Evan Daily wants to improve the environment; so when he opened Evan’s at 3939 Montrose in Houston the week of Earth Day 1990, he took steps beyond using recycled-paper menus and business cards. At Evan’s, organic produce and chemical-free meats are the basis of the meal, not just food for
“We thought about closing Hilltop after we bought it, but we just about had a mutiny on our hands,” says James D. Smith, Jr. He was speaking of the legendary country eating place that Madalene Hill opened 38 years ago in Cleveland, just a few miles from its present incarnation
Dean Fearing, the guitar-strumming executive chef at Dallas’ swanky Mansion on Turtle Creek, hits all the right notes when he’s in the kitchen.The Eastern Kentucky native and graduate of New York’s Culinary Institute came to Texas in 1979 to explore new frontiers in cooking and ended up pioneering Southwestern cuisine.
When Bruce Pike was 16, he was doing chateaubriand and baked Alaska at the University Club in San Antonio. Now at 31—having migrated through some of that city’s fancier restaurants (including La Buca and Biga)—he is doing his own thing at Luna Notte (6402 N. New Braunfels).“I’m going for a
Think fig: The chef at Austin’s Vespaio does, and his crispy duck is delicious.
A savory couscous with a long Shelf life.
Underscoring the “comfort” in comfort food, the Roaring Fork in Dallas (14866 Montfort) has brought classic roasted chicken into the nineties with a dish that’s a breeze to fix and soul-satisfying to eat. Chef Lance Youngs generously bastes the fowl with a lemon-and-honey glaze brightened by thyme and chives. The
Autumn along San Antonio’s Paseo del Rio is truly a season of change—especially at the Zuni Grill (511 River Walk), where chef David James’s revamped menu creates a casual and innovative bill of fare with an intentional nod to the Southwest. But don’t expect a run-of-the-mill chile relleno at Zuni.James
The cooking of Northern Mexico got its spark from ranching culture, in which food was prepared with indigenous ingredients and cooked over a wood fire; it has long been overshadowed by the more glamorous and complex cuisine of the South. But former restaurateur James W. Peyton of San Antonio redresses
Roasted poblanos, toasted pumpkin seeds, tomatillos: At Houston’s Taco Milagro, you’ll want to eat the whole enchilada.
Avner Samuel has been around. Born in Jerusalem, he earned his chef’s toque at the celebrated La Varenne cooking school in Paris and has successfully navigated the tricky culinary waters of London and Dallas. He did stints at the Mansion on Turtle Creek and at the Pyramid in the Fairmont
Instead of a margarita with your chicken breast in red mole, try a Cabernet Sauvignon from Mexico's growing wine country.
MOONSTRUCK “Luna” means “moon” in Italian and Spanish, but San Antonio newcomer Luna Blue Café will be on my must-visit list way more often than once in a blue moon. To begin with, the service at this bright, light ristorante is excellent—the waiters watched our table like hawks, and the
CrostiniUse any rustic style bread, such as ciabatta or sourdough. Slice bread and brush with extra virgin olive oil. Either grill or toast bread slices. Rub garlic cloves into hot bread.Mussels1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 16 to 18 Prince Edward Island mussels, cleaned with beards removed 1/4 ounce white
When we asked chef Bruce Auden of San Antonio's Biga on the Banks to create a festive holiday feast, he served up a menu with some delicious twists on tradition.
Pescado Empapelado al Diablo (Fish Cooked In Paper With Devil’s Sauce.)One of the most relaxing places on Oaxaca’s coast is the picturesque Lagunas de Chacahua. At the restaurant Los Delfines de Chacahua, owner Juana Ramírez says that this is the most popular dish she serves. The “paper” used is actually
Senior editor Patricia Sharpe, a judge at this year’s Dallas Wine and Food Festival, talks about the biggest event.
This farm-to-table feast will make you thankful for the Texas growers who still work the land and for at least one hip chef who gives new life to the fruits and vegetables of their labor.
Grains, greens, and wild game form a partnership in this power lunch from Dakota’s (600 N. Akard), an urban enclave deep in the heart of downtown Dallas. Dakota’s bills itself as a new American grill, its menu running the gamut from homey to nouvelle.Executive chef Jim Severson is particularly fond
"Deer diary, tonight I had a wonderful venison stew from Hudson's on the Bend outside Austin . . . "
At Hudson’s on the Bend, in Austin, venison isn’t the only dish that’s smokin’.
San Antonio’s Las Canarias has a dish that will be deer to your heart.
Sweetbreads are a rarity at most restaurants, but executive chef Raymond Tatum has made the rich organ meat his signature dish at Austin’s talked-about 612 West (612 W. Sixth). “People tell me that I make the best sweetbreads,” Tatum says. “And personally I really like them. It’s only human instinct
The best French restaurant in Texas is in San Antonio? Mais oui. And around the state, there are others that are très bon as well.
Don’t judge Cuisine Actuelle by its pictures. The glamorous cookbook, written by Victor Gielisse, the chef at Dallas restaurant Actuelle (the Crescent, 500 Crescent Court), might well daunt the quotidian cook. But, in fact, most of its 150 recipes are as easy as pie. Rich, heavy sauces are conspicuous by
There’s no need to be chicken about the dumplings at Fort Worth’s Angeluna: After all, they’re filled with pork.
Gird your loins for the tender smoked pork at the Guadalupe River Ranch near Boerne.
Eat to the beat: Rosemary-marinated pork from Houston caterer and string bass player Joe Abuso.
Whether you plan to buy tamales or make them from scratch this holiday season, here's everything you need to know about these simple (and simply delicious) gift-wrapped treats.
One brother greets, the other cooks. Between them, Peter and Patrick Tarantino have created one of Dallas’ artier dining venues. At Tarantino’s (3611 Parry), chef Pat presides over a menu that does not shrink from extremes. “I introduce deliberate contradictions into my food,” he proclaims, “but my goal is to
There are two ways to use Stop and Smell the Rosemary: Recipes and Traditions to Remember, the spectacular new offering from the Junior League of Houston. First, you can use the cookbook part to prepare any of the five hundred excellent recipes. Second, you can concentrate on the menu and
Austin is buzzing about Brio, the latest showcase for the considerable talents of chefs Raymond Tatum and Robert Mayberry. Building on Texans’ love of barbecue, Mexican food, and home cooking, the two have blazed a culinary trail that not only respects the basics but gives them a cosmopolitan twist. This
Pig out on pork tenderloin at Mark’s in Houston.
Houston’s restaurateur to the stars, Tony Vallone, goes full boar.
How to make black bean soup, cactus cornbread, and other mouthwatering dishes from Melissa Guerra’s South Texas kitchen.
“Mixing so many flavors, you wouldn’t think the dish would turn out,” says Ethel Fisher, the executive chef and co-owner of Houston’s Post Oak Grill. But it does, and more is more in this unlikely pairing of lamb and not-so-subtle tomatillo sauce.Fisher spent twenty years traveling throughout Europe and South
March is the month for lamb—especially the delectable variety served at Monte Carlo in the Grand Kempinski Hotel Dallas. With a solarium, pale peach walls, and trees and potted palms scattered throughout, this light and airy place captures the ambience of restaurants in Italy and the South of France. The
From Francesca’s at the Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio.
Opposites attract in this fetching dish from Houston’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. A dusting of cajun seasoning and split-second blackening forthrightly support the lamb’s delicate flavor, and an opulent creamy sauce emboldened with jalapeños positions this creation by executive sous-chef Kevin Dimond squarely in the Southwest.Dimond’s mix-and-match technique has found a champion
Why does the grilled lamb loin at Austin’s Bitter End taste so good? Harissa explains it all.
For fans of lamb and rabbit, this dish from Houston’s Tasca is a real meat and greet.
Food fads have their ups and downs. Today’s trend is tall, as chefs vie to see who can construct the most architectonic appetizers and elevated entrées. Houston’s Backstreet Cafe (1103 S. Shepherd) has its own entry in the culinary sweepstakes: the aptly named Meatloaf Tower. In designing the dish, chefs
Jailhouse Chili is a gastronomic pleasure for the Kinkster—and the rest of us.
In Port Aransas the roast of the town is at the Other Guy's Seafood Cafe.
Stick to the ribs at Austin's La Traviata.
“In another lifetime, I used to make this dish with a classic French Madeira sauce and specialty beef,” says Michael Thomson, the owner of Michaels (3413 West Seventh) in Fort Worth, “but it just didn’t seem indigenous.” So he switched to regular choice tenderloin, substituted bourbon (“our only native American
Ten years ago Brenda and John Nicholas bought a run-down gas station and beer joint outside Fredericksburg and started cooking on a hot plate. Today fans drive scores of miles to enjoy the Hill Top Cafe’s sophisticated fare and quirky decor. Greek and cajun flavors predominate, with eclectic touches added
Pesto, change-o: Luigi’s in Galveston serves up a magical veal dish.
Paella—Spain’s saffron-hued rice and seafood dish—comes in infinite, subtle variations. The savory version served at San Antonio’s Babylon Grill (910 S. Alamo) is not only quite handsome, with red bell peppers and green peas set against the golden rice, but also delicious. Restaurant co-owner Veronica Prida keeps the recipe light
A creamy quiche of spinach, cheese, and mushrooms in Comfort, smashingly good smashed turnips in Granbury: These and other delicious dishes at ten extraordinary eateries.
