food

Pizza, Pizza! Magdalena’s Is Latest in Long Line of New ‘Za Spots Popping Up All Over Houston

Alex Montoya
Pizza, Pizza! Magdalena’s Is Latest in Long Line of New ‘Za Spots Popping Up All Over Houston

Prosciutto E Rucola Pizza

CAN HOUSTON HAVE enough piping-hot pizza places? It appears not, as ones like Nonno’s garner national acclaim and celeb-backed ones like Pizzana open on prime corners.

What’s one to try next? Magdalena’s, a new neighborhood Italian resto in West U with homemade pasta and hand-tossed pizza. It’s all scratch-made using the recipes of the restaurant’s namesake, chef/owner Nicolas Nikic’s mom.

The kitchen uses select ingredients sourced in Italy including cheeses, olive oils and prosciutto. Everything is ultra-fresh, like the flash-fried artichoke and the shaved brussel sprouts — and those are just the antipastos! The burrata salad is a baseball-size helping of burrata (need we say more?) served with roasted cauliflower on a bed of arugula.

Nikic’s inventive pasta selections include sweet-corn ravioli with lobster and the oh-so-cheesy tortellinis topped with fresh herbs. Hand tossed and baked to a crispy perfection, the pizzas aren’t to be missed. The Siciliana features mozzarella, olives and capers — what could be more Italian than that!? There’s also pizza topped with clams or preserved tuna for the more adventurous. Buon appetito!

Cheese Tortellini

Panna Cotta with Berry Compote

Sweet Corn Ravioli with Lobster

Tiramisu

Food
music

With New Concept Album, Jacob Hilton Processes Mental-Health Struggles

Dakota Garrett

Jacob Hilton, a.k.a. Travid Halton, at home in his kitchen, where he enjoys cooking as a form of therapy.

PINK FLOYD'S THE Wall. Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours. Beyonce’s Lemonade. Three divergent examples of the album as a cathartic, psychological, conceptual work, meant to be experienced in a single sitting. Houston singer-songwriter Jacob Hilton, 37, who records as Travid Halton, a portmanteau of his mother and father’s names, might balk at being mentioned in such company. (This is a thoroughly unpretentious man, who describes himself as an “archaeologist turned singer-songwriter.”)

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Art + Entertainment
promoted

Leadership in Action: ‘Family, Community and Spiritual Connection’ Drives Success for Henry Richardson

Al Torres

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

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