Vallian’s was a great “date place” in the mid 60’s, but it wasn’t my favorite place for pizza. That honor went to DePaul’s in the 1600 block of North Shepherd. It was pretty much a family joint, and I always saw people I knew there.
Vince DePaul was onboard the (I think) Battleship Tennessee when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He was a brutish looking Italian, but who was very soft-spoken, as nice a fella as you could ever meet. His wife (can’t remember her name) was dynamite in a small package; a real spark plug. The son was a year or two behind me at Reagan.
They sold the business and their recipe to the new owners, but it was never as good as when the DePaul’s had it. Their sauce was so good you could drink it. The crust was thin, and the cheese was thick. I have never had as good a pizza since. They also had great lasagna, which they also sold in freezable packages.
From my earliest remembrances, Christie’s on South Main had a sign on the Main Street side of the building claiming, “We Serve Pizza Pie”. I don’t know if Vallian’s preceded them or not.
Vince Charles DePaul was my great uncle. He was my grandfather's brother. His wife's name was Connie. They were my godparents. They actually sold the restaurant, but not the recipe, after "Vince" (the family called him Charlie) had a heart attack. The new owners just claimed to have the recipe. And the sale contract required that the new owners change the name of the restaurant after one year. CHarlie and Connie moved out to the country, and It took a few years before our family discovered they were still using the name. We got them to shut it down (that was in the 90s).
Vince was a twin and was born in Palermo, Italy. My grandfather was the oldest child. The famiy first lived in Philadelpha. Someone here said something about New York. They never lived in New York. I don't remember the sign saying New York, but I was a kid. I only remember it saying "De Paul's Pizza House." During the depression, Vince's twin brother died. The family then moved to Bryan, Texas, where other family members lived, and they became farmers. You may recall, that when you walked in the door there was a large oval-shaped bevelled glass framed photo on the wall of baby burried in white lace - that was me (christening photo).
Valian's Restaurant At 6935 South Main St.
in Historic Houston
Posted · Edited by HTownJen
Vince Charles DePaul was my great uncle. He was my grandfather's brother. His wife's name was Connie. They were my godparents. They actually sold the restaurant, but not the recipe, after "Vince" (the family called him Charlie) had a heart attack. The new owners just claimed to have the recipe. And the sale contract required that the new owners change the name of the restaurant after one year. CHarlie and Connie moved out to the country, and It took a few years before our family discovered they were still using the name. We got them to shut it down (that was in the 90s).
Vince was a twin and was born in Palermo, Italy. My grandfather was the oldest child. The famiy first lived in Philadelpha. Someone here said something about New York. They never lived in New York. I don't remember the sign saying New York, but I was a kid. I only remember it saying "De Paul's Pizza House." During the depression, Vince's twin brother died. The family then moved to Bryan, Texas, where other family members lived, and they became farmers. You may recall, that when you walked in the door there was a large oval-shaped bevelled glass framed photo on the wall of baby burried in white lace - that was me (christening photo).
And I have their sauce recipe