consequently, italian restaurants mean one thing to me: boring food at expensive prices, until I decided one day, that I would shift my budget from under $10-$15 to $15-$25. The food was amazing!! They do deserve the title as a cuisine. Here are some of the opinions from my dining experiences in three popular and decent italian restaurants in houston. (P.S. The restaurants who don't make to this review can be very good too, I just didn't have the chance to try:)

Carraba's italian grill
Fantastic combo appetizer dish. Salmon entree: disappointing. Too salty and not enough volume. I think it is over-rated.

Maggiano's little italy
My favorite. Fantastic salad. And the salmon dish, was like heaven melted in my mouth. A lot of food too. A must-try.

La vista
Great food. The beef tenderloin was tender and exquisite. Though I could have left with a one-quarter empty stomach without stuffing myself with the free bread. But the bring your own wine feature is a bonus.

Warning: All three reviews were carried out under the influence of at least two glassed of wine. Please lower your expectation if you plan to go sober......