Happy Hour: Mia Bella's Vintage Park

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Wanting to stick close to our suburban home, we chose the Vintage Park area, a multi-use development off Tomball Parkway and Louetta. Vintage Park was built in 2008 in the Tuscan style with a red-bricked plaza boasting a large fountain in its center, surrounded by restaurants. Many a prom photo has been been taken in front of the fountain and it's a pleasant outdoor spot to enjoy a drink with friends or a family meal. There are plenty of eateries in the area but I chose Mia Bella Trattoria at Vintage Park since it had a good-sized happy hour menu which is available in the bar, the high-top tables and on the patio. Before the Vintage Park location opened, I had visited Mia Bella's original downtown location when it debuted. It was the first time my friend and I had tasted beef and we thought we were oh-so-sophisticated. While today's twenty-somethings have a far wider range of dining experiences, Mia Bella was a culinary adventure for us back in the day. The downtown restaurant is now gone but there are still two locations, one at Vintage Park and one at Greenway. When the Vintage Park location opened, my husband and I had just moved to the Cypress area. We would go for date nights and I often took friends for lunches. A couple of times, I took advantage of its happy hour risotto when I was on my own for dinner. Over the years, however, we began to venture out further for restaurant dining so the Vintage Park area kind of fell by the wayside. This week, I decided to revisit Mia Bella. Its happy hour seemed a good place to start. While this October has been unseasonably hot, this particular day was decent, with relatively low humidity. My adult daughter was my companion for the evening and we scored a perfectly-situated patio table with a great view of the two fountains. It was a Monday, so there were only two other occupied tables. However, that would change over the hour that we were there, as more people began to arrive. They too chose to sit outdoors and enjoy the pleasant weather. Mia Bella has patio seating on both sides of its doorway. My daughter rarely drinks so she stuck with a Shirley Temple, which might be an odd choice for most 24-year-olds but it gives me the advantage of a designated driver. I began with a margarita on the rocks. It was a little on the sweet side and not particularly strong but it was perfectly fine, especially at the happy hour price of $6. I followed that with the Mia Bella Sangria ($5) which was very refreshing despite being a little brandy-forward. I could have enjoyed a couple more of those but it was a Monday evening after all, so I focused more on our happy hour bites. Our friendly server had delivered a complimentary loaf of focaccia with a plate of olive oil. I thought it was quite a bonus considering that we were ordering from the happy hour menu. The bread was slightly crusty on the outside with a nice chew. The herb and olive oil dip had a drizzle of balsamic vinegar giving it a hint of sweetness. I remembered the olive oil dip from earlier visits but the focaccia was definitely an upgrade from the bread that Mia Bella used to serve. Our happy hour plates arrived all at the same time and straight from the kitchen, nice and hot. Calamari ($8) is always a favorite with my daughter who has been eating it since she was a toddler. Though a few of the rings were a little chewy, it was perfectly fried with a light crust. The tomato sauce served on the side had a unique flavor, as if there was a touch of curry powder in it. My daughter agreed my assessment as she apologized for eating more than her fair share of calamari, including the tentacles of which I got zero. Her rationale for eating most of the calamari was that the pizza was all for me. Called Pizza Pie ($9) on the menu, it's more of a focaccia bread topped with a little sauce and cheese. For those looking for a thin-crust, New York-style pizza, this ain't it. I love bread in nearly any shape or form so I was quite happy eating more of the chewy, flavorful focaccia. And I still had more than half of it left over to enjoy the next day. The star of the happy hour bites, however, was the Fried Artichokes. Both my daughter and I oohed and aahed as we bit into the bread-crumb coating and the soft, slightly briny artichokes. The side of aioli was a wonderful condiment for the artichokes with notes of citrus and herbs. When the manager came over, we raved about the artichokes and she said she would give our compliments to the chef. Then she and my daughter compared their footwear, both of them sporting images of cats on their feet. We cat ladies are everywhere. The sun was beginning to set and a cool breeze brought mists from the fountain across our faces. I was beginning to wonder why I had stayed away so long from the area. It's not exactly an Italian piazza but it's a pretty good facsimile. There are several restaurants surrounding the plaza, offering great opportunities for people watching. Occasionally, there are music events. Though we only tried three plates that evening, there are plenty more options for happy hour nosh. Some of the small plates include Wild Mushrooms, Roasted Eggplant with goat cheese, Roasted Acorn Squash, Steamed Mussels and Lamb Meatballs. The plates range in price from $7 to $16. Happy hour drinks include Aperol Spritz (&6), Frozen Bellini ($5), Texas Mule ($5), house wines ($6) and select beers ($4). We were quite happy with our choice that evening and Mia Bella is back on my list of dining spots. The service was great, the outdoor atmosphere was wonderful and the happy hour prices were a good deal. But I also need to go back for the risotto. I've missed it. Mia Bella Trattoria 110 Vintage Park Boulevard 281-251-8930 miabellarestaurants.com Happy Hour: Monday through Friday, 2p.m. to 6:30 p.m.