Houston

(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.

Leave a Review

(From October 2010) Don’t judge a cafe by its cover. Situated across from Robertson Stadium, this ho-hum-looking spot cooks up terrific Middle Eastern food. Kibbeh (seasoned ground-meat, made into pies), grape leaves with a creamy rice-and-onion stuffing, and Greek salad were all generously served and as fine as we’ve had anywhere. The grilled chicken kebab, tender and juicy, and the substantial lamb and beef gyro were also impressively good eats, and cheap to boot. This is a great addition to the neighborhood.

Leave a Review

(From November 2010)

Branching out from her home base—Shade, in the Heights—restaurateur Claire Smith furthers her leafy theme at this Montrose spot, with photomurals of live oaks and apple-green furnishings that serve as a perfect background for her approach to fresh ingredients treated simply: Seasonal glory was a salad of heirloom tomatoes strewn with cubes of cucumber, feta cheese, and pumpkin seeds. Scallops flavored with rosemary and garlic, served atop creamed corn and leeks, made a worthy follow-up, but we judged the vegetable plate too heavy on bread and pasta. Expect generous wine pours, good service, and noise. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From January 2012)

Though we're often ravin' over Haven, our last visit proved a mixed bag. As always, the warm room made a lovely venue for chef Randy Evans’s upscale comfort food. Top marks went to crawfish tails with gnocchi, leeks, and corn, and four side dishes that our friend ordered as his entrée: luscious roasted corn with cheese, slow-cooked cheese grits, a new-potato hash, and shelled peas—all terrific. However, chicken with bacon spaetzle, usually great, came off dry, and a tomato “sundae,” with aged balsamic and an olive oil–lemon ice cream, lacked, of all things, first-rate tomatoes.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011) Chef-owner Scott Tycer has converted Textile into a nifty neighborhood breakfast and lunch hangout. We lingered in the sunny, spare room over two bountiful salads: spinach with avo-cado, bacon, and egg in a creamy balsamic, and the Nice and Nice, with mixed greens, olives, and goat cheese with sun-dried-tomato vinaigrette. Signature sandwiches, such as the luscious Cold Fish (smoked salmon, capers, arugula, and a ricotta spread) come on gorgeous baked-on-site bread. The petite patio out front is a prime perch. BYOB.

Leave a Review

(From May 2011) In a renovated brick structure tucked among the lofts and under the freeways north of downtown, we were de-lighted to discover a wealth of great tastes from the other America. The much-touted empanadas were sold out, but we delighted in a starter of arepitas, rounds of traditional corn dough stuffed with Oaxaca cheese and topped with various meaty morsels: shredded-beef stew, pork adobado, and cilantro-seasoned lamb stew. Another favorite taste: Peruvian white-fish ceviche marinated in a creamy leche de tigre and served with red onions, corn, and sweet potatoes. BYOB.

Leave a Review

(From September 2010) Who knew lemons played such a key role—and a delicious one at that—in Peruvian cuisine? It took only one visit to this modest Midtown spot for us to catch on. In fact, our ceviche “cooked” in a creamy lemon–rocoto pepper sauce and served with corn and sweet potatoes quickly took a spot on our Best of 2010 list, as did the frothy pisco sours. Another great dish is the Tacu Tacu platter: rice and beans with lomo saltado (vinegar-and-soy-marinated steak), all topped with two fried eggs. Beer & wine.

Leave a Review

(From August 2011)

A fire closed this Houston favorite for a time, but the new space is large, airy, and abuzz with devoted fans. From the crisp crepe stuffed with shrimp and pork to the steaming bowl of soup with mustard greens, ginger, and shrimp, the diverse and skillful menu explains why folks are so happy that Mai’s is back where she belongs. The occasional flub, like overcooked garlic chicken with asparagus and mushrooms, is more than balanced out by the high quality overall. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011) The narrow side room makes a more intimate, and quieter, setting in which to dine. And though some dishes feel as lofty as the room’s vaulted ceiling (too complicated for their own good), most hit the, ahem, mark. Two of us went with specials—grilled Tasmanian salmon with a crab and shrimp risotto and a seafood trio involving hearth-roasted lobster, diver scallops, and grilled shrimp—while an-other chose the roasted chicken, which came with some chicken sau-sage and grits, plus a ratatouille with portobello and arugula. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011) Two of us feasted mightily on the grilled platter of sizzling entraña (skirt steak), boneless flat ribs of beef, juicy sausage, grilled vegeta-bles, and potatoes. And we had leftovers. Undoubtedly the handsome space and warm service also had something to do with the positive experience—that and a nice bottle of Malbec. Before we finished we had made up our minds to return to check out the likes of grilled sweetbreads, chicken milanesa, and bacon-wrapped shrimp. Beer & wine.

Leave a Review