Houston

(From April 2009) Robert Gadsby’s new, Mediterranean/Asian enterprise (following his fling with Orient-oriented dining at Soma) rates high on the imagination scale. Witness a so-called wild mushroom risotto—made with Texmati rice—with wafer-thin slices of grape and a Thai red curry sauce. Or the lamb osso buco, a huge chunk of quite tender meat, with caramelized “melting” onions, braised fennel, and a pomegranate seed garnish. Or a butternut squash “cappuccino” soup topped with a little salad of celery, apple, and granola. If you’re sensitive to noise, ask for a table away from the bar crowd. The artful, contemporary space, with tall plate-glass windows, is quite “live.” The “chef’s table,” the bar in front of the open kitchen, is much less intimidating than most such venues. Bar.

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(From July 2009) Vast crowds could fit comfortably into this capacious Mediterranean dining room, whose tables and booths face a stage where entertainers shimmy and shake on weekends. On a slow weeknight, however, we were riveted by one well-prepared dish after another. Starter plates of baba ganouj and hummus, along with batinjan el-rahib (eggplant with lemon and garlic) and grilled halloumi (a mild goat or sheep cheese), were wiped clean before we faced equally fine kebab platters: marinated beef; minced lamb with parsley, onion, and pine nuts; and lamb in a spicy tomato sauce. A belly dancer would only have been a distraction. Bar.

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(From December 2009) To say we’re captivated by accessible, elegant Catalan, with its imaginative, farm-centric menu, is an understatement. Consider: roasted triggerfish atop creamy mustard greens with bit of pork and field peas, all topped with jumbo lump crab. Or seared halibut over corn-and-bacon chowder with more oh-so-sweet crab. Preceding these were not-your-everyday soup and salad: local tomato gazpacho and baby arugula with figs and hazelnuts, both tasting garden-fresh. Bar.

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(From December 2009) Quite a meal can be made foraging among the small plates listed at the top of the menu: roasted beets with pistachio and feta; risotto with cremini mushrooms, grana cheese, and a touch of truffle oil; crisp calamari with lime-chile aioli. Or go the traditional route, with something like a wedge salad with Green Goddess followed by meaty lamb chops with creole mustard sauce and cheesy grits. The wine list is extensive, the interior sleek and good-looking, and the service polished. Bar.

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(From March 2009) Tucked inside the popular Tasting Room, this handsome space, billed as Houston’s “first luxury wine room,” is perfect for a quiet dinner or private party. It’s a posh, clubby setting, with a polished menu that ventures beyond the pizzas and charcuterie and truffle fries offered in the more lively TR. Confirming deft hands in the kitchen were a stellar Caesar salad topped with crispy tempura anchovies, egg rolls of organic hen confit (with a spicy peanut sauce), pan-fried snapper plated with brussels sprout “petals,” and seared scallops atop creamy leeks and onions. Beer & wine.

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(From October 2009) It’s date central on Saturday nights at this pretty Spanish spot—twosomes at almost every table enjoying the live music and flowing red wine. Romantic, too, are shareable tapas like crab tartare with tiny toasts and mixed greens topped with seared salmon. We love the grilled links of chorizo with roasted potatoes, the sautéed spinach with pine nuts and raisins, and the beef tenderloin with mushrooms and Cabrales and brandy cream sauce. Bar.

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