Everyone loves fried chicken, it seems, at least a good one: a crisp or crunchy exterior, often the tastiest part, and moist and flavorful-enough meat, all that can be fun and invariably messy to eat. It’s not the easiest thing do, though, as even some lauded local restaurateurs and restaurants long proclaiming their prowess at Southern fried chicken dish up versions that are best ignored. Below are the best to be found locally, the ones frying more than just the wings and drumsticks.
 
The Best
 
Gus’s Famous Fried Chicken – This branch of the famed Memphis fried chicken spot on Washington Avenue consistently serves the best fried chicken in Houston, and for a comparative song. From Stax?  Using “never frozen, natural, hormone-free chicken,” which are smaller birds than is typical seems to make a big difference. The savory skin cooked to a beautiful brown stays affixed to the meat readily and with a touch of spice, each bite is delicious. Available in a variety of ways: two and three pieces, single, white or dark, individual pieces, too. All arrive to the table quickly, and with the comparatively low prices, this is a very useful chicken shack. Washington Corridor
 
The Best of Rest
 
Relish – This comfy and slick comfort food spot on Westheimer near Kirby seems to be overlooked many dining hounds, which is a shame. Among its charms is its rendition of fried chicken, delectable, and properly moist under the skin. For $24, you also get some complementary hot honey, a side bacon-spiked braised collard greens, and a fresh rosemary biscuit. River Oaks
Gatlin’s Fish & Feathers – Driving west on Crosstimbers, you pass a couple of other, lesser options for fried chicken in the space of a half-mile, before arriving to this homey, friendly space, a sibling to the acclaimed Gatlin’s barbecue joint not too far away. Fried to order and featuring a thicker batter than most, three pieces that might be two drumsticks and a large thigh, all with moist and a fairly tasty skin. Near North Side
La Lucha – Fried chicken makes sense at this eclectic, relaxed spot off busy Durham. The dark breading belies a moist, even juicy interior of perfectly cooked chicken and that tasty exterior makes for an enjoyable indulgence that is less greasy than most. Served with biscuits, pickles, a honey sambal and jam. You can order a half or whole bird, the latter setting you back $44 these days, which is about the market rate for most any other fried bird found outside of a bucket. Heights
Lucille’s – It’s Yardbird on the menu at this highly enjoyable Southern gem blocks from Hermann Park. For $22 you’ll get a brined and “Slow-Fried Chicken,” moist and flavorful with two pieces of your choice of either white or dark meat and served with sides of mashed potatoes setting below collard greens. With a honey spiced gravy atop – which is not so spicy, just flavorful – the chicken that’s been cooked in batches, at least during the lunch rush, is tender and tasty without being more greasy than necessary. Museum District
Harold’s in the Heights – It’s KG's Double Brined Fried Chicken on the menu. Buttermilk gets a turn here resulting in a golden brown exterior and generally well-cooked throughout the three pieces for an order: drumstick, thigh, and a too-large breast. Served with a very bland mac and cheese, served with piquant braised greens from the area Atkinson Farms, it makes for a hearty meal. Heights
 
Worth an Order
 
Frenchy’s – Though the original location next to Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church and very near the University of Houston campus, which had some scruffy charm, has shuttered, there are now more locations than ever to enjoy the Houston’s landmark for fried chicken. It’s spicy and cooked in batches, sometimes it’s not really fast food here. Some spots are more consistent than others.
Popeye’s – Though inconsistent and varying by location, I’ve got to be honest, Popeye’s serves some of the most enjoyable fried chicken in Houston, the smaller chickens are part of the key, with crunchy skin and meat part complementing each other in nearly every bite. It’s the best value, too.  Various
Al Aseel – A sprinkle of Middle Eastern spices sets this enjoyable, crispy version apart, along with a whole fried chicken is just $16.59, half only $10.99 and coming with sides of long-grain rice and a fatoush salad. Alief

An order at Gus's earlier this year.

A flurry of late-year openings help make this a wonderful one for new restaurants in Houston, capped off by the seafood-centric Navy Blue in the Rice Village from the team at Bludorn. The folks from Uchi added a couple of new options that started elsewhere and deemed ready for the state’s biggest city, Loro then the striking Uchiko. Gatlin’s, Cuchara and Hidden Omakase also extended their brands into new and crowd-pleasing concepts. But, the biggest restaurant news might have been a subtraction, that Chris Shepherd of Underbelly and more fame stepped away from the restaurant group he started. Hopefully, his restaurants won’t end up missing much of beat, though with the legacy of Underbelly gone upon the closure of UB Preserv at the end of 2021, it has gotten less interesting. Nick Wong who won acclaim at UB Preserv is no longer with the group, but Georgia James Tavern now has Tim Reading at the helm, once the executive chef of Hugo Ortega’s Caracol and the exemplary little Ixim a block away in Bravery Chef Hall. And Underbelly Hospitality launched a new restaurant, Wild Oats, with robust flavors and sound levels, along with a new address in a new-build for Georgia James. Another established operation, the glorious dim sum and Hong Kong-style seafood standard-bearer, Fung’s Kitchen, got renewed life, finally reopening in November after nearly two long years.
 
And this was a good year for new casual restaurants. In various levels of informality and in several types of fare, Betelguese Betelguese, Burger Bodega, Cucharita, Davanti, Gatlin’s Fins & Feathers, Lagniappe, Loro, Moon Rabbit, Solecita and Tim Ho Wan provided very worthwhile new options – not-so-ambitious but readily enjoyable – for easy, not expensive, and unpretentious dining. But among the many newcomers, there were a couple of pretty but dull Italians that opened in the Galleria and River Oaks areas that didn’t add much at all to the dining scene regardless of how much spent on opening and leases. The former providing much what you might expect from an Italian-themed concept originating in the Park Cities section of Dallas.
 
Below are the ten best restaurants to open in Houston in 2022, listed alphabetically. 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, if appropriate, tax and a 20% tip.
 
Cucharita – Mexican – $50 – The little sister to Cuchara, just a half-block away, is an extension on the motif of excellent, truly Mexican cooking that is lighter and more vibrant than most, this one only for breakfast and lunch. The menu is short but tempting: several egg dishes, chilaquiles changing weekly, enchiladas filled with shredded chicken breast and topped with a creamy, green poblano sauce, waffles, and breakfast tacos. Portions are quite sensibly sized, as at Cuchara. There is also a pastry counter filled with tempting baked-in-house goodies that change daily plus the requisite coffee drinks and even a list of breakfast cocktails beyond just mimosas, bloody Mary’s, and micheldas. It is a pretty place – the food is pretty, too – with pinks and aquas, much different, much better, than when it housed Cooking Girl (which begat Pepper Twins and the acceleration of Sichuan cooking in Houston). Cucharita seats just about thirty, some is communal seating, helping quickly to make this feel like comfortable and appropriate part of the neighborhood. Montrose
 
Davanti – Italian – $50 – Building on the success of the counter-service Fresco on the Southwest Freeway, and the considerable publicity from an appearance on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2021, Fresco was essentially replicated as Davanti this summer, in nicer digs. Higher prices, too, but this is still casual Italian done well from the kitchen of Chef Roberto Crescini who hails from outside of Lake Garda and cooked professionally for years in Italy before coming to Houston. The main attractions are freshly crafted pastas made with at least a substantial portion of hard wheat flour for a toothsome texture, and the ability to be shaped. And shapes there are. If one of the tasty listed options don’t interest, in user-friendly American fashion, you can choose a shape from among “Bucatini, Linguine, Fettuccine, Pappardelle, Spaghetti, Conchiglie Rigatoni, Tagliolini, Rigatoni-Large, Fussili, Tagliatelle, Penne Gluten Free,” then top it with one of eight sauces, and even add a choice from a few proteins to that. A ravioli preparation, pasta with the braised lamb sauce or with an all-beef ragù bolognese – this is Texas, after all – and the thick Roman-style pizza al taglio are the highlights from an enticing menu. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Greenway Plaza
 
Gatlin’s Fins & Feathers – Southern – $65 – As you might expect with the name, this a sibling to the acclaimed Gatlin’s barbecue joint, which is just a couple of miles away. Similarly, this is very friendly and even homey, and family run, providing Southern-rooted comfort fare that goes a little beyond. The “Fins & Feathers” following the surname is quite descriptive, too, though shellfish is another theme here with oysters served grilled, fried and raw to start and crab and shrimp found in things like New Orleans style barbecue shrimp and additionally straight from the fryer, of course. Getting a similar treatment, the fried chicken, cooked to order with a sturdy, straightforward batter, is delicious. Like that, featuring a “1/2 yard bird, the grilled jerk chicken is quick to sell out and has even drawn some statewide attention already. Most everything works her. The broth of the gumbo is really flavorful, which allows you to overlook that a couple of the proteins in it might be a bit overcooked. But there are no issues with another Louisiana staple, the red beans and rice, maybe the most satisfying of the half-dozen-plus sides that come with most of the orders. The menu ranges even further beyond our neighbors to the east to Mexico for a few dishes and then to southeast Asia for a whole fish preparation that’s grilled with sambal. It all makes sense for today’s Bayou City. This is a comfortable stop, including the interior, which is a welcome contrast – much nicer – to the Mexicatessan, which occupied the building for years and the decidedly old-school Barbecue Inn that’s been down the street for even longer. North Side
 
Hamsa – Middle Eastern – $100 – The most stylish place for the cooking of the Levant in Houston now, this builds on the success and popularity of the owners’ excellent Badolina Bakery next door and the Doris Metropolitan steakhouse nearby. Serving what it describes as “modern Israeli cuisine,” the food will be largely familiar to most Houston diners, but in a more wide-ranging fashion and plated more attractively. A decent array of wines, too. There is hummus a few ways and other dips with freshly baked, puffy pita bread – sharing is must here – falafel, beef tartare, grilled skewers of various sorts, and grander “big plates” of lamb spareribs, grilled Mediterranean sea bass, and a hanger steak with zaatar-scented butter and a chimichurri sauce. A few of the stars have been seared octopus served with a complementary spicy red pepper muhumara, and a couple of eggplant preparations: a very vibrant baba ganoush, and the beautifully presented Baladi Eggplant that featured tahini, pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and pieces of tomato. Unfortunately, the cooking seems to have slipped as the year has progressed, and been more inconsistent recently. The ground meat kabab was disconcertingly served seemingly raw in the center on a December visit, and the grilled chicken thighs decidedly dull during dinner the previous month, both during meals where other dishes drew raves. Staffing issues have been evident, with service more earnest than deft. Rice Village
 
Lagniappe – Creole – $35 – It’s better time than ever for discriminating diners living in the Heights. This very useful and adept casual south Louisiana-themed spot is more evidence and yet another tempting option right in the neighborhood. Layne Cruz, a Louisiana native, ran Revival Market, its previous tenant, before transforming the concept into something maybe more approachable, certainly more personal and more consistently satisfying. This is casual Creole fare like sandwiches – especially a po boy and one of the best muffulettas in town – red beans and rice, chicken and sausage gumbo, jambalaya that are done more artfully and playfully than typically found. The morning fare is a focus and includes grillades and grits and a coffee bread pudding French toast among the nearly ten options; a multi-part breakfast plate with especially good eggs and a quiche are also served through the afternoon for the late-risers. The admirable po boy features spicy blackened shrimp, medium-sized, with fried oysters tucked into toasted po boy loaf with green tomatoes, pickled onions and a flavorful remoulade sauce. One demerit is that the bread, shipped from Gambino’s in New Orleans, is sometimes not as fresh as hoped for, with sandwiches falling apart a little too readily. Another of sorts, there is just a wine and beer license, so it’s more sober here than the city that provides its inspiration. Opened daily for breakfast and lunch. Heights
 
Louie’s Italian American – Italian-American – $75 – Opening early in the year as an all-day café, the concept did not resonate as much as had been planned despite positive press. So, in December, building on dishes of pastas made on site and expanding the Italian-American theme, Café Louie became Louie’s Italian-American, with a contemporary, fun interpretation of long one of the country’s most popular cuisines studded with insight from present-day Italy. There are plenty of familiar items, done a little differently. Fried calamari, meatballs in red sauce, shrimp cocktail, and an old school antipasto plate but with gruyere, too, are some of the starters. Then the pastas, which are nicely crafted here, thin and light, when either stuffed or not. The Piemontese spindly-stranded tajarin made yellowy similar as there with a surfeit of egg yolks in the dough. Heartier fare includes the ostensibly necessary Chicken Parm, redfish with the piccata treatment. and sausage and peppers. Still very early on, not everything works like the Garlic Mozzarella Bread. Made with house-made mozzarella atop obviously excellent bread and slathered with an odd, roasted garlic and black garlic butter that is served in a skillet manages to be less than its parts and also awkward to eat. A limited, well-chosen selection of wines and an handful of cocktails that are slated to increase in number help add atmosphere to the quaint setting that manages to be both industrial and homey. And it shares a single-story mixed-use building with a few other complementary businesses including the still somewhat funky wine bar How to Survive on Land and Sea. East End
 
Navy Blue – Seafood – $150 – The most impressive entry onto the Houston dining scene is this beautiful blue 7,000-foot-plus seafood place, palace, from the folks at Bludorn that opened around Thanksgiving following plenty of anticipation. It immediately became the best restaurant in the eatery-laden Rice Village. The moneyed set quickly followed from Bludorn, and reservations have been very tough since doors opened. Executive Chef Jerrod Zifchak arrived from New York where he was the last one at the Michelin-starred Café Boulud on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, succeeding Aaron Bludorn in that role. Notably for the cuisine, Zifchak also had four years in the kitchen at Le Bernardin, widely regarded as the top seafood restaurant in the country. There are other impressive CV’s on staff here, which quickly shows upon entry and with the first drink, as service is noticeably professional – unusually so for just opening and for the city in general – solicitous, knowledgeable, accommodating and friendly. The menu is actually quite approachable, ranging from oysters and clams (and caviar) to start with crab cakes, a mussel bisque en croute, fresh pasta preparations and fish. There is a swordfish steak served in a green peppercorn sauce, and an entire Dover sole is fileted tableside. With that and the lobster, you’ve got options; almondine, Oscar and Provençal for the former. A French accent is found in other items, too, a good thing, plus there are a couple of nods to our area with a blackened red snapper and a different-tasting take on seafood gumbo. This is a must-visit for seafood lovers, at least those with some means. Dinner only now, but daily. Rice Village
 
Pacha Nikkei – Japanese-Peruvian – $100 – Ceviche is the word at this bright, airy spot in the Carillon just inside the Beltway that showcases the Nikkei cuisine of Lima that grew out of that Japanese community there, which has drawn worldwide attention in the past couple of decades. The eight or so ceviche compositions are the stars: interesting, intelligently and artfully composed, and delicious. The most popular has been the Clásico, featuring mahi mahi with a mélange of  leche de tigre, aji limo, cancha, choclo, red onion, cilantro, sweet potato puree. Another standout is the Ceviche Nikkei, with small cubes of tuna, a Nikkei leche de tigre, bits of cucumber, avocado puree, chorizo-infused oil, and dehydrated seaweed that’s even more than the sum of its numerous parts. Others include ones centered around octopus, salmon and lobster. To note, you’ll need more food than a single order of ceviche, which are not terribly large. And as exquisite as these can be, another one might quickly come to mind, anyway. Contrastingly, and a noticeable contrast with a top sushi spot, like Uchiko below, is that the maki, the familiar nori-wrapped sushi rolls, are somewhat crudely done, with seafood and rice unevenly or not expectedly (or properly) cooked; enjoyable enough, but considerably less impressive than the ceviche. A version of the popular Peruvian lomo saltado with beef tenderloin likely won’t disappoint, however. Grilled, skewered beef hearts, fried pork gyoza and rice colored black by squid ink and served with a medley of shellfish are some of the enticing menu options here. Cocktails and a lot of really nice choices among the wines. Westchase
 
Uchiko – Japanese – $165 – “Uchiko, child of Uchi,” is likewise a transplant from Austin, if not quite a replication of its namesake there, with its full bar and grander setting. Located along a glittery stretch of Post Oak Boulevard, it is like its parent, a “non‑traditional Japanese concept,” and has an emphasis on sushi, while also “bringing smoke and char” to some of the creations. That sushi is Uchi-level, superb, in a variety of forms. The Toyosu section showcases the ten to twenty items recently flown in from that market in Tokyo, the successor to Tskuiji, and the home of the most prized pieces at sushi counters worldwide. Regardless of the provenance, the preparations here are deeply flavorful, and often creative and fun. Boquerones, rolls with soft shell crab and nuon mam, and post oak-grilled pork belly were just a few of the temptations on a recent visit. The menu is updated daily and posted on its site, highlighting the attention paid to the ingredients here, and taken with the restaurant, overall. To note, you can certainly spend some money for a meal, even without considering the bluefin tuna and caviar selections. The décor is in line with the high bar of the kitchen. It’s clean-lined and beautifully brown that’s accentuated with abstract works from local artists. With the notably adept service, too, this is a terrific addition to the city’s dining scene. Galleria Area
 
Wild Oats – Texan – $125 – From the Underbelly Hospitality folks, this provides a fun and chef-driven take into Texan fare from our part of the Gulf Coast, with necessary nods to our deeply imbedded Tex-Mex food culture. It features dishes found or inspired from restaurants of yore of various – well, much lower – price points, but done with better ingredients more adroitly, more interestingly, and serving nicely crafted cocktails and smartly chosen wines. Among the highlights from the well-edited menu is the manageably sized chicken fried steak that’s made with American wagyu beef; it’s the best version of that traditional dish in the city. There’s also Gulf snapper – done with hibiscus, beets, orange – fajitas, quesadillas, a King Ranch casserole, game like antelope or quail, and an artfully presented queso starter. The chili service shtick is fun, and quite tasty; dispensed by the shot, cup or bowl. It can be tough not get at least a shot, if not a bowl, of red before your entrée. Though the food and drink are done well, set in new construction adjoined to the commercial farmers market on Airline, the décor, unfortunately, is staid, boring, really, and with plenty of hard surfaces, it’s cacophonous even when many of the seats are empty. Heights

One of the tempting sushi preparations at Uchiko

This opened early in the year as an all-day café, Café Louie, but the concept did not resonate as much as had been hoped despite positive press. So, in December, just a week ago, building on dishes of pastas made on site and expanding the Italian-American theme, Café Louie became Louie’s Italian-American, with a contemporary, fun interpretation of long one of the country’s popular cuisines studded with insight from present-day Italy.
 
There are plenty of familiar items here, done a little differently. Fried calamari, meatballs in red sauce, shrimp cocktail and an old school antipasto plate but with gruyere, too, are some of the starters. Then the pastas, which are well-done here, thin and light, when either stuffed or not. My spinach ravioli with the Bianco sauce described as “cultured butter, Reggiano” was enjoyable, with the pasta pockets almost delicate, noticeably more skillfully crafted than most local spots. In the tradition of Italian-American restaurants, you’ve got the choice of sauces, red or white, for a couple of the pasta preparations here. The Piemontese spindly-stranded tajarin – that region’s version of spaghetti, freshly made – is nicely yellow similar as there with a surfeit of egg yolks in the dough. Heartier fare includes the seemingly necessary Chicken Parm, redfish with the piccata treatment. and sausage and peppers. Desserts are just four, all $10: tiramisu, Pistachio Bundt Cake, Souffle Cheesecake, and a rotating gelato, all likely worth consideration. You’ll probably have room. Still very early on, not everything works like the Garlic Mozzarella Bread I ordered to sop of the sauce. Made with house-made mozzarella atop obviously excellent bread and slathered with an odd, roasted garlic and black garlic butter that is served in a skillet manages to be less than its parts and also awkward to eat.
 
A very limited, well-chosen selection of wines – including a food-friendly, drinkable Barbera del Monferrato for just $6 – and an handful of cocktails that are slated to increase in number help add atmosphere to the quaint setting that manages to be both industrial and homey. And it shares a mixed-use building in the East End with a few other complementary businesses including the funky wine bar How to Survive on Land and Sea.
 
Louie’s Italian American
3401 Harrisburg (at Sampson), 77003, (346) 446-5770
louieshtx.com

Just like a great many great pizzas, there’s not a lot to the ones at Roberta’s in the Post Market: a very thin layer of cooked dough made from wheat flour twelve inches in diameter providing a setting for a minimally dispensed array of toppings; available in just eight versions here. But an excellent crust, noticeably high quality ingredients composed in enticing and intelligent ways and expertly cooked in a proper pizza oven make each of the pizzas at Roberta’s more than the sum of its parts.
 
A new one for me the other day was the Bee Sting. It is a slather of tomato sauce, a few circles of mozzarella, large pieces of thin soppressata, big basil leaves blackened in the oven, bits of chile, and a drizzle of honey. Delicious. Soppressata, mozzarella and crust, and then the slight sweetness of the honey contrasting and complementing the restrained heat of the chile, and maybe the less so the additional heat from the chile oil you can grab at the counter, which I always use with abandon. The honey and chile oil made this an even messier meal than usual for me.
 
Roberta’s is nicely opened daily from 11:00 to at least 8:00 and until 10:00 at night from Thursday through Saturday, and its pizzas are easy to take away if you aren’t too far from downtown; the setting is rather atmosphere-free – it’s at the edge of a food court. That really doesn’t matter, though, with pizzas like this.
 
Roberta’s
Post Market
401 Franklin (at Bagby), 77002

By Wine is a near necessity for me at the evening meal, so I believe that restaurants’ wine lists are important. I just want to have interesting enough options that run to the food-friendly and are fairly affordable.
 
The quality of the wine lists, mostly in the breadth of offerings, has been one of the most noticeable and welcome improvements in the dining scene here in the past quarter century, similar to what has occurred in most major cities in the country. The wine lists at the best restaurants – just restaurants for this piece; wine bars are treated separately – are resolutely European in makeup; these wines generally pair well with food, much better than the vast majority of the New World wines. Though a great many area diners, and regular wine drinkers, favor the big Napa Cabernet Sauvignons and other fruit-forward New World bottlings, this has been shifting over the years, as many become familiar with a greater range of wines. And that range has been increasing.
 
There are a number of enticing wine lists at restaurants around Houston today, thankfully. Below are the best, with the number of full bottles at a couple different price levels to give an idea of what might be in store.
 
Bulbous Wine Bibles
 
Pappas Bros. (Westheimer) – Long regarded as one of the best wine lists in the entire country – 5,000 labels and 28,000 bottles in the cellar – there is seemingly everything you might want at a fine dining restaurant with depth in Champagne, Burgundy – both colors, with pages of Grand Cru and Premier Cru – Bordeaux, Napa, Super Tuscans, Barolo, Rhone, and much, much more. You can spend a small fortune on just drink here, but you don’t have to as cool gems abound: Beaujolais from Jean Foillard, Guy Breton and Lapierre, a couple from the idiosyncratic Dettori in Sardinia, a number of vintages of Fontodi Flaccianello, Lebanon’s Chateau Masur both recent and affordable and decades old and not so much. Wow. There is plenty of help if needed, too.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 70; $100 – 530
 
Pappas Bros. (Downtown) – The same as above if just slightly smaller; only 3,900 items and 18,500 bottles. You won’t notice the difference, as there are still over 20,000 bottles in its cellar.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 60; $100 – 500
 
Mastro’s (Post Oak) – The scene at the flagship of this Landry’s steakhouse chain might have a sports bar / strip club vibe and cooking not among the top tier locally, but the wine list is incredibly expansive and well-chosen beyond what might appeal to the regular customers, one of the very tops in the country according national publications. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is here in most of its glory and nearly everything else you can dream of like Screaming Eagle and Mascarello Monprivato in many iterations. Wines might be expensive here – a local wine professional told me he was shocked by what he thought were 400% markups (over wholesale prices), but there are plenty under $50 and finds like a half-dozen Tannants from Uruguay that pair quite well with steak and a Fess Parker Chardonnay – it really is better than from most of its fancier Santa Barbara neighbors – that is just $30. It’s also got a highly respected staff that’s earned their chops at other top wine spots in town. There are 4,000 selections and a total of around 38,000 bottles that they can aptly help navigate.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 120; $100 – 620
 
Vic & Anthony’s – This upscale steakhouse catercorner from the ballpark has exalted Bordeaux labels galore and among its list of Burgundy there is the rare Domaine de la Romanée Conti Romanée Conti in a couple of vintages for $16,000 and more; and La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée St. Vivant crus if you only want to pay four digits for a DRC. The emphasis is Old World here, but there are plenty of Napa Cabernets and a lot of great New World bottlings. It is a terrific, wide-ranging and fun list that should easily satiate any wine lover. That top local wine pros Gary Lapuyade and Justin Vann once worked here is still evident.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 25; $100 – 160
 
March – With around 12,000 bottles cellared and a list of over 100 pages, it is all here from the biggest names repeated often in Burgundy, Bordeaux, Napa and Barolo, and even many, many more. Among the pages, there are many more listed at over four digits, but there a hundred under $100, if barely. You can find something “affordable” here if you choose not to do a wine pairing, and the excellent wine staff can certainly assist.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 0; $100 – 105
 
Brennan’s – Around since 1967, plenty of time to build a collection, and sibling to Commander’s Palace, which boasts the best wine list in New Orleans, it is not surprising that its offerings skew heavily French, which is a good thing, I believe. It is very deep for Burgundy and excellent for Bordeaux, plus there is plenty of choices from Champagne and much more breadth for dessert wines than elsewhere here, befitting the celebratory mood that the Brennan family is deft at cultivating, and not just in the Crescent City.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 35; $100 – 175
 
Bubbles
 
a’Bouzy – Champagne – You don’t come to this River Oaks restaurant for its food, it’s the Champagne, around 200 labels at terrific prices; according to the Wine Spectator in 2022, it’s one of the best stops in the country for Champagne geeks. There is actually a lot more, over 1,000 selections, all with generous pricing, if you want a sparkler from elsewhere or even something less effervescent, red, white or pink.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 235; under $100 – 460
 
Buono
 
Giacomo’s – Italian – Possibly my favorite wine list in Houston: very interesting, very affordable, very food-friendly, very easy to navigate, very Italian. And there are number of enticing French selections, too. The dozen or so sections are divided among helpful broad styles like “Bianco: fragrant & vibrant” and “Rosso: structured & textured.” There is a lot from which to choose, and scattered throughout at higher price points, but fairly priced, are offerings from cult producers like ARPEPE, Gravner, Emidio Pepe, Paolo Bea, and Paolo Scavino, too.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 70; under $100 – 120
 
Bueno
 
El Meson – Spanish – One of the best wine lists in the city is to found at this casual long-timer on University Boulevard in the Rice Village serving Cuban, Spanish and Tex-Mex fare. There is diversity on the wine menu, too, but the big heart is Spain with enticements from Vega Sicilia in some breadth and depth, La Alta Rioja and Lopez de Heredia and many others, all nicely priced. Excellent by-the-glass program that can be had by quarter-liter carafes, also, filled with neat stuff from Spain like Muga’s Rioja rosé, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Torres in Penedes, plus even a Finger Lakes Riesling.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 85; $100 – 285
 
BCN – Spanish – This grand Spaniard sports one of the city’s most informative and helpful of wine lists featuring very useful descriptions for each wine. There really not too many choices on this all-Spanish wine list that makes no concessions even to Champagne, but what’s here is expertly selected.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 0; $100 – 20
 
Bien
 
Café Rabelais – French – This humble, quaint and a bit kitschy French spot is a paradise from lovers of the wines from France in much of its glory. Seemingly all Gaul is represented here, Jura, Savoie, Rhône, Alsace, and Corsica along with Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne, with those more intersting than elsewhere if not the grandest of labels. There are more big bottles here, too, not just magnums but also 3-liters and up. Nicely, there are a number of bottles under $30.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 75; $100 – 215
 
Le Jardinier – French – Not a show-stopper like the restaurant nor the museum in which its set, the wine list is better than it needs to be with plenty of Burgundies and Bordeaux listed by growth. You know there is a plenty of sense here as the only two Pinot Grigios are from the Collio and half the rosés are Bandols.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 0; $100 – 40
 
Bistro 555 – French – From the folks formerly of the lauded Le Mistral on the west side and natives of Bandol, who certainly believe that wine must be part of the meal, the somewhat succinct all-French list obliges to complement the menu of artfully composed familiar Gallic fare. The dozen or so choices by the glass nicely includes a Sauternes to finish.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 30; $100 – 70
 
Just Plain Good
 
Georgia James – One of the city’s top steakhouses, and the most interesting, its wine list has always been oriented well beyond the Napa Cabernets that have dominated most steakhouse lists around the country. You might be tempted with Sangiovese, as the Tuscans drink with their beef, a robustly tannic Sangrantino from Umbria, or one from the Syrah- or Grenache-dominated Rhone. A lot of neat selections here, as it’s been since inception a couple buildings ago.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 5; $100 – 85
 
Rosie Cannonball – Master Sommelier June Rodil has put together a list with “a strong Italian, Spanish and French focus” that is fun for the Old World wine lover and complementing the mostly Italian fare with options that won’t break the bank. The noted Abruzzo producer Tiberio comes in three colors, all $65 and less, Movia from Slovenia in two plus more than a few of importer Kermit Lynch’s wines.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 5; $100 – 90
 
State of Grace – A quick glance at the thirty or so by the glass options shows Jermann, Massolino, La Rioja Alta and Tolani, which should reassure you that this clubby River Oaks eatery knows and enjoys wine. The wordy wine list – in a very welcome way – is somewhat concise, but there a numerous tempting options for most diners and also those able and willing to splurge in a grand fashion.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 20; $100 – 70
 
Tony’s – Still the grandest dame in Houston dining carries on with a lengthy wine list that might be more approachable and affordable than you might expect. There is enough Bordeaux, Burgundy, Napa Cabs, all nearly three and four numbers after the dollar sign, along with a few bottles stretching back before the Dreyfus Affair, but also a section front and center exclaiming “Over 75 Wines at $75” and another listing “Natural Wines” for the kids. California Syrah and red blends from the Garden State both merit a fair amount of space. Relative values can be found like the lush oak-aged La Rocca bottling from the terrific Pieropan for $70 that I paid 25 euros for at the winery in Soave this summer, and the base Pinot Noir from the acclaimed Au Bon Climat in Santa Barbara that is only $55. 
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 15; $100 – 120
 
Rainbow Lodge – Enticing selections for most wine drinkers with big-names and finds from California, France and elsewhere: Domaine De La Romanée-Conti, Kosta Browne, Biondi Santi, Vega Sicilia joins a couple score of well-chosen Napa Cabernets including a few cult labels. A robust wines by the glass among white, pink and bubbly also includes a number of rarer treats dispensed by the Coravin system that could be Tignanello, Opus One and an Argiano Brunello di Montalcino that was Gambero Rosso’s red wine of the year.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 10; $100 – 85
 
Backstreet Café – Sean Beck has long done an wonderful job with wines and all matters of beverage here and at the other stars of the H Town Restaurant Group (Hugo’s, Caracol, Xochi, Urbe) and the wine list is user- and food-friendly with more than enough options and featuring prices that beg for at least a bottle at the table for the “Seasonal American Bistro.” Many are even priced below a fair portion of the per glass list at Bludorn, which is not too far away.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 75; $100 – 105
 
Helen Greek – Greek – It’s all Greek to everyone here, and only Greek, but this charming Hellenic bistro will quickly inform you that Greek wine belongs on the world stage; it’s not just the vastly overpriced, barely mediocre and possibly headache-inducing stuff you are stuck with at the Greek festival.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 5; $100 – 35
 
Brasserie 19 – The buoyant atmosphere, healthily encouraged by friendly wine prices and a many fine choices by the glass, rather than the quality of the fare has always been the attraction here. This a great place to drink wine, with a number of alluring options well under $50, featuring a list with a strong French accent.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 35; $100 – 80
 
Nancy’s Hustle – You, at least I, can trust the team here, proprietor and manager Sean Jensen and award-winning sommelier Justin Vann, whose tastes might run more adventurous than most (mine included), but it skews very hard to food friendly and even exciting, often funky, which pares well with the dining buzz at this terrific contemporary bistro.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 15; $100 – 40
 
Squable – The cooking, the creativity, the atmosphere, the cocktails, along with the wine options, make this the best restaurant in the Heights. Just an example, the wines by the glass might even include a nearly decade-old Crianza from the terrific Rioja producer López de Heredia.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 0; $100 – 80
 
Bludorn – Wine prices skew high here, as with the menu, and there are plenty of nice Burgundies to increase the final bill to a really large number. Plenty of nice wines, period. Lengthy by the glass choices average well over $20.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 5; $100 – 105
 
The Very Best Prices
 
Porta’Vino – Vino is part of the name for a big reason as ridiculously inexpensive wine pricing is key to the popularity and expansion of this casual Italian-themed restaurant. There are about fifty wines, mostly fruit-forward and Californian, nothing much at all to excite enophiles, but it is so inexpensive.  Other restaurateurs scratch their heads on how cheaply wine is priced here.
Approximate number of bottles under $50 – 40; $100 – 50

By veceazy

Near the end of November, UNESCO, the heritage agency of the United Nations, added France’s daily staple and the symbol of the country to much of the world, the baguette, to its intangible cultural heritage list, a well-made, artisanal baguette, at least.  It deservedly joins the gloriously caloric and fat-laden French meal, the beer culture of Belgium, the harissa of North Africa, and Neapolitan pizza-making as food items on it.
 
I really enjoy a fresh, nicely crafted baguette, crusty and flavorful. It’s a regular part of my dinner at home accompanied with a little butter or more. Sometimes it’s even the centerpiece when I’m trying to eat less; with just olive oil for dipping, maybe some cheese, plus a fair amount of wine, of course. Here is where I recommend purchasing baguettes, in order of preference:

• Common Bond – Now with several locations. The baguettes seem to be a little better at the ones without a drive-thru, but that drive-thru is certainly convenient.
• Bread Man – Available at Whole Foods and the big H-E-Bs on Dunlavy and Buffalo Speedway, these are a larger size than elsewhere, stouter and a full two-feet long. You might have to wait until mid-morning until the breads at arrive at the stores, though.
• Slow Dough – Smaller than elsewhere and seemingly always pricier, but still worth it, this bakery is primarily a supplier to restaurants and then grocers for bagged bread, there is a retail outlet adjacent to Weights and Measures in Midtownand available at Houston Dairy Maids near the Heights.
• Kraftsmen Baking – A bustling café in the Heights with a big wholesale operation, this has been around longer the others, now over two decades.
• Badolina – A fine baguette is among the enticing take-away options at this slick bake shop and café in the Rice Village that sits next to its buzzy sister concept, Hamsa.
• Magnol – On Hempstead Highway and North Post Oak, not far west of the Loop, this spot is favored by several top restaurants in town and has baguettes both familiar and seeded.
• Mademoiselle Louise – Primarily a French café right on Main Street downtown featuring pastries, quiches and sweets, this does make some baguettes each day in a couple of styles. Unfortunately, these have been sold out each time I’ve visited, so I’ll have to give a qualified recommendation, which is based on what else I’ve had there and the pedigree of the chef-owner.

 
Long and thin, baguettes go stale quickly, or should, so plan to purchase just on the day you’ll be eating it, or most of it.

From Getty Images