An evening at Mezzanotte Ristorante promises an extraordinary fine-dining experience you won’t find elsewhere in Cypress. From its filet mignon smothered with buttery brandy sauce to the tableside banana foster, Mezzanotte offers a chance for epicurean indulgence right here in the suburbs. At Mezzanotte, owners Gerry and Adriana Sarmiento draw from their decades of world traveling and culinary expertise to share high-class Italian cuisine in a handsome neighborhood establishment.
“We want our customers to feel they are experiencing a great dining moment, not just going out for dinner,” Gerry says.
From the vibrant-colored walls and cozy seating to its weekly live music performances, everything at Mezzanotte is designed with the dinner guest in mind. Gerry works as the executive chef while Adrianna runs the front of the house. The two can often be spotted tableside chatting with customers who they say are more like family than clients. For them, a pleasurable dining experience is about pairing warm conversation with impeccable service and delicious foods.
Entrees at Mezzanotte include mouth-watering Italian meals prepared with the freshest ingredients. Gerry—who trained professionally on weekends at The Culinary Institute of America in New York —is the mastermind behind each marvelous meal. The key, he says, is using high quality ingredients. Mezzanotte’s peppercorn-crusted filet mignon au poivre is a great example. An eight-ounce steak is pan-seared to perfection, flambéed with brandy and then topped with a butter brandy sauce. The chicken picatta, seared chicken in a white wine lemon butter sauce, is yet another entree where the ingredients make all the difference.
“Everything has to be high quality,” he says. “We don’t use any substitutes because we want people to experience something that is really, really good.”
Gerry also enjoys fusing intense, risky flavors typical of Southern Italy into certain dishes. The penne all’Amatriciana offers diners a flavorful blend of toasted pancetta, spicy imported calabrese peppers, homemade Pomodoro sauce and penne pasta. Strong cheeses, such as the truffle-crusted pecorino, also make a bold appearance in Gerry’s signature three-cheese gnocchi. With a creamy mix of provolone, parmesan and pecorino cheeses, this dish is not for the faint.
For the first-time visitor to Mezzanotte, Wednesdays offer a great chance to explore the menu. The restaurant serves $5 tapas (small appetizer-sized servings of popular dishes) so guests can mix and match their cuisine. Try the lasagna, made with veal Bolognese sauce, the baby lamb chops topped with mint and pistachio pesto or get adventurous and order the escargot Bourguignonne. Thursdays, also make for a great opportunity to try smaller-portioned Mezzanotte foods. The restaurant offers a petite filet mignon three-course meal for those craving lighter fare.
For Gerry and Adrianna, Mezzanotte is all about sharing their passion for world-class cuisine with their neighbors. The couple opened the restaurant in 2005 when they found themselves missing the international fine-dining scene they knew and loved. Both Gerry and Adrianna are well-traveled former corporate executives who dined around the world at affluent establishments with chef-prepared meals and premium service. The two couldn’t find anything in Cypress that matched their experience, so they set out to create it for themselves. There was just one problem with this idea—neither of them actually had a restaurant background.
“We had no clue,” Gerry says. “We had never worked in a restaurant. We’d never been a server or cook.”
Gerry admits Mezzanotte’s first year was “pretty much a disaster” as the couple struggled to recreate the fine dining and hospitality they loved so dearly. But as time passed, they sought out training and improved. Gerry became a professional chef and began a massive cookbook collection. The couple even both earned sommelier certifications to help customers make the best wine selections. Eventually, Mezzanotte drew a loyal customer base made up of neighborhood epicures who enjoyed fine dining as much as the Sarmientos. Within a few years, their friendly neighborhood restaurant even caught the attention of Houston Chronicle food critic Allison Cook who for multiple years ranked Mezzanotte among Houston’s top 100 restaurants. Next time you’re looking for a romantic evening of outstanding cuisine and service, visit Mezzanotte Ristorante for an unforgettable upscale dining experience.
Mezzanotte Ristorante | Enoteca
13215 Grant Rd Suite 1200
832-717-7870