Jonathan Jones

Recap: The Woodlands Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase

There are food and wine events throughout the year, but none as big, or with as much at stake, as the Wine Rendezvous and Grand Tasting at Wine & Food Week in The Woodlands. This is no regular tasting event. Where other events may have winners, and the winners may take home trophies or bragging ri ... More >>

Upcoming Events: The 9th Annual Wine & Food Week in The Woodlands

Yep, it's that time of the year again. Wine & Food Week is coming to The Woodlands next week. From June 3-9, The Woodlands will become home to more than 50 restaurants; 500 wines; legendary wine producers and culinary personalities from around the globe; and a vast collection of craft beers and gou ... More >>

Ribs and Ramen Reign Supreme at the 2nd Annual Go Pig! Or Go Home! Suckling Pig Throwdown

There are pig parties, and then there is Go Pig! Or Go Home! The second annual charity throwdown event last night at Kata Robata was every pig lover's dream -- and then some -- with Houston's top chefs throwin' down everything from traditional roast suckling pig to cochinita pibil to oysters topped ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 3: Jonathan Jones of Monarch at the Hotel Zaza and His Beautiful Spring Menu

This is Part 3 of a three part Chef Chat series. If you missed our previous posts, click here to read Part 1 and Part 2. Oftentimes, hotel restaurant menus are boring, safe, predictable. Where independent restaurants can take liberties with their menus and be as cutting edge or as esoteric as they ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Jonathan Jones of Monarch at the Hotel Zaza, On Running a Hotel Restaurant and Creating a New Menu to Give the Restaurant a Houston Identity

This is the first part of a three part Chef Chat series. Come back on Thursday and Friday, to read parts two and three of this series. Walk into the lobby of the Hotel Zaza, and as you're checking in you'll see a life-size billboard of the hotel restaurant Monarch's new executive chef, Jonathan Jon ... More >>

Where the Chefs Eat: Ryan Lachaine, Lyle Bent and Victoria Dearmond

With the proliferation of open kitchens in Houston, it's hard to ignore the chefs who are actually making the food. Nowhere is that more true than at Underbelly, where food enthusiasts can literally spend the evening watching all the action going on in the kitchen. At one point during the night, you ... More >>

The Second Annual Go Pig! Or Go Home! Throwdown is Coming This April

"Go pig! Or go home!" That is the gauntlet that has been thrown, and the challenge, the question, the machismo duel that will pit 23 of Houston's most prominent chefs in a challenge to create Houston's most supreme incarnation of a suckling pig. The second annual event is scheduled for Sunday, Apr ... More >>

5 Houston Chefs We Want to See on Chopped

Chopped has to be one of the best culinary competition shows on TV, today. It's filled with excitement as contestants from all over the country open up a basket full of mystery ingredients that you (and probably the competitors) would never put together in a dish. The four selected chefs for each e ... More >>

Where the Chefs Eat: Christine Ha and Alvin Schultz

This week, our Where The Chefs Eat series turns to two amateur chefs turned television reality stars: Christine Ha and Alvin Schultz. Both living in Houston and Vietnamese by descent, they each snagged a spot on the TV reality show, MasterChef. Schultz, who was featured on Season 2, is known for ... More >>

Rest(aurants) In Peace: Notable Closings of 2012

Some restaurants just couldn't wait for the Mayan apocalypse on December 21, 2012 and decided to implode all on their own, while other restaurants simply expired of old age and waning interest in a city that's constantly chasing after the next big thing. Instead of a toast to the restaurants we'll ... More >>

Sampling Over 60 Restaurants at the 7th Annual Feast with the Beasts

Check out our pics from the Houston Zoo in our Feast With The Beasts slideshow. There were lions, cougars, giraffes, snakes, elephants, a rooster and more. Plenty of animals and plenty of food -- exactly what you'd expect to find at the Houston Zoo's 7th annual Feast with the Beasts. This past Fr ... More >>

Where the Chefs Eat: Amalia Pferd, Sean Carroll, John Peterson

Owning a food truck/mobile cart is hard work, but at the end of the day, you still gotta eat. For this week's Where the Chefs Eat series, we're checking in to see where some of Houston's on-the-go chef-proprietors get their grub on. Let's see where Amelia Pferd of Good Dog Hot Dogs, Sean Carroll o ... More >>

Where Are We Drinking? Clue: Hotel Hotness

At this hotel bar, the menu is about to get completely revamped by new chef Jonathan Jones. The drinks, however, are still flowing until then. And with the nicer weather in the air, it's the perfect time to enjoy a glass of wine on the hotel's notably beautiful patio. Think you know where we're dri ... More >>

Burger Bars

Houston's Top 10

Openings & Closings: What the Hell Happened This Week, Houston?

Seriously, guys. What the living hell. This has been one of the craziest weeks for openings and closings that I can recall in a long time. So when I say prepare for a ton of news ahead, I mean it. The biggest news of an already huge news week was word that Bobby Heugel and company are the new opera ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Speakeasies, Hoedowns and Free Yoga Classes

A shuttered business on downtown's Main Street is getting a new tenant -- for the night. 304 Main will be hosting a one-night-only speakeasy on Monday, October 1, from 7 to 10 p.m., sponsored by Knob Creek Rye Whiskey. Local bartenders will be shaking cocktails featuring the rye and chef Jonathan Jo ... More >>

Yum, Fried Bubble Gum

Top 10 State Fair of Texas foods

Openings & Closings: Adios Concepcion y Bienvenidos Alma

Although there are only four items in this week's roundup of openings and closings, all of them are rather big deals (arbitrarily speaking, of course -- there's still a presidential election going on and all that). Starting with the news that chef Jonathan Jones is out at Concepcion. I made one vis ... More >>

Where the Chefs Eat: David Denis, Jean-Philippe Guy and Philippe Schmit

When we think of French dining in Houston, the following three chefs should assuredly come to mind: David Denis, Jean-Philippe Guy, and Philippe Schmit. David Denis has made a name for himself with his elegant Le Mistral Restaurant on the Energy Corridor, where big-name oil execs come to sample exqu ... More >>

OIMBY Returns After a Two-Year Break

Outstanding in the Field dinners -- meals which feature a tour of a local farm and food prepared by a master chef on the farm itself -- are famously fabulous, but also notoriously expensive. And two years ago, a few Houston food lovers decided to do something about it: start their own. Outstanding ... More >>

This Week in Food Blogs: A Stark Look at Katsuya and Wine's Greatest Hoax

ROFL House: Been wondering how the sushi is at ultra-luxe L.A. import Katsuya by Starck? Matt took a first look at the West Ave restaurant and came away -- shall we say -- less than impressed with both the service and the food, saying: "I've had better spicy tuna with more spice and more flavor from ... More >>

5 Food Trends That Aren't Going to Happen Anytime Soon, Seriously, You Guys

Hot off the heels of the annual National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, food bloggers and industry outlets are furiously compiling lists of food trends for 2012 and beyond based on displays, samples and wares from the three-day-long trade show. Nation's Restaurant News says that the trendy ... More >>

Openings & Closings: April 2012

So, while I was gone last week, chef Ryan Hildebrand and his investors announced plans to open yet another restaurant only four short months after Triniti opened on Shepherd. Brande, as the new restaurant will be called when it opens in late 2013, will occupy the old Ruggles space on Lower Westheime ... More >>

Openings & Closings: The Blind Items Gain Vision Edition

Everyone likes to see a good blind item come to fruition. We have two that gained sight this week. With one of our most recent items, our readers -- as usual -- were spot on in their guesses. Ocean's, the big white house in Montrose that currently serves subpar seafood, will soon become Concepción ... More >>

The 2nd Annual Kiss My Grits Throwdown by YTAC a Huge Success

The Young Texans Against Cancer's YTAC 2nd Annual Kiss My Grits Throwdown revealed a couple of things. First, that young Houstonians are more than willing to engage in philanthropy for a good cause, and second, that any food competition featuring 10 chefs is a huge draw. Host venue The Capitol at ... More >>

Chef Jonathan Jones Departs Xuco Xicana, Soon to Be El Patio Once Again

A mock Texas Monthly cover made by Jones's fans several years ago.​Chef Jonathan Jones was let go from Xuco Xicana late last week, and cooked his last meal at the restaurant last night as a pre-planned pajama party on Xuco's upstairs patio became his farewell party. Jones, who was the executi ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Wings

Spicy interior Mexican-style wings at our No. 1 pick.Photo by Rachel Bohanan​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 ... More >>

Party Fowl Wins Wingtoberfest 2011

Photo by Rachel BohananSee more photos from Wingtoberfest in our slideshow.​"Those are good," laughed Jonathan Jones, chef at Xuco Xicana, as he pointed at Party Fowl's wings last night. "But you couldn't eat a dozen of them." Indeed, the breakfast-for-dinner wings that Party Fowl brought to ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 2: David Cordua of Americas, On His Role as Executive Chef and Favorite Eats Around Town

Photo by Mai PhamExecutive Chef David Cordua, in the kitchen at Americas River Oaks​Yesterday, we talked to Executive Chef David Cordua, of The Cordua Group, about growing up in the kitchen and culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu. You can read about it here. Today we'll talk to him about what he ... More >>

Openings & Closings: Fisch, Fish and More Fish

Which sushi place has opened its second Houston location?​Unfortunately, we're ending the week on a sad note: Sweet 'n' Namkin, which I just spotlighted on Wednesday as having my favorite dahi puri in town, has closed. Anyone want to try and direct me to a new place for dahi puri, preferably a ... More >>

Breakfast with Botero

You'll want to linger at intimate Macondo Latin Bistro.

Sneak Peak at Xuco Xicana

Photos by Katharine ShilcuttThe Peruvian-style ceviche is garnished with radishes, corn and avocado.​Even though we were already full of queso and ceviche when the entrees came out last night at El Patio, my dining companion and I couldn't help but dig in. "Oh, this tastes just like something ... More >>

Chefs Taste Test Edible "Marital Aids" for Valentine's Day

We were terrified of the ball gag, too.​A chef, a pastry chef and a food critic walk into Erotic Cabaret. It's not the beginning of a joke; it's how I spent my Saturday afternoon. I took chef Jonathan Jones of Beaver's and pastry chef Jody Stevens of Jodycakes to the "marital aid" store this ... More >>

Five Questions for Geri Druckman and This Year's Wine Conference

Photos by Jeff BalkeSamples were drained during last year's Wine Conference sessions.​Last September marked the inaugural year for The Wine Conference, an annual event pairing more than just food and wine. The Wine Conference seeks to pair people with knowledge, whether those people are wine e ... More >>

A Heated Competition at Chefs Under Fire

Chef David Grossman judges one of the competitor's dishes.​Last night's Chefs Under Fire event proved that some of the city's most talented chefs aren't cooking in the hottest restaurants in town...or even in a restaurant at all. Five area chefs competed in the Houston regionals of the annual ... More >>

Upcoming Events

​Taking place on Monday will be the long-awaited Chefs Under Fire competition, in which five area chefs compete for a spot in the state-wide Chefs Under Fire Finals to be held in Austin on October 25. So far, the chefs from Dallas-Ft. Worth and the Austin-San Antonio region have already been c ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Fork and Cork: Greg Morago reports on the rumors swirling around Textile lately ... More >>

The Energy at OIMBY

Photo by Ruthie JohnsonFor more photos from the event, check out our slideshow.​Not even yesterday's exotic temperatures could stop more than 100 fine folks from celebrating at OIMBY, a backyard banquet celebrating some of Houston's finest local chefs and vendors. Like most of the vendors them ... More >>

Houston's Growing Garden Party

Chef Ryan Pera tends the garden at the Grove.​If food is fashionable, local food is the flashiest piece on the Paris runways. These past few years have seen the locavore movement skyrocket like mad in Houston. The city now boasts dozens of farmers' markets, and people are beginning to explore ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Owing to all the food blog activity over the last few weeks, this is an all-loc ... More >>

Bloody Good Times at Beaver's Ice House

Photos by Groovehouse Caleb Gutierrez's michelada, rimmed with cumin and salt​While we may not have a palate for wine, it's no secret that Eating Our Words loves beer. And hot sauce. And the two of those things magically mixed together in a pint glass. So in the interest of further promoti ... More >>

A Vegan Dinner at a Meatatarium

Photos by Katharine ShilcuttAppetizers: sweet potato chips and truffled carrots, radishes and turnips​Vegans may take our cheese (and milk and meat and butter and even honey), but they may never take...our truffles. This seemed to be the rallying cry on Monday night at Beaver's Ice House as seven ... More >>

Chef Chat: Jonathan Jones of Beaver's

Former chef for Max's Wine Dive and head honcho at Beaver's (2310 Decatur Street), Jonathan Jones is a gastropub's irreverent dream and tweet-a-holic who wants you to "get your tails to the Beaver." How do you feel about being associated with comfort food? I'm fine with being known for grass root ... More >>

The Wine Conference: A Chat with Geri Druckman

​Next Saturday, Houston will be hosting a home-grown festival unlike any other the city has seen. The Wine Conference will bring together an assortment of food and wine personalities -- both national and local -- along with a high-tech twist that's due in large part to its founder, Geri Druckm ... More >>

One Night Only! Pork Belly Madness at Catalan!

Photo by stu spivak​Monday, Monday, Monday! The battle to beat all battles will be held tonight at Catalan featuring contenders from across the city as they compete to claim the prize of Houston's best pork belly. The third in a series of popular "throwdown" events organized by Jenny Wang ... More >>

The Battle Rages On: Fried Chicken Throwdown at Beaver's

Photos by Katharine ShilcuttRonnie Killen's skillet fried chickenSome had come for the spectacle of it all: 17 different fried chicken dishes, 9 enormous casseroles filled with various macaroni and cheeses, salads and side dishes and desserts enough to feed Alexander's own army. Some had come to obs ... More >>

Center Stage

Conroe's Young Texas Artists competition puts youthful virtuosos on the fast track.

Busy Beaver's

Chefs Pitch In for Brennan’s Fire Victims

Waking Ashland

The Well