Randy Evans

Recap: The Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair Grand Tasting 2013

If there was one night a year to go crazy and totally overdose on food and wine, Friday night was definitely one of them. The Grand Tasting, signature event of the Sugar Land Wine & Food Festival sponsored by H-E-B, was every food and wine lover's dream come true, thanks to a who's who of some of Ho ... More >>

The Eating...Our Words 100: Randy Evans, Chef at Haven and Farm-to-Table Godfather

Randy Evans has an exuberant personality that comes through in his cooking at Haven: passionate about local products and seasonal produce, expressive of its Texas roots. There's no mistaking where you are when you're eating at Haven: It's Houston all the way. Evans's cooking at Haven is also highly ... More >>

Frank's Americana Revival and Chef Kevin Naderi of Roost: 2013 Menu of Menu's Big Winners

The annual Menu of Menus grand tasting is much more than just a night for our readers to come out, meet their favorite restaurants, find new favorites and get their faces stuffed with delicious grub. It's also a fierce competition. A wooden token was given to each guest as they entered Silver Stree ... More >>

Where the Chefs Eat: Greg Lowry, Matthew Lovelace, Dax McAnear

Inside the gorgeous dining room at Triniti, which is currently a James Beard Foundation finalist in the Outstanding Restaurant Design category, you can alway spy the chefs hard at work in the open kitchen creating food that is both delicious and beautifully plated. But it makes you wonder: If these ... 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 >>

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 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 >>

City Hall Farmers Market Starts Its 2013 Season Today

Arriving just in time for some seriously pleasant weather and National Strawberry Day, the 2013 season of the City Hall Farmers Market is kicking off today downtown. This marks the fourth year that the market has been operating in front of City Hall on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For openi ... More >>

A Crop of New Restaurants Win Big at the Rodeo's Best Bites Competition

"We shucked 1,500 oysters tonight," said chef Randy Evans, owner of Haven and its raw bar, Cove. His table at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo's annual Rodeo Uncorked!® Roundup and Best Bites competition was littered with the remnants of oyster shells. The sauces in front, including Cove's signat ... 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 >>

Restaurants Within Restaurants: Cove Is On the Cutting Edge

Whether it's a manifestation of chefs' ADD or a new dining trend to look for in the coming years, the restaurant-within-a-restaurant concept has hit Houston, which is now home to two such venues: Cove and The Pass. The Pass, which is technically side-by-side with Provisions, leans more toward the " ... More >>

5 Places to Get Your Chili Fix in Houston (While It's Chilly)

Most of the time, I'm the type of person who thinks that -- like barbecue -- chili is best made and enjoyed at home. It's simple stuff that dates back nearly 500 years to the first chili recipe, when Bernal Diaz del Castillo, one of Hernan Cortez's captains, described the Cholulan Indian stew in 151 ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Fried Chicken

"What's your favorite fried chicken in Houston?" I asked my mother a few days ago over the phone, curious to see if I'd overlooked any old favorites on the top 10 list I was compiling. A sixth generation Texan, my mother has lived here for more than three decades and cooks for a living. Needless to ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Put That Ugly Christmas Sweater to Good Use

Coming up this Tuesday, December 4, Haven and Cove will be kicking off the Christmas season with a Champagne dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. The three-course dinner created by chef Randy Evans will feature a passed tasting of raw dishes from Cove to start. Courses include duck confit with roasted beets ... More >>

First Look at Cove, the New Raw Bar Inside Haven

Jean-Philippe Gaston, the sous chef at Haven, is curling vermillion-colored slices of yellowfin tuna into elegant half-rosettes with his fingers before placing them gently on a white plate, all in a gently curving row. It doesn't take long; he plates as swiftly and surely as he cut the ribbons of fi ... More >>

Saving Lives at the Sweet & Savory Dinner

When pastry chef Rebecca Masson teamed up with her friends to host a fundraising dinner for Lucky Dog Rescue three years ago, she sold 40 seats and raised $3,500 to help forgotten and unwanted Houston dogs find homes. There were three savory courses and three sweet courses at Masson's first Sweet & ... 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 >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Matt Marcus of Eatsie Boys Food Truck, on Selling Food out of His Dorm Room in Military School and Landing an Internship at The Fat Duck

Matt Marcus Eatsie Boys Food Truck 845-430-8479 www.eatsieboys.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. The Eatsie Boys have one of the most popular food trucks in Houston right now. Known for their pork snuggies, fanc ... 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 >>

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 >>

How Do You Improve a Big Mac? Let Chef Randy Evans Make You a Big-H Burger

How do you improve upon a Big Mac? That isn't a sarcastic question; I'm a sucker for a McDonald's hamburger. Blame it on nostalgia or perhaps my family history of diabetes. But it's rare that I feel an upscale restaurant can tackle a fast-food dish and improve significantly upon the original. Liber ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 35, Fried Chicken at Haven

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 >>

Where the Chefs Eat: Bryan Caswell, Randy Evans, Danny Trace

In Houston, the restaurant community is so tight that everyone has worked together in some shape or form over the years. For this week's Where the Chefs Eat, we check in with chefs Bryan Caswell, Randy Evans, and Danny Trace. Evans is affiliated with a bunch of local chefs thanks to his time at B ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Restaurant Playlists

The only times I notice the music in a restaurant is when it's really bad (Christmas music playing year round at Sichuan Cuisine), really out of place (Nine Inch Nails blaring out of the speakers at now-closed Tony Vallone joint Ciao Bello or Cannibal Corpse washing over the line of patrons at Amy's ... More >>

Houston Press Menu of Menus Extravaganza

Upcoming Events: Southern Star in Northern Houston and Wino Wednesdays

If you don't quite know how to pair wines with Indian food, let Narin's Bombay Brasserie be your guide at its upcoming Summer Wine Dinner on June 7. Chef Gary Grewal will be serving an array of Indian dishes, all matched with international wines from Republic National sommelier Brett Walters. The f ... 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 >>

Bee Rustlers Steal Haven's Hives

Thanks to Eater's long-running "Shit People Steal" series, it's possible to think that you've heard it all when it comes to the bizarre items that people steal from restaurants. Not so: Sunday's news that Haven's bee hives were stolen from outside the restaurant was a new low. Chef Randy Evans firs ... More >>

"Kirby-side" Chicken Pick-Up Now Available at Haven

I know the parking situation around Haven has been a bit of a nightmare lately. Just as the construction on Kirby finally ceased, new "breastaurant" Twin Peaks opened up and unleashed its often obnoxious clientele upon the small parking area shared by Haven, Cafe Japon, Taco Cabana and a small bank. ... More >>

Upcoming Events: A Week Full of Beer

Read on for our picks of the best beer dinners next week.​In case you hadn't heard, it's Houston Beer Week, y'all. The week-long celebration of craft beer and local breweries kicks off tonight with a kick-off happy hour at Ziggy's Downtown, from 5 to 7 p.m. The restaurant will be offering $2 ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Hairy Bikers Heat Up Houston

Hairy Bikers hosts Bill Allen and Paul Patranella will be in town tonight at District Lounge.​The History Channel came to Houston recently, and the bloggers behind spicy food blog Eat More Heat were tapped to help the show Hairy Bikers with the Ultra-Hot Chile Burger Challenge that will be fea ... 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. Sunset: Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winner and food critic for our sister pap ... 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 >>

Chef Chat, Part 3: Randy Evans of Haven

​In this week's chef chat, we caught up with Randy Evans of Haven (see our conversations here and here. After listening to him talk about all the local ingredients being incorporated into the menu, I was dying to sink my teeth into a few of them. Before we got started, Randy was kind enough ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Randy Evans of Haven

​That cool restaurant tucked back off Kirby is more than a year old. This week, we speak with Randy Evans, executive chef and partner of Haven and former executive chef at Brennan's, about his past and Haven's present. EOW: Who were your culinary inspirations? RE: Number one, my mom... Her ... More >>

Upcoming Events

Please try not to end up like this jack-o-lantern this weekend.​Halloween activities abound this weekend and we have the best parties all picked out for you in our annual Halloween guide. But if parties aren't your bag of treats, don't fret: There's still plenty else coming up to keep you busy ... More >>

Simple Plan

Chef Randy Evans's idea for a "seasonal kitchen" at Haven mostly succeeds.

First Look at Haven

Photos by Katharine ShilcuttCorndog shrimp with tabasco mash remoulade​It can't be easy for Randy Evans right now. Once the executive chef at Brennan's -- one of Houston's most perenially popular restaurants -- and now the man behind what is easily the most anticipated restaurant opening of th ... More >>

Openings and Closings

Photo courtesy of Paula Murphy The verdant interior of Canopy​Two long-awaited restaurants have finally opened in the past week, just in time for the not-so-busy Christmas season. Here's your chance to check them both out before the masses pack into them come January. Canopy (3939 Montrose ... More >>

Upcoming Events

This weekend, get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather while it lasts. The Slow Food Picnic Dinner at Discovery Green is just one way to do that. Monica Pope and Andrea Lazar of t'afia are putting on the at 6 p.m. It will feature locally grown and caught food prepared by local chefs like Ra ... More >>

Hop On Board: Houston Culinary Tours Embarking Soon

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt​Have you ever wanted to cruise around with one of your favorite chefs, picking their brains as you hit his favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the city? Your chance to do just that is coming soon. Whole Foods Market and the Houston Convention and Visitor ... More >>

Chef Randy Evans: Sheet Rocking Haven

​Houston superchef Randy Evans was standing outside Haven, his exciting new farm-to-table restaurant on Algerian Way near Richmond and Kirby, when I drove by yesterday. The press release I got about the place read: "Looks like an early October opening." I was hoping for lunch, but Randy didn't ... More >>

The Belly of the Beast

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt A packed dining room at Catalan on Monday night​People swarmed the table full of pork and beans at last night's long-awaited Pork Belly Throwdown at Catalan like bees on a hive. Dishes such as Vermont maple-glazed Kurobuta pork belly shared space with whole suc ... 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 >>

A Delicious Recipe for Success

Photos by Katharine ShilcuttGracie Cavnar and Monica PopeIt was a gorgeous summer night in the gardens of a stately West University mansion, and Monica Pope was serving a most unlikely dish to the well-to-do types at the table: scrapple. A dozen enraptured guests had their first taste of the dish - ... More >>

Memories of Brennan's

A Houston institution burns; will it be back?

Texas Peach Preserves and Texas Fig Jam

Free Sample

Free Sample