Houston

(From May 2012)

We imagined the theme from Cheers as we made our way through the rollicking saloon to a big ol’ booth in the dining room. All things to all people, the menu offers Asian-spiced seared sea bass with snow peas; smoky, bacon-wrapped meat loaf with collards and mashed sweet potatoes; and perfectly cooked, though overly herbed, ribeye. Our burger-lover raved over his bacon-cheddar version, topped with crispy onion strings. Bar.  

Leave a Review

(From May 2012)

Lots of things work at this Heights restaurant and publike bar: warm wood and brick accents, flattering lighting, a comfortable atmosphere, and, most important, imaginative food that tastes great. Case in point: slow-cooked deboned beef short ribs, fetchingly arranged on braised kale and rich mushroom risotto. Equally delicious: seared diver scallops and butternut squash ravioli with crispy prosciutto and plate-lickin’-good brown butter sauce. We were also impressed with our capable server, whose wine suggestions proved spot-on. Bar.

Leave a Review

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.

Leave a Review

(From January 2011) Our go-to spot for French comfort food, Max & Julie does a fine steak au poivre with a cone of crisp fries. The kitchen is equally adept with Boeuf à la Wayne, four pieces of grilled steak on a skewer with a choice of dipping sauces (béarnaise and peppercorn are our faves). Of course, we also like the thick salmon, grilled medium-rare, with a side of both wild and tame mushrooms. And we love to share the huge goat cheese salad and a nice wine while enjoying the pretty, wood-trimmed interior. If weather permits, a seat on the outdoor patio is de rigueur. Beer & wine.

Leave a Review

(From December 2010)

First and last impressions count, and both were good at our weekend brunch at beautifully restored Brennan’s. Our starters of shrimp-and-okra gumbo and perfectly fried green tomatoes topped with lush crabmeat were both winners. Things got wobbly with an entrée of shrimp and grits, a case of overgrilled shrimp and too many ingredients vying for attention. Still, a great finale of precisely tart lemon meringue pie garnished with blueberry coulis and fresh blueberries left a sweet taste in our mouths. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011)

Burger lovers here make tracks for gourmet creations featuring pa-paya, beets, fried duck eggs—even a Shipley doughnut. We went mainstream with our burgers, choosing a bacon-guacamole-cheddar-and-arugula and a mushroom-Swiss-and-dijonnaise, both so juicy the yummy buns got pretty soggy. Crispy fries sprinkled with coarse salt were exceptional, and our teen diner went berserk for the old-school soda fountain with Dublin Dr Pepper and NuGrape. But what’s with the Soup Nazi guy at the front? Seriously. BYOB.

Leave a Review

(From March 2011) This comfy little cafe with its chalkboard menu may seem a bit old-fashioned. But we have no complaints when retro food tastes so good. A lively salad with bits of goat cheese, ham, and hazelnuts was large enough to share, leaving us room for rack of lamb in a pistachio-fig sauce with mashed potatoes and haricots verts and a pile of plump mussels in a creamy, winy broth served with crisp pommes frites. Excellent French wines, reasonably priced. Beer & wine.

Leave a Review

(From December 2010) The warm brick walls and large French doors remain, but the Vallone family operators have added some art and new paint and generally spiffed up the old La Strada location. Happily, the food meets new standards too. We liked our pale green heirloom tomato gazpacho, which benefited from a nice pile of crabmeat in the middle, and a lovely salad with cherry tomatoes, watermelon, arugula, and goat cheese. Our meat eater approved charred lamb T-bones with mint vinegar, and our vegetarian enjoyed the pappardelle with tomatoes and burrata. One cavil: The breads could use improvement. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From June 2011) It was a pleasant task: introducing a teenage would-be foodie to the small-plates concept at this Spanish-inspired eatery on Washing-ton’s restaurant row. Impressed with the brick arches and long wall of wines, she readily proclaimed the pork belly with cane syrup her fa-vorite dish on first bite. Ditto for the crispy crab croquettes and local Pola cheeses with tangerine marmalade and Marcona almonds. Alas, we downgraded the seared foie gras for its mass of membranes, but competed for bites of a shared Mexican chocolate crème brûlée. Next lesson: street food. Bar.

Leave a Review

(From May 2012)

Named for the five dining spaces in the beautiful old-world boutique hotel that was once the Fondren Mansion, Cinq is the home base of Louisiana native Jeramie Robison, whose repertoire includes both modern cuisine and time-honored classics. We favored braised short ribs with ratatouille and crispy shallots and a luxurious Gulf red snapper with Lump crab, tomato compote, and lemon butter. Only too-tame escargots, begging for reasoning, fell a tad short. Bar.

Leave a Review