Da Marco

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 >>

Have a Friend Who Hates Broccoli and Anchovies? Take Them to Vinoteca Poscol

Maybe it's the contrarian in me -- the endless debater who loves a good, healthy, productive argument -- but there are few things that bring me more pleasure in this world than finding a food someone claims to hate and then finding or making an amazing dish with that food, turning that hate into lov ... 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 >>

Upcoming Events: 'Tis the Truffle Season

White truffle season has finally arrived after a delay in the harvest thanks to weather issues in Italy. And as a result of that weather delay, the white truffle supply is somewhat limited this year -- so the truffles that are already Italy's most expensive (costing upwards of $350 an ounce) are mor ... More >>

Top 10 Restaurants in Montrose

It's been a while since we tackled neighborhood lists on Eating Our Words, yet posts such as "Top 10 Restaurants in the Heights" continue to be perennial favorites with our readers each month. The last time we compiled a Top 10 Restaurants in Montrose list was well over two years ago, at which time ... More >>

Health Department Roundup: Montrose Edition

Inspectors really picked over 77006 last week. This part of town is known as Neartown, Montrose, the Montrose (kind of annoying, but technically okay), or "the 'Trose" if you're into efficiency. By swapping a single syllable for another single syllable, you avoid having to say the entire sentence: " ... More >>

Top 10 Octopus Dishes in Houston

Octopus. Regardless of how it's prepared, I generally love eating the squirmy, tentacled creatures. A great, low-fat seafood option, octopus has this wonderfully distinctive texture. It's also light and fun to eat -- the perfect summertime dish. Our city's chefs must feel the same way I do, because ... More >>

Where the Chefs Eat: Anita Jaisinghani, Eloise Adams and Erin Smith

Two weeks ago, we started talking to chefs about where they eat during their time off. You can read what they said here and here. Today, we continue our Where the Chefs Eat series with a female perspective when we chat with Anita Jaisinghani, Eloise Adams, and Erin Smith. Anita Jaisinghani Jame ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Expense-Account Restaurants

For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants. 10. The ... More >>

Health Department Roundup

There are no inspection reports available from February 23 to 29, but there are dozens of reports from February 22, Ash Wednesday. We're not sure about the significance of that. But it is important for restaurants to remember that they art dust, and to dust they shalt return, just keep that shit off ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 3: Domenica Catelli of Catelli's

Photos by Matthew DresdenCatelli's Ravioli (dc sauce on the left, butter garlic on the right)​After our spirited conversation (covered in parts one and two of this Chef Chat), Domenica Catelli brought out a few of her restaurant's dishes. I asked her about the challenges in creating a menu whe ... More >>

The Heights-Montrose-Museum District Council Seat: A Checklist for Potential Candidates

Must love Jon Stewart.​The proposed new map of city council districts includes one carved out of the Heights, Montrose and the Museum District, uniting the richest, hippest, proud to be Inner Looper bunch of white people possible. If you're planning to run for the seat, here are some things y ... More >>

Houston's Top 10 Wine Bars

Photo by Troy FieldsYou can even get a helluva guanciale cheeseburger at Plonk.​Today's Houston Press Deal of the Day (oh, you don't know what those are? sign up; they're seriously fantastic) is for 50 percent off at Boheme, a little wine bar in Montrose that also serves up cappuccinos and bee ... More >>

Comments of the Day: On Wine with Lunch, and Hipstamatic

​Today we're doing two comments of the day, because we so wholeheartedly agree with them both. First, in response to Katharine Shilcutt's post "Stretch that Dining Dollar: Eat Fancy at Lunch," commenter Francesca gave an over-the-top thumbs up to wine with lunch: Oh, the wisdom encapsulated ... More >>

Pie, Dirt and Pimento Cheese: Food Trends for 2011

Photo by Troy Fields2011 will be the year of the hot dog...among other delights.​Back in October, Nation's Restaurant News released their annual list of predicted food trends for 2011. Some items were already cresting the horizon here in Houston two months ago: high-end junk food, one-dish res ... More >>

Stretch That Dining Dollar: Eat Fancy at Lunch

Photo by Kent WangEat like a prince at Da Marco (on a pauper's salary).​At Da Marco, as I ate the last, sweet bites of my antelope paillard -- the barely gamy meat pounded thin and just slightly crispy at the edges, draped with caramelized peppers and finished off with a beautiful mound of flu ... More >>

Fess Up: You Haven't Eaten at RDG Bar Annie

Photo by mrzarquonIt's okay if you've never eaten at The Breakfast Klub. Fess up.​...or maybe you haven't eaten at La Colombe d'Or or Tony's or Mark's. Or, on the other hand, you haven't eaten at Lankford Grocery, Irma's, Pizzitola's or Molina's. Maybe you've never eaten at a Chili's. I don't ... More >>

Robb Walsh's 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #22 The Roast Beef Poor Boy at Mama's Cajun Cuisine

​Over the course of the next few months, I'm counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in ... More >>

Robb Walsh's 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #24 Pasta with White Truffles at Da Marco

​Over the course of the next few months, I'm counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in ... More >>

Slow Dough Bakery

​The dough might be slow, but this little bakery is bustling. You know all that really good bread you've been eating at places like Anvil and Branchwater Tavern? It has been coming from Slow Dough Bakery (1314 Roy Street, 713-568-5674).

Wine of the Week: Antonio Gianola of Catalan

​Antonio Gianola is no stranger to the Houston wine scene. In fact, you've probably read multiple articles on him and his restaurant, Catalan. So, how did this former medical biller and coder become the talk of the town? One glass of wine at a time. "I was good at medical billing and coding, ... More >>

Pasta with Truffles, a Bargain at $110 a Bowl

​I split a bowl of pasta topped with huge slices of a white Alba truffles with a lunchmate at Da Marco over the holidays. A bowl of tagliatelle and truffles goes for $125 at dinner. It's only $110 at lunch, so we paid a mere $55 each for the ethereal experience. The flavor is like nothing else ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Adam Puskorius of Polo's

​Polo's New American has a young executive chef with some great Houston roots. We dropped by one afternoon to pay him a visit and see what Polo's is all about. Eating Our Words: How did your culinary tales begin? Adam Puskorius: Before becoming executive chef of Polo's, I was a sous chef at ... More >>

New Year's Pigs' Trotters

​This weekend, Da Marco will be serving zampone, the stuffed pig's foot that's traditionally eaten on New Year's in Italy. Da Marco is serving the zampone with lentils and the mustard-marinated fruit called mostarda. December 31 is called La Festa di San Silvestro in Italy. You eat lentils, ... More >>

The T-Mac Question

Stacy McLady or true superstar?

Top 11 Houston Restaurant Openings of the Decade

Since I started my job as restaurant critic of the Houston Press in May of 2000, I've had a chance to observe the Houston restaurant scene for just about the entire decade. Our fine dining scene has evolved in the last ten years, and so have our ethnic cuisines. Houston became the birthplace of some ... More >>

What a Difference a Decade Makes: Zagat's Top 5 Restaurants in 1999 and 2009

Ten years ago, Houston was a different city. Enron hadn't yet experienced its downfall. Downtown was just beginning its slow renaissance. There were no silly "town square" concepts littered around town. People were just learning the word "McMansion." Montrose wasn't gentrified. Neither were any of t ... More >>

Fearless Critic: Not The Only Brutally Honest Reviews In Town

​One can't possibly argue with the extraordinary usefulness of Fearless Critic, from its many lists, to its valuable compendium of area restaurants, to its handy ratings system. But one can definitely argue with its claim that its reviews, by "food nerds" and food bloggers, are somehow superi ... More >>

You Can't Be Serious

Our readers debate this year's Best of Houston® winners.

Lingering Over Lunch: Rioja's

Photo by Robb Walsh​Fine dining establishments are suffering in these days of the downturn. But as we've mentioned many a time before, the best restaurants in the city have some of the choicest lunch specials. Bistro Don Camillo's business lunch, an appetizer, entrée and dessert for $18.95 is ... More >>

Health Department Roundup: Giant Candle Edition

The violations in the Health Department's online reports aren't always clear (what exactly does "Unapproved use of 'V' threads on food contact surface" mean?), and they'll sometimes test your gag reflex ("Raw partially cooked food served or offered for sale"). But that's part of their charm. Here ar ... More >>

Making Change on Montrose

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt Vaya con dios, Taco CabanaThe intersection of Montrose and Westheimer is nothing if not mutable.  From being a sleepy residential neighborhood in the 1920s to the 40s to a run-down hangout for drug addicts and rough types in the 1970s and early 80s to a hav ... More >>

Montrose Makes Way for Vinoteca Poscol

Vinoteca Poscol moves in.The rumors flew when beloved Belgian restaurant Cafe Montrose closed late last year after Hurricane Ike.  Patrons hungry for their fix of moules, frites and Chimay were baffled when they pulled into the parking lot one day to find it "temporarily closed ... More >>

Fava Favorites at Mint Café

Frank's Chop House Opens with Fresh Gulf Seafood, Steaks and Homemade Sausage.

On Top of Spaghetti

At Antonio's Flying Pizza, we ponder what cheese pizzas and cheese enchiladas have in common

Five Wines That'll Blow Your Mind

The Vintage Mirrors the Year

The Vintage Mirrors the Year

The Vintage Mirrors the Year

Posh Pizza

Dolce Vita Pizzeria & Enoteca

Squid Kids

Whodathunkit? A kid-friendly Italian-American restaurant with killer red sauce

Best Italian Restaurant

Da Marco

Blooming Onions

One ring to fool them all, or at least the Chron

Upscale Hospital Food

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

No Satisfaction

Sorry, Mick, we're already having a big night

Best Overall Restaurant

Da Marco

Da Marco

Leaches in the Mist

Plus: Percentile Dysfunction, More Math Wrath, Double Dribbles

Love at First Bite

Da Marco woos one over drinks, seduces with menu