Houston is seriously underrated as a food city.
Perhaps it's because many visitors don't get past the bland convention-driven fare that dominates downtown to explore the many local restaurants, bars and food institutions that locals know well and love. Or maybe it's because -- let's just put it out right out there -- the city isn't among the nation's prettiest.
But ho-hum architecture and urban sprawl has nothing to do with what's happening in Houston's kitchens. And there's plenty.
Houston's Celebrity Chef Restaurants
An evening at T'afia. Photo by Alison Stein Wellner
If you want creative cooking with a dusting of television star power, Houston's definitely got you covered. (And if you don't give a monkey's backside about celebrity chefs, just go to enjoy the food.) Two restaurants to visit:
- Chef Monica Pope, who had a turn on Bravo's Top Chef Masters, has created T'afia, a restaurant that manages to be both sophisticated and comfortable. This is a mostly Mediterranean-inspired menu, created with mostly local ingredients. Her medjool dates with chorizo, bacon and chermoula are the defintion of addictive.
- There's a very different feel at Reef -- once a car dealership, now a swank and nationally recognized spot for seafood, you're really not going to wrong with anything on the menu from the sea, but trust me when I tell you to leave room for the "No Minors" milkshake. Chef Bryan Caswell competed on the Food Networks' The Next Iron Chef.
Creative Cocktails at Anvil Bar and Refuge
The Bloodhound, which includes lemongrass-infused gin, basil, ginger beer. Photo by Alison Wellner.
I'm not sure if a sprits professional would appreciate the description of wunderkinde, but Bobby Heugel, of Anvil Bar & Refuge certainly qualifies.
Nominated for a James Beard award in the 2011 category of outstanding wine and spirits professional, at the ripe old age of 27, it is simply amazing how much he's been able to accomplish with a cocktail in the six years since he attained legal drinking age.
We shall not speculate on this further, but start, end, or plan to spend the entire night at Anvil to enjoy a very creative cocktail menu that includes drinks made from rare liquors, housemade bitters and sodas, and a continually changing cast of unusual ingredients -- mustard, rice, okra seeds, for instance. Download the latest menu to see what you're up against. Cocktail classes are also available.
Savor Houston's BBQ Scene
Brisket at Gatlin's BBQ in Houston. Photo by Alison Stein Wellner
Texas has built an international reputation on its barbecue, especially of the beef variety. Houston is outside the state's grilling epicenter, but there's plenty of fantastic BBQ to savor, including the state specialties of brisket and beef ribs.
- Learn all about the Texas BBQ tradition -- a more complex story than you might imagine.
- Where to find Hoston's best barbecued brisket and other fantastic BBQ joints.
- BBQ Cooking Classes and BBQ Culinary Tours
St. Arnold Brewery
St. Arnold Beer is Born. Photo by Alison Stein Wellner
Take a tour and enjoy plentiful free samples (enough liquid to justify bringing a picnic lunch) when you tour this craft beer distillery.
Houston's "Chinatown" and Beyond
Some of Houston's best Korean food. Photo by Alison Stein Wellner
Houston has a large and diverse Asian population, and it's home to some of the best Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean food in the country.
- What to expect when you visit Houston's "Chinatown" -- if you're thinking about Chinatown in New York, San Francisco or Honolulu you'll be in for a surprise.
- Where to find Houston's version of Koreatown or K-Town.
- Take an Asian-themed culinary tour led by Houston's best chefs.
Culinary Classes at Brennan's of Houston
Learning to Flambé at Brennan's of Houston.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work in the kitchen of a busy restaurant, or wanted to get hands-on instruction from a working executive chef and sous chefs, and you’re willing to drop some coin, check out this unique culinary class offered by Brennan's of Houston.
Take a Culinary Tour
A stop you might make on a Houston culinary tour. Photo by Alison Stein Wellner
The best way to ferret out Houston's food secrets is to sign up for a culinary tour. Run by the city's tourist bureau, these tours benefit a local food bank, and benefit tourists by showing them the locally-owned places where chefs eat when they're not in their own kitchens.
Each tour has a culinary theme, which could be geographic (Latino, Middle Eastern, Southern U.S., Asian), a type (street food), a cooking style (BBQ) or even a single ingredient (pig). Details here.
