Toscana opens at 5210 N. Navarro St.
Toscana Artisan Bakery & Bistro opened Oct. 25, next to Hastings. The business, owned by Andrew Sparkman, offers a variety of wood-fired pizzas, soups, salads, desserts and more.
Print- •
-
Share
- Share this item
-
Grab the link
Copy and paste the link:
- Blog about it
- Close
- •
-
12 Comments
- •
Favorite- •
-
Report error
-
Thank you for your submission.Error report or correction
- Close
-
- •
-
Want to go?
Want to learn more about Toscana Artisan Bakery & Bistro?
Visit 5210 N. Navarro St. or call 361-580-3000.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Toscana Artisan Bakery & Bistro opened Oct. 25 at 5210 N. Navarro St.
The restaurant, formerly known as Melanzana, closed for about a month as ownership changed hands, said Drew Smith, its chef. Andrew Sparkman, Melanzana's co-owner, bought out the restaurant's other owner.
"We waited out the legal issues," Smith said. "It just took some time to get the name changed and everything."
In the time off, management repainted and tweaked menu items, he said. The restaurant kept most of its offerings, including wood-fired pizzas, homemade desserts, such as cannolis, and gelato and more.
More change is on its way, Smith said.
The restaurant applied for a liquor license and will soon offer a full bar. Depending on business, it might also extend its hours.
"We've had a lot of people stop in and tell us they're glad to see we're open again," Smith said, perched at a corner table. "People are very excited."
-
Print
- •
-
Share
- Share this item
-
Grab the link
Copy and paste the link:
- Blog about it
- Close
- •
-
12 Comments
- •
- Favorite
- •
-
Report error
-
Thank you for your submission.Error report or correction
- Close
-
- •
Comments
Awesome food. I really enjoyed it.
November 5, 2010 at 7:51 a.m.No More Melanzana???? Changed Ownership???? NO MORE PEDRAM SANDWICH???? that sandwich was out of this world. I Always told The Owner at the Time to Put Mushrooms In it, I wonder if they can remake that Sandwich for me????
November 4, 2010 at 2:54 p.m.But will it compete with Totino's frozen pizza? I ate at Melanzana's on a few occassions and thought the food and service was very good. I was quite surprised when it shut down. I am glad to hear Andy is continuing to offer his skills.
November 4, 2010 at 1:28 p.m.My Wife and I went there for a mid-afternoon lunch. The wait staff was so rude and hateful, we were left standing and wondering what we had done to deserve that treatment. So we walked out and will never go back.
November 4, 2010 at 12:53 p.m.justobserving,
What went wrong with the "buy out"?
I remember seeing that the Pedram sandwich was named after one of the chefs (not named Andy) and figured the name would be changed if it stayed on the new menu. He must've been the brains behind the operation if he conceived my two favorite entrees. Although, I think the Pedram deserves a better side than fries (or at least sweet potato or garlic fries).
I thought "The Andrew" was a horrible sandwich. The cheese was overwhelming, and frankly, covering things with melted cheese (other than pizza) is a parlor trick.
And I hope they expand into pastas.
I'm all for having competing Italian bistros with wood-fired pizza ovens! We need more small shops filling culinary voids, and there has been a big high-quality pizza void. Get back on the horse, Pedram!
November 4, 2010 at 11:33 a.m.Everyone today go to 5201 N Navarro St and try to order a pizza or sandwich. The folks at Ashley Furniture will probably get a kick out of it and then try and sell you a sofa or dinette set.
Now maybe if you go to 5210 N Navarro, right next to Wingstop, you may find a small Italian dining establishment.
November 4, 2010 at 9:01 a.m.went one time, ordered a pizza and cup of soup. proceeded to wait about 45 mins, then the chef came out and told us the pizza would be out shortly. place was very busy, lot of take out orders, no big deal.
15 mins late, he walks over and tells us he's out of pizza dough. at this time, i questioned if he was smart enough to operate / run a restaurant. he offered us free pizza coupons, i left them on the table.
on top of that, the place was full of dirty tables, as no one was busing tables. i just found it very curious that every person in that place was served except for our table.
November 3, 2010 at 11:53 p.m."The Situation" was by far the best pizza in town, and I hope it's still on the menu. "The Pedram" was an incredible sandwich, too. Looking forward to going back.
November 3, 2010 at 11:11 p.m.This is great news! Can't wait to eat there again. Always enjoyed the food. Great taste and great quality.
November 3, 2010 at 10:38 p.m.Well I have to tell you if you take a pass you gonna miss something. We had lunch in there the other day and my wife ordered a cup of soup and I ordered the Da Vinci sandwich. She said that she would have some of mine. And I'm thinking we aren't going to have enough. The waitress said would you like for me to cut it in half? Well sure. She brings out this sandwich that is so huge and so delicious I am blown away. We had to get a take home box. I never saw a sandwich that big and so good. Food was delicious and we are going back for sure. Sometimes it takes time for things to smooth out. Time will tell but I'm betting on Andy!
November 3, 2010 at 9:46 p.m.With this type of flighty ownership, I think I'll take a pass rather than plan a dining trip there. What's with Sparkman, anyway?
November 3, 2010 at 8:58 p.m.Glad to see them back open! Hope they still have great food.
November 3, 2010 at 7:16 p.m.