Culinary Institute of America

Chef Chat, Part 1: Joe Macri of Up Restaurant, On Growing Up in a Southern Italian Family, and How He Moved to Houston Within 10 Days of Visiting for the First Time

This is the first part of a Chef Chat series. Parts 2 and 3 will run in this same space on Thursday and Friday. Up Restaurant in Highland Village boasts one of the most beautiful dining rooms in the city. Above the bar, a gigantic, glittering Swarovski chandelier immediately wows before you step d ... More >>

Culinary School Matriarch Marie Lenôtre Awarded Chevalier Award by Daniel Boulud

It's not every day that legendary chefs come to Houston. In fact, the last time Thomas Keller visited Houston, it was 1986. For one whirlwind weekend, however, Keller, Daniel Boulud, Jerome Bocuse, and the Bocuse d'Or USA team of chefs graced Houston with their presence. First on their agenda was ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Free Mexican Food, Plus Drink Pink in October

Discovery Green's new Green Film Series begins tonight, September 28, and will run until November, showing films designed to educate and challenge the community on how to respect and care for the earth. Tonight's offering, which will begin just as the sun goes down, will be "FRESH," a documentary th ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: David Grossman of Branch Water Tavern on Faking It Till You Make It, His Time at CIA in New York, and an Externship in San Francisco

Branch Water Tavern 510 Shepherd 713-863-7777 www.branchwatertavern.com This is Part 1 of a three-part chef chat series. Parts 2 and 3 will run in this same space on Thursday and Friday. Driving north on Shepherd Drive towards Washington Boulevard, it's hard to miss the sleek wooden lines of the b ... More >>

This Week in Food Blogs: Everything's Coming Up Houston

New York Times: Houston is getting all the national love this week. After being called "Texas's best and most diverse food city" by Andrew Knowlton in Bon Appétit, it's getting a spotlight from none other than The Gray Lady herself. The New York Times noted our sprawling Chinatown over the weekend ... More >>

Grand Prize Bar to Become Coolest New "Restaurant" in Town, Plans to Host Rotating Lineup of Chefs in Kitchen

Grand Prize Bar has been more than just a bar since it opened nearly two years ago -- it's had a culinary history of its own nearly since its birth. Only a few months after Grand Prize began shaking up its first cocktails in July 2010, chef Adam Dorris and his cooking partner Will Walsh began servin ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Grant Gordon of Tony's

Mai PhamExecutive Chef Grant Gordon of Tony's​There's been a lot of buzz lately about young Executive Chef Grant Gordon of Tony's. Last month, he collaborated on a hugely successful Les Sauvages pop-up dinner with Chefs Justin Basye and Peter Jahnke. Gordon was also among the youngest of the ... More >>

Openings & Closings: See Ya, Tequila

Brewpub is go!​The city has lost one of its two restaurants with a tequila-themed nomenclature: Ruby Tequila's in Midtown, which closed swiftly and quietly late last week. The chain's website was quick to reflect the closure, removing the Midtown location from its site without a trace. A manag ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Tommy Birdwell of TQLA

Photo by Matthew DresdenChef Tommy Birdwell, in front of TQLA​Houston native Tommy Birdwell, the co-owner/executive chef at TQLA, may hold the record for having worked at more restaurants than any other chef in Houston: 37, at last count. Then again, his career began at age ten. A graduate of ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Juan Carlos Gonzalez of Bistro Alex in City Centre

Executive Chef Juan Carlos Gonzalez of Bistro Alex​Executive Chef Juan Carlos Gonzalez of Bistro Alex is a cool kind of guy. The first time I met him, during the launch of Bistro Bar, he came down from the kitchen decked out in full chef's regalia - complete with a signature chef's toque hat t ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Greg Lowry of VOICE

​It's been nearly a year since Greg Lowry took over as the executive chef at VOICE, and he has settled into the position with confidence and style. Trained at Culinary Institute LeNôtre with a specialization in French pastry, Lowry jhas had stints at Tony's, Farrago, Mulberry, Max's Wine Div ... More >>

Caesar Salad Cupcakes and More: The 26th Annual Caesar Salad Competition

Caesar salad cupcakes: Where is your god now?​"We worked on these for two days straight," laughed Jody Stevens as she proudly displayed a cupcake garnished with a romaine lettuce leaf. Stevens and her partner, fellow pastry chef Rebecca Masson, were in inhospitable waters on Friday night as th ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Justin Strang of Bistro Catron

Courtesy Bistro CatronJustin Strang of Bistro Catron​We ventured out to the west side to meet with Chef Strang of Bistro Catron (17754 Katy Freeway), learned how one goes about becoming a self-taught chef and got the scoop on his hot selling bacon chocolate brownie. EOW: Tell me about your t ... More >>

Local Student Joshua Christie Is Le Cordon Bleu's Future Chef Winner

​They always start young. Joshua Christie says he remembers helping around the kitchen as a little kid, and that lifelong passion for cooking helped lead him to win the 9th Annual Le Cordon Bleu Future Chef of America Culinary Scholarship Competition on June 12th. Having attended Langham Creek ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part I: Riccardo Palazzo-Giorgio of Sabetta Café & Wine Bar

​You may recognize Chef Riccardo Palazzo-Giorgio's name from his stint at Simposio Restaurant. Back in November 2009, we visited Simposio and Chef Palazzo-Giorgio for a Fall Wine Tasting featuring the restaurant's new Southern Italian dishes. Palazzo-Giorgio had been there for about two months ... More >>

5 Places to Get a Custom Birthday Cake in Houston

jessica.diamond​ We needed of a birthday cake quick but didn't know where to get it. So we turned to the Houston foodie community via Facebook and Twitter, and here were some of the suggestions that kept popping up. 1. Jodycakes By far the most mentioned was Jodycakes, who has a loyal fan ba ... More >>

Openings and Closings

​As not only Houston but the entire nation heard earlier this week, Midtown favorite and one of the first Vietnamese restaurants in Houston, Mai's Restaurant (3403 Milam), burned down on February 15 after a cooking fire started by a wok. We posted photo and video coverage of the fire itself, a ... More >>

Breakfast Radishes with Butter

​I celebrated the harvest of the first radishes from my garden this morning by having them for breakfast with a little butter. It's a pleasant flavor, nothing earth-shattering. Probably better with a breakfast beer instead of the coffee I was drinking. I am not sure whether the practice of ea ... More >>

Duck Fat: the New Butter

Is the theme of the awesome Branch Water Tavern "fatty foods for lean times"?

Houston Street Food Culture

Why does the Eating Our Words blog focus on taco trucks, roasted corn stands and other such street food while ignoring the city's fine dining scene, commentor Bill Chase wants to know. It's a good question, and it brings up a larger issue that's being discussed in American food circles right now. ... More >>

Fall Wine Tasting at Simposio Ristorante

​In 2007, Vasco Luti, owner of Simposio Ristorante, opened the restaurant's new location in an unlikely shopping center at the corner of Westheimer and Dunvale. Historically, this native Tuscan focused on Northern Italian cuisine, but last night, Simposio debuted some new wines and Southern It ... More >>

Chef Chat: John Signorelli of The Remington

​Colorado-bred John Signorelli is executive sous chef at the Remington Restaurant (1919 Briar Oaks Lane), located inside the five-diamond Hotel St. Regis on the West Loop. The Remington was rated one of the top 100 hotel restaurants in America in a 2006 Zagat survey, based on food quality, dé ... More >>

Chef Chat: Elouise Jones of Ouisie's Table

​Elouise Jones, aka Ouisie, was a food pioneer in early-1970s Houston. Her restaurant Ouisie's Table, both on Sunset and in its later River Oaks incarnation at 3939 San Felipe, serves up creative Southern-eclectic meals, the result of Jones's childhood memories and a fertile culinary imaginati ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Eating in the Alamo City

photos by Robb Walsh Chef Scott Cohen was trying out some new sandwiches for the summer menu when I stopped by San Antonio's hottest new restaurant, Brasserie Pavil on Loop 1604 at Huebner. When I first walked in the door and took in the high ceilings and dark wood, I was immediately reminded of t ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Eating in the Alamo City

photos by Robb Walsh Chef Scott Cohen was trying out some new sandwiches for the summer menu when I stopped by San Antonio's hottest new restaurant, Brasserie Pavil on Loop 1604 at Huebner. When I first walked in the door and took in the high ceilings and dark wood, I was immediately reminded of t ... More >>

Bryan Caswell: Houston's Best New Chef

How do i begin; excited, elated, humbled, floored, it doesnt even scratch the surface! Me? Houston? Really? (my 1st 3 words to Dana Cowin) Photo courtesy of Wholefish Bryan Caswell in his trademark Astros ballcapBryan Caswell, who was just named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs ... More >>

Ruggles Green

Now Open: Capriccio Tapas in the ‘Burbs

Illegal Immigrants in the Restaurant Industry

Mexican immigrant Hugo Ortega went from washing dishes to owning Houston's best Mexican restaurant — now he has a few things to say about immigration

Radio Houstoned: El Mero Cocinero and The Cooking Show

The Cooking Show at Talento Bilingüe Houston

El Mero Cocinero gives us something to sink our teeth into

Steak and Peanut Butter

Lemongrass Cafe: A hip Bellaire spot with a hit-or-miss menu

Between Friends

Bunky's Soul Food Café

(East) Indian Summer

A local community celebrates its heritage

Upscale Hospital Food

The Med Center’s Trevísio may be frequented by surgeons, but that doesn’t mean the food is cutting-edge.

Doctoring Dinner

Trevísio's Alan Ashkinaze

Pig in the City

A foodie saint is tainted by fast food's evil empire

Walker, Texas Ranger

Carl Walker, Brennan's of Houston

The State of Things

Chef Scott Atlas

Mexican Insurgence

Chipotle Mexican Grill runs fast food seekers to a new border

Dish

Rich Stuff

Regine's may not be light on the pocketbook, but it's lovely on the tongue

Irish Ayes

At the Claddagh, the order of the day is excellent pub grub

Hot Stuff

The name's Italian, but that's not all that stokes Fiamma's flame

Back to Nature

Redwood Grill gets down to basics in an original way

What's In a Name?

A rose is a rose, and Puente's is Puente's, even when called Woodway Grill

Burger Heaven, Burger Hell

A quest for all that's good and greasy in an American icon

Calling All Night Owls

It's 10 p.m.: Do you know where Vince Kickerillo's lasagna is? At Loulu's

The Dallas Version

At Mesa: A Taste of Santa Fe, there's a whole lotta trendiness going on

Neo-Mom Food