Restaurant Reviews

Listings 1-10 of 1019. The most recent review is listed for each restaurant.

1) DA MARCO [City: Houston, Cuisine: Italian]
This review from September 2008. We like the smaller, slightly quieter side room, but the food is splendid wherever you sit. Feeling nostalgic, we ordered old favorites: the artichoke alla giudea, a crisp whole artichoke, and the burrata cheese with roasted cherry tomatoes and olive oil—an almost perfect appetizer. A raviolo filled with ricotta and topped with a soft egg, in a buttery, truffle-accented sauce, almost outclassed the traditional Chianti-braised short ribs sided by burrata risotto. The fish special, a roasted branzino, was nice enough but didn’t equal the rest. Beer & wine. 1520 Westheimer Rd, at Ridgewood (713-807-8857). Lunch Tue–Fri 11:30–2. Dinner Tue–Thur 5:30–10, Fri & Sat 5:30–11. Closed Sun & Mon. Reservations recommended. $$-$$$ [web site] [map] [reserve a table] +

2) LE REVE [City: San Antonio, Cuisine: French]
This review from September 2008. This tiny gem of a restaurant sparkles with the high energy of a staff—we counted nine or so servers visible from the dining room—trained for excellence. Veal and morels complemented each other beautifully; venison with mushroom strudel contrasted the meat’s gaminess with the strudel’s richness. Chef Andrew Weissman excels at seafood—appetizers such as sweetbreads with lobster or Thai crab salad have a subtle intensity. Dignified but not stuffy, Le Rêve’s closely packed tables are full almost every evening. Beer & wine. 152 E. Pecan, at N. St. Mary’s (210-212-2221). Dinner Tue–Sat 5:30–11 (last seating at 8:30). Closed Sun & Mon. Reservations & jacket required. $$$$ (prix fixe $85–$170) [web site] [map] +

3) AURORA [City: Dallas, Cuisine: French]
This review from September 2008. Chef Avner Samuel has turned his considerable skills to locally sourced ingredients, making his gem of a restaurant even more enticing. Tomatoes from nearby Canton, along with micro-diced cucumbers and chives, combined to make the best gazpacho we’ve ever had; a cylinder of avocado and tuna tartare was the soup’s centerpiece. Medallions of crispy-skinned, pink duck breast were accompanied by a bounty of fresh beans and peas, each with the satisfying snap of a perfectly cooked vegetable. Bar. 4216 Oak Lawn Ave (214-528-9400). Lunch Mon–Fri 11–2. Dinner Mon–Sat 5:30–10. Closed Sun. Reservations recommended. $$$$ [web site] [map]

4) INDIKA [City: Houston, Cuisine: Indian]
This review from September 2008. Graciously greeted and seated in the serene, saffron-hued room, we embarked on a journey through Indika’s modern Indian menu. Roadside attractions included a wonderfully flavorful chaat of grilled paneer, beets, and arugula; spicy grilled lamb chops (in a Rajastahni hot curry with fried okra, mint chutney, and saffron pilaf); and the dish we always fight over: spinach and paneer with tandoori corn roti. Seafood mulligatawny had nigh perfect scallops but overcooked shrimp and mussels. We happily mopped it up anyway with onion-stuffed naan. Bar. 516 Westheimer Rd (713-984-1725). Lunch Tue–Fri 11:30–2:30. Dinner Tue–Sat 6–10:30. Brunch Sun 11–3. Closed Mon. $$—$$$ [web site] [map] +

5) JEFFREY’S [City: Austin, Cuisine: New American and Eclectic]
This review from September 2008. How do we love thee? Let’s count the ways. First, the room is never too noisy to hear one’s dinner companions coo over a perfectly composed salad of tuna tartare, minuscule shiitakes, and Lilliputian white asparagus. Second, the entrées meld many of our favorite things, like a prosciutto-wrapped ahi tuna filet and plump mussels in a saffron orange sauce (with lemony pasta in between). Third, the desserts are decadent but not too rich, a case in point being the strawberry ice cream, with just enough crème fraîche to cut through the sugar. All of these keep us lingering in the cozy restored house with its bright art. Bar. 1204 West Lynn (512-477-5584). Dinner Mon–Thur 6–10, Fri & Sat 5:30–10:30, Sun 6–9:30. Reservations recommended. $$$—$$$$ (five courses $76 without wine) [web site] [map] [reserve a table] +

6) TONY’S [City: Houston, Cuisine: American]
This review from September 2008. Though the carnivore at our table would argue that his filet with black truffle butter won top prize at a recent meal, a couple of seafood lovers would vote for the rich crab risotto, the perfect oven-roasted sea bass, or even the pan-broiled redfish (though the portion was a bit skimpy). There was no arguing over the salads, full of fresh lettuces and dressed to perfection, nor the signature Grand Marnier soufflé. Bar. 3755 Richmond Ave (713-622-6778). Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30–2. Dinner Mon–Thur 6–10, Fri & Sat 6–midnight. Closed Sun. Reservations recommended. $$$—$$$$ [web site] [map] +

7) UCHI [City: Austin, Cuisine: Japanese]
This review from September 2008. Consider one of chef Tyson Cole’s imaginative signature dishes: velvety maguro sashimi punctuated with dollops of goat cheese and garnished with thinly sliced Fuji apples. Or imagine the playfulness of the Pitchfork, a Waygu beef and fresh avocado sushi roll bespeckled with land caviar (tonburi seeds). Uchi’s pastry chef, Phillip Speer, is just as lively with his dessert creations—peanut butter semifreddo with an apple-miso sorbet, anyone? This is high-spirited dining, in a classy setting. Beer, wine, & sake. 801 S. Lamar Blvd (512-916-4808). Dinner Sun–Thur 5–10, Fri & Sat 5–11. Reservations recommended (available until 7). $$-$$$ [web site] [map] [reserve a table] +

8) ABACUS [City: Dallas, Cuisine: New American and Eclectic]
This review from June 2008. Tre Wilcox may be gone, but devoted fans still hold this elegant restaurant in high regard. An appetizer of yellowtail tartare with taro root chips, avocado, and orange-habanero sauce was splendid, but a dry-aged bone-in strip with whole-grain-mustard hollandaise was oddly gamy-tasting, a disappointment rectified by a fine dessert of apple fried pie and chai ice cream. Bar (opens at 5). 4511 McKinney Ave (214-559-3111). Dinner Mon–Thur 6–10, Fri & Sat 6–11. Closed Sun. $$$-$$$$ [web site] [map] [reserve a table] +

9) BIGA ON THE BANKS [City: San Antonio, Cuisine: New American and Eclectic]
This review from September 2008. Even after twenty-odd years, chef-owner Bruce Auden’s creativity can catch us by surprise. By now we’re used to the exquisite smoked salmon nachos on crisp corn chips, with their signature chipotle cream, but this time there was a main course of mustard-crusted rack of lamb, served rare with cheese-laced grits, and one of Atlantic salmon with Hunan sauce. Both combined imagination with a firm command of the basics. Upscale, light, and airy, Biga is a river-area gem. Bar. 203 S. St. Mary’s (210-225-0722). Dinner Sun–Thur 5:30–10, Fri & Sat 5:30–11. Reservations recommended. $$$ [web site] [map] [reserve a table] +

10) CAFé CENTRAL [City: El Paso, Cuisine: American and Eclectic]
This review from March 2008. The sophisticated downtown cafe’s got a spiffy new look, with cool artwork, sleek chairs, and a wall of accolades for its excellent wine cellar. Start with the cream of green chile soup or the Caesar salad, then try the perfectly grilled sea bass served atop jasmine rice with a delicate lemon essence. Bar. 109 N. Oregon (915-545-2233). Lunch Mon–Sat 11–4. Dinner Mon–Thur 5–10, Fri & Sat 5–11. Closed Sun. $$$ [web site] [map] [reserve a table] +

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