Houston

(From January 2011)

Landmark Hospitality Group’s takeover of the restaurant in the Galleria Saks store included a welcome redo, and the resulting white-to-beige space, featuring a lighted rose sculpture on one wall, should suit savvy shoppers who crave a break from the chase. For lunch we chose the special, halibut with crab and saffron risotto, along with a salad of greens and cantaloupe, but we found the chicken and wild mushroom crepes in basil-chardonnay sauce even more special. This quiet haven beats nearby fast-food joints, and it’s only a few dollars more. Bar.

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(From July 2011)

Here’s another slick trick from the RDG group, with tile floors, banquettes in sea blue, and a view of the Kirby Drive treetops. Small appetizers include steamed clams, snappy with a flurry of quick-sautéed fennel and parsley; larger dishes feature a rich shrimp-and-shell-pasta number slathered thick with tomato cream sauce, red chile slivers, and butterflied crustaceans. Tasty thin pizzas proved inconsistently crispy, though we got a winner with a speck, onion, and arugula combo, a great mix of savory, smoky, sweet, and bitter tastes. Bar. 

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(From November 2011)

These cozy confines just off Voss seem just the setting for congenial Arturo Boada’s multicultural menu. Guests and staff alike appear in high spirits, no doubt inspired by dishes like Camarones Henesy en Hamaca (large shrimp piled atop an arresting blend of hearts of palm, tomatoes, capers, and plantains in a soy-ginger broth); rich rigatoni with chicken, peas, and mushrooms; and a thin-crusted carnitas pizza with red onions and cilantro. Beer & wine.. 

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(From December 2010) Peach-toned walls give a flattering glow to the interior of Arturo Boada and Bill Sadler’s Uptown Park restaurant, but its columned porch beckoned us on a mild evening. Two great salads kept our attention: a caprese of yellow and red grape tomatoes, mozzarella, capers, oregano, and basil and an inspired mix of baby greens, walnuts, pancetta, orange slices, and goat cheese. Sonia’s Ravioli, stuffed with chicken and porcini mushrooms and served with white wine–basil sauce, proved delicious and beyond rich, but it didn’t preclude our sharing a slice of tiramisu. Bar.

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(From September 2010) At this tiny slice of Paris tucked away in a neighborhood bungalow, expect good (and generous) entrées but more-interesting starters. We were smitten with a salad of just-picked mesclun. And we loved our special toasted croustade of steamed mussels in a heady sauce of white wine, herbs, and garlic. But what a shame that our spanking-fresh filet of amberjack was overcooked and our old-school chicken fricassee was bland. Our last bite, fortunately, was the best: a bracingly tart lemon custard. Bar.

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(From May 2011) The Schiller–Del Grande folks have done it again—created an übercool space and a menu to match. Of the long list of small plates, we chose spicy coppa and taleggio with dried mission figs and a fennel salad; a densely flavored Provençal tomato soup with basil citrus pesto; and the Ava/Alto salad—greens, beets, chickpeas, and artichokes. Of the large plates, a grilled quail with sweet peppers and creamy polenta and a lively pappardelle with duck and wild mushrooms outshone a less interesting flattened chicken breast with salsa and almonds. Service is still a bit confused but well intentioned. Bar.

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(From June 2011) This upper Montrose place perfectly fit our needs—a spare, quiet room; freshly prepared pan-Asian dishes; and personal service from perpetually spunky hostess (and chef’s mom) Bessie Chow. We started with vegetable-laden dumplings and then dug into bowls of chicken lo-mein (an old-fashioned but still delectable Chinese-American comfort food), pad thai, and crunchy orange beef with spinach. Our favorite? Crispy shrimp tossed with caramelized wal-nuts and Sichuan sauce on shredded bok choy. Beer & wine.

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(From January 2011) At this softly lit Brennan’s outpost in CityCentre’s Hotel Sorella, expect a fusion of Texas tastes and Creole cuisine. Dishes can be hit or miss, but all are ambitious and presented stylishly. Our favorite? A bone-in pork chop brined in Creole mustard and rum, perfectly grilled, and served with mashed new potatoes gussied up with bacon and jalapeño. Alas, rainbow trout was overcooked and trying to catch its breath under all the seasoning, pecans, and brown butter. Bar.

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(From May 2011) Surprisingly, we found inconsistencies with the usually flawless plates at this deservedly popular pub-like spot. The piquant Asian-style crabcake proved slightly mushy (with some shell mixed in, alas) and was topped with under-cooked shrimp, and our juicy burger, crowned with cheddar and bacon, was bloody rare on one side and medium-well on the other. But our entrée of salmon atop lentils and root vegetables, the fish silky and Bible-thick, was nigh perfect, and we devoured a side of crispy fries and a salad of wintery greens glossed with citrus dressing. Bar.

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Photograph by Debora Smail

(From January 2012)

Wildly popular, this long, lean entry into the hottest restaurant sweepstakes has its detractors (mainly for the noise level and inconsistencies in food and service). All we can say is that we’ve not encountered those problems. We were utterly happy with chèvre ravioli atop warm little beets and seared diver scallops accompanied by a pea-fennel purée. And we are eager to go back for grilled wild salmon with asparagus and peaches, as well as for the big-fisted steak au poivre with spaetzle. Bar.

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