THE FIRST THING ABOUT ROSALIE: IT’S SO PRETTY. Top Chef Masters winner Chris Cosentino created the cozy restaurant—his Houston debut—as a love letter to his great-grandmother, Rosalie, who cooked elaborate Italian family meals in her Providence, Rhode Island, kitchen. Nestled inside downtown’s posh C. Baldwin Hotel, the restaurant is utterly nostalgic, resembling a comfy, mid-century American home.

The front bar, with its cozy lounge area, feels like a dimly lit living room, while a window into the kitchen affords a glimpse of the restaurant’s centerpiece, a ceramic-tile pizza oven painted with goldenrod roses. In the wood-paneled dining room, shelves hold thrift-store finds like cookbooks, vinyl record sleeves, and retro tube televisions, surrounding banquettes that encourage diners to sink in.