Restaurant Of The Day

Tesar’s Modern Steak and Seafood

Houston

Dim lighting and a palette of deep reds created a sense of expectation, which was heightened by the reputation of chef-owner John Tesar, late of Dallas’s Mansion on Turtle Creek and (briefly) New York. We quite liked the interesting side-by-side grain-fed and grass-fed ribeyes, both very good. But for $48, we wanted more of each. The wild salmon with orange tasted fine on one visit, past its prime on another, and the accompanying fennel purée bordered on the medicinal. But we do hear tell the burgers are terrific, so we’ll be back to find out. Bar.
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Feature

Where to Eat Now 2010  

I don’t know if it was the unsettled economy, climate change, the Saturn-Uranus opposition, or what, but the past year’s new restaurants were a confounding mix of high highs and low lows. My gut feeling (we restaurant critics tend to rely on that a lot) is that last year was pretty hit-and-miss. Nevertheless, we did find some spectacular spots: Here are the top ten restaurants in the state. Reserve your table now.