My Trip to West U
I prefer West U in small doses. I get to say that because I used to live there, in a charming frame bungalow that got torn... More >>
The modest Chinese Cafe knows how to produce a feast worth losing your poise over
By Alison Cook,
March 31, 1994
Four or five bites into our dinner at the Chinese Cafe, the pace accelerated exponentially: chopsticks flew, serving spoons clanked furiously,... More >>
Life After Mrs. Brenner
It is instructive to note which restaurants Houston expatriates rush to when they come home again. It's not the fancy... More >>
It was bound to happen. Beset on every side by chic-er croissants and trendier tortillas, the poor old kolache is fighting back. These yeasty... More >>
People gravitate to certain restaurants for a host of complex reasons: a room that speaks to their souls, a waiter who makes them feel good, a... More >>
Escalante's: south of the border, west of the Loop, high on profile and middling on menu... so far
By Alison Cook,
January 20, 1994
Tamale bisque sat cheekily on the menu; a brooding, wall-length mural coaxed tired south-of-the-border cliches into the uneasy realm of dreams.... More >>
How salvation beats dazzle, and other mysteries of the restaurant trade
By Alison Cook,
January 13, 1994
Feng Ling may not be the answer to my recurrent prayer -- to find a Chinese restaurant I can love unreservedly -- but I'm soft on the place for a... More >>
Carrabba's is cloning itself for national consumption. Has it kept its original flavor?
By Alison Cook,
January 06, 1994
I have seen the future of Carrabba's, and it worries me. Now that Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola have embarked on a joint venture with the... More >>
When the damned gather for New Year's Eve Chez Lucifer, I suggest they dine on this guaranteed true-to-life banquet culled from actual Houston... More >>
First the good news: Neil Doherty's back in town. Now the not-so-good news: Once again, this interesting Irish chef holds forth in a big-hotel... More >>
Cafe Artiste offers culinary masterpieces within a Cajun aesthetic
By Alison Cook,
December 09, 1993
To the small patheon of Houston culinary originals, add the name of Tom Meredith -- breakfast genius out of southwestern Louisiana and resident... More >>
That's what java is elevated to at PJ's Coffee & Tea Co. Originally established in the vieux carre, PJ's has the fine food attitude, mas yeah.... More >>
Top 10
New restaurants and bars are opening in downtown Houston faster than we can keep up, thanks to a renaissance around the Market Square Park area that's bringing new life… More >>
Here, Eat This
Vietnamese cuisine has become one of Houston's favorite over the past few decades — coinciding with the large influx of Vietnamese immigrants that began following the Vietnam War… More >>
It's been more than a century since the first Tex-Mex restaurant opened in Houston. George Caldwell brought The Original Mexican Restaurant to our city in 1907, influenced — most agree… More >>
The 10 Best Downtown Restaurants
The Pho-ndamentals
Todo con Queso
