Inside My Table #59 | Restaurant listings
2003’s Best New Restaurants
Despite the troubling economic news that permeated the local restaurant industry in 2003, there were many fresh starts and bright stars. Trends? Several cool new spots opened downtown—five of the 12 we selected as the year’s best are downtowners—and confident “American bistro” style cooking (e.g. 17, Cava Bistro, Shade) is, finally, firmly planted here. Sad to say, we’ve also noted a dozen restaurants that closed and local foodies will miss most; we could have listed many more.
17, 1117 Prairie St. in the Alden Hotel, 832-200-8888. The hotel has warmed up this space that was Riviera Grill, keeping the glittering room-length chandelier but swathing the walls in deep burgundy fabric and replacing the tables and chairs with banquette seating. Executive chef Jeffrey Armstrong, 29, was imported from Los Angeles. We swooned over his macaroni and cheese infused with black truffles, seared foie gras with roasted pineapple, shrimp with pine-nut couscous and slow-braised short ribs. $$-$$$
Aquarium Restaurant, 410 Bagby St. on Buffalo Bayou, 713-223-FISH (3474). More than $38 million was spent by Tilman Fertitta’s Landry’s Restaurants, Inc. to redevelop two city-owned downtown structures into a six-acre theme park that includes a public aquarium, seafood restaurant, ballroom, midway, Ferris wheel, train and carousel. Sniff if you want, but our reviewer promises “you’re going to wind up coming here.” The menu “one of those corporate-designed Frankensteins with something for everyone” includes coconut shrimp, grilled mahi-mahi, crab salad and fried calamari. $$
Artista, 800 Bagby at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts., 713-ARTISTA (278-4782). Michael Cordua debuted his latest, most ambitious restaurant early in 2003. Set in the Hobby Center, this distills everything Cordua has learned about restaurants, then takes a blind leap of faith in downtown Houston. The menu is less Latin than his other restaurants; it’s more about, simply, how Houston likes to eat now and is quite global in inspiration. Our reviewer described it as “a stunner, yet approachable at the same time Dont even wait until you have visitors use any excuse” to visit. $$-$$$
Brenner’s Steakhouse, 10911 Katy Freeway near Wilcrest, 713-465-2901. In early June, Tilman Fertitta and his Landry’s Restaurants Inc. reopened Brenner’s, the long-time West-side steakhouse that closed in 2002 after more than 65 years in business. More than $1 million was spent refurbishing the building, which really had begun to look pretty awful. “Having eaten at the old Brenner’s and observed its sad decline,” wrote reviewer Patricia Martin, “I thoroughly enjoyed my recent visits to this transformed, upbeat, yet untrendy dining room.” $$$
Cafe Le Jadeite, 1952 W. Gray in the River Oaks Shopping Center, 713-528-4288. Owner Randy Chou made over a defunct Chili’s to create this “Chinese version of Citizen Kane’s tchotchke-filled Xanadu.” The dining room is broken up into cozy niches, with a soaring ceiling, dramatic glass accents and Chinese sculpture. The kitchen promotes a contemporary blend of Eastern and European eating: prosciutto scallops, lamb chops, salt & pepper calamari. $-$$
Cava Bistro, 301 Main St. at Congress, 713-223-4068. Youssef Nafaa left the old Osteria d’Aldo interior as it was, but rewrote the menu to feature an eclectic array of dishes with Mediterranean and European influences. Reviewer Eric Gerber recommended the “succulent oven-roasted whole red snapper that, at $18.95, is the most expensive entree on the menu … you’ll scarf up every bit of the potato slices the fish rests on just to get more of that unique flavor” and added Cava Bistro is “one of the best-kept secrets on the Houston dining scene.” $$
CLOSED/*O’Rourke’s Steakhouse*, 4611 Montrose south of Highway 59, 713-523-4611. Co-owners John O’Rourke and Sam Hernandez both veterans of River Oaks Grill have created a promising upscale neighborhood joint that truly reflects its clientele. (Note the cool lamp fixtures featuring hand-painted portraits of notable Houstonians.) The menu includes caviar, wedge salad, carpaccio, steaks, chops, some seafood selections. Entrees are served with a sauce and recommended side dish. At night, the back room becomes a piano bar. $$-$$$
Rouge, 812 Westheimer a block east of Montrose, 713-520-7955. When Rouge opened in late June, it was the end of months of work and frustrating setbacks. Worth the wait? Our reviewer wrote, “It’s evident that Rouge is the most promising and pleasing new restaurant on the Houston scene since Aries and Artista.” The stunning French-American menu is from chef Edel Goncalves (formerly with Masraff’s); the front of the house is run by partner, GM Xavier Borkowski. $$-$$$
Shade, 250 West 19th St. bet. Yale & Rutland, 713-863-7500. The return of Claire Smith to Houston has been widely hailed by foodies who were early fans of her Daily Review Cafe. She has taken over the old Kaldi location in The Heights and transformed it: The hippie brunch spot is out, a highly evolved urbane dining room is in. The menu (e.g. crispy crab-stuffed squid with Tuscan white beans, pan-seared tuna with ratatouille) and minimalist setting are the tiniest bit self conscious, but in a modest (not a show-offy) way. Bring your own wine. $$-$$$
Sorrento, 415 Westheimer bet. Montrose & Taft, 713-527-0609. Abbas Hussein (veteran of Michelangelo’s) and Pedro Castro (once with Aldo’s) opened this Italian eatery in a new strip center. The place is warm and luscious, and the menu includes carpaccio with arugula and shaved parmesan, smoked duck prosciutto with figs and frisee, veal osso buco, cioppino and beef filet with gorgonzola gnocchi. Ask nicely and Castro will make you a fresh, warm zabaglione for dessert. $$
Uptown Sushi, 1131-14 Uptown Park Blvd., 713-871-1200. Donald Chang (Nara, Blowfish) has taken everything he knows about luring the young and the beautiful and applied it to this newcomer. (It opened in mid-December.) At 10:30 on a January Saturday night, cars are still discharging guests at the valet stand, and the team of five sushi chefs can barely stay current with the orders pouring in. The techno beat throbs as gorgeous young people in black circulate throughout the LA-inspired room. Definitely a scene. $$
Vic & Anthony’s, 1510 Texas Ave. at LaBranche, 713-228-1111. Downtown’s first major-league steakhouse, across from Minute Maid Park, was yet another Landry’s project. It’s a truly beautiful Craftsman-style setting with fine woodwork and over-sized stained-glass chandeliers. The menu, by executive chef Kathy Ruiz, includes several winners: maple-glazed quail, oysters Rockefeller, Prime cuts of beef and the best mashed potatoes in town. It opened in late April. $$$
Farewell
2003’s Most Significant Closings
Anthony’s, 2811 Kirby Dr.
Antone’s, 807 Taft
Chianti, 1515 S. Post Oak Lane
Empress, 5419 FM 1960 West
Frankie B. Mandola’s Steaks & Burgers, 5333 Kirby
Kaldi Cafe, 250 West 19th St.
La Tour d’Argent, 2011 Ella Blvd.
Scott’s Cellar, 6540 San Felipe
Sierra Grill, 4704 Montrose
Solero, 910 Prairie
Stables Steak House, 3734 Westheimer
Two Chefs Bistro, 2300 Westheimer
