This year that was has been a fun one for diners in Houston seeking new options.  Among the very best ones to open were Italian-themed, Gulf seafood specialists, a diner of sorts, another desirable Spaniard, and a few others.  Other notable openings were an upscale Indian in Upper Kirby, and a couple proficient, enticing and somewhat unique new Mexican options not too terribly far apart from each other on Shepherd and Yale, respectively, including one serving about the prettiest tacos in town.  There were also a couple of cool new food halls including one that has become a downtown destination; also, an attractive new wine and cheese shop and bar in Montrose, with an exceedingly descriptive name and excellent pasties (if a surprisingly lame selection of wines by the glass the other night).  Not much further west on Westheimer one of the best wine bars in the city, Penny Quarter, opened adjacent to Anvil and so, a small amount real estate for so many tempting alcoholic beverages.
 
Below are the top ten new restaurants to open in Houston in 2019, listed alphabetically, and described in a somewhat concise if occasionally blowsy way.  To note, the approximate average prices for each reflect a typical dinner, which might be an appetizer, side or dessert in addition to the entrée – or a suitable number of small plates – a couple of drinks, tax and a 20% tip. 

Atlas Diner – $25 – Richard Knight of Feast fame is the biggest name associated with Bravery Chef Hall, across from Market Square Park downtown, and his effort, though seemingly still a work in progress, is the most accomplished of the several restaurants in what is easily the city’s best, most interesting, and most fun food court.  This is a diner, but a diner with a British bent including a bit of the British sense of humor, from one of the city’s top toques.  There is breakfast all day in offbeat but enticing forms, very good fish chips, a version of butter chicken, and a copious braised rabbit and white bean filled chimichanga.  Maybe not quite as polished as it could be, there is plenty reason to hope that this will be even better and more fun and possibly some Feast-like preparations in the future. 409 Travis (at Preston, in Bravery Chef Hall), 77002, (713) 364-2481
 
Elliot's Table – $65 – Set in a tiny, newish if ungainly strip center on TC Jester just north of I-10, this quite quaint place – only about 28-seats snuggly fit into an open space fronting an open kitchen – might be described as a neighborhood restaurant that is worthy of a trip across town for.  Some global influences, top-notch local and regional products, and excellent execution of approachable and enticing items such as an excellent and piquant take on shrimp and grits, Gulf fish, steaks, lamb, even duck. along with a fair share of greens that are prepared with evident skill and welcome imagination. 465 TC Jester (just north of I-10), 77007, (713) 485-0340

Eugene's – $100 – The successor to Danton’s, which had to close as its longtime home in the Chelsea Market on Montrose was redeveloped, has found a home in Mockingbird’s former site tucked into the neighborhood between W. Gray and Westheimer.  It doesn’t seem to have lost a step during its hiatus.  The focus remains on locally attuned Gulf seafood preparations with a hearty dose of Louisiana influences.  Its seafood gumbo sporting a really dark roux is still terrific.  There are shrimp, oysters, blue crab, redfish and other fish in a number of delectable dishes served in a handsome dark-wooded setting.  Not chef-driven but a destination for the long-loved Houston-style seafood that’s usually done much better than it was back in the day.  1985 Welch (at McDuffie), 77019, (713) 807-8883
 
MAD – $140 - Sibling to BCN, its name is also an airport designation, this one for Madrid.  And the menu here provides dishes from the tapas scene of Spain’s capital plus a lot more in a distractingly dramatic, dynamic and upscale setting that’s the most intriguing – or wondrously odd, especially the trippy bathroom area – since the original location of Americas in the 1990s.  The best restaurant in the pricey River Oaks District upon opening, the food is the real draw here with excellent chef-tuned takes on traditional Madrileño small plates along with some cool molecular gastronomy tricks that actually taste great, plus paella, and fire-roasted proteins from an easy-to-espy hearth.  4444 Westheimer (in the River Oaks District at Kettering, on Bettis, 77027, (281) 888-2770
 
One Fifth: Gulf Coast – $120 – The fourth concept for One Fifth, this one focuses on the cooking of the Gulf Coast from Texas and points east, especially Louisiana, and is another smashing success. Chef Chris Shepherd builds on his years at Brennan’s to craft a menu that is at once familiar and exciting for lovers of seafood.  “Oysters, crab, shrimp, clams, crawfish—raw, cold, roasted, smoked, cured, fried” mostly featuring the spices and flavors popular here and with our neighbors in the oft-swampy east.  The fish and shellfish preparations are excellent, but there is are also a Slow Roasted Duck Crown served with duck heart dirty rice and a blackened ribeye.  Like its One Fifth predecessors in Mark’s old space, it’s all done with excellent ingredients, considerable skill in crafting combinations that work and a sense of fun.  Plus, there’s an expectedly very well-chosen and fairly priced wine list once again from Matthew Pridgen. 1658 Westheimer (nearly at Dunlavy) 77006, (713) 955-1024

​Rosalie's – $75 – Houston has historically been tough on out-of-town restaurateurs and hotel dining, but things might have changed, as west coast-based television chef Chris Cosentino has channeled his Italian-American roots into what has been a popular and adept smallish spot in a refurbished and now surprisingly hip hotel at the southwestern edge of downtown.  Chef-created Italian-American might be the best description of the offerings here.  The crab cannelloni features Sauce Americane, a French concoction featuring cream and lobster shells.  Fairly rich and redolent of the sea, it’s quite tasty if not what any Italian-American family (or restaurant) makes.  The menu is enticing with other pastas, spot-on sides such as roasted cherry tomatoes with garlic and breadcrumbs, and protein-centered preparations like a spicy Shrimp Fra Diavolo, a hanger steak Pizzaiolo also with peppers and capers, and a milanese with chicken – there’s no veal on the menu.  There are pizzas, too.  Though the crusts are not nearly flavorful nor soft enough to pull off a successful margherita, the other toppings should work well.  This is a fun stop, and it’s in a hotel!  400 Dallas (at Bagby, in the C. Baldwin Hotel), 77002, (713) 351-5790
 
Rosie Cannonball – $125 – The second of five concepts, four serving food, to open in a very smart and neat complex in the heart of Westheimer’s restaurant row directly across the street from the estimable UB Preserv, this is essentially an Italian restaurant with a more than a few nods to the Iberian peninsula on the short menu.  There are a trio of very well-crafted, if quite precious, fresh pasta preparations in the Emilian tradition, pizzas, plus breads and greens and other vegetables, and a quartet of proteins including the requisite steak and a bass filet Basque-style.  These crowd-pleasing dishes and stylish space have made it an attractive stop for the ladies who lunch and a busy spot at night.  The wine list is expansive and mainly Old World, but for an Italian-themed place an odd emphasis on Beaujolais – if with appealing producers like Guy Breton, often in large format.  It’s pricey, too: the average 750ml bottle price is $120 and just a handful of Italian reds are under $75.  1620 Westheimer (between Mandell and Dunlavy), 77006, (832) 380-2471
 
Squable – $90 – Offbeat offerings mostly in small plate format done well are the calling card for this Heights hotspot that pairs the guidance of James Beard Award-winning chef Justin Yu of Theodore Rex and cocktail star Bobby Heugel of Anvil.  They’ve assembled an experienced and skilled squad cooking, crafting and serving in an approachably hip space.  On the menu there are several of each of breads, small plates, big plates and desserts compiled in contemporary fashion. The Common Bond heritage in the kitchen is evident with the baked goods, but there is much more to entice, from the sea, from plants and also tasty mammals like the crispy-skinned heritage pork served with salsa verde and the French cheeseburger – featuring raclette and butter – which is just a whole lot better than any Royale with cheese.  632 W 19th St. (just east of Shepherd), 77008, (832) 834-7362

​​1751 Sea & Bar – $125 – From the folks at The Pit Room who took over the spaces and operations of Cherry Pie Hospitality in 2018 – and grandly improved just about each of the three places – this specializes in Gulf seafood with a raw bar featuring colder water creatures along with over 100 different gins spun into a number of different cocktails.  Those are fun, if not nearly the magic concocted by the gin tonics at BCN / MAD.  Fish from the nearby Gulf are very nicely represented with flounder, a crispy snapper, mahi mahi, and a version of the classic redfish on the half-shell served with collards and Steen’s lacquer.  There’s also a shrimp curry and a version of the increasingly commonly found hot pot, this one Thai-flavored like the curry.  Japanese ingredients and inspirations are found on other dishes on a menu and restaurant that should appeal to any area seafood lover and seemingly it has, as crowded as it’s been.  191 Heights (just south of I-10), 77007, (832) 831-9820
 
​Truth Barbeque – $30 – This fairly spacious contemporary barbecue joint on busy Washington Avenue that began in Brenham is a testament to how much Houstonians love Texas barbecue, top-notch Texas barbecue, as customers continue to fill the parking lot by late morning and queue up for terrific brisket before it sells out as they’ve done since soon after opening early in the year.  Beef ribs are only on Saturday, unfortunately, but more-than-commendable pork ribs, pulled pork and sausage and more join the brisket every day (if not on Mondays when it’s closed).  Among the best ‘cue in the area.  110 S. Heights (at Washington), 77007, (832) 835-0001

Five Ants on a Log, one of the whimsical dishes at Atlas Diner

​The decade is just about to end (or is it?) and it’s time for some reflection or at least another list.  It’s been an interesting one for the Houston restaurant scene that has changed, becoming more dynamic, diverse, and generally much better.  Below are the ten restaurants to open since the start of 2010 that have proven to be the most notable or influential.
 
Crawfish and Noodles – 2010 – Viet-Cajun – Near the western part of Chinatown on Bellaire Boulevard, this bustling and fun outpost helped to introduce and popularize Viet-Cajun crawfish in the area so much so that it’s drawn national attention to the restaurant and proprietor and chef, Trong Nguyen, along with making the dish one of Houston’s signature culinary offerings, a testament to Houstonians love of the Louisiana-instigated mudbug culture and Vietnamese flavors.  Even more, their crabs, wings and more show that casual, communal fare done very well can make the day that much more enjoyable and rewarding.
 
Underbelly – 2012 – Diverse Houston and Chris Shepherd’s restaurant group – Juxtaposing many of the city’s ethnic cooking traditions with an emphasis on those from Asia onto a menu and often on a single plate and usually succeeding in dramatic fashion brought chef Chris Shepherd deserved national acclaim. That spotlight has helped shine more light on other local restaurants and chefs. Underbelly, boisterous and confident, interesting and extremely competent, also helped show that a meal built around small plates can work well. The terrific wine program from Matthew Pridgen encourages customers to drink wine with its palatable price points and that help enhance Shepherd’s cuisine. The space proved more attractive to Shepherd’s steakhouse concept (see below), but Underbelly lives on, exploring new directions in similarly enticing fashion, as UB Preserv just down the road.

Killen’s Barbecue – 2013 – Barbecue – Opening late that year, this barbecue joint in Pearland immediately became a destination for its brisket and beef ribs, especially, and seriously raised the bar for Texas-style smoked meats in the Houston area, providing the spark that has made the barbecue landscape significantly better in the ensuing years.

Common Bond – 2014 – Breads and Pastries – A slick café setting that is both a boulangerie and patisserie in the French sense – baking bread and creating pastries – it excels grandly with each effort, with bread that’s probably the best in the city, and served at many of the city’s top restaurants, and items like croissants that are likely as good as any made in this country. Somewhat like Killen’s for barbecue, Common Bond has made the baked goods scene better since its inception.

BCN – 2014 – Spanish – Though Spain had captured international attention with the ground-breaking molecular cuisine of Ferran Adria in Catalonia and others, and San Sebastian on its northern coast has the most Michelin stars per capita in Europe, the very few Spanish restaurants in Houston over the years had been rather dull and quaint until BCN opened in an attractive older house in Montrose, providing a very well-executed glimpse into Spanish fine dining, both contemporary and deeply rooted.  This helped expand the culinary landscape and paved the way for its sibling, MAD, another and different, somewhat delirious Spanish gem.

Les Ba’Get – 2015 – Vietnamese 2.0 – The second generation of inexpensive counter service Vietnamese banh mi and pho specialists done more slickly, with better ingredients, better service, more alcohol and generally much more attuned to the broader city while still serving excellent food, this Montrose spot proved too popular for its tiny parking lot, but replaced by its sibling with a more limited menu, Les Noo’dle, as it moved to bigger digs in Garden Oaks.  Roostar, the sandwich star, is another shining example of this very welcome concept.

Pepper Twins – 2016 – High quality Chinese inside the Loop – Authentic Chinese food was not to be found inside the Loop until the humble Sichuan specialist Cooking Girl opened deep in the heart of Montrose where it drew crowds, including plenty of Chinese nationals and even national press.  Transforming into the similar, if more proficient Pepper Twins and multiplying into several locations throughout the area, the spots on W. Gray and Kirby are terrific places for affordable and delicious Sichuan-rooted fare notable for serving much higher quality proteins than most area Chinese restaurants.  Not just these, but also Mala Sichuan and Wanna Bao are other Chinese highlights not far from downtown.

One Fifth: Steak – 2017 – Steak – The first yearly concept that’s part of a five-year plan of essentially five different restaurants in five years, this chef-driven steakhouse from Chris Shepherd and team was something much different than the familiar steakhouse concepts, and mostly just better, starring terrific steaks often cooked in an iron skillet that don't include a filet or New York Strip.  Excellent starters and sides, plus and superb wine list on which Cabernet is not king complemented the beef and everything else on the menu.  It lives on as Georgia James in the original home of Underbelly, and along with the Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, the best in the area.

Xochi – 2017 – Downtown Dining – The third upscale Mexican restaurant estimable husband-and-wife duo of Hugo Ortega and Tracey Vaught, this Oaxacan-themed destination joined the other two, Hugo’s and Caracol, as the top trio of Mexican places in Houston, and very invitingly set in the Marriott Marquis across from Discovery Green, it helped show that excellent dining can thrive downtown.  Well-conceived and -presented, Xochi offers dishes that are unique to the area while remaining approachable to most – if maybe not the insect preparations.
 
Nancy’s Hustle – 2017 – EaDo – This fun, and quite delicious spot is well-suited for the still-gentrifying EaDo with its casual and quickly boisterous and nicely casual set-up in a newly constructed strip center in an older part of town coupled with a serious kitchen and an expertly chosen array of wine, cocktails and even beers to complement the evening.  The mostly shareable and fun menu made for dining in stages, with flavors ranging from the Mediterranean on either side of the Bosphorus to stateside, all of which are enticing.  Made for present-day diners, this is favorite of a great many diners, with good reason or reasons.  The only knock on it is, with dishes that aren’t too reflective of the region, this could easily be set in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York or San Francisco.  And likely doing extremely well there. 

Reaching into the refrigerated case at Paulie’s Poboys on Bellaire the other day, I looked among the white-paper-wrapped sandwiches for a Porky, the successor to an old favorite from its Antone’s progenitor, the Piggy.  The exact same sandwich is also served at the similar Angelo’z not too far away on Kirby, where it’s called, even more unattractively, the Pigly. 
 
The Piggy and its descendants were, and are, apparently either loved or, well, not loved.  For most, it’s not really a good idea to open the bread and look into the heart of the sandwich, at least for the squeamish.  Described exactly the same on menus at Paulie’s and Angelo’z as “Ham salad, jalapeno, cheese, mayo & pickles,” its fillings are a surprisingly garish pinkish mixture of minced ham and hard salami, dried oregano and mayonnaise.  The sandwich is finished with jalapeño jack cheese and slices of pickles, for agreeable texture, and Hot Chow Chow, a piquant mixture of pickled cabbage, onions, sweet green peppers and paprika.  The Porky and Pigly are favorites among many customers like myself who enjoyed this odd, and once very cheap, sandwich many years ago in the heydays of Antone’s. 
 
The Porky and Pigly, like the other po boys, are cold sandwiches featuring a 9-inch long, fresh hero-style bun.  These buns are distinctively a tad dry and slightly crunchy, and help to distinguish these sandwiches from many lesser competitors.  These crusty small loafs, which are similar among the po boy purveyors with roots in the Levant, might be a welcome legacy of the French influence in Syria and Lebanon in the last century. 

The Porky at Paulie’s is $6.45, but it still seems to be a fairly fair price, especially when an often stomach-unsettling fast food burger will cost you three-quarters of the price.  It’s just $5.25 at Angelo’z.  The Porky the other day was as enjoyable as ever, if a little saltier than desired, and properly leaving crumbs from the sandwich loaf as I consumed it quickly and messily.
 
Paulie’s Poboys
3823 Bellaire (between Buffalo Speedway and Weslayan) 77025, (713) 218-8383
pauliespoboys.com
 
Angelo’z
8057 Kirby (between Main and La Concha), 77054, (713) 667-3400
angelozpoboys.com

The Pigly and a sibling at Angelo'z on Kirby

​Char-grilled pork has been what has drawn most Houstonians over the years to the wonders of banh mi, the Vietnamese sandwich. Delicious and easily recognizable, as a sandwich filling, it has long been the centerpiece of a ridiculously cheap lunch option for the savvy diner.  It’s seemingly the easy favorite Vietnamese sandwich among the non-Vietnamese, myself included.
 
The char-grilled pork sandwich, or Banh Mi Thit Nuong, at the bare bones and usually bustling Thien An is especially notable. I hadn’t dropped by there in a while, so I made it a point to grab the sandwich from there for lunch today. The restaurant is more generous than most with the pork, which is nicely cooked, tender and richly flavorful. Tender slices are nestled in a local standard short Vietnamese baguette that is properly crusty and airy. The pork is joined by a light smear of house-made mayonnaise, shredded pickled carrots and daikon radish, a slice of cucumber, cilantro leaves and stems, and prominent wedges of jalapeño. The result is an enticing mix of textures and flavors – predominantly the moist and savory pork – that is satiating while remaining vibrant, not heavy. Even better with a few dashes of vinegar and squirts of sriracha from bottles on the table, it can be tough to eat just one of these.  This is still one of the very best versions in the city.  It’s gotten a bit pricey, though, now up to $3.99.
 
Thien An
2611 San Jacinto (just south of McGowen), 77004, (713) 522-7007
No website

Eating a first meal in Pavia near Milan with a couple of other food media people last month, an item on the menu immediately caught my attention: Orecchia di elefante.  That translates to “elephant’s ear.”  It’s not elephant ear, though, which is probably difficult to procure in northern Italy, but an amusing way to describe the costoletta alla milanese, the fried veal chop that is a staple of Milan.  With the bone attached to one end of a large flat piece of breaded meat that nearly covers a plate, it does look somewhat like the ear of elephant.
 
I made sure that was part of our meal at the restaurant Peo, as one of my hopes for that trip was to taste an authentic veal Milanese, a dish I had long enjoyed and I often make its Austrian cousin, schnitzel, with pork at home.  It is one of the most famous of all Italian dishes.  I had been to Italy over ten times previously and had never had the dish there, simply because I hadn’t spent any time in Milan and avoided the dish if it was on a menu far from the city, opting for something more local.  I had really hoped to try it in Milan during this trip, but having dinner during my one day there was precluded by a train strike announced for that night that I was fortunately alerted to, which would have got me stranded far from my hotel.  So, I missed both these Italian specialties: the veal Milanese in Milan, and a transportation strike.  A trade-off.
 
I do have the dish a couple of times in Pavia and found it enjoyable, and little different than I expected.  The veal was not as flattened as I had imagined, barely so, in fact, and both preparations were from the veal rib, with the bone attached.  Though I came across renditions in articles and on the websites of restaurants in Milan without the bone attached, it seems the dish is always made from the veal rib chop.  As it turns out, veal Milanese is more different from the Viennese wiener schnitzel than I had believed.  The schnitzel is flattened much more so, is popular in versions other than veal – like what I do in my kitchen – and the schnitzel is dipped in flour before meeting the beaten eggs and breadcrumbs, and can be cooked in something other than butter.  The recipe for costoletta alla millanese – or the less frequently found cotoletta alla milanese, which is actually the exact same thing even without the “s” – is basically and simply a barely flattened cut from the rib of a calf, dipped in beaten eggs then breadcrumbs and then pan-fried in butter or clarified butter over medium heat for about six to eight minutes a side, and then salted and served with lemon wedges.
 
With good quality meat, it is delicious, not-so-complicated dish with a nice interplay of textures and tastes, with savory veal, a crisp breading, a citrusy acidic bite from the lemon and some necessary salt.  The first version of it I had featured it ladled with halves of ripe cherry tomatoes and arugula, the primavera (spring) version.  I’ve read that this newer rendition, a creation of the past decade or so, is way to aid a lesser cut of meat.  This seemed to have some truth as the dish, and meat, was better at the second restaurant where I had it, the oddly named Habanero, also in Pavia.  Though it did initially look like the other elephants’ ears, it was made with a cut of t-bone.  The restaurant is a meat specialist, seemingly looking to do things a little differently.  Their version of the costoletta alla milanese was very good, especially the less-cooked, more tender and flavorful pieces near the bone.
 
I had to assume that these two versions of the famed dish were very similar to what is served in Milan.  Hopefully, I can confirm that in the future.  An organization that anointed the costoletta alla milanese as one of Italy’s most iconic a few years ago has an interesting and very believable history of the dish on its website.  It’s a dish that’s been around since at least the middle of the 19th century, the moniker of elephant’s ear seems fairly new as it doesn’t appear with the recipe in any of the several older classic Italian cookbooks I have or guidebooks.  Some fun with an older dish, I guess.  I certainly had fun with it.

A very recent version of the costoletta alla milanese from a restaurant actually in Milan. Photograph by Anthony Campofelice