James Beard

When Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey Pours at Uchi, Houston's Top Sommeliers Listen

Houston, is that a frico dropping? By my count, there were roughly forty of our city's top wine professionals in the room, all listening with rapt attention and relishing savory nuggets of wine wisdom imparted by Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey (above). And I'm not talking benchwarmers. This was an ... More >>

The Eating...Our Words 100: Tyler Horne, Market Manager at Urban Harvest Farmers Market

If you told Tyler Horne five years ago that he'd one day be managing a farmers' market, he'd call you crazy. Fast forward to today and that's just what he's doing. Who he is: Horne is a Houston-raised nice guy with a passion for motorcycles, fishing and all things outdoors. Despite the fact that h ... More >>

13 Houston Chefs Who Have Celebrity Doppelgangers

Check out which local chef sure looks a lot like a Spice Girl, who might be hosting a game show in his spare time, and who we think is a long-lost triplet: See also: - 12 Celebrity Chefs Who Have Cartoon Doppelgangers - 13 Celebrity Chef Doppelgangers 13. Kaz Edwards vs. Joshua Jackson We could s ... More >>

30 Essential Texas Restaurants

Eat here before you die.

Flaming Young

Ten food-related words you need to stop misspelling

The Texas Chefs Hall of Fame: 1981 and Now

Assistant music editor Craig Hlavaty recently purchased a 1981 edition of The Genuine Texas Handbook, a guide to all things Texan. It's an often-tongue-in-cheek look at the people, places, outfits, songs, foods and more that made someone Texan 31 years ago. Incidentally, the book and I are the same ... More >>

Where the Chefs Eat

Grant Gordon, Matt Marcus and Kevin Naderi

Stella Sola Closed Its Doors on Sunday

Bryan Caswell announced today that Stella Sola, his Texan-Tuscan restaurant in the Heights along with partner Bill Floyd, closed its doors on Sunday. The announcement followed months of rumors that Stella Sola would soon be closing, a result of the building in which it was housed going up for sale. ... More >>

Upcoming Events: A Flurry of Festivals

With warmer weather ahead, food festivals are kicking off in earnest across the city, starting with the 17th annual Bayou City Cajun Fest on Saturday, April 14, and Sunday, April 15, at Trader's Village. Admission is free to the Cajun Fest, which runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Plenty of home ... More >>

All-star Sweet & Savory Fundraiser Raises $19,100 for Lucky Dog Rescue

Pastry chef, Top Chef Just Desserts contestant, and hometown girl Rebecca Masson loves dogs. "If I could save them all myself, I would," she said as she thanked all those who had generously donated time and funds for the Lucky Dog Rescue charity. This past Sunday, her Sweet and Savory fundraiser a ... More >>

Umami Dinners at Kata Robata Encourage Chef Collaboration

"I stayed away from making any fish courses," joked chef Randy Evans after last night's Umami dinner at Kata Robata. "I left that to Hori." To his left, Kata Robata's executive chef -- and recent James Beard semi-finalist for his work at the sushi restaurant -- simply laughed good-naturedly. This w ... More >>

Despite Blue Laws, Texas Sommelier Conference Opens on Schedule

​"You'll note that there are pastries in the foyer," said Master Sommelier James Tidwell, as he and Houston's own Master Sommelier, Drew Hendricks, opened the Texas Sommelier Conference promptly at 9 a.m. yesterday morning at the Four Seasons Las Colinas Resort in Irving, Texas. The two co-fou ... More >>

TexSom Has Som-thing for Everyone

​Last year, when I traveled to Friuli, Italy with a group of top U.S. sommeliers, I overheard their fearless and übercool leader, Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey, tell his colleagues, "Every state should have a TexSom." He was referring to the Texas Sommelier Conference, the annual Texas win ... More >>

A Not So Happy Hour at El Real Tex-Mex

Prickly pear margarita at El-Real Tex-Mex​I admit, my expectations were high for El Real Tex-Mex. And well they should be. Since it's a joint venture between James Beard nominee Bryan Caswell, and James Beard Award-winning writer and former Houston Press Food Critic Robb Walsh, I expected to ... More >>

A Page Outa: The Beginning

WonderlaneDuck, Duck, Goose. . .confit?​After I posted the last Shiftwork Bites piece, the same question kept popping up from friends and well wishers - "What's next?" I pondered that for a while, trying to find a new avenue for creativity, exploration, and challenge. Cooking from The French L ... More >>

Houston Gets a Brewpub; Tyson Cole Talks Uchi

I tried and failed to think of a clever tie-in with the Waugh Drive bat colony. Oh well. Beer!​Normally, we reserve restaurant opening and closings news for our weekly Friday roundups. But some news is too good to sit on, like the announcement from Scott Metzger -- owner of Freetail Brewing Co ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 2: Joe Apa of Rudz

​Take an awesome chef and put him in a pub, and you get a creative environment with a bar full of good beers. It's like giving the Eagles Mariachi instruments -- you know it's going to rock but in another environment. We had a blast chatting with him this week at Rudyard's. At several high pr ... More >>

James Beard Foundation Recognizes Houston Chefs; Food & Wine Does Too, In Its Own Way

Should Randy Rucker (seen here working on one of his "tenacity" supper club dinners) have been recognized by Food & Wine?​It's been a week of ups and downs for Houston chefs on the national radar. StarChefs.com made a long overdue trip to Houston to recognize a hefty handful of "Rising Stars" ... More >>

Openings & Closings

Jellies out for tasting at the new Kraftsmen Cafe in the Heights.​The biggest news of the week seems to be the revolving doors at some of Houston's more popular restaurants: BRC Gastropub, Caffe Bello and the Inn at Dos Brisas (which, okay, is up the road in Independence, but we still claim it ... More >>

Immortal Milk at Central Market

​"Cheese - milk's leap toward immortality."-Clifton Paul Fadiman, author, editor, radio host (1904-1999) Clark Wolf loves cheese -- and cheesy wit. As I adjusted my camera to capture the gorgeous array of artisanal cheese and fruit displayed at the front of the room during his Cheese Tasting ... More >>

Anthony Bourdain

The bad boy of food likes life medium raw

Anthony Bourdain: "There Has Never Been a Better Time to Eat in America"

Anthony Bourdain is a man who requires little introduction. The author of Kitchen Confidential -- the book published almost exactly 10 years ago, which catapulted him to fame -- and host of popular TV shows like A Cook's Tour and No Reservations, Bourdain is the prototypical bad-boy chef, Marco Pier ... More >>

The Top 10 Restaurants in the Heights

Sous vide pork at Textile.​Creating a top ten list for the Heights is an intimidating process. At a basic level, it's difficult to even define the Heights. And with so many great restaurants to choose from, we've had to leave out popular spots Teotihuacan, Vietnam Restaurant, and Onion Creek f ... More >>

Chef Chat: James Beard Nominee Justin Basye

Fabio​Stella Stola's opening four months ago in some rough waters. Fast management changes and skeptical critics rocked the grand opening, but then things started to change. Justin Basye came on board as chef de cuisine under Bryan Caswell and brought a positive outlook and solid crew with him ... More >>

Cooking Up a Storm: Shrimp and Corn Chowder

​ When I fell in love with the shrimp soup at Mama's Cajun Cuisine, I knew just where to go to get a recipe. Cooking up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans is one of the most well-thumbed cookbooks on my bookshelf. This instant classic, written by Times-Pica ... More >>

Stuffed Tenderloin Cheeseburgers

photos by Robb WalshHomemade Cheeseburgers Ready to Grill On the subject of cheeseburgers, James Beard wrote in American Cookery, "this means a piece of processed cheese atop a cooked hamburger patty and broiled just long enough to melt. It is not very good." Instead he offered his own recipe fo ... More >>

Get Lit: Hamburger America: A State-By-State Guide to 100 Great Burger Joints, by George Motz

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Chicken-Fried Honor

George's civic slur