Amanda McGraw

Hot to Trot

Houston's 10 best spots for a first date.

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 First Date Spots

There was a period of time in my life when I couldn't get enough of that first date feeling. It's akin to the adrenaline rush of skydiving or rock climbing -- except often with the promise of food or drinks in lieu of potentially plummeting to your death. (Sure, there's the danger of emotional pain ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Bitches Love Food

A familiar face is back in town: L.J. Wiley, the prodigal chef behind Yelapa Playa Mexicana, has returned to Houston. Although Yelapa has been closed since October 2011 and its various staff have moved on, the modern Mexican restaurant dazzled during its brief run -- the Houston Press gave it a Best ... More >>

Sitting Pretty

Houston's 10 Best Patios

Chef Randy Evans Hosting the Iron Fork Competition at 2013 Menu of Menus®

In 2012, Menu of Menus® celebrated its 10th anniversary with a move into a stunning new space -- Silver Street Station -- with plenty of room for the thousands of guests that showed up and with the inaugural Iron Fork competition. Last year saw master chef Monica Pope hosting the knock-out Iron Che ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Restaurant Patios

Patio dining in Houston isn't quite the rage it is in more temperate cities. In fact, even cities like Chicago -- which arguably enjoys the same amount, perhaps even less, of patio appropriate weather as we do -- seem to clamor for outdoor dining more than Houston does. Despite that fact, we are in ... More >>

Menu of Menus 2013: Ticket Presale Begins Today

Anyone who went to Best Bites at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo this past Sunday night can attest to how much fun these grand tasting event extravaganzas can be. Our very own tasting night is coming up on April 9 at 7 p.m., and plans to be bigger and better than ever. Last year was our 10th ann ... More >>

Go West, Young Man

The top 10 restaurants in Westchase.

Openings & Closings: Time for El Tiempo's Big Debut and More Crawfish in Chinatown

Are you in this for the long-haul? Good, because this week was chock-full of restaurant news -- and most of it happy news. Grab a cup of coffee and settle in for a long post, starting with recaps of a few stories from earlier this week. Ryan Rouse and Brad Moore of Grand Prize Bar in Montrose and B ... More >>

The Dan Marino Restaurants

The 13 restaurants that nearly made our 30 essential Texas restaurants list.

This Week In Food Blogs: Maggie Rita's Meets Its Maker

Houston Business Journal: In the first of this week's big news items, the HBJ reports that Maggie Rita's has closed its Galleria and Shepherd locations. No surprise, considering the overall quality of the food and the fact that the Kirby location was closed not too long ago. Maybe we'll finally get ... More >>

Top 10 Restaurants in River Oaks

The last time we tackled the Top 10 restaurants in River Oaks, Tony Mandola's was still open in what is now Brasserie 19's spot in the River Oaks Shopping Center. Needless to say, things have changed a bit in three years. And in spite of its ritzy exterior, River Oaks still has plenty of inexpensive ... More >>

Our 10 Favorite Affordable Luxuries: Treat Yourself This New Year

Most of our readers will hopefully remember Robin Leach's signature sign-off at the end of each episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous during the show's decade-long run: "Champagne wishes and caviar dreams." As far as sign-offs go, the phrase is no Walter Cronkite's "...and that's the way it ... More >>

What Are Houston Chefs Doing for Thanksgiving (Besides Cooking for You)?

With so many great restaurants open for Thanksgiving Day -- and so many chefs working hard on a day when the rest of us are enjoying family time or simply a much-needed day off -- it's tough to find a chef who's celebrating Thanksgiving in any sort of traditional sense. John Sheely, executive chef ... More >>

Joe Stark of Brasserie 19 Gives Us a Veteran's View from Behind the Bar

Finding a bartender for this week's article proved far harder than usual. After visiting three bars in a row manned by -- in this order -- a bar back, a first-day waitress and, finally, no one at all, I began to wonder if I had finally succeeded in my goal to drink Houston dry. In a last-ditch effor ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 17, Drunken Foie Gras at Philippe

This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we're counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston's cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least o ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 18, 63-Degree Egg at Brasserie 19

This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we're counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston's cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least o ... More >>

The Best Beer Labels

The most iconic and creative on Texas shelves.

Chef Amanda McGraw Wows with New Specials at Brasserie 19

A perfectly poached 63-degree egg -- one of only two things that Chef Amanda McGraw cooks in her sous vide machine at Brasserie 19, the other being a giant pork chop -- is spilling its saffron-colored yolk across the crispy top of a parmesan custard inside a shallow, white ramekin. Off to one side, ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Mix It Up Tonight and Help Clean Out Rudz's Cellar

Been waiting for the perfect Friday night to check out the new LaB 5555 series at the Houston Museum of Natural Science? Grab your soft-soled museum shoes, because tonight is that night. Tonight, four of Houston's best bartenders will be shaking things up as they compete to make the best Tanqueray ... More >>

Bring 'Em Back

The 5 fast-food sides we miss most.

Dining Out Near Closing Time: How Late Is Too Late?

How late is too late to order food at a restaurant? That was the thought that plagued me as I sped toward Jeannine's Bistro last week, determined to get in a necessary lunch of moules-frites for a post. The bistro closes for lunch at 2 p.m.; at best, I was going to make it in the door at 1:40 p.m. I ... More >>

A Mouth-Watering Good Time at the Houston Press Menu of Menus®

What do you get when you cross a food sampling event with a live Iron Chef competition, musical entertainment, and an open bar? One hell of an event, otherwise known as the Houston Press Menu of Menus®. Tuesday night, the Houston Press, in conjunction with Stella Artois and Whole Foods, put on the ... More >>

Menu of Menus Extravaganza

Chefs Chosen for 2012 Iron Fork Competition: Let the Games Begin

You may have been to our annual Menu of Menus grand tasting in the past, but this year's event will be upping its game thanks to our first ever Iron Fork competition. Curated and emceed by Houston's own celebrity chef Monica Pope, the chef throwdown will take place Iron Chef-style in front of a live ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 3: Amanda McGraw of Brasserie 19 - The Tasting

This week, we've been chatting with Brasserie 19 and Ibiza's Chef de Cuisine, Amanda McGraw, about the rewards of staging in kitchens outside of Houston, and about the specifics of her role. Today, we sample some of her food. To highlight the in-house charcuterie program, McGraw put together a pict ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 2: Amanda McGraw of Brasserie 19 and Ibiza

Yesterday, we chatted with Amanda McGraw of Brasserie 19 and Ibiza about her times staging in Chicago, and what it was like opening a restaurant like Brasserie 19. Today, we continue our conversation. EOW: What is your official title? AM: I am the Chef de Cuisine for Brasserie 19 and Ibiza. E ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Amanda McGraw of Brasserie 19

Amanda McGraw not only has work ethic, but loyalty. Over the last year, she's been the woman behind the kitchen of the glitzy, hugely successful Brasserie 19, withstanding early kitchen shake-ups and emerging as the de-facto Chef de Cuisine, where she is responsible for menu development and training ... More >>

The 10 Best New Restaurants of 2011

The challenge in choosing 10 of the best restaurants to open in Houston each year is a daunting one: Many of the restaurants I think are "the best" have little to nothing to do with each other, making for a list that falls all over the map when it comes to price, cuisine and location. Then again, t ... More >>

The Key to the Kitchen: Coppa's Female Executive Chef, Brandi Key, Is No Novelty Act

November 3 was National Men Make Dinner Day, one of an increasingly nonsensical line of national holidays that are being trotted out in larger numbers every year. This particular holiday was especially perplexing to those in the food industry, where men make dinner every night. A man probably will m ... More >>

That's Rich

Brasserie 19 is the place to see and be seen in River Oaks.