Along with empty Chianti fiaschi covered in wax from candles, red-and-white-checkered gingham tablecloths might quickly come to mind for many, maybe those a little older, when thinking of Italian restaurants. There was a strong association between the two for years in this country given the sheer number of Italian restaurants employing them. New York restaurateur Pino Luongo wrote “in 1983, there were only two types of Italian restaurants here. There were the places with the red-checkered tablecloths that served spaghetti and meatballs and veal piccata” and a far smaller number of fancy spots. Even today, it’s easy to find red and white coverings for sale with names like “Italian Restaurant Checkered Tablecloth,” “Italian Styled Red and White Checkered Print Tablecloth,” “Italian Checked Tablecloth” and “Checkered tablecloths – Not just for Italian restaurants.” The use of these types of tablecloths was not limited to Italian restaurants, and were also once very popular with a wide range of restaurants, especially in the nation’s biggest city. Joe Allen’s Paris restaurant that drew a lot of ink was described after opening in 1972 as having an ambiance that “is still definitely New York” prominently with “red‐checked tablecloths,” and even the landmark “21” restaurant famously had those in its bar area for decades until shuttered by the pandemic.
 
That Italian restaurants became linked to those tablecloths might have began in New York before Prohibition, where there were many more Italian restaurants than elsewhere. The Italian restaurateurs could have looked to the city’s popular, casual French bistros, or German, or affordable restaurants of any or nearly every stripe – except for Chinese, it seems – in the city for an example to borrow to suitably cover their tables. The starched white tablecloths at the nicer establishments signified something classier and more expensive. And cleaning and ironing those white tablecloths were more expensive, too. The affordability of these red-and-white-checkered options were certainly a significant factor, too. And, conveniently and maybe importantly, that busy red-and-white pattern help obscure stains from red sauce and red wine, which were brought to about every table.
 
As Italian-themed restaurants became more ambitious and pricier, and maybe more Italian, these lost the red-checkered patterns. These were seen by many diners as old fashioned. And that is reason is why you will still see them at some intentionally homier Italian-American places. Italian-American not Italian.

As most savvy restaurant-goers know, the Mucky Duck – McGonigel's Mucky Duck, officially – though primarily a music showcase, has probably the best pub grub in the Houston area. Among the necessary and popular options is the hamburger, which are tastier, of course, when made into a cheeseburger. With cheeseburgers, I occasionally like a bleu cheese version. You can get one at the Mucky Duck that is different. The English Stilton is the bleu cheese.
 
Not just the classic pairing with an after-dinner port, the mild, savory and buttery-flavored Stilton gently melted on the thick patty provides a distinct and welcome complement, and not as strong as the typical bleu cheeses used. The high-quality cheese matches rest of the burger that features grass-fed, Akaushi beef from HeartBrand in Flatonia and a buttered and toasted billowing onion challah bun from Slow Dough, with strands of red onion and leafy lettuce in between. Paired with crisp, tasty fries. A nice German lager, also, in my case the other evening.
 
McGonigel's Mucky Duck
2425 Norfolk (just east of Kirby), 77098, (713) 528-5999
mcgonigels.com

Watching from a café, aperitivo at hand, across a small street from the popular trattoria Scannabue, we saw other tourists gathering at its entrance for the chance of a table that evening, seemingly all without luck. This helped reinforce the thought that this was a good choice for the first meal during my first visit to the charming city of Turin. But I was already feeling fairly confident as this restaurant in the bohemian- and immigrant-accented San Salvario neighborhood near the grand central train station was recommended in the Michelin guide – my go-to for dining in Europe – and had a Bib Gourmand designation to boot, had been cited in a recent New York Times travel piece, “36 Hours in Turin,” and even had a positive blurb from England’s top wine publication, Decanter.
 
Part of the initial seating, we were among the first to arrive in a low-ceiling setting that was homey, comfortable, but quickly filled with the liveliness of a popular, buzzy restaurant. The few diners there at the start, were, like us, seemingly eagerly looking toward the meal and enjoying the evening. Those expectations were to be met, exceeded even. The dinner, with bread, quickly brought to the table, including grissini, of course, then the dishes, was excellent and service was attentive, friendly, and nicely mostly in English. We went with the five-course traditional menu for a comparative song at just 35 euros, for a sample some of the highlights of the rich, often meaty and widely appealing cuisine of this land-locked region. That was, in succession: veal tonnato, playfully topped with a big caperberry; tender agnolotti del plin filled with three roasted ground meats; braised beef in red wine, this with veal cheek and mashed potatoes; whipped baccalà in more mashed potatoes; and bonet, a chocolate panna cotta, of sorts.
 
These were each updated versions of classic local and regional dishes, dishes I’d had in previous trips. These were just done better: more flavorful, richer, featuring evidently high quality ingredients, with considerable experience and skill in the kitchen, and generally presented more attractively. The veal tonnato featured very soft slices of roast veal, nicely tart, as good as any very I remembered having in the area. The pasta pockets that were the egg yolk-heavy agnolotti were tender and the meats, rustic-tasting, savory and hearty. The braise was unctuous, delicious. Even the baccalà, far from a typical order for me, was enjoyable. And bonet, was terrific, even after seemingly more than enough calories by that stage. The portions were hearty, as in a generous village trattoria, but the execution more refined, befitting a what is a top restaurant city like Turin.
 
Scannabue is a trattoria with evident surety in its cooking and also with a sense of more contemporary ideas. We saw the playful and acclaimed vasocottura, rabbit cooked in a jar with a tuna sauce, carried to a few tables. I look forward to a future return for something new, or maybe just what I had. It was that good.
 
As you might expect given its proximity to the famed wine regions nearby, the vinous offerings are numerous and well-chosen, even more so than most local trattorias. I had my eyes on an eminently food-friendly Barbera from nearby that I might not find at home, but the waitress directed us to a Barbera d’Asti from Sette that proved too thin and troppo naturale for my tastes. She was certainly very knowledgeable, but like many younger sommeliers, but had more a penchant for the new, less tried and funky than I do. The list, about 800 labels, was fun to peruse with a number of neat things from more than nearby: Emidio Pepe for just 65 euros and a couple bottlings of the other cult Montepulciano d’Abruzzo producer, Valentini. And couple from Cantina Giardino, a natural wine producer in Campania that actually knows its craft, that I have quite liked in the past.
 
This is a restaurant to visit when visiting Turin, wine lover or not. It’s some more fun if you are though.
 
Scannabue
Largo Saluzzo, 25/h, 10125
Turin, Italy
scannabue.it

The Guancia Brasata al Barbera su Purea di Patate at Scannabue

When discussing heading to the Green Mill in Chicago to hear live music and maybe a few drinks in the late 1980s, my friends were quick to point out that it had been owned by Machine Gun McGurn, a legendary and legendary cruel mobster, several decades earlier. That reputation hung over place, part of its brand, and part of the draw. The mob connection has been an enticement for decades for customers, or a segment of customers, possibly lured by a sense of perceived danger, however small, the notoriety, the assumed raffishness of the spot, or even the attraction to the power of organized crime figures.
 
In an article in the Washington Post with the cheeky title, “A Real Shot in the Arm for N.Y. Eateries” in 1989 quotes a regular patron to The Bankers and Brokers Ristorante not far from his work: “The fact there's a mob shooting connected with the place does sort of add excitement…You feel like you're in the middle of it all,” referring to an organized crime shooting stemming from an incident at the restaurant, which was allegedly connected to a member of the Gambino family. That appeal was widespread and the benefit for the business was noted by Tim Zagat, “It's sad but true that shootings are good for the restaurant business….It's more publicity than a restaurant would ever get through reviews; it's worth millions.” There can be a practical side for this, as restaurants have provided more convenient settings for shootings, as it might the only public spots to find these often reclusive and armed targets. Even these Italian-Americans have had a penchant for Italian-American fare, so the place with the attendant publicity is usually Italian-themed, one of the hazards of doing business for some.
 
The best mob association for an establishment might be to have hosted a sensational murder or publicized shooting, but the appeal is also for those reputed to be mob hangouts or owned by a mobster, even once owned. There’s been quite a few of these mob-connected spots over the years, mostly in New York, where there’s been much more Italian organized crime but also Chicago and Philadelphia, and elsewhere. There is, or was, even another aspect to the appeal of mobsters at restaurants. Star critic Gael Greene, in the early years of her restaurant review column in New York magazine, wanted to check out in 1969 the thought in New York that the “Mafia is widely advanced as ‘the Michelin Guide for Italian restaurants.” Aided in her quest by a “gourmet crew of Mafia Boswells and plumpish law enforcement officers” who had “shared their personal dining guides to Mafia-starred restaurants,” she visited eight restaurants, four of which were in Little Italy, and another just blocks away, each serving familiar local takes on Southern Italian-American fare. Greene was not too impressed with these. That did not have to diminish the draw, though.

Below are a dozen of the most infamous over the years, one with a very memorable name even hosted a couple different murders decades apart.

Photo: Umberto's Clam House - Jerry Mosey/AP/Shutterstock

I’ve been an active participant in Houston Restaurant Weeks again this year. It benefits a worthwhile local charity, The Houston Food Bank, that I support and it also helps restaurants in what was once the slowest time of the year. And that’s even if it’s been my experience over the years that you will not get any restaurant’s best effort. Corners are almost always cut: offerings are limited, preparations are simpler, portions might be smaller, desserts seem have sat in the refrigerator much longer than usual, and there are often add-ons for something that most customers want, etc. I understand the need to do so and have accepted it for a while. If a restaurant impresses with a Restaurant Weeks menu, I am impressed. There are some that do.
In order of the quality of the meals, taste first then value.

Musaafer – B+ – Musaafer wins Restaurant Weeks for me once again and further confirmation that this is the best Indian restaurant in the city. A ceviche of sorts featuring lychees was as artfully presented as it was delicious, which was followed by probably the best version of butter chicken I’ve ever had that exhibited a depth of flavor I hadn’t experienced in this popular dish. It made me overlook the $4 surcharge each for accompanying naan and basmati rice, rather necessary.

Pappas Bros. Steakhouse (downtown) – B+ – My favorite of Houston’s traditional expense account steakhouses, this did not disappoint for Restaurant Weeks, as it never does, offering an impressive amount of tasty, cholesterol-laden calories led by a dry-aged Prime Strip that was actually a decent value. As a bonus, is the indulgence in its expansive wine list and enthusiastic sommeliers who guided us to a nice, very steak-complementary St. Joseph far below that average wine tariff.

Aiko – B+ – Vibrant, flavorful, well-crafted seaweed salad was followed by a crudo and handrolls that were each delicious. The attractive space was also a nice break during the workday, even if the lunch was not so filling.

Winnie’s – B+ – Playful food – jalapeño poppers and meatloaf – done better than most places, not surprising as this fun spot with a serious kitchen has always been worth visiting even when a cocktail is not in mind.

Navy Blue – B+/B – A well turned-out red oak salad with Manchego and a light pistachio vinaigrette prefaced a beautifully presented salmon filet that was a touch overcooked but in a preparation that was still quite enjoyable. It started nicely, with exceptional, crumbly, cheddar and scallion biscuits; excellent baked goods are always a hallmark of top restaurants for me, and Navy Blue is one of Houston’s tops.

Fiori – B/B+ –  At least a couple of Italians said I should give Fiori another try and be sure to have one of its Roman dishes. I finally did, and the vibrant sauce in the spaghetti All’Amatriciana did not disappoint. It more than made up for the dull fried ricotta to start.

Upper Kirby District – B – Four courses and the most food of any Restaurants Week menu started off with a terrific chicken, sausage and okra gumbo followed with a forgettable, simple roll then some juicy, crispy fried chicken wings straight from the fryer coupled with cold Belgian waffles but finished with a neat peach cobbler. Uneven but the highs made it quite enjoyable.

Late August – B – This engaging newish spot in the Ion at the edge of Midtown, a sibling of Lucille’s, that highlights products from their farm near Sugar Land, offered a creative take on the Caesar and fun, crispy octopus preparation that showed a preview some of the appealing things that the kitchen can do.

Ostia – B – A better deal than most, with a good-sized Caesar – a common order for me for this – and one of their full-sized pizzas. Though their on the margherita wasn’t has tasty as the couple others I’ve had there, it was still pretty good.

Carrabba’s (Kirby) – B – The fried calamari with a tangy, lemony and piquant dipping sauce and the richly dressed house salad along with recently baked, crusty bread was good enough for me for the simple, soft pasta with an Alfredo-like sauce with strips of discordant roasted chicken to affect my opinion. Being served quickly and capably, as always there, helped, also.

Da Gama – B/B- – The patty was overcooked a little to my taste in my Lamb Kofta Burger, and the attractive if single-fried fries were well served with an accented mayonnaise to dip in, and I enjoyed the nut-heavy gulab jamen after. This stylish Indian spot is a favorite and even having to ask the waitstaff three times for an HRW menu could diminish a visit much.

PS21 – B- – The croutons were not crunchy, but their take on the Caesar salad with a mustard accent was decent enough. The day’s quiche featured a soft crust that was not what it had been in the past for me there, but the crispy fries were tasty, even if the side of oddly ineptly made mayonnaise that was not quite fully emulsified did not satisfy as much as usual.

Picos – C+ – A duo of noticeably tasty salsas with the chips start a meal here, but both dishes were a little too gloppy. The Nachos Jorge, that are topped with the cochinita pibil, were seemingly not stewed enough and certainly not flavorful enough, just like during a visit last month. And the spinach enchiladas were in a hearty cream sauce that was a little too hearty, though it was all an impressive amount of calories on the plates for a lunchtime.

La Fisheria – C – Dull-tasting ceviche featuring very softly-textured cubes of fishes started the meal. This  followed by decent Tex-Mex-style quesadillas oddly served in a little oval skillet with some thick ridges, and finished with very dull cake that likely had been occupying refrigerator space for a while. And all with ingredients that were far from the best. Unfortunately, this visit reminded me why I hadn’t been here for a while.

At Navy Blue the other day; more attractive than the last salmon dish I made at home.

I’m very happy that the tourist boards in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth ponied up the money to pay for Michelin to recommend restaurants and hotels in these big cities; at least $90,000 annually from Houston First here. I’ve used Michelin for restaurants, mostly, with great success over the past quarter-century, largely in Europe. It’s a staple of my travel planning. Though it is unlikely to change my dining habits here, it can be a great boon for restaurants recommended in the guide. And I believe it will help increase the quality of the dining scene here.
 
Though obtuse in practice, Michelin’s stated guidelines for which restaurants deserve inclusion in its guides are “based on five universal criteria, to ensure each destination’s selection equity: 1) quality products 2) the harmony of flavors 3) the mastery of cooking techniques 4) the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine 5) consistency between each visit and throughout the menu (each restaurant is inspected several times a year).” In practice, the level of service, décor along with an appropriate beverage list are also key. That last usually means a decent array of wines.
 
There are currently 152 restaurants cited in Michelin guide for Chicago, so I think that Houston should get at least half that total, as Chicago is bigger metro area, with more much more ambitious set-course establishments, and practiced in satisfying the Michelin inspectors. Also, the quality of service is generally higher than there, a weak spot for the area dining scene, a point re-emphasized with a recent visit to The Blind Goat, which had a few issues, and where the waitstaff was quite earnest but painfully amateurish: slow to clear finished plates, slow to clean a spill, drinks brought to the wrong table, and more. Not unusual.
 
Having fun speculating, I’ve come up with a list of area restaurants that might make the initial Michelin guide based on experience at Michelin-recommended spots including last month in Italy and France, perusing through entries in New York, Chicago, DC, and California, and a few that are hopeful on my part based on my terrific luck at them. There is a soft spot for studied cute and quirky, at least for the Chicago guide, so I have a few. And Tex-Mex might not come to mind for a Michelin guide, but New York even has a Tex-Mex spot, regarded for its “wild boar with grits,” so I think Houston can garner at least one Tex-Mex spot.
 
My lists below are deficient in Chinese and some other Asian eateries, as the Michelin will likely also be.
 
Stars – Listed in order of the likelihood of garnering one, at least one.

• Le Jardinier – Its siblings in New York and Miami have stars and another in Geneva has two. The Robuchon-legacy cuisine still resonates and service is as good as it gets in Houston. The setting at the MFAH is not too shabby, either.
• Katami – Chef Manubu Horiuchi, arguably the top chef in Houston, has a beautiful setting in which to shine for sushi and much more. Shine it certainly does.
• March –The best of breed of the quartet of pricey set-menu-only restaurants that came on the scene in 2021. One of the most ambitious in the area, this is staffed by a very capable and broadly experienced team led by executive chef Felipe Riccio that can pull off Michelin-starred-quality creations inspired by top restaurants around the Mediterranean.
• BCN – Provides locals with a very well-executed glimpse into Spanish fine dining that is both contemporary and deeply rooted in the traditions of Barcelona. The kitchen is headed by Chef Luis Roger, who had years of experience in kitchens in his native Catalonia including a stint at El Bulli, which will get the reviewers attention.
• Navy Blue – 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 CVs on staff here, which quickly shows upon entry and with the first drink, as service is noticeably professional.
• Little’s Oyster Bar – Pappas Restaurants did something it’s never done before with this spring newcomer, hire a top chef to head one of its kitchens, when it enticed Jason Ryczek who had been the executive chef for several years at Farallon, one of San Francisco’s leading seafood restaurants, to move here. Bringing a fresh and seasoned perspective to the space that housed popular Little Pappas Seafood House for over three decades, it now boasts one of the very best seafood restaurants in the entire Gulf Coast.
• Uchi – Terrific in several locations, this Austin-bred sushi spot excels across the board, highlighted by an approachability and comforting service that might belie the culinary excellence.
• Neo – Another omakase concept from alumni of Uchi, this is more than sushi and fish. The setting is also different, quite interestingly, in a menswear showroom. It can be tough to get a ticket, and very pricey one at that.
• Ishtia – The successor to eculent in Kemah that garnered national attention – Tom Sietsema, longtime restaurant critic at The Washington Post had an uneven meal in 2019, but thought it was “tastier overall than the experimental Alinea in Chicago,” which carries three Michelin starts. It’s also the type of multi-course type of spot that Michelin likes.
• Alba – This is a stretch, and I am not sure what is going on since the Borlenghi’s sold the Hotel Granduca where the restaurant resides. But Maurizio Ferrarese, hopefully still at the helm, is one of the very best chefs in the city, in my opinion. He’s been a beacon for excellent truly Italian food since he came to Quattro downtown a dozen or so years ago from Il Palagio, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Florence where he was the chef de cuisine. A couple of summers ago, I attended a dinner at Alba for sixty to seventy people, nearly all Italians. The five courses were terrific, even more impressive given the size of the dinner. It was better than any of the meals I have had in nearly a month spent in Italy over the past couple of years, dining very well. That dinner even impressed the Italians.

 
Inclusion – Listed in alphabetical order. The ones for Bib Gourmand are listed separately, below.

• Amalfi – One of Houston’s very best Italian restaurants
• Amrina – Indian in The Woodlands that got a somewhat recent rave from longtime Los Angeles food radio host Evan Kleinman in the Wall Street Journal, which might help garner proper notice.
• Andiron – Steaks done differently, from the grill not the broiler, in one of the most handsome dining rooms around coupled with an expansive, lust-able wine list, if geared toward those paying with an Amex Black Card.
• Auden – One of 2023’s top newcomers is a neat spot that is intriguing and adroit in a lot of ways.
• Backstreet Café – A bistro for Houston that has been around for decades
• Bari – Excellent, truly Italian food from a seasoned hand, Renato Di Pirro
• Benny Chows – Cheeky and expensive for what it is, this is bolstered by a seasoned named chef who churns out terrific food. Now, Jett Hurapan, of Songkran and Gigi Huang’s. And Michelin seems to have a penchant for rewarding Chinese restaurants not frequented by Chinese.
• Bludorn – Could get a star because the team worked in the Michelin-starred Café Boulud in New York. I don’t think it is star-worthy based on my two visits, though.
• Bori – Houston’s fanciest Korean spot, dishing steak, something, locals and travelers, like
• Brennan’s – The Houston-accented Creole grande dame seems it is a good as it’s been in any time since Danny Trace was lured away to Jim Crane’s ventures in 2017.
• Carrabba’s (Kirby and Voss) – The two original spots of this national chain turn out vibrant, crowd-pleasing Italian-American fare, the best in Houston, with welcoming, very efficient service that have been drawing throngs of folks, many of whom can dine anywhere they want, since the 1980s for a reason. But Michelin doesn’t seem to reward spots like this, as far as I can tell.
• Caracol
• Da Gama
• Da Marco
• Davis Street
• El Tiempo – Possibly. Once dishing the city’s best Tex-Mex, it has suffered some as it has expanded to a number of location, many too many, a fate that befell Ninfa’s before. But those fajitas.
• Etoile
• Eunice
• Flora – New York’s Michelin guide recommends a Tex-Mex spot in New York. This is certainly better – speculating, of course – and also attractively set dishing attractively presented local favorites.
• Hamsa
• Hidden Omakase
• Hugo’s
• Jun
• Kau Ba – Funky and proficient with a good story that has garnered some national attention
• Kata Robata – Maybe even a star given the quality what comes out from Hori’s kitchen and sushi counter
• Killen’s STQ
• Kiran’s
• Lucille’s
• MAD
• Maison Pucha Bistro
  
• MF Sushi
• Musaafer
• Nancy’s Hustle – Should be, will be star-worthy in the future once the Michelin reviewers understand the city and restaurant better.
• Nobie’s
• Ostia – This American-Italian does things quite well and from a restaurateur with tenure in two Michelin bastions, New York and San Francisco, who knows what might need to be done for it.
  
• Pacha Nikkei
  
• Pappas Bros. Steakhouse – The city’s best traditional steakhouse(s) can even load a filet with flavor and has one of the country’s best an most expansive wine lists.
  
• Potente – An expense-account diner across from the ballpark has one of the city’s top chefs, Danny Trace.
  
• Riel
  
• Roost – A slightly quirky spot that largely flies under the radar for most local diners highlighting the personal cuisine of chef-owner Kevin Naderi, something that Michelin might like.
  
• Rosie Cannonball
  
• Soto
  
• Squable
  
• State of Grace
  
• Street to Kitchen – Though I haven’t been impressed as many others in my nearly ten meals here, I think it’s received enough buzz to gain inclusion.
  
• Tatemo
  
• The Lymbar
  
• The Marigold Club – From the team that brought us March and Rosie Cannonball with a former top toque at Tony’s with a focus on demanding, well-heeled diners. Might be too new for inclusion, though.
  
• Theodore Rex
  
• Tony’s
  
• Tris – A bastion of quality in The Woodlands
  
• Uchiko
  
• Vic & Anthony’s – Possibly a reach and, yes, it is a Landry’s restaurant, but it is one of the city’s best steakhouses; here, you don’t have to apologize for visiting a Landry’s property.
  
• Xochi
  

 
Bib Gourmand – “Good value. Good value cooking”; separate from the above lists. Based on other cities, maybe two-thirds of recognized Houston restaurants could be Bib Gourmand places. Listed alphabetically.

• Blood Bros. BBQ
• Crawfish and Noodles
• Cuchara
• Elro – This place is excellent, with a very well-rendered, unique menu from an experienced chef with New York-tuned chops along with fun cocktails and a very well-chosen small list of wines.
• Ema – Cute, quaint and earnest
• Feges BBQ
• Fung’s Kitchen – Maybe it might not be as good as before the fire a few years ago that shuttered it for a while, it is still a go-to for dim sum and Hong Kong-style seafood.
• Goode Co. Kitchen and Catina – The area’s top Tex-Mex spot from an estimable restaurant family, these certainly deserve inclusion.
• Goode Co. Seafood – Quite a bit better than good and the best rendition of locally attuned seafood rooted in the past of the region.
• Himalaya – This approachable, fun stop for Indo-Pakistani food has long been a favorite for locals and national film crews for a while for good reason.
• Josephine’s
• Killen’s BBQ – The area barbecue joint that began the barbecue renaissance still smokes top-notch beef.
• Mala Sichuan – The Chinese restaurant that has received the most press from the non-Chinese language media plus the food is quite good in its several locations and a quality beverage list at the Bellaire Boulevard original.
• Pinkerton’s BBQ
• Pizzana – Has one in Los Angeles and this place is quite proficient.
• Pondicheri
• Poscol – Marco Wiles’s spot has been a welcome stop for something a little different, small plate-style that’s much more Italian than typically found here.
• Saldivia’s – A wish for me. This humble, family-run Uruguayan steakhouse has been turning out the best value steaks in the city for nearly three decades in its various iterations. Their entraña, a skirt steak, ever before adding some more of their terrific chimichurri, has been easily much better than steaks I’ve had at pricey steakhouses like Brenner’s, Andiron, and Georgia James in the past year.
• The Breakfast Klub
• The Pit Room
• Truth BBQ – The brisket here is confirmation that it is world-class fare.
• Tiny Champions – This place is great, and more than just the city’s best pizzeria; excellent cocktails, pasta and more.
• Winnie’s – In the Chicago guide, there is Ina Mae’s, a New Orleans-inspired po boy-centric spot, so Winnie’s could make it. There’s some skill at this seemingly humble place.

A spread at Nancy's Hustle

The hamburger I picked up the other day from Underbelly Burger in Spring Branch was quite disappointing, most notable for the overcooked patties and listless buns that made for a lame sandwich and even putting it in fast-food level to me, albeit at more than twice the price and much less of the  convenience. During its first year or so in operation in the farmers market on Airline, Underbelly Burger was one of my very favorite burger joints. I overlooked that their odd, twisty, thick-cut fries were always undersalted and unsatisfying, but the burgers were outstanding in both of the beef choices.
 
The shake was quite tasty again on the recent visit, and the staff remembered straws, thankfully, but again in the bag for takeout, no napkins. That, with the charging for small packets of ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise, it gave the impression of a restaurant cutting corners, or just not that adept at service. That was certainly my impression with the short-lived Mexico City taqueria concept, Comalito, with its slow, often inept service, very cheap utensils, small, thin napkins not up to the job and food that was uneven in execution and in fairly restrained portions. It seemed expensive for the total product, for a place I really wanted to like. I wasn’t that surprised to learn that it had closed quickly.
 
Now down to Underbelly Burger, Wild Oats and Georgia James, Underbelly Hospitality is a shadow of its former self. Chris Shepherd left two years ago, in July 2022, and the restaurants that remain are far less interesting and a diner is far less assured of an excellent meal, something once taken for granted. My last meal at Georgia James featured a surprising amount of gristle in the steak and a martini bizarrely served in a tulip-shaped glass. Once my favorite local steakhouse, it is now beyond consideration. The modern, overly masculine décor of its current location appalled my oft-charming dining companion, and not that she’s ever been accused of being too dainty. The soulless plaza where the restaurant sits off W. Dallas and Dunlavy probably contributes to the mood. It did not help another briefly lasting effort, Pastore, which served an American-Italian cuisine. That restaurant suffered greatly in comparison to Ostia just down Dunlavy serving similar fare, but exhibiting a much greater understanding of  and interpretation of the cuisine while executing far better.
 
It is good to remember what Underbelly was and became. 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. And 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. It led to other restaurants, most notably the ones in the One Fifth series, somehow excellent in each of several concepts and cuisines ranging from a steakhouse, a mash-up of French, Spanish and Italian dishes, Levantine and Persian, Gulf Coast seafood, and finally a chef-y Italian-American. Underbelly lead to a broadly similar, still outstanding UB Preserv and Georgia James from a One Fifth start, becoming a top local steakhouse stalwart.
 
Chris Shepherd was not the only top chef to leave. Others in recent years include, notably, Nick Wong at UB Preserv and Tim Reading at Georgia James Tavern, who had also been the executive chef at Caracol. Both of whom thankfully have remained in Houston and will be opening new places soon. Others like Ryan Lachaine at Riel and Patrick Feges at Feges BBQ left years ago. The kitchen talent at the restaurants in Underbelly Hospitality seems much less than it once was. This helps explain some of drop off in quality and probably some of the turn to much safer directions.
 
Underbelly, etc., gone but not forgotten.

One of the wonderful compositions at Underbelly back in the day

I am a big fan of Elro and it’s unique, smart and very approachable take on upscale casual dining, believing it was one of the top new restaurants to open in the city last year. Texas Monthly recently opined the same thing. Having dined there about ten times already – it’s nearby and easy for me for lunch which helps – and being sucker for a good sandwich, especially an Italian-accented sandwich, I was looking forward to its second sandwich offering, the Meatball Sub that debuted after my last visit.
 
And that is a favorite for many. The meatball sub finished number thirteen on a YouGov survey of the country’s most popular sandwiches a few years ago. I do like it when done well or even fairly well, though it’s number three for me among hot Italian-American sandwiches. With family roots in Chicago, Italian beef has been tops for me probably followed by Veal Parm – though I haven’t had a good one of those in a quarter century. Elro’s version of the meatball sub might change my sandwich pecking order.
 
Its meatball sub was likely the best of that genre I’ve ever had. Arriving solo on a plate with its two halves enclosed in aluminum foil, it doesn’t make a striking appearance. Unwrapping a half of very hot sandwich gingerly reveals a crusty sesame seed-topped hoagie roll filled with beef and pork meatballs, melted provolone and mozzarella, with a judicious amount of a tomato sauce and, somewhat unusually, big leaves of basil. The meatballs, half pork and half beef, were soft and flavorful, and were complemented perfectly with the melted white cheeses, a lighter tomato sauce, the fragrant green herbs, and the wonderful, crusty bread, the same that’s used for The Hoagie. I made a small mess devouring it. Though a hearty sandwich, this is the freshest, lightest version of a meatball sub I’ve ever had: better bread, higher quality, tastier meatballs, the bit of basil, and fresh-tasting rather than a long-cooked tomato sauce.
 
Not so not inexpensive at $18, but a fair price for the quality and what will be a filling meal for most. It might be a favorite, too.
 
Elro
2405 Genesee (at Fairview), 77006
elrohtx.com

Italian restaurants have been popular in this country, some parts of the country, at least, since the big wave of immigrants from Italy in the late nineteenth century, becoming even more widespread than the significant numbers of Italians would indicate. But, it seemingly took until the end of 1926 for a full-time Italian restaurant to open in Houston.
 
There was Italian food publicly served on a special occasion, or occasions, before then. On July 20, 1924 both the Houston Post and Chronicle reported a society vignette that a certain Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Godwin gave a small dinner party “at the new Italian restaurant in Hermann park.” This was at the café that was opened to patrons of the golf course at the park by John Pappa and Vincent Vallone – Tony Vallone’s grandfather – the month before. This café seemed to also be used for private events, but was not really an Italian restaurant.
 
The honor of the first Italian restaurant in Houston appears to go to Mme. Cerracchio’s that opened in December 1926 in a “stately colonial mansion” at 2414 Main Street at half-block north of McGowen, in today’s Midtown. This also housed the studio of Mrs. Cerracchio’s husband, the sculptor Enrico Cerracchio, who created one of the city’s most iconic civic artworks, the bronze equestrian statue of Sam Houston in Hermann Park. The restaurant advertised table d’hote service from 6:00 to 9:00 PM and a la carte afterwards in “an atmosphere of refinement and culture.” She is quoted as saying a few months after opening that “I have always had the urge to show the Americans how the people in Naples, Enrico’s native city, serve their foods – and at last I’ve found the chance.” It offers “raviolis, meat balls, and fine Italian spaghetti.” Mme. Cerracchio’s was a more appealing-sounding for an Italian (and French) restaurant than that of her maiden surname.

She was born Marion Kowalski in Shamokin, a coal mining town in eastern Pennsylvania that, incidentally, was the also the birthplace of fellow Polish-Americans, Stan Coveleski, a Baseball Hall of Famer, and his brother Harry, who, too, pitched successfully in the major leagues, with a lifetime record of 81-55 and was a three-time twenty-game winner.
 
Coincident with her husband’s work as a sculptor, the restaurant becomes a “rendezvous for the artistic, bohemian element” as many Italian restaurants were famously known to be in New York, Chicago and San Francisco and elsewhere. Mme. Cerracchio’s adapts a slogan of “Where Houston’s ‘Who’s Who’ meets and entertains the Nation’s ‘Who’s Who’”. Nonetheless, it becomes Nino’s in August 1927, just eight months or so after opening, with a new proprietor. This is the first of three Italian-themed restaurants named Nino’s in Houston over the decades, none of them related.

If interested in reading more about the sometimes amusing and surprising history of local Italian restaurants like this, you might want to scroll through some of “A passeggiata through Houston’s Italian restaurant history.”

An advertisement from the Houston Post, March 2, 1927. The address is incorrect.

I hadn’t been to Tacos del Julio in almost a decade and it had been in mind recently after visiting Feges BBQ and Stuffed Belly as one of its locations shares the revitalized now restaurant-heavy strip center on Long Point west of Wirt. I had liked its casual Monterrey-rooted food in the past; it was recommended it in my guidebook Houston Dining on the Cheap some years ago.
 
So, after long last, I drove out there for lunch today. An item at the top of one part of the menu caught my eye: tacos de trompo with beef. I don’t remember having that before – and knowing it existed – and really enjoying well-crafted tacos al pastor and tacos de trompo made with the traditional pork, I ordered it after the waiter confirmed it really was beef sliced from a trompo.
 
Arriving at five to order set flatly on a plate, the marinated slices of beef, which had been slightly crisped on the plancha were set atop a pair of fairly substantial, deep yellow corn tortillas with a bit of melted asadero cheese in between then topped with sauteed onions and slices of avocados. After liberating them from the three separate small plastic bags, accompanied with squeezes from lime wedges, chopped cilantro and chopped fresh onions. With some squirts from the bottle of spicy, flavorful orange salsa, made with chiles de arbol, I assume, the tacos were terrific. The beef was tender, more tender, mildly beefy but much tastier than the beef in a typical taco. With all the complements, even much better.
 
For just $12.49, which came with a cup of nicely satisfying charro beans, it was quite a nice deal. Their slogan is spot on, certainly with this order: ¡No comas ansias, come tacos! When here, don’t worry, eat tacos.
 
Tacos del Julio
8203 Long Point (east of Wirt), (832) 358-1500
tacosdeljuliousa.com
 
Locations also on I-10 in Katy and at 7515 Westheimer. There are two other operators of the restaurant have locations on Airline Drive, in Pasadena, and then one on Highway 6.

I met an old friend the other day for lunch at Winnie’s, a place I have always liked but had not been in a little while. The reason is that the less-than-ideal parking there in a crowded part of Midtown is seemingly always in the back of my mind. Very glad we went there.
 
Winnie’s menu has grown, and it now sports a half-dozen or so sandwich options in addition to a couple burgers and an obligatory wrap in addition to a number of other slightly whimsical and always well-crafted choices. I ordered a new sandwich for me, the East Coast Italian. It’s their take on the classic sub or hoagie, which I am partial. A lot of folks are partial to that style: it’s launched several national sandwich chains, after all.
 
The East Coast Italian has about a dozen components: mortadella, ham, mild capocollo – or cabbacall in my grandfather’s dialect or the cruder-sounding gabagool on the menu that’s familiar from The Sopranos – sliced provolone, a bit of tangy cherry peppers, relish, lettuce, tomato, sliced red onions, mayonnaise, oil and vinegar, and whatever exactly Italian seasoning is all within a fresh sesame-seed-topped hoagie roll from local Luloo’s bakery. Those all play very well together. It’s a great mix of flavors, with enough enjoyingly contrasting textures and easily-good-enough ingredients, notably the bread.

It's delicious and fairly substantial in a whole order, not quite tasting like a classic Northeast sub but something very well-suited for just about any cold sandwich-lover here. And something else to keep in mind when visiting Winnie’s. It’s been tough for me to go wrong here food-wise. Though it is a little out of the way for most for lunch – and that parking  – with the quality of the sandwiches and other casual items and an approachable, comfortable setting, keep Winnie’s in mind for a lunchtime meal, especially on a nice day. And it is a straight shot on the light rail if officing downtown. You can be tempted by a cocktail, too.
 
Winnie’s
3622 Main Street (just north of Alabama), 77002, (713) 520-0660
winnieshouston.com

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve revisited this, about one of the most popular restaurant dishes actually not just at Italian-themed establishments – where a nephew seems to order it every time and Ken Hoffman wanted my thoughts on the best local versions – but also at any type of restaurant. Chicken Parmesan is the most popular of any restaurant chicken dish, at least according to a recent poll.
 
The previous update was sparked by reading a piece about Ken Auletta, who had just written a biography of the horrible Harvey Weinstein (one of whose lawyers I very oddly happen to know). It seems that the longtime New Yorker writer has had an obsession in finding excellent Chicken Parmesan preparations, and part of a group of guys who have been foraging the Italian-American eateries of the New York area for years for it.
 
For Auletta, a “test of a good Southern Italian restaurant is whether their chicken or veal parmigiana had a good sauce, the breading is crisp and has not been drowned in sauce, and the chicken or veal is not so thin it tastes like cardboard.”

Chicken Parmesan is an American creation that grew from the eggplant parmigiana preparation from southern Italy and Sicily, with the meatier chicken substituting for the less caloric eggplant at its core. Veal Parmesan came first, at least by the 1930s while Chicken Parmesan debuted on restaurant menus at least a couple of decades later. Veal Parmesan is certainly a much better dish, and my favorite dish as a kid, but Chicken Parmesan is ubiquitous throughout the country, the veal version much less so.
 
Industrially produced, widely distributed, easily affordable, and easy to cook with, abnormally large, if typically fairly tasteless, chicken breasts provide the key reason for the popularity of Chicken Parmesan. The dish at restaurant is a chicken breast or two – rarely pounded very thin – breaded and pan-fried, sometimes baked, and topped with mozzarella and maybe some other Italian-inspired cheeses and melted in an oven, and served in a tomato sauce usually with a side of pasta, likely spaghetti, also in that tomato sauce. You know what it is. And even longtime New Yorkers and Italian-Americans like Ken Auletta might really like it if done well.

People like Italian-American food, in even the most minor key. And here is what Chicken Parmesan will currently cost at the bakers dozen of the biggest Italian-American restaurant chains:

• Bertucci’s– $23.99, served with spaghetti in tomato sauce – 23 locations
• Biaggi’s– $19.25, served with something called “Three-Cheese Alfredo Rigatini” – 16 locations
• Bravo! Italian Kitchen– $23.99, served with herbed linguini;  – 26 locations
  
• Brio Italian Grille– $25.99, it is called the fancier, slightly Frenchified Chicken Milanaise, but it is Chicken Parmesan, served with herbed pasta – 31 locations
  
• Bucca di Beppo– $32.00 for a portion that feeds three, $10.67 per person – 69 locations
• Johnny Carino’s – $20.99, served with spaghetti with tomato sauce – 31 locations
• Carrabba’s (chain) – $22.49, Served with your choice of side – 219 locations
• Fazoli’s – $9.79, served with spaghetti with marinara sauce and two breadsticks – 208 locations
• Maggiano’s Little Italy – $22.50, served with spaghetti and marinara sauce – 52 locations
• Old Spaghetti Factory– $20.75, served with a side of spaghetti with tomato sauce – 42 locations
• Olive Garden– $19.49, served with a side of spaghetti – 918 locations
• Romano’s Macaroni Grill – $20, served with spaghetti and tomato sauce – 32 locations
• Spaghetti Warehouse – $18, served with spaghetti with tomato sauce, bread and salad or soup – 6 locations

 
The average price is just about $20 now, up 7% from when I did this in 2022. It’s up over 40% since 2010.
 
Chicken Parmesan is also a common menu item on local Italian-American menu. It will average about $4 more than the national chains, but will hopefully be tastier. Certainly at some of these:

• B.B. Italia – $26
• Carrabba’s, Original – $27.39, served with a side of fettuccine Alfredo
• Cavatore – $24, served with a side of penne with tomato sauce
• Coppa – $28, served with a side of fettuccine with a cheese sauce
• Damian’s – $27, served with a side of fettuccine with tomato sauce
• D’Amico’s – $23.99, served with a side of fettucine Alfredo or spaghetti with tomato sauce
• Fratelli’s – $16 (only on the lunch menu), served with a side of pasta with tomato sauce
• Marmo – $28
• Passarella – $17.95, served with a side of spaghetti with tomato sauce
• Piatto – $23.95, served with a side of fettuccine Alfredo
• Rocco’s – $16.50, served with a side of fettucine Alfredo
• Trattoria Sofia – $27
• Triola’s – $28, served with a side of rigatoni with tomato sauce

 
A version at Maggiano's

Having even gone to one of her book release events, I really enjoy and look forward to Mimi Swartz’s columns, both in Texas Monthly and occasionally in the New York Times. Except when she writes about restaurants; her loss at the closure of a nearby Luby’s – Luby’s – and the local establishments that undeservingly, and sometimes so in the head-scratching fashion, get a blurb in Texas Monthly’s dining listings, sometimes with good ratings, in lieu of much better places, which I ascribe to her influence as a Heights resident, rightly or wrongly. The current article about La Griglia’s move is another one, if not Luby-esque.
 
Swartz is certainly spot-on about the clientele, the moneyed, the society names, the politically connected, who were the main story concerning the restaurant over the years, which was the focus of the article. But what was barely alluded to, which I thought was very important, was the design of the original restaurant, a testament to La Grigila’s founder, Tony Vallone.
 
Tony Vallone had an excellent sense of style and design. I don’t believe that he received enough credit for that, and it extended to all of his restaurants, at least from the 1980s on. Grotto featured a sprawling, fun and often bawdy, well-rendered mural adorning the walls and columns featuring Naples-inspired figures street scenes and those from the Italian commedia dell’arte that was part of the draw of the restaurant. La Grigila was maybe even more attractive, with its seaside motif, if just slightly more restrained in the content of its décor. But both gorgeous and still kinetic and in a key that alluded to Italy, coastal Italy for well-heeled foreign vacationers. That beautiful design was actually replicated quite closely, at least for a short time in Dallas in the 1990s, as Joey’s, opened for Vallone’s wayward son. The second act of Anthony’s, coming after Grotto and La Griglia was completely different, but strikingly handsome. The latest incarnation of Tony’s, which opened in 2005, has an intriguing modern setting, light but sumptuous, punctuated with dramatic late-century works by Robert Rauschenberg and Jesus Moroles.

The Landry’s restaurants, and all of Tillman Fertitta’s properties, lack that sense of style and design that Vallone possessed. It is immediate obvious with the new location of La Griglia, housed in the space that was another, very popular Italian-American restaurant, Nino’s, for several decades (which is strangely not mentioned in the article; and neither is the clear star of that new development, the terrific Katami, from top chef Manabu Horiuchi, steps from La Griglia). I’ve walked through the new La Griglia and it’s attractive; white tablecloths throughout, and a neat patio with a separate small bar, all highlighted with pandering photographs of Italian movie icons and scenes. But it seems like a chain restaurant, which it essentially is. It’s lacking personality that both its previous location and the previous tenant had.

You probably don’t want to visit for the food, either. I never really went to La Griglia or Grotto after those became Landry properties. The items were certainly not as well-prepared nor as interesting as when those were Vallone-run. What was one of Esquire’s best new restaurants in the country when it opened in 1991 – as were Vallone siblings Grotto and Anthony’s in other years – was an afterthought for most discriminating diners after Landry’s took over. As if stuck in amber, the menus even do not seem to have changed that much from that time, over two decades ago, and appear quite similar at the new La Griglia address, too, if pricier. There is still no reason to visit La Griglia, unless you were a cosseted regular, I guess.

Maybe it is better now, but why bother there are much better Italian restaurants to be found in Houston. Alba, Amalfi, Bari, Da Marco, Tavola, Potente, and, yes, Tony’s, too, to just name a few. And a few additional suggestions.

The dining room at La Grigila, as it was for over three decades.

From the first edition of my guidebook Houston Dining on the Cheap that was published in 2001 about the green salsa at Taqueria Arandas:
 
Not insignificantly, the green salsa, offered complimentary with chips, is quite possibly the best salsa in town. A purée of chiles of a thick consistency, it is both very spicy while remaining very tangy and savory. It seems to complement every dish offered. Unfortunately, not all of the locations have this salsa. The Highway 6 and N. Gessner locations do. 
 
That green salsa eventually spread to the other locations of Taqueria Arandas where it have been a tabletop staple for years. It’s also been copied or attempted to have been copied at a number of other Mexican restaurants in town though never with quite the result.
 
I love that viscous green stuff in a squeeze bottle at Taqueria Arandas, on chips, on almost anything I order there, though it’s been sometimes hotter, sometimes tastier; if not entirely consistently made, I find it always at least enjoyable, and it’s a significant part of the attraction of the restaurants. Certainly rooted in Mexico, I don’t know if it comes from the town of Arandas in Jalisco, at least I didn’t notice it at the restaurant we ate there many years ago. It doesn’t really matter; it’s here, thankfully.
 
Given my infatuation with it, I’ve tried to make it at home a couple of times, from a couple of different recipes cajoled on a couple of different occasions from waitresses there. Briefly sauteed serranos, whole except for the stems, garlic, and some white onion that is then pureed with lime juice is the closest I’ve come.
 
It’s yet another example of my palate being more demanding than my cooking skills and I likely have to be satisfied with trip to the restaurants.
 
Taqueria Arandas
Multiple locations throughout the Houston area
taqueriasarandas.com

Some truth in advertising: mural at Taqueria Arandas on N. Shepherd

The year that’s been, 2023, has been a terrific one for new restaurants, probably the best since I’ve been actively following the Houston dining scene. As I’ve done in the past, the intent for this effort was to devise a list of the ten best restaurants to open in Houston during the year. But the shear number of high-quality restaurants to open here in recent months, rather than editorial slackness, made me to include a bakers dozen. It’s been a fun time to visit new restaurants here, even if the trend has been toward ever higher tabs. Many of the top newcomers will engender a hefty bill, if almost always worth it. Truffles, caviar, foie gras, cold-water lobster, A5 wagyu beef, sushi with fish sourced from Japan, a deep wine list, an overly stocked bar, and inspired design and the contractors to make that happen need to be paid for, after all. A fair number of Houstonians can afford these delights, though, and it shows with the oft-difficult reservations.
 
My list skews toward the more expensive, as these were clearly the best of the new restaurants this year.
 
In addition to the greater expense, other notable trends were appealing new French- and Italian-themed eateries, including ones with kitchens manned by actual Frenchmen and Italians; the number of enticing stops for sushi grew; and beautiful build-outs were displayed in newcomers like Annabelle, Andiron, Bari, Cocody, Eau Tour, Katami and Tavola. Bennie Chows, I’m not so sure about. Underbelly Hospitality, that grew from Chris Shepherd’s Underbelly, was net up one restaurant. Comalito, featuring Mexico City tacos and its brethren, shows promise after a rocky opening. But the group, which was once the city’s most exciting restaurant purveyor, lost another acclaimed chef – and another alum started receiving acclaim elsewhere –  and it became a much better bet for its more casual concepts, those tacos along with burgers.
 
The Berg Hospitality Group, an early local adopter of the grating credit card surcharge, added three wildly different, if each wildly expensively constructed concepts: Chinese, French and Italian. Two of which were among the best new restaurants to open here. The third, the French brasserie Annabelle, if suffering from some execution issues early on, is among the most fetchingly designed dining spaces in the area. The Azuma Group also had a noteworthy year, successfully transforming the Japanese Izakya into the Gulf Coast-centric Josephine’s then opening the city’s grandest stage for sushi, Katami. It’s been a fun year.
 
Listed alphabetically.
 
Andiron – Steak – Entrées: $39 to $150, $84 average – Yes, Houston does need another expense account steakhouse when it is something as striking, distinctive and proficient as this opulent effort from the folks at The Pit Room, Candente and, formerly, the excellent seafooder 1751. Featuring steaks and more cooked over a post oak-fired grill rather than the typical steakhouse broiler, the USDA Prime offerings, with just a scent of smoke and lower temps of the grill, taste just a little different. In a welcome way. Even with some turmoil in the kitchen as the initial executive chef departed early on, it’s recently settled on Michael O’Connor, longtime head of the kitchen at Vic & Anthony’s, the best of the Landry’s restaurants. The menu now features the standard quartet of cuts plus a steak au poivre, A5 wagyu cooked on a robata, and a recognizable array of steakhouse sides and accompaniments done a little uniquely. The expansive wine list encompassing both the Old and New World is an enophile’s dream, a wealthy enophile’s dream. The cocktail program is just as serious. Set just off Waugh near the AIG tower and Stages Theater in an older single story Spanish and Mediterranean-influenced building, it’s part of a River Oaks-adjacent nexus of excellent, pricy newcomers including Auden, Cocody and Katami. “Handsome” or “gorgeous” might be the first word many would use to describe the main interior that seats 110 including a bar area, done in browns, blacks and green. This is Houston’s most attractive steakhouse. And the most interesting.  Montrose
 
Auden – New American – Entrées: $20 to $40, $27 average – Announced in late 2021, husband and wife Chefs Kirthan and Kripa Shenoy – savory and sweets, respectively – finally opened Auden around Halloween this year. The sleek, modern restaurant in the new multi-use Autry Park development was well worth the wait, as it impressed right from the get-go, from the cocktails to the smart, short list of wines with friendly prices and mostly the kitchen. Kirthan, from Sugar Land, and Kripa, from Goa, both worked at the Michelin-starred Italian seafood Marea and Ligurian-inflected Ai Fiori from renowned chef Michael White in Manhattan. That top restaurant background shows strongly, even if there is not much among the offerings that are truly Italian. Nor Indian, either. The twenty savory plates, both smaller and more substantial, are mixed on the menu encouraging sharing or a progressive-type dinner. Fried oysters with trout roe and Fresno chiles, a Parisian-style seared gnocchi with Calabrian chiles and spinach in a rosemary beurre blanc, red snapper in a chicken broth are few of the well-executed winners. The nearly globe-spanning influences shown with preparations scallion pancakes with cultured buttered and chile-spiced agrodolce, and Gulf shrimp given Japanese and Thai ingredients, spicy and cooling, will resonate in a ready Houston market, as will the interplay of lower-key and luxe. Hamburgers share printed space with caviar and shaved Perigord truffles. Do save room for desert with the rich Le Choclat featuring milk and dark chocolates, Bomboni with blackberry sugar, or a neat take on that Houston favorite, tres leches.  River Oaks
 
Bari – Italian – Entrées: $24 to $60, $39 average – Opened in May 2023 with seasoned chef Renato De Pirro, a native of the Maremma in Tuscany, at the helm, this serves delicious pan-Italian cooking that tastes like Italy – likely no other local restaurant imports as much of its product from the home country – in an striking upscale trattoria-like setting with a soaring ceiling and sprawling sidewalk patio space that fits in perfectly with its high-dollar neighbors. The menu features recognizable favorites like Insalata Caprese, fritto misto, pappardelle Bolognese, spaghetti with clams, and veal scaloppine with lemon that are executed with excellent ingredients and more skill, understanding and flair than most places. A seafood tower, East Coast oysters on the half shell, and the now-days necessary caviar and truffle menu items – and tartufo bianco from Alba when in season – can help make this an overly indulgent lunch or dinner. The enticing, Italian-focused wine list has the well-known labels Gaja, Solaia, Tignanello and Ornellaia, but about a dozen nicely chosen ones by the glass for $15 and less and many selections under $75 – like a bottle of Rosso di Montalcino from star producer Casanova di Neri and a Pinot Grigio but from the Collio. Bari is both a restaurant for special occasions and one to be frequented regularly without tiring of it, especially for those who can shop frequently at the stores outside its doors.  River Oaks District
 
Bennie Chows – Chinese – Entrées: $18 to $115, $51 average – Cheeky, a bit garish in design, but with seriously good and fun food, if seriously pricey, and certainly overpriced in spots, e.g. $28 for vegetable fried rice, this is nonetheless a nifty, eclectic addition to our diverse dining landscape. From Berg Hospitality, this continuously expanding concern has, for the first time, hired an acclaimed chef, Shirong Mei, who began his cooking career in Hong Kong and delighted local diners at Yauatcha, the upscale dim sum spot in the Galleria a few years ago. Having an excellent chef really shows. Though maybe not fully the expected “American Chinese” its site proclaims, the fare is mostly Cantonese- and Szechuan-inspired dishes along with Peking Duck and the now locally must-have soup dumplings that hale from Shanghai. There is a version of General Tso’s Chicken and Orange Beef, too, but the “American” comes in more so with the inspired, rich restaurant-ready preparations like foie gras rolls, uni-laden siu mai, egg drop soup topped with Parmigiano Reggiano, and a couple with barbecued beef brisket from nearby Truth BBQ. A fun way to start is with a Smoked Brisket Egg Roll featuring Truth’s brisket, or the Szechuan Hot and Sour Soup, just a cup for $18, which is probably the most layered and flavorful version in Houston. It is oddly, if delightfully, garnished with a nicely grilled shrimp on a wooden skewer. Reflecting the ethnicities of most of the clientele – my Chinese co-workers were quick to decline a suggestion for lunch after seeing the prices – chopsticks are used less frequently than at about any Chinese restaurant in the area outside of those sad all-you-can-eat buffets serving low-budget local Gargantuas and Pantagruels. But they are very nice chopsticks as is everything here.  Sixth Ward
 
Cocody – New American – Entrées: $29 to $96, $53 average – The first thing to impress is the dramatic light-filled décor: the spacious dining area filled with thin crystal chandeliers dangling down and plush mauve- and cream-colored chairs and bangquettes along with the many-seated oval bar near the entrance, home to inspired cocktails and the playful lollys. Along with the elegant patio, the setting is a perfect complement to an increasingly upscale stretch of West Gray. But owners Edith and Edwin Bosso, whose roots in Côte d'Ivoire give the restaurant’s name, Cocody, provided chef David Denis and team an equally impressive work space that can be just glanced at from many tables: a roomy, state-of-the-art, and nearly fully stainless steel kitchen with the latest induction stovetops. It’s a serious kitchen and the restaurant is much more than a pretty destination, and featuring a stellar staff. Along with Denis, there is co-executive chef Lionel Debon with several Michelin-starred stops in his background including the famed La Pyramide in Vienne and recently at the excellent Alba here. Denis is quick to say that the offerings are not French, and global flavors and ingredients are found, but the French technique and sensibility are felt and seen in the dishes. A cod filet with jumbo lump crab meat in a beurre blanc emulsion and the Roasted Lamb Saddle Cut in a butter-garlic au jus are two entrées the kitchen is quick to tout. For the wine, brother Sylvain Denis constructed largely French list that should fit any mood, featuring enough fruit-forward Californian offerings for those not in tune with the Old World. And any meal should finish with a dessert – a visit might be a splurge, after all – rich, exquisitely rendered and certainly jibing with the sumptuous surroundings.  River Oaks
 
Elro – Pizza / American – Entrées: $18 to $23, $22 average – This, “a neighborhood pizzeria and crudo bar located in a bungalow house at the confluence of the Montrose and Midtown neighborhoods,” might seem like an odd thing, but unpretentious Elro makes splendid sense. This is largely because its headed Terrance Gallivan, who was one of the principals at the acclaimed Pass & Provisions once nearby – in the space now housing Bludorn – that turned out some good pizzas among its many adept preparations. The pizzas here are different than what I remember from Provisions, but superb. It begins with the crust, which are puffy, with a slightly raised crown at its edges and a bottom that is nicely charred; light and flavorful throughout, with a welcome fresh taste that is delicious to the last bite, In a big city with a deficit of quality pizzerias, the terrific pizzas are a start and a draw for many, but this, a smart, comfy place will appeal to frequent diners even when not in the mood for pizza. The cooling crudos are mostly seafood including East Coast oysters on the half-shell and four appealing and unique combinations: tuna with pistachio and some ‘nduja spice; smoked kampachi with pumpkin seeds and a Japanese flavors; snapper with pickled mangos, olives and chile peppers; and the Italian mint nepitella-cured salmon with apples and hazelnut; plus a take on steak tartare, a dish that has become more commonly seen here again. There’s also a couple terrific sandwiches, fun cocktails sporting the names of Springsteen songs, and a well-chosen, mostly Italian list of wines.  Montrose
 
Eau Tour – French – Entrées: $18 to $45, $29 average – From Benjy Levitt, who delighted diners at this address for years beginning with benjy’s, this newest concept, “a new Community Bistro,” might be viewed as a comfortable, localized and capable take on the French brasserie with a self-stated emphasis on seafood and dishes from a wood-burning oven. East Coast oysters, crudo or jumbo lump crab with aioli can start and then on to other expected preparations: escargots, French onion soup, steak tartare, quiche, beef bourguignon, steak frites featuring 44 Farms strip and duck fat fries. But there’s also a butter-poached trout with smoked roe, a grilled snapper, and a pork Caesar Schnitzel that’s fitted with Little Gem lettuce, Parmesan and boquerones. The wine list is eclectic, mostly French, and with an emphasis on bubbles and reds. You should have a number of fairly decent options from which to choose, and nearly all in double-digits. There is a creative “heavy pour” cocktail program to get you in the proper evening mood at this second-floor setting above Levitt’s Local Foods. It’s charming, with a whimsical contemporary décor, and quaint, just sixty seats in booths and banquettes along with nearly a dozen at the bar. This is a very welcome addition for the surrounding, well-heeled neighborhoods.  Rice Village
 
Josephine’s – Gulf Coast Seafood – Entrées: $19 to $45, $29 average – Replacing Izakaya, the Azuma Group did something non-Japanese, the locally familiar Gulf Coast cuisine but with accents further east to Mississippi, the home of state of chef Lucas McKinney, an Underbelly Hospitality alumnus. Casual and playful in spirit – the “Snacks” section lists ten items – but serious in execution, even with those more informal items like po boys and red beans and rice. The former, graced with the parbaked Leidenheimer rolls, crustier and in better shape than most places, are nearly spot on, if a little small. The oyster service is quite adept, even sourcing surprisingly flavorful oysters from Galveston Bay. The Smoked Redfish Dip featuring chucks of farm-raised redfish and a lemon remoulade is fun way for the table to start as are the moist, crisp and locally peerless hushpuppies served along a piquant pickled jalapeño tartar sauce. The handful of bigger plates include a grilled redfish on the half-shell, fried chicken and dumplings, and snapper collars with a Jamaican jerk rub. With a lengthy bar, Josephine’s has an enthusiastic cocktail program. The tiny list of wines leans hipster and obscure, and can use some work, but there are bottlings from Weszeli and Raventos among the more widely pleasing offerings. The interior is brighter than it’s predecessor and seems to add to the intended atmosphere. Service is friendly, and this is an inviting place to augment to Houston’s broad dining landscape.  Midtown
 
Jun – Southeast Asian – Entrées: $17 to $53, $31 average – An attractive and early 2023 entrant on 20th Street in the Heights, this builds on the success of Kin that charmed diners in the Politan Row food hall in the Village before the pandemic and Chef Evelyn Garcia’s star turn in the locally set “Top Chef” season in 2022. Plates here are meant for sharing and are divided among snacks, raw, vegetables, and proteins, plus desserts. Gulf shrimp aguachile; sweet potato lebneh; beef tartare in croute with its classic egg yolk accompaniment but also toasted rice and a sesame buñuelo; lamb curry with pickled daikon and pistachios; and a whole fish with guajillo chiles, red onions and charred limes are some of the inspired combinations that trek between Asia and Mexico and elsewhere. To accompany, it’s just beer, wine and wine- and sake-based cocktails, and ordering a bottle of wine has been the best bet.  Heights
 
Katami – Japanese – Entrées: $29 to $260, $105 average – Chef Manabu Horiuchi, Hori, of Kata Robata acclaim is one of the very best toques in Houston regardless of cuisine, and the enchanting, grand new space that opened in October, long home of the Italian-American Vincent’s, is a fitting setting to shine even more. Imbued with a Japanese design ethos, this “sushi, wagyu and sake-focused restaurant” features clean lines, blond woods interspersed with black, a separate ebony colored bar and over 180 seats along with a few dozen more in a somehow tranquil patio near busy W. Dallas. But it’s the food that’s the star. With the most wide-ranging regular selection of nigiri and sashimi around, it includes a number of items flow in regularly from Japan, all fashioned and served in optimal fashion. Hori has some fun with the makimono, the rolls, like the Southern Smoke Roll with fatty tuna belly, uni, caviar, shiso, wasabi and soy sauce, or the less opulent Texas Hamachi Roll filled with fried shrimp, spicy tuna and yellowtail with yuzu juice and topped with slices of fresh jalapeño. And others such as the Foie Gras PBJ Milk Bread. The lengthy menu has much more than sushi, with plenty of hot preparations including A5 beef from two different prefectures and two types of cooking methods. It might be overwhelming, but you can make it easier by ordering the sashimi or two or chirashi, sashimi over rice, or the kitchen’s choice of ten pieces of nigiri. It seems like it’s tough to go wrong here, and the plentiful staff will be sure to explain and encourage exploration, which can cost.  Montrose
 
Little’s Oyster Bar – Seafood – Entrées: $33 to $69, $48 average – Pappas Restaurants did something it’s never done before with this spring newcomer, hire a top chef to head one of its kitchens, when it enticed Jason Ryczek who had been the executive chef for several years at Farallon, one of San Francisco’s leading seafood restaurants, to move here. Bringing a fresh and seasoned perspective to the space that housed popular Little Pappas Seafood House for over three decades, it now boasts one of the very best seafood restaurants in the entire Gulf Coast. Possibly the city’s top raw bar does expert duty with oysters including an actually enticing cocktail sauce made with a pomegranate molasses that offsets its dull mignonette companion. Cold platters large and small include a deconstructed Crab Louie with delectable plump pieces of lump blue crab meat. And Ryczek’s past with caviar ensures its service might be the most impressive in town if you can indulge in that luxury and skyrocketing the bill at already expensive spot. A star among the warm preparations is the Texas Redfish served skin-on with an Italianesque salsa verde featuring Castelveltrano olives. Another is the chicken fried snapper with a tangy sauce ravigote. Resolutely a seafood restaurant – and a destination-worthy one at that – but a pricey Prime dry-aged steak or a white truffle risotto, or even some of the compelling vegetable sides, might satisfy those in the group who desist from the ocean’s charms. Wine offerings reach to the deep Pappas’ cellars for a list that is rather unusual, lengthy, and heavy on Champagne and Burgundy. The wait staff is trademark Pappas attentive, accommodating and forthright. Start with a cocktail, something chilled, and about anything else to continue, probably getting some help with the wine, and it be tough not to be impressed here.  Montrose
 
PS-21 – French – Entrées: $24 to $56, $35 average – A self-described “unassuming Frenchie Restaurant and Bar” is a comfortable and friendly, if somewhat dark, contemporary bistro from local favorite Philippe Schmit, and well-suited to the Upper Kirby District. Quite inviting for lunch – and when the tiny parking will have a space sans valets – with more casual offerings including well-done quiches, croque monsieur, salade Nicoise and moules frites. Those fries; properly crisp and lightly salted, are some of the best around, especially when paired with house-made mayonnaise or bearnaise. Meats, fish, and butter- and cream-laden sauces help make for a more robust dinner. Even more so when choosing steak tartare Rossini, foie gras terrine, a Duck Breast Wellington, or a 10-ounce entrecote with a decadently delightful seared foie gras topping. There is a short, smart, and nicely all-French wine list that’s aided with sage suggestions from the staff. And fun cocktails with a strong French or French colonial accent can help start the fun here.  Upper Kirby District
 
Tavola – Italian – Entrées: $24 to $68, $41 average – The third new restaurant from Berg Hospitality, only opening in December, is easily its most Italian, and easily its best Italian-themed effort – the others have been quite easy to overlook. This time it partnered with the Bastion Group of local Le Jardinier to bring the seasoned Luca di Benedetto, the former head corporate chef of the 20-restaurant Giorgio Armani Group, from Milan to lead the kitchen. And the result is truly Italian and well-executed, comforting and upscale pan-Italian trattoria-like fare. You get a sense of its sure-handedness soon after sitting with a surprisingly enticing amuse bouche of marinated, pitted and herbed, plump Castelveltrano olives served with biscuit-like taralli. Then the menu is approachable and easily discernible with items Caesar salad, fritto misto, spaghetti with clams, house-made pappardelle with Texas wild boar, tagliatelle with black truffle, chicken cacciatore, and tagliata with Prime New York strip. You might consider starting with a crudo or tuna tartare – taking advantage of the chef’s time at Nobu Milano – and then seven-layer Bolognese lasagna or one of Milan’s specialties, the osso buco ragu-laden Risotto Milanese or plate-sized Veal Milanese. Desserts are not an afterthought with cantucci made in house and a decadent cannoli for two, and paired with vin santo or an amaro or more. The setting and service – prices, too – are befitting a top ristorante, both elegant and inviting; an excellent fit to gleaming surrounding Post Oak towers and of the multitude of gleaming passing and nearby-parked vehicles originating from Stuttgart, Munich, and even Modena.  Galleria Area

The dramatically presented Beef Rib Au Poivre at Andiron