​I finally made it Segari’s the other day.  Segari’s, in its current on Shepherd between I-10 and Washington and in previous incarnations, has been serving its brand of regional Gulf Coast seafood and more since 1971.  The esteemed Robb Walsh rang high praises about Segari’s shrimp and gumbo for years, giving some credence to the restaurant’s tagline of “World Famous Gumbo and Fried Shrimp.”
 
I’m sorry I waited so long.  The Grilled Bacon Wrapped Shrimp preparation I had featured absolutely terrific shrimp, impeccably high quality, large and perfectly cooked.  These were moist, and with an excellent texture that was tender enough – properly not soft and definitely no hint of toughness that might indicate too much time on the heat – and nicely assembled with the thin pieces of the affixed bacon, that stayed affixed, nicely complementing rather overwhelming the flavor of the shrimp. These were best grilled shrimp I’ve had in memory and it was one of the top shrimp dishes I’ve had in quite a while, up there with the barbecue shrimp at Mr. B’s in New Orleans earlier this year.
 
Unfortunately, there were only five shrimp to my order.  I could have eaten several more, as delicious as they were.  Also unfortunately, the shrimp came with an order of the worst onion rings I might have ever had and the worst garlic bread I’ve ever had.  The onion rings had an odd and odd-tasting breading.  A friend thought it looked like breading that was old.  It didn’t seem like that to me.  Rather, it was just dull-looking, not flavorful and bland, at best.  An odd complement of horseradish-spiked cocktail sauce was necessary with them.  Next time, I’ll go for the fries or Rosemary New Potatoes as my choice of a side.  The very dry garlic bread that prefaced my order seemed like two length-wise halves of what appeared to be supermarket-purchased bolillo bread without much in the way of discernible butter or olive oil, nor garlic, and that was left in the oven to affect the consistency of two misshapen croutons. 
 
And annoyingly, there are no prices on the menu.  Your bill’s total seems to be dependent on the price of the seafood and the whim of the restaurant.  My order which didn’t feature a ton of food was $27.95, quite expensive for me for lunch.  There’s not a lunch menu.  But I’ll be back to this quirky, homey little bungalow-set spot – just nine tables and about the same number of seats at the bar – for some of its succulent shrimp, at the very least.
 
Segari’s
1503 Shepherd (between I-10 and the railroad tracks), 77007, (713) 880-2470
segarisrestaurant.com

​I had made the trek out to Maine-ly Sandwiches on I-10 that’s in the same shopping center as the Edwards Marq’E 23 movie theater for a late lunch with a lobster roll in mind.  As $28 for the Whole Lobster Roll seemed excessive for a midday meal during the work week, I ordered a ½ lobster roll and felt that I would likely need some more sustenance.  A half Italian Sandwich, available in a variety of choices, is just $4.50, so I ordered one after asking the cashier which one she thought was the best.  Chicken Salad, maybe seeming unusual under the banner of “Italian Sandwiches,” but that proved to be a very enjoyable recommendation.
 
Though I ate chicken salad sandwiches often during my second year of business school – cheap, convenient and something that the cafeteria didn’t screw up – that was a number of years ago.  I’ve rarely eaten them since, so this order would be a nice change of pace, at least.  Served on a buttered and toasted split-top roll, a soft, industrially produced hot dog roll, I got the sandwich with everything: the chicken salad, slivers of apples, bits of walnuts, chopped onions, iceberg lettuce, slices of tomato, pieces of bell pepper, pickles, black olives, pickled and jalapeños along with salt and pepper.  It was a rather odd and unsightly concoction, but it was quite tasty, mayonnaise-heavy, with a lot more going on than the typical chicken salad sandwich.  The laundry list of sandwich toppings all played well together for me, even the black olives, and there was welcome textural diversity with the walnuts and pickles.  I’m glad that I took the cashier’s suggestion.  I’ll likely do so again in the future.
 
Also, the lobster roll, properly buttery and fairly rich, was quite good, too.  The drive was worth it.
 
Maine-ly Sandwiches
7620 Katy Freeway (just east of Silber, near the Edwards Marq’E 23), 77024, (713) 677-0771
mainelysandwiches.com

Through September I was disappointed in the collection of new restaurants that had opened in the city this year compared to the fantastic year that 2017 was for newcomers, likely the best ever in Houston.  But things picked up in the last quarter, and it proved tough to limit the list to just ten restaurants.  Houston remains a wonderfully dynamic dining city and its restaurant scene grew, if with fewer ambitious restaurants this year than last.  Chef Chris Shepherd, especially, had a terrific year.  He and his team were remarkably busy, with three restaurant openings and Southern Smoke, the city’s best food event, all within the space of a few months.  All succeeded in more than fine fashion.  It was a busy year not only for them but other restaurateurs.  The folks from Agricole Hospitality (Coltivare, Eight Row Flint) opened four places, including Indianola with the skilled Paul Lewis (Osteria Mazzatini, most notably) at the helm.  Ford Fry of State of Grace opened a couple of fun spots in the spaces of the dearly departed duo of Hunky Dory and Bernadine’s.  On the counter-service side, our recent-years impressive barbecue landscape got even more impressive and more interesting.  It was a good year for new restaurants, and before the end of year, a hectic one, too. 
 
To note, the average prices reflect a typical dinner, which might be an appetizer, side or dessert in addition to the entrée – or a suitable number of small plates – a couple of drinks, tax and a 20% tip.  Below are the top ten new restaurants to open in Houston in 2018, listed alphabetically, and described in a sometime long-winded fashion.
 
Blood Bros. BBQ – $22 – This acclaimed barbecue pop-up opened their first restaurant in Bellaire just before the end of the year, much to the joy of local smoked meats aficionados and has been busy since the get-go.  They are still learning the business, as one of principals quickly admitted to me during a visit – the line moved at a glacial pace – but the food, especially the meats, was first-rate.  The requisite beef brisket is tender with wonderful, salty bark.  The fatty ends were absolutely terrific, though the leaner interior tasted just a touch dry in spots, nothing that the welcome slices pickled red onions, fresh jalapeño or the table-top slightly vinegary hot sauce couldn’t amend. The straightforward cheese-studded pork sausage was almost too easy to eat.  The pork ribs were moving as quickly as the brisket during my first time there, a good sign.  The sides here are better than most that include creamed corn, a mustard-free potato salad with skin-on new potatoes, rich soupy beans, and macaroni and cheese.  There are just four proteins to start – turkey, too – but I was told that meats will be added as the restaurant gets some more time under its belt.  As good as it is now, this Bellaire smoker will likely be even a good deal better in a few months.  5425 Bellaire (at Chimney Rock), 77401, (832) 582-5992
 
Calle Onze – $50 – Tex-Mex might be considered passé in some quarters, but Calle Onze – and to a lesser extent Superica – shows that our long-loved regional cuisine can still entice with dishes that might not be new, but done in a more considered and an even refined way that can satisfy even more.  An expansive cocktail program can add to that, too.  Around the corner from the popular Eight Row Flint and taking its name from its location, 11th Street, Calle Onze, valet-only and all, and maybe in part because of the fine-dining-like valet-only, has been packed since opening in depths of the summer; a perfect match for those newer Heights residents who can afford those high six- and seven-digits digs.  Fittingly slicker and nicer than just about any local Tex-Mex stop, the cooking is generally better, too, certainly more attractively plated.  Grilled chicken in an enchilada typically means bland pieces of protein that rarely aid the dish.  Not here, as the nicely marinated and attentively grilled chicken provides a nice complement to the cheese and quality tortillas.  In addition to the familiar local Tex-Mex dishes like that, there are also one like smoked pork belly with pineapple and watermelon, duck carnitas, scallops with masa dumplings and crispy chicharron, and lobster and cheese ravioli.  Ambitious might not be the proper adjective to describe the menu at Calle Onze, but it’s appealing at the very least. 222 W. 11th Street (just west of Yale), 77008, (832) 767-1417
 
Eunice – $90 – Serving Creole or maybe more accurately Creole-inspired fare, the restaurant that became Eunice had garnered very considerable buzz beginning in 2016 when it was going to be star New Orleans chef and restaurateur John Besh’s first foray into Houston.  With Besh no longer actively involved in the restaurant group due to allegations of extensive sexual harassment, Eunice, named after the southern Louisiana hometown of its executive chef, Drake Leonards, fell a bit under the radar until almost its opening in October.  And the gorgeous restaurant in Greenway Plaza – clean-lined and modern, yet quite inviting, comfortable and light – can also be easy to miss as its set off the intersection.  A foray into the menu during its first month with a group of friends included the roasted oysters with bits of shrimp, blue crab, and then brown butter breadcrumbs, which were excellent, with the toppings working well with the moist, milky oysters.  Maybe even more pleasurable were the chicken liver mousse served with a fig jam and thin slices of quality toasted bread.  Mild yet flavorful, its similar in quality to the different, also exemplary adaptions of the dish at nearby Giacomo’s and Georgia James.  The crispy Boudin Balls and Dan Dan Shrimp – named after a friend and former co-worker of the chef, not the Szechuan noodles – were both worth ordering.  The first-rate entrées included hanger steak from the lunch menu, slices of duck breast with some dirty rice not that clearly described as “Duck Duck Rice / sweet potato, celery root, dirty rice,” and a sautéed Gulf black drum with some crab and brown butter.  The only misstep was overcooked nearly mushy pasta substituting for the traditional rice in the shrimp etouffee.  Ask for the rice.  The friendly, attentive and knowledgeable service extended to the bar service, with an excellent martini for just $6 – a very welcome surprise since I paid for $14 for a simple and small gin-and-tonic earlier in the year at one of their sibling establishments in New Orleans. Eunice proved better and a better value, and a welcome addition to Houston.  3737 Buffalo Speedway (at Richmond), 77098, (832) 491-1717
 
Feges BBQ – $20 – A barbecue joint in a subterranean office food court?  Yes, and it’s worth the hassle for non-Greenway Plaza workers to visit during the weekday when its open.  And, yes, they are smoking meats onsite courtesy of a seemingly lengthy venting system.  From the husband and wife team of Erin Smith and Patrick Feges, both of whom have impressive culinary CVs – and that includes Killen’s Barbecue for Feges – and it shows at this fairly humble counter-service spot where not only is the requisite beef brisket top-notch but its brethren are better than is typically found at a barbecue joint.  Pork belly, turkey and pulled pork are a few of the other admirable smoked meats plus an interesting array of often piquant sides like sweet + spicy sprouts, braised collard greens, Moroccan spiced carrots, spiced cracklins, sweet potato + banana mashers and the yogurt + cilantro slaw.  With the lengthy list of quality sides and a couple sides, you can even do well going vegetarian for lunch here, a welcome oddity among barbecue restaurants.  But, if feeling less like healthy eating, there are also a trio of sweets including the PB&J Chocolate Cake that has drawn raves.  3, Greenway Plaza, basement food court (south of Richmond between Buffalo Speedway and Edloe), 77046, (832) 409-6118
 
Georgia James – $150 – Houston can actually use another steakhouse, especially if it is from Chris Shepherd and company. The reprise of the popular One Fifth Steak set in the former home of Underbelly offered a different take on the expected chop house that has managed to please both those customers attracted to the city’s more interesting fine-dining spots and those who consider a nice meal out a visit to a steakhouse.  Likely with the latter group in mind, the menu is little less adventurous than its One Fifth predecessor, but it’s still the most unique steakhouse in the city.  It starts uniquely with wonderfully crusty small loaf of bread from Bread Man Baking Co. that’s served with a jar of clarified butter infused with smoked brisket from nearby Feges Barbecue (Patrick Feges is an Underbelly alum).  Though the expected strip (loin), ribeye and porterhouse are served, there is no filet.  And no Caesar Salad to start, either.  Customers should be more than satisfied with one of the other beefy options, including the succulent sirloin, the tender Wagyu Zubaton – cut from the upper portion of the chuck – or the 100-day-wet-aged hanger steak, a true onglet cut that is tasty but not really funky and a relative deal at $35.  Somewhat differently, the restaurant sources from the regional 44 Farms and Marble Ranch and cooks most of the steaks in a cast iron skillet.  The soft and juicy cast iron-cooked ribeye was delicious, if maybe with just a little more exterior fat than ideal.  But it, and the Zabuton were both absolutely terrific on a subsequent visit, sporting wonderfully crusty, salty exteriors without as much fat for the ribeye and juicy, tender and flavorful meat.  There are also bone-in versions for the bigger spenders including the long bone ribeye dry aged for 100 days for $150 and a daily butcher’s cut.  The starters and sides are largely fun, intelligent riffs on the standards including domestic caviar and a raw bar with pricey seafood towers.  The wine list is terrific, eclectic for a steakhouse, and with nice prices for the quality, which is what you can expect from Matthew Pridgen who also does the wines at UB Preserv and One Fifth.  1100 Westheimer (at Waugh), 77006, (832) 241-5088
 
La Lucha – $60 – Though this is supposed to take inspiration from the old San Jacinto Inn, a restaurant I loved as a kid, it doesn’t remind me at all of it.  No matter.  This place has often excellent, casual food that can also be a lot of fun in an attractive and vibrant setting that is a far cry from the San Jacinto Inn.  It’s not surprising that this new place specializing in fried chicken and Gulf seafood joint occupying the space of the dearly departed Hunky Dory has a fine selection of oysters from the Gulf and a great happy hour special on those on the half-shell, as it’s siblings with State of Grace, which might have the best oyster program in the city.  Though those bivalves are a definite attraction, the star of the menu might be the fried chicken, served in half or whole bird portions.  The fried shrimp are also quite good, done a little differently than found elsewhere in town.  Except for the full fried chicken and roasted oysters orders, the Texas Gulf classic redfish on the half shell, and the Louisiana caviar (bowfin) served with an onion dip and uber-processed Pringles, the dishes are under $20, well-suited for sampling and sharing.  OK, the Pharmacy Burger might be to, tougher to share, but it’s terrific (and far better than any of the ones I ever had at the nearby Yale Street Grill).  There are handful of house cocktails, though the list of wines is limited.  Nicely, there are over twenty types of sparkling wines that include nice prices on good Champagne, which might be the perfect pairing for fried chicken, after all.  1801 N Shepherd (at 18th Street), 77008, (713) 955-4765
 
One Fifth Mediterranean – The third concept to occupy One Fifth, Chris Shepherd’s eleven-month restaurant in the former home of Mark’s, serves food largely inspired from the Levant and points west, Turkey and north Africa.  The cuisines that have not been represented in fine-dining establishments here, and rarely in this country, but taking some cues from the lauded Zahav in Philadelphia, this is another successful turn of One Fifth with laudable, upscale interpretations of preparations of various cuisines of the eastern and southern Mediterranean.  The light, fresh-tasting hummus was easily the best I’ve ever eaten as was their airy, house-made pita bread.  When I visited, the Daily Hummus was topped with an as least as delicious braised lamb short ribs off the bone.  There are several types of hummus preparations and other dips and spreads that can be a no-brainer to start a meal.  With a number of these easily shareable dishes, including family-style large preparations like an entire fish and braised lamb, a visit with a few at the table can make for an especially pleasurable communal meal.  The wood-burning oven used for the pita and other breads gets a lot of use, with fish, meat and vegetables appealingly cooked al ha'esh (on the fire).  I was told that this current incarnation of One Fifth has resonated with local Persians, among others.  For many not nearly as familiar with the items, one of the two tasting menus, at $60 and $75, might be the way to go.  1658 Westheimer (nearly at Dunlavy) 77006, (713) 955-1024
 
Shun – $110 – From the son of the owners of longtime favorite of Japanese transplants and visitors, Nippon in Montrose, Shun is something nicer, hipper and more ambitious than his parents’ comfortable stop.  A little less traditionally Japanese, too, with locally attuned flavors and ingredients make their appearance in some of the dishes. With a mix of sushi and sashimi, grilled robatayaki items, and a grab-bag of Japanese small plates, the menu might be tough to navigate for some, but the servers are helpful guides.  One of the highlights we were directed to on a recent visit was the Lengua Gyoza, a trio of big, soft and delicious dumplings filled with tender tongue meat from wagyu cattle – a far cry from what’s in cheap lengua tacos – and served with salsa verde in a ponzu mignonette.  The pricey, but large pieces of nigiri sushi and sashimi are excellent, as you might expect with the experience at Nippon, with some sourced from more exotic waters.  Fun and delectable rolls like the Sun Blast filled with salmon, apple, tobiko, micro cilantro, lime, spicy aioli and topped with a piece of crispy salmon skin might have more wide-ranging appeal.  Shun can seemingly appeal to a range of customers with familiar items like tempura, miso soup, pork katsu, and sushi rolls, those interested in a meal of mostly sushi and sashimi, and there’s a separate sushi counter, or those wanting something more unique.  The customers appeared to reflect that, with families with young children, middle-aged Inner Loopers along with plenty of Japanese folks.  They all looked as happy we were, the highballs and well-compiled sake list helped see to that.  2802 South Shepherd (between Westheimer and West Alabama), 77006, (832) 409-5888
 
UB Preserv – $80 – Underbelly has moved down the street to a smaller, livelier and louder, space that was more deemed more appropriate – if maybe a little too small given that it’s seemingly always crowded – and is showcasing Asian influences even more and from a seemingly broader footprint.  Not that the ever-evolving Underbelly got old or stale, but the move and new chef de cuisine, Nick Wong, an alumnus of David Chang’s Momofuku kitchens, has made its successor more interesting and a visit more exciting, and more fun.  The many dishes among the two dozen or so that easily and smartly mix some of the different cuisines that get traction among Houston diners.  Executive Chef Chris Shepherd showed over the tenure of Underbelly, and at the several-cuisines-at-once One Fifth Romance Languages, how he and the team can combine items from seemingly disparate cooking traditions into something sensibly delicious, which continues here.  The menu skips merrily around the world for inspirations: China, Vietnam, Italy, Mexico, Mitteleuropa, Texas, Thailand, etc. The pork schnitzel was a favorite across the street.  Here, the tender piece of bread pork is flavored with the spicy and sweet Korean gochujang sauce for a fun twist.  If you have trouble deciding among the offbeat, tempting options, the four-course tasting menu is well-priced at $55.  For their Sunday brunch, The Crispy Rice Salad is a star, featuring puffed and crispy grains of rice providing a welcome textural contrast to the array of fresh herbs and the bright ripe cherry tomatoes.  As much attention and acclaim that Shepherd and the restaurants have received, they’ve never quite received their due for their excellence with vegetables.  One example was The Tomato & Avocado Salad, an early brunch dish, that also came with a medley of well-chosen fresh herbs, wedges of ripe green avocado and even more tomatoes in hues of deep purple and robust red, all nicely ripe and tasting terrifically.  It’s what you would expect from one of the city’s best.  1609 Westheimer (between Mandell and Dunlavy), 77006, (346) 406-5923
 
Wanna Bao – $40 – Yes, you should.  Proclaiming itself on its signage as “Hearty Chinese Bistro / Dumpling House.”  It is.  And a good one at that, and in a hip, industrial-sparse bistro-like setting at the edge of Midtown is well beyond what would be typical of a similar place along Bellaire Boulevard, serving both dishes from Shanghai and the madly popular Szechuan region, Wanna Bao seemingly succeeds with both – as with both ends of its signage, the dumplings for certain.  I really enjoyed their take on that Shanghai specialty, soup dumplings (xiao long bao), along with the piquant, even messier for me red oil dumplings.  Those Shanghai dishes are done correctly and tastily from what I have heard from some Shanghai natives.  And, for what it’s worth, Chinese and Chinese-Americans make up most of the patrons at this oft busy spot.  But, even for casual fans of Chinese fare, there will be more than a few familiar items like Kung Pao Chicken, various types of fried rice, along with those steamed dumplings. 2708 Bagby (just before Tuam), 77006, (832) 623-7265
​


A Brussels sprouts dish at Eunice

​Somewhat updated again on December 22, 2018

If you are visiting Houston for work (or even fun) and want to experience its terrific restaurant scene like a local while not traveling very far from your hotel – which is likely downtown or in the Galleria area – this article recommends a number establishments that can suit a variety of tastes and moods. Places in the recently burgeoning Heights and other points too far from the hotel clusters, with a few exceptions, are omitted. But, most of Houston’s best restaurants are located between downtown and the Galleria, so most visitors are in luck, just needing a quick cab or Lyft or Uber ride, or maybe even, in the very un-Houston-like fashion, a short walk. The types of diversions are listed alphabetically.

Barbecue – Since the opening of Killen's in suburban Pearland in early 2014, barbecue in the Houston area became a little more interesting and has drawn more regional and national attention. Killen's is worth the drive, but prepared for long lines, which are a feature daily. Brisket, pork ribs and, increasingly, beef ribs are the stars of the show in Houston barbecue. Sausage should be good, too. Across the street from MinuteMaid Park downtown, Jackson St. BBQ combines the talents of top local chef Bryan Caswell of Reef fame and, for the pork ribs, Greg Gatlin of his well-regarded eponymous family barbecue spot on the near north side, Gatlin’s. This is worth the trip, but prepared that service can be very slow even on slow days.  Also northeast of downtown, though closer to downtown, is Pinkerton’s, that opened to rave reviews in 2017, and even serves cocktails in addition to lauded Texas barbecue (open from Wednesday through Sunday). The Pit Room is a slick mid-2016 newcomer to Montrose, not too far from downtown, has quickly matured into one of the best barbecue spots in the city with its properly moist and flavorful brisket, peppery rubs and diligent smoking, plus there are even top-notch barbecue-centric tacos.  Opened early in 2018, Feges BBQ is oddly set in a basement food court in an office complex, but run by two accomplished chefs, husband and wife, and having ventilation to smoke on site, it turns out excellent Texas-style barbecue and better and more interesting sides than most. West of the Galleria on Voss, Roegel'shas drawn raves since it rebranded and upgraded the Dallas-based chain they had been operating, offering not just well-regarded brisket but more chicken than you'll find elsewhere and daily specials like pastrami beef ribs and pork belly. Still known for its pork ribs, Pizzitola’s just south of I-10 west of downtown has had a barbecue pit in operation since in the 1930s. Though long popular, especially during lunchtime since it is easily accessible from downtown, it has somewhat recently been drawing attention from newly fashioned local barbecue enthusiasts again. Longstanding Goode Co. Barbecue doesn’t get much attention from critics and self-styled barbecue snobs, but it remains popular and often very good, with a ranged of smoked meats beyond brisket and pork ribs and the very best sides including house-made cheddar-jalapeño bread and the easily the most efficient counter-service around. A hike north to Old Town Spring, but highly acclaimed is Corkscrew that features some twists on the menu like tacos and a triple pork sandwich plus top-notch brisket.

Beer – Houston boasts the very first modern beer bar in the country, The Ginger Man, in the Rice Village, which opened in 1986 that is still a popular stop offering a great, relaxed atmosphere in which to imbibe. The most serious and polished of the local beer bars is The Hay Merchant offers over 75 drafts including five casks – nearly all from the more interesting craft breweries, Belgium and Germany and served through beer lines better attended than elsewhere; it shares a building on lower Westheimer with the estimable restaurant Underbelly. Not too far from the downtown hotels, Mongoose versus Cobra in Midtown, is a casually slick spot serving an unbalanced array of mostly very hoppy or alcoholic domestic brews aimed at the younger hop-heads but also a well-chosen array of spirits, all to be consumed on attractive communal tables or at the bar. For something different, there is the historic West Alabama Ice House that dates from 1928, a remnant of the days in Houston when beer was mostly consumed from bottles while sitting outside (and smoking). There is also an outpost of The Flying Saucer, conveniently located on Main Street downtown, which offers scores of draft domestic craft beers, and Saint Arnold Brewing Company, just north of downtown, has an expansive new beer garden that opened in the summer of 2018, and should be even better after a few months of operation and cooler temps.  A little further out, just past the 610 Loop is the city's best brewery and its best brewer, Karbach, which sold out in late 2016 to the beer behemoth ImBev, much to the chagrin of most Houstonians.  It has a popular beer-centric restaurant, events and tours.  En route to downtown, King’s Bierhaus is German / Austrian restaurant and bar with its Bavarian beers the real attraction.  Most of the best Munich-area beers are available – also still no Augustiner here – on tap including five dopplebocks and even a couple of the fame monastery beers from Andechs.  Closer in is The Heights Bier Garten on N. Shepherd that was built to order to very attractive effect and serving over 90 beer taps, an expansive and gorgeous arrangement of liquors in a structure separate from its beer dispensary, an attractive crowd and horrific parking. Just down a flight of stairs near a busy Main Street intersection, The Conservatory is an underground beer, wine and food hall with around fifty local beer options, mostly hoppy or fairly alcoholic. Also downtown, a few blocks away is the Craft Beer Cellar, a cool retail-cum-draft beer bar featuring mostly local craft beers plus an emphasis and heavy-hopping and sours.

Breakfast – If you are up for breakfast on a weekend morning, a couple standouts provide an excellent taste of Houston in the morning. Goode Co. Taqueria on Kirby just south of Highway 59 serves breakfasts that are strongly influenced by Mexico and south Texas ranch cooking, and are consistently exceptional and hearty. The recipient of some national attention, The Breakfast Klub in Midtown is friendly, eclectic and properly caloric, sporting local and Southern-rooted flavor and nice vibe whose only downside is that you’ll likely have to wait in line for a while. Who knew that catfish and eggs can make for an excellent morning meal? The Dunlavy, set attractively above Buffalo Bayou off Allen Parkway west of downtown, offers attractive and even healthy breakfast options that can be accompanied with a mimosa or wine, if you must. Picos does an excellent job with Mexican breakfasts, done more nicely and refined than most, seven mornings a week.

Breakfast Pastries – Bringing donuts or pastries when visiting another office or making a sales call can help win some friends or bring smiles, at the very least.  The sweet dough Kolaches are a regional specialty, both sweet and savory, and the best in Houston are found at the Kolache Shoppe in the Greenway Plaza area.  Their kolaches might even be the best in the entire state, a recent trip to West, Texas strengthens that notion for me.  Common Bond looks well beyond Texas to France for their baked goods and does a fantastic job with croissants and pretty much everything.  Almost as good are those goods found at the stand-apart Bake Shop at Weights and Measures in Midtown.

Brunch – As distinct from breakfast, brunch is little nicer, longer and much more alcoholic. There are a number of options including Brennan’s in Midtown, the sister restaurant of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, which serves a classic Crescent City-style brunch that is refined, rich and with rarely a table that hews to single drink per person. A Houston classic brunch is Backstreet Café, which has a similarly appealing courtyard and kitchen. Its stablemate, Hugo’s, does the morning fare of Mexico and more on the weekend, including a mariachi-drenched buffet, a very nice buffet, as does another one, Caracol, in the Galleria on the weekend, though more seafood-oriented, and its most recent sibling, Xochi in the Marriott across from Discovery Green downtown that is similarly enticing. Not incidentally, these are the three best Mexican restaurants in the city.  For something more casual, but with the expected quality of fare and well-made cocktails, there is Weights and Measures in a quiet part of Midtown.  For something different and a drive, but excellent, is the city’s best and most copious dim sum at Fung’s Kitchen, about 10 miles southwest of downtown on I-69, though be sure to get there before 11:30 as the 500-or-so-seat dining room will already be packed.

Chinese – Until a couple of years ago, there was no Chinese food inside the Loop in Houston. Well, there was Chinese-American food – and likely truly Chinese dishes cooked for Chinese patrons – but recently there have been a trio of quality, truly Chinese to open in the greater Montrose area west of downtown. All are Sichuan, the spicy, chile- and Sichuan pepper-laden cuisine that might be the most popular in China. Nicely set Mala Sichuan, the quaint and bare-bones and the rapidly multiplying Pepper Twins are worthy of a visit, and all quite popular with Chinese nationals, a good sign, but still inviting to those not knowing any Mandarin. The location on West Gray might be the nicest with a slightly different menu and seemingly better ingredients, and alcohol, too.  The Kirby one is also quite pleasant, both much more so than the original on Fairview, which did get a shout out, though, for having the appetizer of the year in 2017 according to a writer at GQ, the innocuously named Mr. & Mrs. Smith.  The most attractive Chinese restaurant in the city, and one of the most expensive, is Yautcha in the Galleria.  It's  a lively, upscale place specializing in dim sum dishes that's similar to its Michelin-starred sibling in London's Soho neighborhood.  If you want to make the drive, Chinatown, which is centered around Bellaire Boulevard west of I-69 in southwest Houston is largest Chinatown in the country area-wise – really – and jam-packed with often wondrous and inexpensive Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese and even Korean and Malaysian restaurants, tea shops and supermarkets and a lot more.

Cocktails – Opened in 2009 as Houston’s first serious craft cocktail bar, Anvil in Montrose has deservedly earned a fair amount of national press, and continued local attention from appreciative, savvy imbibers. Their cocktails are impressive and it has also spawned several other very worthy sprits-centric establishments that are also worth a visit. This evangelist of mezcal amid the cluster of Main Street bars downtown, The Pastry War, can provide a great setting for an introduction to this beguiling spirit that has deservedly gained acclaim in the past half-dozen years while being a fun bar that also has an array of bottled Mexican beers and one of the very best house frozen margaritas around. Tongue Cut Sparrow, the quaint bar-within-a-bar upstairs at The Pastry War, provides a very cool setting with attentive service and fabulous cocktails.  Nearby, OKRA is a casual stop in the early evening just off Main Street for a quality cocktail, a well-chosen and nicely priced wine or an interesting-enough beer, and like most of its neighbors, a bit more hectic later. Another member of the group, Julep on Washington Avenue not too far west of downtown, riffs on a Southern theme and serving updated classic cocktails plus an envious list of brown spirits led by the pride of Bourbon County. Opened by an alumnus of the Anvil is the Bad News Bar perched above the bustle of Main Street that has mellowed somewhat into a top-flight cocktail bar. Though known for its wine and whisky,  Public Services does a wonderful service with cocktails that are finely updated versions of the classics, always spot on.  Something outside the expected fold and a little different, is El Big Bad that specializes in casual infused-tequila concoctions that can be quite tasty while offering a great deck overlooking a stretch busy downtown and a kitchen with long hours.
 
Coffeehouses – Starbucks are ubiquitous as in everywhere as in every industrialized country in the world, but there are also homegrown spots with a little more personality and likely even better coffee, as the Port of Houston is a big hub for coffee imports. Catalina Coffee in a storefront on Washington Avenue just a mile west of downtown was one of the first of the more serious coffeehouses in Houston, featuring roasts from its sister company, the local Amaya Roasting Co. Blacksmith, nearly across the street from Underbelly on Westheimer in Montrose and part of its restaurant group, features coffee, well-chosen teas and friendly service from acclaimed local roaster Greenway Coffee and a casual, eclectic menu that also draws in the crowds for breakfast and lunch. A block away on Westheimer, Southside Espresso is a quaint spot that offers a different range of also locally roasted coffees from their sister company, Fusion Beans Coffee Roastery and an European feel, plus teas, food, wine and odd or very hoppy beers.  Not far away, also in Montrose, as most of the most interesting coffee spots reside, Campesino on Waugh north of Westheimer provides “a Latin perspective on Montrose coffee culture” featuring a strong coffee from a couple of local roasters including Katz’s, a Houston favorite found at a number of places, along with food like empanadas and tamales.   Siphon further south in Montrose has the unique Siphon method utilizing halogen burners for much of its coffees and then espresso machines for the rest, all from a couple local roasters and some well-regarded national ones. Fairly spacious, it also offers a decent-sized menu at breakfast and lunch, with foodstuffs from top local and regional purveyors. Less serious, if more arty, Inversion provides an easily accessible stop for a quality cup just off busy Montrose Boulevard and an interesting food truck always in its parking lot to provide sustenance.  Mercantile is another roomy one in Montrose, with a second location in the Rice Village, offering not just coffees from a local roaster, but wine and a small number of specialty groceries.  A few blocks away from their Rice Village spot, Italian-owned Fellini Caffe does an excellent job with the requisite Italian-style coffees that attracts a steady European clientele.  A few blocks from the ballpark in EaDo near I-69, Tout Suite, is a casual, industrially chic bakery and coffeehouse that should be able to satisfy the morning needs. In downtown proper, The Honeymoon Café, attractively set on a glass-lined corner on a stretch of busy Main Street, has become a popular place for weekend coffees, which are roasted in house, and hearty morning eats, with some of the menu drawing inspiration from New Orleans.

Crawfish – Crawfish season runs from about late January through May, and is a big deal to a lot of Houstonians, who eagerly await the taste of the invariably messy, often spicy boiled crawfish consumed by the pound. One of the best is The Boot located just west of the Heights proper that features regular shipments of crawfish from southern Louisiana and properly relaxed atmosphere for enjoying it.  Even more casual, T-Bones is a very dumpy sports bar in near northwest Houston that happens to do a very good job with crawfish.  Ragin Cajun is more expensive and much more popular than these two, but a go-to for many for crawfish during the season, and it also has a good-sized menu for those not wanting the mudbugs. For something a little different and a drive to Chinatown in southwest Houston, Crawfish and Noodles is among the best purveyors of Vietnamese style boiled crawfish, something that has become popular in the past decade.

Downtown – Though not quite a dining nexus, yet, downtown became a lot more interesting during the Super Bowl year of 2017.  Clustered around Discovery Green are Xochi a Oaxacan-themed sibling to Hugo’s and Caracol, the city’s best two, now three, Mexican restaurants, and Brasserie du Parc from one of the city’s top French chefs, both a creperie during the day and offering a enticing range of familiar French dishes both day and night.  Located conveniently across the street from the Hilton Americas and the George R. Brown Convention Center on Discovery Green like the previous two, The Grove offers an attractive contemporary space and approachable and tempting locally attuned menu under the aegis of one of the city’s venerable chefs, Robert Del Grande. And, for steakhouses, there are Vic & Anthony’s and a location of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse and Quattro in for Italian, which lost its star chef in late 2017, but should be worthwhile, at the very least, as all Four Seasons restaurants are. Main Kitchen in the JW Marriott on Main Street provides a well-executed array of appealing options with global and regional influences and often some spice in a lively open space that bleeds into the attractive bar with big windows looking out on a street scene enlivened by light rail passing by.  Another hotel eatery, this one near The House of Blues, in the Hotel Alessandra is 64-seat Lucienne  that serves only four- and six-course tasting menus at night featuring largely French-inspired preparations, but more casual a la carte dishes during the day including a range of salads, sandwiches and tartares for lunch. Opened right across from MinuteMaid, whose proprietor is fittingly Astros owner, Jim Crane, is Potente, a pricey Italian-inspired New American – “Downtown Caviar Service” is among the starters – that has well-regarded Brennan’s former executive chef and Commanders Palace alum, Danny Trace, leading the kitchen. Around the corner is its casual sibling Osso & Kristalla, opened for three meals a day offering a well-run pizza oven and fair amount more of Italian food with a very strong American accent. Not bad. A very scruffy, dumpy, lunch-only burger joint, the Hubcap Grill, has deservedly won legions of fans for its well-rendered take on the great American burger. Christian's Tailgate serves another very good burger, a basic one done well, in sports bar environment on Congress.  For something still relaxed, but when a burger is not in mind, there is MKT Bar serving Middle Eastern fare and more, along with well-chosen wines and beers, that is set in the base of Phoenicia Specialty Foods near Discovery Green. And, then there is the bare-bones Bombay Pizza Co. on Main Street with its Indian-flavored pizza-like creations that can work very well.  Just a block or so away is the Finn Hall, a food hall that opened in December 2018 with eight diverse dining options from Sichuan, Vietnamese, seafood, pizza and burgers and included edited versions of local favorites like Goode Co. Taueria.  Booze, too, but long hours from 7:00 to late night.  Near Main Street and down a flight of stairs is The Conservatory is an underground beer, wine and food hall with several options, and quite cool.  The fourth branch of one of Houston’s most laudable sandwich shops, upscale and interesting at that, Local Foods is the heart of downtown on Main Street. On the other side of the freeway from the convention center, Vinny's, a late 2018 addition, dishes up commendable rectangular slices that works well hen sober and not, and something different from the broadly similar-looking Sicilian and grandma pies of the New York area.

French – Though it might come as a surprise to most locals, there has actually been an unmistakable French influence on Houston mostly through the patronage of the Menil family who recruited the architect Philip Johnson to the city to work on their family home and the main quadrangle at the University of St. Thomas after the war, and Johnson become the favorite, and most significant, architect working locally and alighting the skyline with the Williams Tower in the Galleria, the Pennzoil and the BankAmerica buildings downtown. The Menil Collection and Rothko Chapel are other significant legacies.  Their fortune came from the Schlumberger, which is joined by large operations by Total, Techniq and AirLiquide among the most prominent ones. There are a fair amount of French nationals to enjoy their home cuisine that is done very aptly and attractively here, if not terribly adventurously. The two most lauded are Le Mistral on the far west side and Etoile in Uptown Park. The latter has a similar sibling that opened downtown just a month ago, Brasserie du Parc, which is expected to shine. Not far from downtown is Artisans that features a dramatic open kitchen surrounded by about two dozen seats and a menu of familiar French fare usually done exquisitely and always expensively.  In the Galleria area, the attractive La Table has pleased with its approachable, comfortable and noticeably very well-executed French fare since it opened a little over a year ago.  The former chef at La Table opened Maison Pucha Bistro in late 2017, a stylish and hard-working bistro serving quality renditions of familiar fare that’s been popular since its start.

Galleria – These will be within walking distance of the big hotels, if you care to be a pedestrian. Café Annie works for a drink, a somewhat casual meal and a more ambitious and usually excellent one from the kitchen of long-lauded Robert Del Grande, and a chance to catch a something sleek crafted in Maranello or Modena pull up to the valet stand. Run by the star of the recent “Deli Man” documentary, the gregarious Ziggy Gruber, Kenny & Ziggy’s produces comically caloric creations that you would expect in a quality traditional Jewish deli with roots in New York. Their open-faced pastrami Reuben is glorious, absolutely delicious, ungainly monstrosity, possibly the best in an array of tempting, heart-stopping sandwich choices. For top-notch Mexican and seafood in an attractive space and setting, there is Caracol.  Striking, quite competent in the kitchen and mostly French, La Table is nicely, if expensively, located a few steps from Café Annie.  In or at the Galleria are outposts of a few national or international restaurant groups that attract visitors and locals: Yautcha, a lively, upscale dim sum restaurant that's similar to its Michelin-starred sibling in London's Soho neighborhood; a branch of the globally popular Peruvian-spiked Japanese Nobu that opened in mid-2018 to throngs of well-shod and -heeled patrons; and the soaring, masculine Del Frisco's, long one of the city's most popular steakhouses.

Houston notables; notably Houston – A few restaurants don’t fit neatly in any of these other categories, but would be remiss not to mention to restaurant-savvy visitor. At the top the list is the nationally acclaimed UB Preserv in the heart of Montrose is the successor to the famed Underbelly that won the James Beard Award for chef Chris Shepherd.  Burnishing the phrase, “The Story of Houston Food,” the kitchen incorporates not just products but flavors from the disparate cultures that are part of the Houston mosaic, and succeeding in nearly every dish.  Café Annie from Houston’s most famous chef and a pioneer of Southwestern cuisine in the 1980s, Robert Del Grande, provides top-notch fine dining, much more casual noshing and attractive lounge activity in seamless, gorgeous contemporary space in the midst of the Galleria area’s hotels. In late 2017, the restaurant added the Prime Room, separate room with a separate, small menu featuring old school classics led by the Slow Roasted Prime Rib.  Backstreet Café is a wonderful expression of a locally attuned American bistro that has matured in its three decades as a favorite along with the city’s dining habits. A tough reservation since opening in late 2015, and quickly a clubhouse for the well-heeled from the surrounding neighborhood, State of Grace has a seemingly scattershot menu – Gulf Coast-inspired fare, Tex-Mex, Italian, expense-account-worthy steaks, and some Asian flavors plus a postcard-pretty tiled oyster bar – that nonetheless makes sense here and is well done. Though it focuses primarily on Creole fare and is the sister restaurant of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans , owned by the Brennan family, the fare at Brennan’s has longed been attuned to local tastes while providing much of the best of nearby New Orleans, with flavors from Latin America finding space on the plate in recent years. Unfortunately, it might have slipped since the departure of its chef in mid-2017.  Maybe not Houston-centric, but Nancy's Hustle is quite well-suited for the still-gentrifying EaDo – a hyphenated East Downtown – with its quickly boisterous and nicely casual set-up in a new strip center coupled with a serious kitchen churning out delectable dishes with flavors ranging from the Mediterranean on either side of the Bosphorus to stateside, most designed for sharing, and an expertly chosen array of wine, cocktails and even beers to complement the evening. 
 
Indian – Just reopened, possibly the best, and also the most expensive, Kiran’s is many ways a very good, hushed fine dining restaurant that happens to serve Indian food. But, the trueness of the cuisine to its roots and its quality is why you will find many Indians in the hushed dining room. Indika is also a nice restaurant out of the typical mode, even more so, with its fusion cooking that combines that flavors of what is now Pakistan with more Western ones, always done intelligently and to good effect, even since the founding owner and chef sold the restaurant to concentrate on the more casual and multi-concept Pondicheri.  A second branch in Manhattan and was one of New York’s top ten new restaurants in 2016 for the New York Times.  Quaint, contemporary Surya tucked in a tiny strip center along the Washington Corridor a few miles west of downtown, has grown into one of the city's best Indian restaurants, offering familiar northern Indian dishes and more, often with the chef's sure, personal touch. Himalaya south from the Galleria area down I-69 serves terrific, vibrant Pakistani fare and more in a humble setting that has drawn deserved raves from food writers since not long after opening.

Italian – There is actually some good Italian in the city. A few miles west of  Westheimer, Amalfi specializes in the vibrant and familiar cooking of the Amalfi coast, the home area of chef-owner Giancarlo Ferrara, who also does a proper Venetian-style risotto and an excellent table-fileted Dover sole courtesy of stints working in northern Italy and a French restaurant bearing two Michelin stars. Da Marco on Westheimer in Montrose has been on the short list of best Houston restaurants for fifteen years and turns out refined upscale trattoria fare with dishes from across Italy in a quaint and quite setting. At the much more casual and popular Giacomo's east on Westheimer, affordably priced and well-rendered small plates of trattoria-style Italian dishes that often highlight Rome and Tuscany, but also including items like mozzarella in carrozza and fine quality freshly made pastas, are paired with a nicely assembled, interesting, and very nicely priced 75-bottle or so mostly Italian wine list that has many tempting choices between $25 and $40, and a setting that is comfortable and coolly retro. Maurizio Ferrarese, one of the best Italian chefs in the state, became executive chef at RIstorante Cavour at the Hotel Granduca in Uptown Park in late 2018, making this fine-dining spot another top destination for Italian fare.

Italian (-American) – Serving what most people think of Italian food featuring a plates with a palette heavy in reds, whites and greens signaling vibrant and hearty flavors, this is still one of the country’s favorite cuisines. And, several long-popular Houston restaurants – whose owners are all part of the Mandola clan – can more than aptly oblige a craving for it. Not far from downtown, Damian’s has been a favorite for upscale takes on familiar fare since the early 1980s. Then there is Carrabba’s, on Kirby begat the national chain, but in this original site is something different and much better, and a preternaturally popular for restaurant-going locals who appreciate the friendly, professional service and lively atmosphere. Nino’s, an option among a cluster of establishments, has a menu filled with robust Italian-American choices with evident Sicilian roots; among their best dishes is the superb Veal Vincent, a tender veal scallop that is coated with Parmesan, pan-fried and topped with artichoke hearts and lemon-scented butter.  Not Italian-American, but not really Italian, either is Potente, a pricey Americanized Italian that has highly regarded executive chef Danny Trace leading the way. 

Live music – The quaint McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in the Upper Kirby District has been a popular stop for regional and national Americana acts – or just “Texas music” here – since 1990, and also offers a nice selection of wines and beers – including the city’s best pint of Guinness – and even kitchen dishing far-better-than-can-expected pub-inspired fare. Just down Kirby is the larger, and a little twangier and more raucous Goode Co. Armadillo Palace, a newly renovated “one-of-a-kind tribute to all things Texas.” The Continental Club on a rail stop in Midtown has great, club-like setting and an array of local, regional and national acts. The Heights Theater featuring regional Texas troubadours and more brings a cool new venue in an old one, a long abandoned movie theater in the Heights, which is now burgeoning with things to do after dark.  Also newish and even cooler, a few miles east of this on the other side of I-45 just north of downtown is White Oak Music Hall with both indoor and outdoor stages featuring younger and edgier acts along with some  great views of the downtown skyline, especially from The Raven Tower, a bachelor-pad-the-sky during the swinging 70s.  A hip addition to the gentrifying Montrose neighborhood is Goodnight Charlie's that features up-and-coming Texas- and rockabilly-themed music plus an inviting and attractive setting for a drink early in the evening.  It's got some local food and wine cred, being helmed in part by a top area wine pro, Master Sommelier David Keck, who is a former opera singer, to boot.

Mexican – Be sure you see “Tex-Mex” below, too. Though the borders between the two cuisines can be fuzzy in Houston, there still is a difference, and the truly Mexican restaurants can be ambitious, and expensive. Hugo’s from James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega and company is a prime example that Mexican fare can be upscale and the centerpiece of a fine dining experience. Sporting often creative dishes rooted in tradition that are done very well and attractively, an excellent beverage program that extends far beyond its terrific Hugo Rita and a boisterous setting, the only downside is that it can be cacophonous. Its sibling, Caracol, a gorgeous, multi-purpose seafood-centric spot a few blocks from the Galleria is Hugo’s only real challenger to the best Mexican restaurant in city other than Xochi. Situated downtown in the Marriott Marquis across from Discovery Green, this Oaxacan-inspired sibling to Hugo’s and Caracol, and joins them among the very best Mexican restaurants in the city. Its array of small plates – though often quite small portions – makes sampling this likely unique cuisine easy and enjoyable. If you wonder about their authenticity, they just added a restaurant in Oaxaca to their small group of eateries. Not quite the level of these two, Picos on Kirby, has been favorite of Mexican food fans for decades and can make for a very enjoyable visit with its well-executed Mexican staples like conchinita pibil and fantastic margaritas bolstered by an excellent array of tequilas. Amazingly loud. You might also try Cuchara, a Mexico City-influenced bistro in a minimalist space serving the contemporary fare of our southern neighbor’s sprawling capital that is cool, casual and something just a little lighter and little different. South of the Galleria area is a quaint, comfortable space, Saltillo, specializing in locally adapted, upscale versions of the often beef-laden dishes from the northern Mexican town of the same name, which quickly became popular with weekend travelers to the Galleria from Mexico.  

Pizza – The city might not be a great pizza town, or even a very good one, but there are some pizzerias worth a visit. The best by a mile is Dolce Vita from Marco Wiles, who also run Da Marco, one of Houston’s top Italian restaurants down the street. Dolce Vita consistently excellent, thin-crust pizzas that are Italian in execution and a Neapolitan in inspiration. The pies are bolstered by an array of tempting, well-executed small plates and a terrific, nearly-all Italian wine list. Bare-bones Bombay Pizza Co. on Main Street downtown does tasty takes on oddly endearing Indian-flavored pizzas on a crusty Indian bread crust. Pi Pizza, not too far west of a drive from downtown, serves a creative, if somewhat hipster-like take on pizzas small and larger that is fun rather than off-putting; booze, too. Though inconsistent, Pizaro’s usually does enjoyable versions of Neapolitan-style pizzas in an appropriately casual setting. Convenient for convention goers, as it is a short work to the other side of the freewy, Vinny's, dishes up commendable slices that work well for an inexpensive meal, just don't look at the per pie prices, as the huge sizes result in huge prices.


Seafood – Houston has one of the biggest ports in the country, so the bounty of the Gulf is not too far away. One of the best places to savor it is at Reef in Midtown from acclaimed home-town product Bryan Caswell who offers terrific seafood showcasing the sensibilities of a top-notch chef with an international pedigree and longtime Gulf fisherman.  Unfortunately, it will not reopen until November 2018.  Danton’s and its influential predecessor Goode Co. Seafood offer more strictly local Gulf Coast-style seafood – which means, here, plenty of fishes and flavors from neighboring south Louisiana and Mexico. Goode Co.’s campechana, a piquant seafood cocktail appetizer, is a local favorite. 

Splurge – The Pass is the fine dining concept of the two-and-one Pass & Provisions that aims higher, maybe too high for some, than nearly any other restaurant in the city, and only offers set multi-course meals with optional drink pairings. It gets extra credit for its cool secret door entry. You don’t have to splurge at star chef Chris Shepherd’s One Fifth Mediterranean, but you easily can.  This third installment features the food of the Levant, North Africa, and also Turkey and Greece, giving the cuisines an upscale setting and attention that has not happened to often in this area. The eclectic and personal cuisine at Theodore Rex, successor to Oxheart that closed in the spring of 2017 that won Chef Justin Yu a recent James Beard Award, is more protein-oriented and user-friendly – a small list of a la carte offerings rather than a strict tasting menu – and is still a pilgrimage for many dedicated local diners to its location in a neglected part of downtown. If you are a visiting celebrity of a certain vintage, or enjoy spending time with the town’s society set, especially during lunch, decades-old Tony’s remains one of the city’s top restaurants, and most polished. It serves well-rendered versions current Italian fare and luxe items accompanied with an extensive wine list that's filled with trophy bottles, and is set in a posh, contemporary space featuring large works from modern art masters from the region like Robert Rauschenberg and Jesus Moroles. Opened at the start of 2017, Riel was one of the most anticipated new restaurants last year, featuring the talents of a chef who won plaudits working at Reef and Underbelly under two of the city’s culinary stars, and early on it lives up to the hype with an array of extremely well-executed and flavorful creations featuring Gulf fish, extraordinary vegetables and even superb steaks done in small plate fashion, meant for sharing. Downtown there is the new 64-seat Lucienne in the Hotel Alessandra that serves four- and six-course tasting menus featuring largely French-inspired preparations, sometimes indulgent, that are $95 and$125, respectively, when wine pairings are included.

Steak – Opened in October 2018, the most interesting steakhouse in the city is Georgia James from star chef Chris Shepherd and team, which is reprising the very popular and terrific One Fifth Steak from 2017.  Big cuts of beef, superior sides and starters, a different and excellent wine list, and a whole lot to entice, even for less-than-committed carnivores. For many, the best steakhouse in the city is Pappas Bros. Steakhouse just west of the Galleria, which has a second location downtown. From the family that owns the wide-ranging chain of Pappas restaurants, their steakhouse concept is properly upscale and extravagant, very masculine in feel, and offers the requisite offerings of the genre, just done better than nearly everywhere else. These also boast the most expansive and best wine lists in the state. They also offer the Pappas trademark of an extremely high decibel level most nights. Vic & Anthony’s is from another local restaurant chain, Landry’s, and is a take on the upscale Italian-American steakhouse concept (e.g. The Palm). Even locals who swear never to eat at any of the numerous Landry’s properties seem to love Vic & Anthony’s. Located in a nearly windowless fortress-like building, it sports a proper bit of refined raffishness that comes with the Italian-American steakhouse turf. That feel not forced, as Landry’s capo Tilman Fertitta is a nephew of the Maceos, the Sicilian-American businessmen who ran the gambling and entertainment operations in Galveston some decades ago. If not quite the reputation of the other two, B&B Butchers does a good job with the expected steaks and more, including some very pricey 55-day dry aged steak and even pricier ones with A5 beef from Japan. Plus, it has a couple of things that the other two don’t, plenty of parking, and more so, a fantastic view of the downtown skyline. Killen’s STQ from Ronnie Killen of Killen's Barbecue fame brings his smoking and grilling skills along with his steakhouse experience to the big city from suburban Pearland and offers a slightly different taste on steak and the steakhouse experience in a fairly quaint setting a few miles west of the Galleria.  The original location of Brenner’s near the Energy Corridor on the west side, has been serving customers since 1936 and is probably at its best and priciest ever, some years after the Landry’s empire upgraded it.  All of the best upscale national steakhouse chains are here, of course, sometimes with multiple locations.  West Coast-bred Mastro’s in the Galleria area, owned by Landry’s that also has Vic & Anthony’s, Morton’s and Brenner’s among their pricey steakhouse brands, which is the most luxe and over-the-top steakhouse in town boasting 12,000-square feet of interior, sixteen cuts of USDA Prime beef plus others, a dedicated sushi program, and a 20,000-bottle collection of wines, not to mention an adjacent Rolls Royce showroom. The scene is the real draw for many visitors. On the opposite end of the price range, Saldivia's in west Houston, a family run Uruguayan steakhouse, offers what is easily the best value steaks in the city along with a fine selection of beef-friendly Tannats and other wines from the home country. 

Sushi – Oft-bustling Kata Rabata in the Upper Kirby District with Manabu Horiuchi leading the kitchen, does a terrific job with not just the sushi house staples but also those raw preparations touching Peru and elsewhere. One of the toughest tables in recent years has been Uchi, a transplant from Austin whose guiding light grew up in The Woodlands north of the city. Its very well-received take on contemporary, consumer-friendly Japanese cuisine has an emphasis on the raw and the cured, which are the primary draws. MF Sushi in the Museum District is set in a beautiful, modern space, an excellent setting for Chef Chris Kenji’s set-course omakase offerings that has won raves since he arrived from Atlanta a few years ago.  A little humbler than these, in a quieter stretch of Montrose Boulevard is Nippon, Japanese-owned and -operated for three decades and a popular with Japanese ex-pats. The son of its owners opened  Shun in late 2018 serving sushi and sashimi along with number of other Japanese and Japanese-themed preparations from a well-regarded kitchen staff. There are also outposts of Roka Akor and Nobu that do a more than commendable job with sushi and a good deal more.

Tex-Mex – Though it might not get much press attention as it once did, Tex-Mex remains very popular here; margaritas and longnecks, invariably loud settings, chips and freshly made salsas, and piquant, hearty if eminently enjoyable fare will likely be popular for quite a while. The small local chain El Tiempo is the best option for it in the area. Run by the family of Tex-Mex pioneer Ninfa Laurenzo, it does a terrific job with fajitas and other beef-laden items along with the basic frozen margarita that is just much tastier and more potent than the norm. The famed and always bustling and fun (if increasingly pricey) Ninfa’s sits across from one of the locations of her family's El Tiempo. Unfortunately, the fajitas and similar tacos al carbon at Ninfa's are shadow of what they used to be in terms of flavor and tenderness, and something else should be ordered there, though you’ll have fun, regardless. The attractive Goode Co. Kitchen and Cantina off I-10 in west Houston does the familiar Tex-Mex much better than most and with a distinctive locally attune style that has made all the Goode Co. restaurants justifiably popular. The scruffier El Patio on busy Westheimer is probably known to most Houstonians for its Club No Minors with its boisterous young atmosphere bolstered by copious amounts of strong and sickeningly sweet margaritas, but the food has actually been worth a trip itself for quit a while.  A newcomer in the summer of 2018 that has been packed since opening for good reason, is the Heights's Calle Onze, an attractive and hip spot with an excellent kitchen. Sylvia’s Enchilada House has three locations, and though you should probably get one of the many enchilada preparations, but just about everything is enjoyable here. The Westheimer near Kirby location of the Austin import Chuy’shas seemingly been packed most days and evenings since it opened over a couple of decades ago and remains a very enjoyable stop for the fun, caloric fare, often with frozen margaritas, that makes a strong case for being the best outpost of the entire concept.

Thai – When you are traveling for a meal at Vieng Thai in Spring Branch about a mile-and-a-half west of the West 610 Loop, you are traveling there for the food, as there is not much else: décor, service, or alcohol.  But the noticeably vibrant, always well-executed Thai fare that is seemingly more authentic than most and always worth the trip. Just remember to bring your wine or beer, as it is BYOB-only.  Longer-standing and long-loved, Kanomwan a few miles south of downtown has a similar, if even starker vibe, that is likewise an excellent value.  Much nicer than these two, is Songkran in Uptown Park that has all the accouterments of the typical nice restaurant while serving Bangkok-style Thai food that is often excellent.  Southeast of the Galleria, Thai Gourmet has served a devoted clientele with its properly piquant and flavorful cooking for a comparative song for over a couple of decades.
 
Whisky / Whiskey – In what was a Citgo gas station affecting the look of cool, upscale ice house in heart of the mostly residential Heights is the coolest whiskey bar in the city, Eight Row Flint, which specializes in bourbon and rye whiskies and attendant cocktails while also serving tasty tacos on house-made corn tortillas; the one with beef cheeks is among of the tastiest tacos in town. Believe it. Even better is the greasy, messy beef taco that might be the single best food served by this multi-restaurant outfit.  Public Services downtown has possibly the most intelligently curated selections of whiskies in the city in an attractive late 19th century building and setting. If without the charm or as knowledgeable staff as the previous two, Reserve 101 has the largest selection of whiskies in the city and it is closer to many of the downtown hotels. Izakaya at the cusp of Midtown serves a variety of Japanese and sensibly interpreted fusion cooking that riffs on the small-plate izakaya theme, and includes a big array of whiskies, from Japan, and the English-speaking country. Ninja Ramen on bar-centric Washington Avenue west of downtown is a restaurant focused on ramen while having what has been called the biggest collection of Japanese whiskies in the region, and it is open until at least 2 AM.  Not far from there is Federal Grill, a restaurant with an impressive array of whiskies, just one of which goes into their flaming Old Fashioned.

Wine – The list at nearly all of the city’s best establishments have sported decidedly Old World-heavy lists in recent years, and that has been echoed at the top wine bars. 13 Celsius in Midtown, but blocks removed from Midtown’s animated last-night scene, this a terrific, laid-back place to explore the ever-changing world of wine, done without pretension and help from the staff. On par with it, is Camerata, which might be a little more serious, as it is a popular stop for local sommeliers, and it has a shorter, but similarly excellent curated list of wines, though far fewer by the glass. Doing double duty with spirits, Public Services has a more limited selection – it is a whiskey bar, too – but has a number of well-chose Old World producers among the 75 or so wines, and it’s the best place to drink sherry in town. A little different, located near the Galleria in Uptown Park, The Tasting Room is large space, inside and out, with as much an emphasis on the bar as the wine, and has a busy singles scene that fills up its expansive patio. Vinology, easily accessible south of I-69, is something different for the city, a very inviting combination retail space with a small wine bar that features and ever-changing array of engaging flights, usually from distinctive producers. The roughly 350 retail selections are very well chosen with an emphasis on the Old World and those from the New that emphasis balance over fruit.  A summer 2017 newcomer is the champagne-centric a’Bouzy where, though a restaurant, the food is best ignored, to focus on the amazing list of sparklers, mostly from Champagne, which is usually priced below retail and the people watching featuring a largely attractive, if louche, cast of characters.

Vietnamese – Home to a large Vietnamese population since the 1970s, Vietnamese food is a staple for most regular local diners, enjoyed, in part, for the typical freshness, lightness and the ability to provide a surprisingly amount of flavor for ridiculously small amount of money. Huynh just the other side of the freeway from the downtown convention center is somewhat bare-bones, but friendly and charming, and quite a value for the quality of its fare, and it is also BYOB with a low corkage fee.  Long-standing Kim Son a veritable palace a half-mile down the street from Huynh or one of its siblings, has served as an introduction to the cuisine for many Houstonians and sports a lengthy menu with more than a few options that should satisfy. Just a block away, Café TH is a much smaller place, with a much smaller menu than its neighbor, but has plenty of choices and plenty of personality, though open for dinner only on Thursday and Friday night. Les Noo'dle on Montrose is updated, cool version of the popular pho restaurant (vegan pho, too) in a quaint, hip setting, with unfortunately very little parking. Bare-bones, but a favorite of the local Vietnamese community and savvy downtown diners, Thien An churns out tasty preparations of banh mi, pho, vermicelli dishes and steamed rice rolls for a comparative song from 8:00 to 6:00 from Sunday through Friday.  Quirky Cali Sandwiches not far away in Midown does nearly as good a job.

One of the excellent dishes found at Nancy's Hustle in Eado

Unencumbered much by geography or topography, Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, has been sprawling in nearly every direction for decades and has long been without a true city center until somewhat recently. So, it might be a little odd that one of the country’s very best nexuses of interesting and high-quality restaurants occurs along a stretch of road that’s a shade over a mile-long not too far from downtown in Houston; especially odd since Houston is the only major city in the country without zoning and one dominated by the automobile. But, as the growth has occurred along the edges of the metro area, a growing concentration of restaurants and bars has also taken place in the last dozen years or so in the area between downtown west to the 610 Loop, the innermost of city’s three, increasingly distant concentric roadways.
 
Westheimer is one of Houston’s main thoroughfares, and one that runs twenty miles to the west. Soon after its humble beginnings, when Elgin turns, and turns into Westheimer via a name change less than a mile southwest of downtown, is where many of the city’s best and most exciting restaurants, ambitious cocktail bars and worthwhile coffee joints call home.  Awards and nominations from the James Beard Foundation abound on this part of the thoroughfare. The Houston area is known as the most ethnically diverse area in the U.S., and some of that is also on display in the eclectic collection of often ambitious, high quality establishments along this part of Westheimer.
 
Driving west from its start along the nearly-too-narrow four lanes, the old two-story house on the left-side at 219 Westheimer, now the home of a catering business, is where lower Westheimer began as a culinary destination twenty years ago, when the area was fairly dicey.  The address was the home of Chez Georges that served well-reviewed traditional French fare and was one of the city’s best. In the spring of 2008, Feast moved in.  A modern British restaurant known for its superb snout-to-tail cooking with one of the city’s best chefs Richard Knight in the kitchen about which Frank Bruni, the former restaurant critic of the New York Times, wrote had “no real peer in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other major cities.” Even with a surfeit of critical attention, the superlative Feast shuttered in 2012, but this part of the city continued to grow as a dining hub.
 
Nearly across the street from the former Feast is a restaurant of note that is actually open, Bistecca, a beautiful, upscale steak joint with central and northern Italian dishes scattered on its menu that is headed by one of the region’s finest Italian chefs, Alberto Baffoni. He might not get the national attention he did years ago when he was at Simposio near the Galleria, but still directs a kitchen that turns out usually excellent fare. Nearly next door is the sleek, brand new Avondale, a unique wine shop-cum-restaurant from the well-regarded Olivier Ciesielski, once Tony’s top toque, which recently scrapped its eponymously-named French concept that might have gone a little stale. A stone’s throw away is two-story outpost of El Tiempo, the city’s top Tex-Mex that excels both with AM and PM fare in numerous guises. Their potent margaritas might flow more freely here than at their other spots.
 
A block further west is Dolce Vita from Marco Wiles, who has other places of note along the way.  It’s easily the best pizzeria in Houston, as it’s been since opening in 2006, whose thin Italianate pizzas, menu of interesting small plates and a well-chosen all-Italian wine list earned it the number three spot among Italian restaurants in the very last of the Zagat surveys. Next door is Indika, an upscale, contemporary Indian restaurant with a flair for fusion that was once named one of the best Indian restaurants in the country by Travel + Leisure magazine among its many accolades. It doesn’t get the press that it once did after Chef Anita Jaisinghani sold it to concentrate on her Pondicheri restaurants in 2017 but the new Nepalese owners have kept things the same, including high quality. The low-slung stand-alone structure next to Indika houses Aqui from Austin’s James Beard Award-winning chef Paul Qui. It does an outstanding job with an array of pan-Asian-inspired refined small plates including sushi in a differently designed, comfortable space with a useful patio that faces Westheimer.
 
A different kind of enjoyment, much lower-key than Aqui but one that’s far easier on the wallet, is found across the street in a strip center typical of Houston, if not of this part of Westheimer. The counter-service Pappa Geno’s is a local mini-chain that serves the city’s best cheesesteaks and some of the best, hot, messy casual sandwiches of any ilk. It’s delicious artery-clogging decadence. After that Westheimer begins to twist slightly right as you continue west, and about a block away is where another small plate place of interest from Marco Wiles, Poscol.  Named after the main thoroughfare in his hometown of Udine in northeastern Italy, this serves dishes, salumi and cheeses, mostly from the provinces well north of Rome. Not incidentally, it was named the best cantina, or Italian wine program, in Houston by the Italian publication Gambero Rosso earlier this year.
 
Not too many steps from Poscol is the busy Katz’s, a present-day rendition of New York deli that never closes. A block away sits a third restaurant whose roots, improbably, also lie in Austin. Serving a creative take on modern Japanese food and known for its sushi and sashimi preparations, Uchi is a version of the most acclaimed restaurant in Austin that won Chef Tyson Cole a James Beard Award several years ago. It quickly became part of the restaurant firmament in Houston soon after opening in early 2012, and remains a top destination for sushi and seafood. Around the corner, at the busy intersection of Westheimer and Montrose, is Aladdin, an inviting and welcoming oasis of very well-prepared and appropriately clean-tasting Lebanese food served cafeteria-style amidst the car and foot traffic, which offers of the best dining values to be found in the Houston area.
 
A block west of Montrose is a trio of establishments that are part of the Underbelly Hospitality restaurant group, a local collective of innovative bars and restaurants led by star chef Chris Shepherd. The first is Blacksmith that occupies a squat brick building and appears in numerous lists of top coffee shops in the nation. In addition to its roasting and brewing capabilities, its savory fare, like Vietnamese steak and eggs, help make it popular brunch stop, too. Travel + Leisure, again, included it as one of its fifteen “Best Breakfast Restaurants in the U.S” a few years. Shepherd won a James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest in 2014 and he is a big reason for the quality of the food at Blacksmith. 
 
Across from Blacksmith is another one-story building, though bigger, that is shared by the new Georgia James and Hay Merchant.  This is the structure where Shepherd rose to national prominence with his creative cooking at Underbelly that opened in late 2010. Underbelly essentially decamped earlier this year a few blocks away in a smaller space to what is now called UB Preserv while Georgia James took over the original Underbelly with a steak concept opening in October of this year. Houstonians love steak. It got a few-month trial run as the terrific One Fifth Steak a couple years ago. Georgia James is certainly the most interesting steakhouse in Houston and among the very best. It can the most fun, too. On the eastern side of Georgia James is Hay Merchant, a beer bar with an interesting kitchen of its own, and one of the most serious and capable craft beer bars anywhere.
 
Another lauded chef has a place across the street in old Tower Theater at El Real. Bryan Caswell got some national airtime a few years ago as Next Iron Chef competitor and was also one of Food & Wine’s best new chefs before that. El Real is a temple to traditional Tex-Mex largely courtesy to involvement of the city’s best food writers and critics, Robb Walsh. It can be very good, but has been maddeningly inconsistent since opening. Mala Sichuan, a far more attractive version of its original location on Bellaire Boulevard, is about door down. With its traditionally and authentically spicy and vibrant fare from Chengdu and environs, the Mala Sichuan outlets have been regarded as the top Chinese restaurants among non-Chinese, but also a big favorite for folks from China, including my co-workers.
 
Easy for a pre- or post-meal stop from one of these recently aforementioned restaurants is Anvil, a few blocks west at 1424 Westheimer. Almost popular as it is proficient, it was Houston’s first bar dedicated to artisanal cocktails and was a James Beard Award finalist for the Outstanding Bar Program earlier this year. It might be impossible here to order a cocktail that is not terrific – my experience in a number of visits – and there always over one hundred on its ever-changing list. Just around the corner, as Westheimer bends to the right, sits Da Marco and the luxury vehicles that crowd its small parking lot, Marco Wiles’ temple to Italian gastronomy. Very adept at replicating top trattoria and ristorante preparations mostly from the northern regions of Italy like the classic Venetian take on calf’s liver and onions, Da Marco had the top food score from the last Zagat Surveys. Casual counter-service Ramen Tatsu-Ya is across the small street north of Da Marco, about 20 yards and visible from Westheimer, a sister restaurant in Austin was nominated for a James Beard Award this year, it’s possibly the top ramen restaurant in Houston.
 
About a block west is the city’s most accolated Mexican restaurant and on most lists of the best Mexican restaurants in the country, upscale Hugo’s serves modern preparations on a tempting menu that takes inspiration from throughout Mexico. What’s one the plate is serious, but Hugo’s can be fun and loud, especially during the weekend brunches. Led by James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega, it’s only serious competition for best Mexican restaurant in Houston is its two siblings, Xochi and Caracol.
 
Nearby is UB Preserv, the successor to Underbelly.  Set in the space that once housed Poscol it opened in the first half of 2018 and burnishes the phrase, “The Story of Houston Food” – now also “Without Limits.” Its kitchen incorporates not just products but flavors from the disparate cultures that are part of the Houston mosaic that are combined in non-traditional ways, and it nearly all succeeds grandly. The vast land of Chinese is a bigger component of the mix, as is seemingly the vast dining landscape of New York City. David Wong, an alumnus of David Chang’s kitchens and Grammercy Tavern in Manhattan (and also Cal Berkeley), is the chef de cuisine at this inviting and comfortable, if serious restaurant. With UB Preserv Shepherd had the stated pre-opening goal of creating the best Chinese-style dumplings in the country. They weren’t quite there during an early visit, but the puffy rice salad served during brunch has got to be at the head of the list in some “best of” category.
 
A half-block north of Westheimer from UB Preserv, Goodnight Charlie’s is a contemporary honky-tonk featuring mostly Texas musicians with a clean-lined, contemporary setting that has a partner in David Keck who is one of the city’s top wine professionals, a Master Sommelier, and who is also a former opera singer. Even with that wine expertise, it only has three wines, a red and white on tap, and a rose in a bottle; a great selection of bourbons, though. The food is mostly tacos during the non-brunch times, with the corn tortillas made in house starting with corn – not masa – from a chef who staged for a year-and-a-half at Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy named again as the best restaurant in the world, before coming to Goodnight Charlie’s.
 
Heading further west just before Dunlavy is One Fifth Mediterranean, the current and third of five 11-month iterations of the space from Chris Shepherd and team. This one is Shepherd’s “interpretation of the flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean and Northern Africa” that features numerous small plates including some of the most incredible hummus and airy pita bread that you will likely ever encounter, larger plates of lamb, fish and chicken, all with light pure flavors in greater complexity than found elsewhere here. The restaurant has struck a cord with patrons who have roots in Levant and Persia, seemingly a testament to its quality and faithfulness in the ethos of the various dishes.
 
Last among the notables is across Dunlavy, is Common Bond, a serious bakery, both boulangerie and pâtisserie in the French tradition, which publicly aired aspirations to be the best bakery in the country and it very well might be. No doubt. With amazing croissants, terrific baguettes and delicious breads and French sweets in a variety of renditions, it’s the best bakery in the city, at the very least, and a nice, popular little restaurant and coffee shop, too. 
 
The best Tex-Mex, pizza, cheesesteak sandwiches, sushi, coffee, beer bar, steakhouse, Chinese, cocktail bar, Italian, ramen shop, Mexican, Middle Eastern and bakery might be found along this dynamic 1.1-mile stretch of asphalt. Though two dozen establishments are highlighted, there are others worthy of a visit here, and there are more on the way. It and Houston, keep getting better and better, and more interesting. And, with a concentration of spots, people can actually be something that is still rare here and visit more than one place on an evening without a car: a pedestrian.

The highlights of lower Westheimer:

1. Bistecca – 224 Westheimer
2. Avondale – 240 Westheimer
3. El Tiempo – 333 Westheimer
4. Dolce Vita – 500 Westheimer
5. Pappa Geno’s – 515 Westheimer
6. Indika – 516 Westheimer
7. Aqui – 520 Westheimer
8. Poscol – 608 Westheimer
9. Katz’s – 615 Westheimer
10. Uchi – 904 Westheim
11. Aladdin – 912 Westheimer
12. Blacksmith – 1018 Westheimer
13. Haymerchant – 1100 Westheimer
14. Georgia James – 1100 Westheimer
15. El Real – 1201 Westheimer
16. Mala Sichuan – 1201 Westheimer
17. Anvil – 1424 Westheimer
18. Da Marco – 1520 Westheimer
19. Ramen Tatsu-Ya – 1722 California (twenty yards north of Westheimer)
20. Hugo’s – 1600 Westheimer
21. UB Preserv – 1609 Westheimer
22. Goodnight Charlie’s – 2511 Kuester (a half-block north of Westheimer)
23. One Fifth Romance Languages – 1658 Westheimer
24. Common Bond – 1706 Westheimer

 

A dish early in Aqui's tenure

​It’s not surprising that the new fried chicken and Gulf seafood joint La Lucha on N. Shepherd that occupies spot of the dearly departed Hunky Dory has a great special on oysters on the half-shell.  It’s siblings with State of Grace, which has terrific weekday special on freshly shucked oysters and even a beautiful, separate room dedicated to those.
 
The oyster program at La Lucha is not quite as robust, there are none of the more flavorful East Coast oysters here, but it does offer $1 freshly and expertly shucked Gulf oysters Monday through Friday from 5:00 when it opens to 6:00 and from noon to 5:00 on Saturday and Sunday.  It’s a great deal, as the restaurant group procures top-notch oysters from around the Gulf that are normally priced at $3.25 per bivalve.  I sampled a trio of each of the half-dozen oysters that were recently offered: Champagne Bay (Barataria Bay, Louisiana); Shellbank Select (Gasque, Alabama); Navy Cove (Bon Secour Bay, Alabama); Mississippi Sound (Dauphine Island, Alabama); and Murder Point (Portersville Bay, Alabama).  All were good, soft but firm, and similar in flavor: mild, even delicate, low salinity and very clean-tasting that were well-complemented by a bit of lemon juice and more so, the racy mignonette sauce. Cocktail sauce and hot, grated horseradish are also provided, but the mignonette worked the best for me with these oysters.  I didn’t feel guilty quickly finishing the eighteen oysters, and maybe even invigorated by the time I finished the last oyster’s liquid.
 
The oysters are just one of the charms at this addition to the Houston dining scene, and one that is worthy of a visit itself, especially during the happy, happy hours.
 
La Lucha
1801 N. Shepherd (at 18th Street), 77008, (713) 955-4765
laluchatx.com


One of the small Murder Point oysters

​I was disappointed with the margherita pizza I had during my first visit to Luna Pizzeria.  Well, I ended up being disappointed with a great number of margherita pizzas during my odd odyssey that was the Margherita Pizza Project, and there were others far worse along the way.  I decided to give Luna another try, as a friend of mine whose judgement I trust is a regular customer.  I am very glad that I did.  On recent visit, I tremendously enjoyed their take on the pepperoni – which their crust is far better suited than for the bare-bones margherita – and stumbled upon an excellent lunch special. 
 
The smaller diameter pepperoni that gives its names to the pepperoni pizza is obviously much better than what Is typically found, and it shed off enough welcome grease to be soaked up with the not-so-thin crust, making it, and the pizza, overall, tastier.  An intermittently blistered and raised crown seemed to help, too.  The other ingredients beyond the pepperoni seemed to be generally better than usual, too.  The judiciously used mozzarella didn’t really stand out, but there was also provolone and the Parmigiano-like Grana Padano mixed and melted in.  Shavings of Grana Padano were also were brought to table on a small plate along with plenty of crushed red pepper and, something different, sprigs of fresh oregano.  Along with bringing complementary toppings to the table, the rest of the service and friendliness of these counter-service pizza parlors are somewhat unusual given the inexpensiveness, and another reason to like these casual eateries.
 
Yet another is that this fairly substantial 9” pepperoni pizza I liked so much is available daily until 4:00 for just $10.50 and served with a small green or Caesar salad, which are actually fairly substantially sized for starter salads.  It is a terrific value.  The other five Signature Pizzas can be part of this lunch special, too: Mushroom (baby portobello, shitake, oyster, button mushrooms, spinach, rosemary and whipped ricotta); Sausage (sweet Italian sausage, red onions and red peppers); Spicy Andouille (also with fresh jalapeños, red onion, red peppers, and green onions); Prosciutto and Arugula (also with tomato sauce, mozzarella, provolone, sliced and a lemon vinaigrette drizzle); and the Margherita, but I recommend one of the other five.
 
Luna Pizzeria
3435 Kirby (at Richmond), (832) 767-6338
7705 Westheimer (just west of Voss / Hillcroft), (281) 974-1818
107 Yale (south of I-10), (832) 834-7532
lunapizzeria.com

​Featuring Creole or maybe more accurately Creole-inspired fare, the restaurant that became Eunice had garnered very considerable buzz beginning in 2016 when it was going to be star New Orleans chef and restaurateur John Besh’s first foray into Houston.  With Besh no longer actively involved in the restaurant group due to allegations of widespread sexual harassment, Eunice, named after the southern Louisiana hometown of its executive chef, Drake Leonards, fell a bit under the radar until almost its opening about a month ago.  And, without realizing it, I had driven by the attractive new setting for the restaurant for that features landscaped area in front of a sleek, contemporary office building that formerly housed Solvay.  Set away from Richmond, it can be easy to miss.  It’s definitely worth seeking out, though, based on my first visit last night.
 
It all started very well at the attractive and expansive bar just inside the entrance with a first-rate dry gin martini, made just with their well-selected well pours, that was a relative pittance at $6.50.  The receipt was humorously, and appropriately, tucked into a Mr. Boston’s cocktail guide.  We then walked to the table, passing through much of the smart and inviting modern setting softened by some comfortable rustic-themed elements like the different Gulf oysters waiting in wire-meshed bags at the counter of the oyster station set near the middle of the restaurants.  High ceilings provide for large, tall windows adding to a lightness along with the light-hued furniture, tabletops, wall treatments, and covered lights hanging down.
 
We started with a series of four appetizers that all worked out very well, vibrant and maybe a little lighter than you might expect from a Louisiana-bred concept, none of which last long on the table.  The roasted oysters with bits of shrimp, blue crab, and then brown butter breadcrumbs were excellent, with the toppings working well with the moist, milky oysters.  Maybe even more pleasurable were the chicken liver mousse served with a fig jam and thin slices of quality toasted bread.  Mild yet flavorful, I believe I liked it as much as the Tuscan version served nearby by at Giacomo’s.  The crispy Boudin Balls looked a lot like hush puppies but tasted far better.  The Dan Dan Shrimp – named after a friend and former co-worker of executive chef, not referencing the Szechuan noodles – were served with widely shaved carrots that added a little texture and sweetness to the excellent, fresh shrimp that were properly sautéed.   
 
For the entrée, I fretted over three items before settling on their version of shrimp and crab etouffee that was served over house-made pasta, "à la Harry,” likely a nod to the pasta dish created at the famed Harry’s Bar in Venice.  The smaller-sized medium shrimp that was studded with occasional pieces of crab were delicious and I enjoyed the dish, overall, but the pasta was overly soft to my palate, very soft and detracted from the rest of the preparation.  It was overcooked, at the least.  And, traditional rice would have been better.  Too many non-Italian restaurants make pasta in house that is rarely that good, in my opinion.  I might be a little tougher than usual having spent nearly a week this summer in Parma, the heart of fresh pasta country in Italy. 
 
My friends’ entrées were better, and terrific: a hanger steak from the lunch menu, slices of duck breast with some dirty rice not that clearly described as “Duck Duck Rice / sweet potato, celery root, dirty rice,” and a sautéed Gulf black drum with some crab and brown butter.  Everything was complemented with good wines at a good restaurant prices, a pleasant Gruner Veltliner by the glass for under $10, a bottle of minerally, nicely acidic yet fruit-laden Sancerre from Joseph Mellot La Chatellenie for $50, a plumpish but balanced white Burgundy that worked out very well with the shrimp, and a 2008 St. Emilion by the glass for only $12 or $13 that had nicely mellowed a bit but featured some nice fruit flavors.  One of the group, a big Sazerac fan, was so enamored with their versions, both traditional and one made with Cognac, that he stuck with them through the meal.  Service was friendly, solicitous, prompt and knowledgeable.  Just a few weeks old, the restaurant seemed to be operating on all cylinders.  It was a very enjoyable dining experience for us, highlighted by very good food.  It’s one of the best new restaurants I have been to this year.
 
Eunice
3737 Buffalo Speedway (at Richmond), 77098, (832) 491-1717
eunicerestaurant.com

The Breakfast Klub has deservedly won some national attention in the past for its breakfasts.  I am huge fan, even of the counter service outpost in Terminal A at Intercontinental Airport.  But, it might be not an understatement to write that Goode Co. Taqueria serves the best breakfasts in the city; the state; the country; etc.  I confirmed that on a recent weekend visit with a brand new order for me, the somewhat unusual Hunter’s Delight: two large eggs hard scrambled and covered with a mild but flavorful chili con carne – no beans, of course – and served with excellent diced red potatoes and toasted, distinctive airy house-made bread or biscuits.  It was terrific.
 
The Goode family restaurant has been fashioning gustatory masterpieces with eggs, potatoes, mesquite-grilled meats, butter, nicely discernible manteca de cerdo, a bit of salt and pepper, and the ancillary grease, cholesterol and fat for years during, once only on weekends and every morning in recent years.  The place has long been busy on weekends, but those patrons must come solely from the nearby neighborhoods because, from unscientific polling on my part, seemingly too many people beyond the 77005 are still unaware of the amazing breakfasts here. 
 
The breakfasts are Texan and Tex-Mex in nature.  Strongly influenced by Mexico and south Texas ranch cooking, these are consistently exceptional and hearty.  But, it is all done in a distinctively Goode Co. manner and better than elsewhere.  It begins with top-notch ingredients, which are well-executed no matter how busy the place gets, and an understanding how to improve upon the familiar.  Dishes seem both more robust and refined than typical.  It is doubtful that any breakfast cooked at a run is nearly as tasty as these that Goode Co. turns out each morning.
 
There is the basic American Breakfast that consists of two jumbo-sized eggs, a choice between house-made sausage and thick, smoked bacon, diced potatoes listed as hash browns, and either the soft, house-baked bread or an English muffin.  Though similar dishes are served at virtually all other breakfast places, Goode Co. stands head-and-shoulders above the rest with its exemplary, often robust flavors.  The fresh, house-made bread with a little bit of butter is especially good.  Another breakfast combination offers venison sausage instead of the more mundane meat choices.  Some of the other combinations with eggs are one with pork chops, quail, another with steak, another with beef fajitas, and then one with catfish.  Though fried catfish and eggs may not sound appetizing to that many people, if it is offered here, it’s probably as good as it gets.  You can expect the meats – grilled over mesquite – to be tender, juicy and flavorful.
 
Other breakfast dishes are different Tex-Mex combinations featuring eggs scrambled with a choice of items: tocino (bacon) and egg; chorizo and egg; nopalito (nopalito cactus leaves).  All are excellent.  The fresh tortillas, either flour or corn, provide a nice complement.  There are also the other Tex-Mex breakfast dishes: migas, huevos rancheros; huevos a la mexicana; and a Mexican omelet.  The condiments bar with its pico de gallo, additional dark salsa, chopped onions and pickled jalapeños provide additional flavor to these dishes.  In case you are minding your cholesterol, thick, pecan-topped waffles are also very popular and sinfully delicious.

Breakfasts run between $10.50 and $17.25.  There are also plenty of sides including the meats, freshly squeezed juiced and a Screwdriver or Bloody Mary if the morning allows.
 
Breakfast – Monday through Friday, 6:30 to 11AM; Saturday and Sunday, 7:30AM to noon
 
Goode Co. Taqueria
4902 Kirby (at Westpark), 77098, (713) 520-9153
goodecompany.co

​I was finally able to return to Nancy’s Hustle in the EaDo the other evening.  I had not been since their third day in business last December when we had an excellent meal and very fun time.  This contemporary American bistro was one of my picks for top ten new restaurants in Houston last year, a very busy year for ambitious new restaurants.  I’ve wanted to return for a while, but the best of plans had changed, and then there were plenty of newer spots I felt I had to try.  And probably more so, as deservedly popular as the restaurant has been, it has more difficult to find a table there, especially on short notice.  It is not the largest of spaces, maybe seventy seats or so.  Unfortunately, last month they could not accommodate my dinner club with a dozen, as I was told that six is the maximum party size, and there was no chance for two tables to be adjacent on a weekend night.  Oh well.
 
I snuck onto a seat in the bar, at least it felt like I snuck onto it, as the tables were already filled and most of the bar just a quarter hour after opening.  As tough as it might have been for me to decide upon what to eat, I manage to do it quickly.  The mostly shareable and certainly fun menu made for dining in stages currently includes around ten smallish plates, a half-dozen larger ones denoted “medium,” a half-dozen large plates and five desserts.  There are a couple green salads, some vegetables, several protein-centered preparations with many of the main flavors ranging from the Mediterranean on either side of the Bosphorus to stateside, all of which are enticing.  There is even a version of the famed Au Cheval cheeseburger in Chicago, as Nancy Hustle's chef was on the opening team there.  I wanted try new items on this trip – so none of the somewhat surprisingly delightful Nancy Cakes this time – I managed to narrow it down to the Crispy hash browns with sour cream, sautéed duck hearts, and cognac sauce and the Roasted striped bass with melted tomato, Spanish chorizo, capers, and basil.  Both were excellent choices.
 
The hash browns turned out to be four thick rectangles of fried mashed or hashed potatoes arrayed on the plate with fresh flat-leaf parsley, chervil and chives and a half a dozen to eight duck heart halves.  It was very enjoyable with the tasty, light but creamy yellow sauce and the brightness of the fresh herbs that very nicely paired with the all-meat hearts, which had none of the mineral accents that many associate with non-traditional parts.  And fried potatoes certainly go well with pretty much everything, especially these crusty treats.  The fish entrée turned out to be even better centered about an excellently cooked crispy skinned bass featuring a moist, mild white flesh that went well with the acidity and flavors of the ripe, roasted tomato halves and also the creamy textured sauce of a puree of corn cooked with shallots.  The small nuggets of the chorizo sausage and capers, each provided a different but nicely complementary contrast to the fish and its corn sauce.  Delicious.
 
The bartenders were terrific, both with the cocktail and with the service in general.  I prefaced the dinner with the Mystery Plane, what I properly surmised was refreshing on a warm Houston summer after.  Made with nearly entirely Gallic components: Boudier, a dry gin from Dijon, a white wine from Corsica, lemon liqueur, and a spray of absinthe.  It was excellent, not just refreshing.  After it, a white Burgundy for $13 proved to go well enough with the bass entrée.   
 
My one minor quibble with the restaurant is that I wish the dishes were more specific to Houston.  It sports a menu that might be found in most top restaurant cities, especially Chicago.  As good as the food and drinks have been in my two visits, this is a very minor quibble.
 
Nancy’s Hustle
2704 Polk (east of Emancipation), 77003, (346) 571-7931
nancyshustle.com

​I had heard Astros broadcaster Todd Kalas encouragingly remark last season that Tony Luke’s, regarded by some as serving the best cheesesteak sandwiches in Philadelphia, might have a location in Houston.  I expected that Kalas, whose father was the legendary longtime Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster – after leaving the ‘Stros after a half-dozen seasons in 1971 – had presumably spent much of his younger years in Philly and had eaten a fair number of the city’s signature sandwiches.  Not just Kalas’s recommendation of its quality, but Tony Luke’s had been lauded as the best in Philly by The Best Thing I Ever Ate some years ago on the Food Network and is currently in the number two spot on the VisitPhily.com site, for those are worth.  Philadelphia is known for the Liberty Bell, Rocky, and cheesesteak sandwiches.  And those vociferously booing fans.  So, not long after hearing about a possible Tony Luke’s in the city, I had to find and visit it.  Located on the Katy Freeway on 1-10 near Bunker Hill in one of the faceless strip centers, it is pretty good, if I can’t really vouch for how it compares to its locations in its hometown.
 
But, just two or three blocks west in another banal small strip center is a homegrown Pappa Geno’s, which is clearly much better to my taste.  Each of the components tasted a little better than that Philly import, and the combination much more so.  The availability of plastic squeeze bottles of a good hot sauce at Pappa Geno’s helped, certainly for me, with a typically Houston need for some piquancy in many of my meals.  I don’t think that I am alone; we generally like a lot more spice than they do in Philly.  To properly compare, I had very similar half sandwiches at each place one afternoon, which definitely confirmed my earlier observations.  I did enjoy Tony Luke’s well enough, but I don’t think that there really is a reason to visit with a Pappa Geno’s so close by, as the latter is clearly better.
 
Since the back-to-back comparison, I’ve been back to Pappa Geno’s several times at this another location, and it’s been excellent every time.  To help confirm my feelings about the cheesesteaks, I had check out the new location of Texadelphia on Montrose.  It’s ground beef-like steak stuff in the sandwich was a big disappointment in comparison in both taste and texture to those served nearby at Pappa Geno’s on lower Westheimer, if in a much more inviting and comfortable setting.  But, Pappa Geno’s versions are probably among the best hot sandwiches in Houston, at least the ones served in bland, unprepossessing settings.
 
The sandwiches are large and a feature fresh, soft rolls; good bread a necessity for a good sandwich, after all.  The thinly sliced seasoned beef is tender and flavorful and well complemented by the plentiful melted provolone and nearly caramelized onions that come with it in their basic Pappa Geno’s Steak & Cheese sandwich.  The ingredients might not have the provenance of those on many upscale restaurants here, but they are more than good enough and work wonderfully together.  A cheesesteak sandwich here is a nearly glorious, very messy and caloric indulgence that is far from artful in appearance or construction but tastes better than most of the much fancier sandwiches around, not just its cheesesteak competitors.  The other versions I’ve had thus far have also been very enjoyable: the Smothered Philly that adds sautéed mushrooms and brown gravy and the Wicked Philly that has hot oil peppers with the basic sandwich.
 
In all, Pappa Geno’s has seven versions of the Philly cheesesteak sandwich plus five others with the less flavorful chicken.  There are also hoagies, the cold Italian-Americans that called subs here, plus burgers and cheese fries and other artery-clogging sides.
 
Though usually a caloric, cheesy indulgence, Philly cheesesteaks might be overrated, as it is.  I enjoy them, but these are rarely that great.  Cheesesteak sandwiches are popular, to be sure, but among the Italian-American hot sandwich canon, Chicago’s Italian beef sandwich featuring thinly sliced, long-braised boneless sirloin on an Italian-style roll dipped in the cooking juices and served with the pickled vegetable mixture in vinegar oil, giardiniera, is tastier, in my opinion.  Far more time-consuming to make than the cheesesteak sandwich, it has not migrated that successfully much beyond the greater Chicagoland area.  I do enjoy a good cheesesteak sandwich, though.  Unfortunately, there are a plenty of mediocre and worse versions out there.  I had one recently during a layover in the Philadelphia airport at a place called Chickie's & Pete's that was absolutely terrible.  Somehow there are two locations in that airport.  I had had a similarly bad cheesesteak in the same airport a number of years ago, though it might have been another crappy proprietor.  For better or worse, an old roommate and lifelong Philly area resident confirmed that Chickie & Pete’s really sucks, even outside of the airport.  I digress.
 
Pappa Geno’s now has six locations and recently opened a spot not far from my home and my office on lower Westheimer.  I am very happy, though it’s certainly not propitious for my waistline.
 
Pappa Geno’s
1801 Ella (at TC Jester), 77008, (713) 863-1222
6317 N. Eldridge Parkway (north of W. Little York), 77041, (713) 466-8080
515 Westheimer (between Taft and Montrose), 77006, (281) 501-3664
9330 Katy Freeway (on the north side, between Bunker Hill and Witte), 77055, (281) 501-1617
19859 Katy Freeway (on the south side, east of Fry Road), 77094, (281) 578-1900
8035 Spencer Highway, Deer Park (just west of Luella), 77536, (281) 884-8129
pappagenos.com


The wonderful mess that is Pappa Geno's Steak & Cheese sandwich

Tacos are fun, and the new breed of taco places are meant to capitalize on that.  What I mean with Tacos 2.0 are both the tacos – which often go well beyond traditional Mexican and familiar Tex-Mex fillings – and the restaurants, which are fast-casual concepts.  Concepts that are ripe for replication, roughly similar to the burrito chains that have sprung up in the past couple of decades, and featuring soft tortilla tacos in tacos that are cooked or assembled to order, without a steam table in site.  Some of these taco purveyors, like Torchy’s Tacos, have scores of locations throughout the state, and even the mediocre Fuzzy’s Tacos has nearly a hundred restaurants.  Texans like tacos.
 
Most of these new style tacos have begun in the wake of chef Roy Choi’s ground-breaking food truck in Los Angeles almost a decade ago dispensing Korean-infused tacos to ravenous crowds and rave reviews, and which began to get national attention by 2010.  This helped inspire a new range of tacos wherever tacos are sold in this country.  Fusion Taco here was one of the first locally to jump onto this trend, with a well-regarded taco truck in 2013, and then stand-alone restaurants.
 
I found nine different taco places that I thought fit my definition of Tacos 2.0, and visited each at least a couple of times, and for some, several times.  I’ve eaten a lot of tacos recently.  What I found is that you are likely to never have a great taco at one of these places, but you can possibly have an enjoyable and possibly even a pretty funky one.  More so, nothing I ate was as good as at some of my favorite places for tacos like 100% Taquito, Laredo Taqueria on Patton, and Eight Row Flint – especially their amazing beef tacos.  This is due in part to the fact that the tortillas at the Tacos 2.0 spots generally don’t taste as good as at these other places, which are more likely making them onsite.  Interestingly, local La Ranchera supplies a number of the local Tacos 2.0 places, some with seemingly better tortillas than others.  Another factor is that the newer fangled combinations often just don’t work as well as the more straightforward, tried and true ones.  Then each of the Tacos 2.0 joints feel compelled to have a fish or shrimp taco on the menu, for some reason.  These rarely work well, as the quality of the seafood is usually disappointing.  There are notable exceptions, though, like Cabo.  Ordering the seafood fried is usually a safer option, if a seafood or fish taco is a must.
 
These newer-fangled taco joints also cost quite a bit more than any taco at a taqueria or humble taco joint serving the migrant and immigrant communities.  With tax and tip, the tacos I consumed for this piece averaged over $4.30 each, not terribly cheap for a taco that is often on the smaller side.  Though a little more expensive than the traditional taco joint, these newer places offer a nicer setting and other items – chips and queso to start, vegetarian items and salads for the healthier eaters – to entice all of your co-workers to lunch.
 
Below are the Tacos 2.0 chains – and hopeful chains – in order of preference, broken up among three categories: Worth an Occasional Detour; Often Interesting and Usually Enjoyable; and Don’t Bother, as there are Definitely Much Better Options.  The top purveyors were home grown, not surprisingly.  The restaurants are pretty good in Houston.
 
Worth an Occasional Detour
 
Tacos A Go Go
 
What began as a small storefront next to the Continental Club on Main Street in Midtown in 2006, Tacos A Go Go has gotten better over the years and is the best of the Tacos 2.0 spots, in my opinion.  This fun, intentionally kitschy mini-chain hews closely to Mexico and Texas for its tacos, and doing nearly everything quite well.  Its baker dozen of enticing taco options are divided among three different themes and types of tacos: Street Tacos described as “All Mex…no Tex” featuring stewed meats with piquant salsas and topped in Mexican fashion with diced onions, chopped cilantro and queso fresco along with fillings like carne guisada, lamb barbacoa and pork guisado; Go Go Tacos that are “More Tex than Mex”; and the Texas Tacos that are topped with Monterey Jack cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and a salsa along with your choice of grilled skirt steak, grilled marinated chicken or a grilled white fish.  For any of these, you’ve also got your choice of tortillas among, corn, flour and for a little extra, whole wheat and puffy.  Those puffy tacos, featuring deep-fried corn tortillas, are a nod to the unique style developed in San Antonio and- provide something a little different, if not necessarily heart healthy.  One of the quality four self-serve salsas help make everything taste better, too.
 
Appeal: Very good tacos done in ways that Houstonians appreciate in casual, inviting settings
What to order: Barbacoa, Pastor, Picadillo, Pollo Guisado
Taco price range: $2.59 to $3.79
Taco size: Medio
Number of different PM tacos: 13 plus create-your-own breakfast tacos
Types of tortillas: Flour, corn, whole wheat and puffy
Tortillas: Sourced from La Ranchera; puffy tacos are fried on-premise
Breakfast taco hours: All day; and these are big for breakfast tacos
Dishes other than tacos: chips, queso, burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, breakfast plates, nachos and salads
Beer: Yes
Number of locations: 5
Locations in the Houston area: 5
Founded: Houston in 2006
 
Fusion Taco
 
What began as a taco truck five years ago is now two friendly and inviting counter-service locations, one just outside the Heights and the other, a newly opened spot in a food court in Greenway Plaza.  Fusion Taco does the wide-ranging fillings better than any of the other Tacos 2.0 joints found in the area.  Smoked Brisket, Chicken Tikka Masala, Agedashi Tofu, Falafel, Chicken Fried Oyster and Seared Brussels Sprouts are few of the dozen-and-a-half taco options whose inspirations cover a fair amount of the globe, all of which are thoughtfully comprised with quality ingredients and attractively presented.  These are some of the prettiest tacos in town.  More importantly, most taste at least pretty good and usually better.  One is the Lamb Keema featuring cooling pieces of cucumber slice and a greenish tahini for a refreshing ground lamb taco served in a nicely texturally contrasting fried corn tortilla shell.  Unfortunately, the chicken in a couple of the tacos were a little on the dry side.  For some reason, the near-liter-sized white plastic bottle of the unique San Luis brand hot sauce (mild) available to bring back to your table seems to make nearly all the tacos better, including making those two chicken tacos enjoyable.
 
Appeal: A globally inspired array of taco fillings that usually work quite well
What to order: Chicken Fried Oyster, Lamb Keema, Berkshire Pork BBQ
Taco price range: $3.50 to $4.25
Taco size: Medio
Number of different tacos: 16
Types of tortillas: Corn and Flour
House-made tortillas: Corn
Breakfast taco hours: Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 to 4:00
Dishes other than tacos: queso in several varieties, soups, salads, nachos, quesadillas
Beer: Yes
Number of locations: 2
Locations in the Houston area: 2
Founded: Houston in 2013
  
Often Interesting and Usually Enjoyable

Cabo
 
An attractive exterior on Washington Avenue harkens to a bright, if just slightly blemished, taco and burrito joint that true to its name with roots in Cabo on the Pacific coast where appetizing fried fish tacos are to be found.  There are only seven different fillings for the tacos here: fish – both fried and grilled – shrimp, pastor, the rotisserie marinated pork with pineapple, and ones with grilled beef, chicken or nopales, cactus.  Most tacos are worth ordering, with the properly fresh ingredients used in sensible and welcome combinations and helped by one of their several salsas or fresh lime at the condiments bar.  A bit oddly but enjoyably, you can also add grilled mozzarella to any taco for additional buck.
 
Appeal: Good quality Cabo-inspired tacos
What to order: Baja (Fish), Camaron
Taco price range: $3.50 to $3.85
Taco size: Medio
Breakfast taco hours: all the time
Number of different tacos: 7
Types of tortillas: Corn, Flour
House-made tortillas: Corn; Flour tortillas are from La Ranchera
Dishes other than tacos: chips, queso, burritos, burrito bowls, quesadilla, tostadas, carne asada fries, elote, churros
Beer: Yes
Number of locations: 2, I think
Locations in the Houston area: 2
Founded: 2015 in The Woodlands
 
Dream Tacos, Tx
 
What was a Jenni’s Noodles was transformed in the spring of 2018 into this modern taco restaurant set invitingly in a newish development on Richmond near Greenway Plaza.  More than a pretty face, this approachable spot an serves a number of enticing tacos, several with slight refinements on the familiar fillings like beef fajitas, barbacoa and pastor that will appeal to most.  Most are served on the slightly doughy flour tortillas that are made in house.  The tacos can be complemented with one of the six salsa made in house; just tell your server.  There is more service here than at other places.  In case you are feeling guilty about tacos for lunch – which you don’t have to be here, as the tacos are fairly small – a half-dozen of the tacos are vegetarian.  These can be pretty good, too.  Among the three seafood options, stick with The Fried Shrimp, served with cabbage, pickled onions and jalapeños and a creamy cilantro ranch dressing.  Conversely, the North Shore Garlic Shrimp, with its not-so-appetizing small grilled shrimp, was the only significant demerit encountered.
 
Appeal: Bright and cheery place with fun and usually well-done tacos
What to order: Hot’lanta (fried chicken tenders in Buffalo sauce), Fried Shrimp, Rodeo Barbacoa
Taco price range: $2.25 to $4.00
Taco size: Pequeño
Number of different PM tacos: 16
Breakfast taco hours: All the time
Types of tortillas: Corn, Flour
House-made tortillas: Flour, the Corn tortillas are from La Ranchera
Dishes other than tacos: chips, queso, nachos, salads, soups, meat and seafood plates
Beer: No
Number of locations: 1
Locations in the Houston area: 1
Founded: Houston in 2018
 
Torchy’s Tacos
 
The most popular and well-known of the Tacos 2.0 purveyors – there is even one in centerfield in MinuteMaid announced by two big Torchy’s signs facing most of the seats.  Especially popular among teenagers and those who studied in Austin, Torchy’s provides a slew of fun and sloppy tacos that are fairly unique.  Tex-Mex 2000, maybe.  Big and messy and better with plenty of extra salsa that’s usually mild, but flavorful and often viscous, these can be a guilty pleasure.  But, as I overheard at another taco joint, “Torchy’s, it’s like they are trying too hard.”  Often too many disparate things go into a taco for my taste.  Most work, but sometimes barely.  And, on tacos are on the pricey side, too.  But, there is seemingly always a line; Torchy’s has a following.
 
Appeal: Fun, bold-flavored and often gloppy tacos
What to order: Fried Avocado, Green Chile Pork, Trailer Park
Taco price range: $3.75 to $5.25
Taco size: Gordo
Number of different PM tacos: 16
Breakfast taco hours: All the time
Types of tortillas: Corn and Flour
House-made tortillas: No
Dishes other than tacos: chips, queso, salad, burritos, quesadillas for the kids
Beer: Yes
Number of locations: 59
Locations in the Houston area: 13
Founded: Austin in 2006
 
Tacodeli
 
The slick counter-service spot on Washington Avenue serve a large array of good-looking, small tacos mostly hewing to Mexican traditions, from Mexico City specifically.  The chain feature proteins that are humanely raised ethically or more expensively sourced.  This does not necessarily translate into a tastier taco, though.  The tortillas don’t help; these aren’t bad, just below par for a local Mexican restaurant.  The proteins and sourcing might have menu claims to be better than most, but it’s not really noticeable, and sometimes the kitchen doesn’t really do its job, as with my taco that included rajas.  The supposedly sautéed onions and poblano strips were pretty much uncooked and not adding much to the dry chicken.  The tacos here are on the small side; the smallest of the nine places surveyed.  Most adults will need three, and ordering four won’t make you gluttonous, though a quartet with drink can run you to $20 or more.  Important to note, Tacodeli closes at 3:00 in the afternoon each day.
 
Appeal: A number of different tacos from which to choose, most traditionally Mexican
What to order: Chicken Mole, Conchinita Pibil
Taco price range: $2.85 to $4.50
Taco size: Pequeño
Number of different PM tacos: 26 plus 1 to 3 daily lunch specials
Breakfast taco hours: Monday through Friday until 11 AM; all day on weekends
Types of tortillas: Flour, corn and wheat, plus you can order the taco fillings without a tortilla
House-made tortillas: No
Dishes other than tacos: chips, salads, soups and plates
Beer: No
Number of locations: 10
Locations in the Houston area: 1
Founded: Austin in 1999
 
Velvet Tacos
 
Offering the biggest array of cuisines stuffed into a tortilla among any local taco joint, it might take longer to digest the menu at Velvet Tacos than elsewhere if you are a newbie.  The helpful counter staff can help guide you among the Cuban Pig, Fish and Chips, Nashville Hot Tofu, Shrimp and Grits and Texas Akaushi Bacon Burger, which are a few of twenty taco choices.  Yes, still tacos.  These names, and fillings, can be a bit unusual, but most seem to work, though not the bland Fried Paneer, Grilled Flank Steak or Picnic Chicken tacos that generous amounts of the hot sauce from a squeeze bottle could not quite rectify.  Though these tacos can be pricey, a hungry adult will need three to be nearly satiated.  Decent beer on tap and inviting, laid-back settings help make a visit here a bit easier.
 
Appeal: An array of adventurously laden tacos
What to order: Buffalo Chicken Taco, Cuban Pig Taco, Fish and Chips
Taco price range: $3.50 to $6.75
Taco size: Medio
Number of different PM tacos: 17
Breakfast taco hours: All the time
Types of tortillas: Corn and Flour
House-made tortillas: No
Dishes other than tacos: queso, elote, tater tots and egg, red velvet cake (of course)
Beer: Yes
Number of locations: 10
Locations in the Houston area: 2
Founded: 2011 in Dallas
 
Don’t Bother, as there are Definitely Much Better Options
 
Liberty Tacos
 
After a couple of visits, I got the impression that when creating the menu, Liberty Taco just threw things into a tortilla and hoped it works.  Though there are some familiar tacos like the carnitas, this doesn’t adhere to Mexican sensibilities like many of the tacos Tacos A Go Go and Tacodeli nor the fun, kitschy Tex-Mex like Torchy’s.  The tacos are not nearly as well thought out as at other places and the ingredients generally as not good; a big piece of gristle in a Kogi Beef Taco was the most annoying example of that.  The mushy and tasteless fish in the heart of Grilled Fish taco highlighted a cheap-tasting ingredient that was also cooked poorly.  Their barbacoa taco wasn’t bad, though it was the easily the lamest barbacoa I believe I’ve ever had.  And the Cali Club taco featured a large, stiff chicken tender at its heart.  On the plus side, there are several self-serve salsas from which to choose, which help out with everything, and the tacos are larger than most, though pricier averaging over $4.00 each.  There are also eighteen tacos from which to choose among beef, chicken, pork, seafood and vegetarian headings, so maybe you can find something satisfying.
 
Appeal: Not far from the Galleria
What to order: The Carnitas taco wasn’t that bad
Taco price range: $3.85 to $4.50
Taco size: Gordo
Number of different PM tacos: 18
Breakfast taco hours: All the time
Types of tortillas: Flour, with Corn upon request according to the menu
House-made tortillas: No, sourced from La Ranchera
Dishes other than tacos: chips, queso, quesadillas, salad bowls
Beer: Yes
Number of locations: 1
Locations in the Houston area: 1
Founded: Houston in 2017
 
Fuzzy’s Tacos
 
Two locations of Fuzzy’s Tacos near me went out of business, and I don’t believe that either made it a year.  After eating at Fuzzy’s Tacos a couple of times, I can understand why.  Each of their small tacos are unappealingly topped with a plethora of tasteless-at-best shredded iceberg lettuce and, oddly, bits of cheap-tasting feta cheese, which fill the tortilla more so than the relatively small amount of proteins.  Worse, the tacos rarely rise above mediocre in flavor, regardless of their small size.  To complement the tacos, there are only bottled hot sauces, made by Fuzzy’s Tacos with mostly vinegar, ketchup, corn syrup and aged red peppers, the regrettably named Butt Burnin’ Hot Sauce and Butt Burnin’ Hot Sauce - Habanero.  If not nearly as enjoyable as the freshly made salsas at other places, these do help the tacos, which definitely need some help.  On the plus side, the tacos are inexpensive, the cheapest among these nine places surveyed.  
 
Appeal: Cheap tacos, I guess
What to order: I can’t recommend any of the eight different tacos that I’ve eaten there
Taco price range: $2.59 to $3.29
Taco size: Pequeño
Number of different PM tacos: 11
Breakfast taco hours: All day
Types of tortillas: Corn
House-made tortillas: No
Dishes other than tacos: chips, soups, salads, nachos, quesadilla, burritos, burrito bowls, plates
Beer: Yes
Number of locations: 97
Locations in the Houston area: 5
Founded: Fort Worth in 2003

A trio of tacos at a Tacos A Go Go

​Spaghetti and meatballs are an American creation, the combination of meatballs from the traditional Italian protein-based second course and the pasta from the first course to meet the demands of the much faster-paced American lifestyle.  Though it might be scoffed at Italian food traditionalists – and pretty much every Italian – it remains a staple on America tables and Italian-themed menus in this country for a reason.  It can be delicious if its three significant components are done well; high quality meatballs can make a huge difference in the overall enjoyment of the deceptively simple dish.
 
In Italy, spaghetti and meatballs can be found, but only at restaurants that might find a number of tourists.  There are at a few tourists in Venice during the warmer months, I did notice.  I was in Venice last month, and during a ramble around many of its famous landmarks, we stumbled upon Osteria al Diavolo e L'Acquasanta in Venice not far from the Rialto Bridge.  It turned out to be serendipitous stop.  We each enjoyed our lunchtimes choices, and the Sauvignon from the Collio more than aptly complemented our seafood items and provided some very refreshing and numbing liquid enjoyment on a warm afternoon.  My young nephew, who for a couple of weeks in Italy, ordered spaghetti al pomodoro (spaghetti in a tomato sauce), fried calamari, or spaghetti and meatballs for nearly every meal if pizza wasn’t served.  Osteria al Diavolo e ‘Acaquasanta had spaghetti and meatballs, and so did he.  (OK, it turned out to actually be linguine and meatballs, but not no matter).
 
He loved it.  I got a taste or two of the meatballs and those were terrific.  Soft and delicious, its mild, slightly meaty flavor went very well with the tasty tomato-based acidity of the light and fresh-tasting sauce covering it and the pasta.  The meatballs were made with seemingly equal portions of ground pork, veal and beef.  I am pretty sure that is what I got from the waiter; thankfully his English was far better than my Italian.  These were the type of tender, very savory meatballs I wish I could make at home on a regular basis and some of the very best meatballs that I have had in a while.  These were much better than one might expect from a restaurant where only not-so-demanding, and often younger, tourists would ever order the dish.
 
I just saw, after returning home, that Anthony Bourdain filmed a part of his No Reservations show at Osteria al Diavolo e L'Acquasanta in 2009.  He didn’t eat spaghetti and meatballs, of course.  He might have actually enjoyed them, though.

​I was in Chicago last weekend for a cousin’s wedding with Michelin as a ready guide for restaurants in the West Loop where I was staying.  I was wary of Michelin in this country having heard from at least one restaurateur friend that the reviewers really did not understand American dining habits, though that was a few years ago.  Thankfully, the Michelin guide turned out to be as useful as did last month in Italy, and helped make the weekend even more enjoyable, and caloric.
 
To start the weekend’s dining, I terrific meal at The Publican, which wears a Bib Gourmand distinction from Michelin – very good food and good prices.  In fairness, The Publican would have likely been on my list anyway, having been highly recommended by friends and family and having seen it on more than one of the food and travel shows.  Fresh, flavorful apricots highlighted a salad to start with burrata and a very appropriate supporting cast that included crisp greens, which proved to be perfect feeling warm after the walk from the hotel and also to preface my entrée of crisp veal sweetbreads.  Maybe sweetbread is a better description as it was a single large piece battered and fried, “like a schnitzel” according my very good waitress.  In a seemingly odd and busy sauce that combined a bagna cauda-inspired sauce and that used for veal tonnato, it was quite complementary to the meat / gland with the prominent flavor of anchovy somewhat masking the nickel-taste of the sweetbreads.  I was very happy.  Actually, I was happy soon after receiving my first drink, a half-liter of draft Andechser Weissbier Hell, a Bavarian hefe-weizen from the famed monastic brewery near Munich that is fairly rare in this country.  It was fresh and absolutely terrific, and among the very best hefe-weizens you can find; in the league with the redoubtable Ayinger Brau-Weisse.  There were more drinks and some more food, including a complimentary dessert and a very enjoyable meal in a bustling, fun setting.  I am not sure how it received a Bib Gourmand citation, though.  The food prices were fair and even low for some of the proteins, but the beers – something in which the aptly named Publican specializes – were very high.  The wines are slightly expensive and without much of selection or seemingly that well selected.  Minor quibbles.
 
The Publican was followed digestifs in the form of mescal at Rick Bayless’s’ Leña Brava.  The next morning Roister from the Alinea group impressed me as very deserving of its Michelin even just for a breakfast dish, a not-so-Southern take on biscuits and gravy.  As enjoyable as that was, the michelada I had to accompany it was easily the best michelada I have ever had, spicy courtesy of Japanese peppers but balanced and quite flavorful.  Stephanie Izard’s Little Goat Diner served an even better breakfast the next morning, This Little Piggy Went to China.  This was sesame cheddar biscuit in a couple of halves, on one rested a Sichuan-scented pork sausage then sunny-side up eggs with a chili garlic chive sauce. And chives scattered about with about ten blackberries.  Both Chinese or Sichuan and American at the same time, for breakfast.  Everything was good in itself and complementary like the blackberries whose slight sweetness made a welcome pair to the piquant sauce and sausage, especially later in the dish.  All good.
 
It was a good trip, in a terrific neighborhood for dining and imbibing, and helped by Michelin.
 

​Of all of the stops during a recent two-week trip to Italy, I was most wary of dining in Venice during.  I had never been to ultra-touristy Venice but knew it long had a reputation for restaurants serving poor food at high prices to visitors.  It had been somewhat allayed by the experiences of a fellow food writer who raved about dining in the several days she and her husband had spent there a few years ago.  But, early this year, a restaurant near the touristy center made international news for charging Japanese students over €1,100 (over $1,300) for just four steaks, a platter of fried seafood and a few drinks. 
 
Thanks in large part to the trusty Michelin guide, the three days in Venice saw good and very good meals with just one exception.  It wasn’t recommended in Michelin, of course.  The restaurant that I hoped to visit that evening was, but mobility issues in our group precluded a walk there – or water taxi.  The restaurant we ended up was close by and had a menu filled with Venetian specialties.  It was seemingly as untouristy as a restaurant might be near the Accademia in Venice.
 
Taverna San Travaso might have been, but our meal was pretty lousy.  It was a bad meal and the worst of my two weeks in Italy last month.  I definitely felt like a ripped-off tourist afterwards; the restaurant was not trying at all. 
 
A harbinger of the mediocrity, and worse, was the pitcher of prosecco we ordered to start.  A pitcher of prosecco was quite appropriate with the hot weather, and a cool way to start, especially since we don’t often see sparkling wine on tap and by the pitcher.  It wasn’t really sparkling though.  It was effervescent, if with more than enough bubbles to bring it beyond the level of still wine.  It was not terribly good, either, though deservedly inexpensive.  Soon after the carafes arrived were the mixed antipasti.  The Caprese di Bufala, or Caprese salad, featured pale red, thick and lifeless tomatoes that were about the worst I had ever seen in nearly ten trips to Italy.  Given how good tomatoes typically are in Italy, I had only once had witnessed tomatoes nearly as bad.  Awful.
 
It got worse, though, at least for my brother.  He ordered a seafood soup as his first course.  It was terrible.  Inedible, in fact.  He asked a couple of others to try, too, to their disgust, and had to send it back.  With nothing but a shrug from the waiter.  I am not sure if it was even taken off the bill.  My starter was not nearly as bad, but not what was advertised, and rather fraudulent.  It supposed to be bigoli in a duck ragu.  My bigoli, which is a type freshly made pasta from the region that is like a softer, thick spaghetti was just thin, commercially made spaghetti.  The simple duck ragu was not bad, but straightforward and rather simple without much in the way anything other than thin duck meat and jus.  At least my pasta was thoroughly cooked.  The two orders of gnocchi at the table were vastly undercooked, often doughy and quite unpalatable.
 
The rest of the meal was not nearly as bad.  My veal scaloppine al marsala featured veal that was far from tender, grainy and not very enjoyable by itself in a simple, sweet-than-it-should-be sauce.  The dish was barely mediocre and something I might expect from a below average Ruby Tuesday.  It was probably worse than that.  The bland fish filet that both my father and a brother ordered might have been better but far from what you might hope for from a restaurant steps from the sea, and far from what my brother catches in Galveston Bay.
 
Overall, Taverna San Travaso was very disappointing visit – one that a fair amount of wine and good company could not entirely overcome – and restaurant I would highly recommend missing if in Venice. 

​
This unappetizing gray dish was supposed to bigoli with a duck ragu.  Instead, spaghetti with some dull duck meat was a better description, but there was far worse served for our dinner.