Inside My Table #89 | Restaurant listings
2008’s Best New Restaurants
Every year in the February-March issue we offer our choices for the previous year’s best new restaurants. As it turns out, the Houston restaurants that opened in 2008 would have been a bumper crop in any year. So the fact that they opened (and thrived) even as the economy staggers is astonishing good news. Taking into account food, service, wine list, design and ambition, we believe these are the year’s best new restaurants.
1. AMÉRICAS, 21 Waterway Ave., The Woodlands, 281- 367-1492. This is Michael Cordúa’s second edition of the Latin-fusion Américas. This time, he hired the New York architectural firm of Studio Gaia to do the design, and the sophisticated minimal setting couldn’t be more different from Jordan Moser’s swirling hallucinogenic jungle at Américas’ original Post Oak Blvd. location. Alas, the opening chefs – Jonathan Jones, Randy Rucker and dessert impresario Plinio Sandalio – are all gone now, so the menu is not precisely what we tried several months ago. But here’s what we know: Cordúa never does anything less than 110 percent. So long as he owns it, this restaurant will be the best in class.
2. BEDFORD, 1001 Studewood at 10th St., 713-880-1001. Chef/owner Robert Gadsby is now lord of his own manor, a newly built restaurant in the Heights. Since cooking at Noé in the Omni Hotel and Soma, Gadsby understands the Houston palate and dining-out style: We like swell food that is a little creative (but not too extreme – we still want to recognize what’s on the plate) and friendly informed service. After some jiggly start-up stumbles in the service department, Bedford is smoothing out. It’s always fun when there is a lively intelligence behind the menu, as is the case here. Do yourself a favor and have the chef’s choice menu: Gadsby is at his best when he’s micromanaging your meal.
3. BENJY’S ON WASHINGTON, 5922 Washington Ave. just east of Westcott , 713-868-1131. Usually we don’t name spin-offs or clones to this list. But chef Michael Potowski’s menu is different enough from the original Benjy’s in the Village that we feel the new Benjy’s stands on its own – and yes, Mom’s Chocolate Cake is still on the menu. Large (about twice the size of the original), noisy and instantly a gathering place for Washington Avenue regulars, the din may present a problem for noise-sensitive folks. So wear your earplugs and come for one of the best pizzas we’ve ever had: a cracker-crisp crust with chicken sausage, shave fennel, apple and mascarpone.
4. CULLEN’S, 11500 Space Center Blvd., bet. Genoa Red Bluff and Hwy. 3, 713-481-3463. This is one crazy place, as big (and outrageous) as Texas and offering something for everyone and every taste. The menu ranges from a Frito pie-style starter (made, however, with Berkshire pork chili) to foie gras, and there’s a video game room for kids and a disco for adults. Want to see a wine list? You’ll be handed a computer tablet that allows you to search by type, vintage, region and price. There are some smart guys behind this. Owner Kevin Munz set up his own inhouse laundry, after figuring that he’d pay less than sending the linens out; chef Paul Lewis bakes all his own breads; and all the alcohol comes from a single room and is connected by hundreds of yards of tubing to the bars. It’s gaudy, yes, but, oh, so Houston.
5. FEAST, 219 Westheimer bet. Bagby & Taft, 713-5297788. Meagan and James Silk and Richard Knight, who were at Taverna in Conroe, opened this singular spot that has made a fetish – is that too strong of a word? – of serving every bit of the animal. And, amazingly enough, Houstonians are eating it up. In fact, we’ve not had a single dish here we haven’t at least liked – one food-fussy friend was so smitten she wrote a poem to the chefs – from pigs’ feet to potted lamb’s tongue. James Silk previously worked with renowned English chef Fergus Henderson, known for his extensive use of pretty much every available part of the animal. And so it continues here: Pig Cheek, Dandelion, Roasted Shallot and Garlic Salad, a whole roasted foreleg of pork, a luscious pork confit tart. They’re big on pork here! It is a feast, all washed down with tumblers of sturdy red wine.
6. GIGI’S ASIAN BISTRO & DUMPLING BAR, 5085 Westheimer in The Galleria, 713-629-8889. Located in The Galleria, this is from Gigi Huang, whose family long had Hunan in The Pavilion. The setting is handsome indeed, with a sexy Asian vibe. If you’re with a group, ask for a table in the “alley,” where each cubbyhole is curtained off from prying eyes. Executive chef is Junnajet Hurapan, who came here from New York City, and his menu includes crispy whole baby snapper, “Heavenly Beef” (oven-dried sirloin with coriander seed and chili sauce) and sesame-crusted tuna. Incidentally, the table condiments (e.g. plum sauce, chile oil) were the best we’ve ever had. Hurapan’s wife, Jiraporn, is pastry chef.
7. THE GROVE, 1611 Lamar at Discovery Green, 713-337-7321. To make sure customers can be seen by their fellow diners, this handsome football-field-size dining room is one huge expanse of unobstructed view. You also have a view of the neighboring Discovery Green park and its fine old live oaks. Chef Ryan Pera’s food is casual: Long Island duck meatballs with grain mustard sauce, dollops of pulled pork atop tiny corncakes, an oyster BLT with black-eyed pea salad. There’s even a grilled skirt steak with chili-cheese fries, along with the higher-end cuisine that executive chef/co-owner Robert Del Grande (of Cafe Annie) is known for. The wine list is smartly put together, of course. Upstairs, the Treehouse is a beautiful spot to meet friends and soak up the view of downtown.
8. SOMA, 4820 Washington Avenue bet. Shepherd & Durham, 713- 861-2726. This sizzling spot is a sushi bar, yes, but so much more. It feels like a swanky Los Angeles lounge, with soaring ceilings, cool red glass-pipe hanging lamps and throbbing techno music. It’s from Yun Cheng and the Azuma folks, so the sushi is good, if perhaps a little mayonnaise-dominated for our taste. On the other hand, the sushi chefs can take you far, especially if you are willing to go off the menu. The talent and the sparkling-fresh ingredients are all here. There’s also an ambitious kitchen for cooked entrees; Robert Gadsey (see Bedford, above) was the opening chef.
9. TEXTILE, 611 W. 22nd St. east of N. Shepherd, 832-209-7177. Scott Tycer, owner of Kraftsmen Baking and co-owner of Gravitas restaurant, finally threw open the doors on his newest spot in October. Textile is a 28-seat spot — the venue was designed by architect Ferenc Dreef, who also did Gravitas — where patrons are encouraged to try the five-course or seven-course dégustation menu. (You can order à la carte, too.) The menu is modern American and changes daily. Yes, Tycer is on site and back in fighting form, manning the stove himself. Dax McAnear, formerly at Beaver’s, is there, too. And Plinio Sandalio contributes desserts. Dinner only.
10. VOICE, 220 Main St. at Franklin in the Hotel Icon, 713-224-ICON (4266). Executive chef Michael Kramer (formerly at McCrady’s Restaurant in Charleston, SC) declared his intention to dazzle Houston back in February, and so he has. The totally revamped dining room is drop-dead gorgeous, and the menu is fluid and market-driven. Kramer likes the sous-vide cooking method (food is slow-cooked in a sealed bag), so try his venison or whatever is on offer. We also loved a shot glass of seasonal butternut-squash soup with curry foam. Early complaints about klutzy service seem to have been resolved.
FAREWELL
2008’s Most Significant Closings
BICE, 5175 Westheimer in The Galleria
BISTRO TOULOUSE, 5750 Woodway
BISTRO VINO, 819 W. Alabama
BRENNAN’S, 3300 Smith St.
CAFE ARTISTE, 1601 W. Main
CAFE MONTROSE, 1609 Westheimer
CHEZ GEORGES, 219 Westheimer
FELIX MEXICAN, 904 Westheimer
GOLDEN ROOM, 1209 Montrose
MOLINA’S, 5227 Buffalo Speedway
PK’S BLUE WATER GRILL, 6401 Woodway
ROUGE, 812 Westheimer
SAKE LOUNGE, 500 Texas Ave.
ST. PETE’S DANCING MARLIN, 300 Main St.
THE BROWNSTONE, 2736 Virginia
THE STATE GRILLE, 2925 Weslayan
