Grade A

And diners take note that Barron's is only open when school is in session, that this week is the last week before semester break and that things pick up again on September 1 with a Global theme. To get a peek at the upcoming dinners, you can access the school's web site at www.hrm.uh.edu (then University Hilton, then International Dinner Series).

The final secret of the Hilton school worth discovering is the Fred Parks wine cellar. Named after a prominent Houston attorney and wine connoisseur, it is a small room, covered with wine racks, tucked away in what from the outside looks like a stairwell -- all concrete, no windows. The marvels that are inside -- like a 1918 Chateau Lafitte Rothschild or a 1928 Mouton-Rothschild -- would make any oenophile take note. I have my doubts as to whether the school would allow its students to practice opening these bottles.

Barron's Restaurant, 4800 Calhoun, 743-2555.

Barron's Restaurant:
ostrich tenderloin, $10.95;
tuna steak, $21.95;
garlic cornish game hen, $20.95.