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Best Bloody Mary

Cadillac Bar

Photo by HP Staff

It's hard to beat the Bloody Marys at the Cadillac Bar on Shepherd — that's because you make them yourself. The Bloody Mary bar is set up during the Cadillac's elaborate Sunday Brunch buffet. The bartender pours some vodka over the rocks and hands you the glass; then you walk over to the most ornate do-it-yourself Bloody Mary bar you've ever seen. Choose from several varieties of tomato juice cocktail. There's some celery stalks, sure, but there's also pickled okra, baby corn, olives, cocktail onions and more. There's pickled peppers, fresh peppers, bottled pepper sauces, Worcestershire, celery salt, lemon and limes too. In fact, the only important ingredient missing from the line-up is horseradish. Horseradish isn't Tex-Mex, the bartender says. If you think horseradish is critical to a perfect Bloody Mary, you better bring your own.

Best BLT Sandwich

Dacapo's Pastry Cafe

Jeff Balke

A pastry cafe with the best BLT? Really? Yes, really. The folks at Dacapo's may specialize in sweets, but they certainly kick butt when it comes to savory sandwiches. Piled high on toasted whole wheat bread is the perfect slathering of mayo, lettuce, thick-cut sliced tomatoes and bacon so perfectly cooked — crispy yet full of fat and salty flavor — you'll want to rush into the kitchen to get a peek at just how they do it. Add a pickle and a cup of homemade potato salad, and it's easy to understand why lunchtime at Dacapo's resembles the running of the bulls. Best to order ahead.

Best Bread

El Bolillo

Jeff Balke

El Bolillo, the Mexican bakery across the street from Canino's on Airline, has got a lot of things going for it. Elaborately decorated cakes, sheet pans of tres leches, and coffee and hot churros for starters. Then there are the crunchy mini-baguettes called bolillos in two sizes, and the soft, dense telera bread — perfect for torta sandwiches — that you can also cut in half and use for hamburger (or torta burger) buns. Fresh tortillas made the old-fashioned way out of stone-ground nixtamal are sold out of a steamer case near the cash register, and they are exceptional. Try these and the enchiladas at your house will never be the same. And before you complain about the dry pastries, try the little cookies sold in the clear plastic clamshell packages in a display near the front door. They're made with a touch of lard, and they are anything but dry — but be careful, they are also addictive.

Best Breakfast

Sabine River Cafe

Known for its Cajun creations, the Sabine River Cafe might not be one of the first places you think of for breakfast. But it should be. Inside this sleek, modern-looking restaurant with wraparound outdoor seating, the kitchen is pumping out simple, flavorful food every morning from 7 to 11. From breakfast burritos to biscuits and jalapeño cream gravy to pecan waffles shaped like Texas, Sabine has it all. And for those who need a little Cajun first thing in the morning, order up the all-Cajun breakfast, complete with andouille smoked sausage and a beignet covered with powdered sugar and honey.

Best Breakfast Taco

Laredo Taqueria

It all kicks off early in the morning when the women behind the counter start hand-rolling the softest tortillas in town. You could stuff anything in these velvety creations and it would taste good. Luckily, though, there are more than enough simple yet delicious breakfast creations to sate even the pickiest of eaters. Try the egg, potato and green chile, the egg and spicy chorizo or the egg and green bean tacos, topped with a tasty red salsa that lets the cilantro and onion really shine through. At $1.75 a pop, they're a deal too.

Best Brunch

Dharma Cafe

Jeff Balke

Dharma Cafe is a homey oasis smack-dab in the rundown industrial area along Houston Avenue that makes up the nexus of Downtown and the Heights. Get away from the hectic noise and the stiletto-heels scene that dominate many high-end Sunday brunch spots and pull up a chair in this unassuming cafe with photos of Beat poets such as Jack Kerouac and his sidekick Neal Cassady scattered on the walls. The buffet is all-you-can-eat and includes traditional items such as waffles made in an antique waffle iron, blueberry or banana pancakes, sausage gravy and eggs made to order. But like the joint itself, this buffet marches to its own beat, also offering homemade fettuccini, moist and tender salmon and pork loin served with a sweet Sunday morning apple glaze. The fresh blueberry scones are arguably the best on the planet. And at only $17, this brunch buffet will cure any barely legal hangover.

Best Burger

105 Grocery & Deli

The 105 Grocery & Deli is located about eight miles southwest of Navasota on Highway 105. Former names include "DK Gen Store, Café, Meat Market, Feed Store" and "B&J." Whatever it was called, the convenience store has been making burgers for decades. The grill is closed on Monday and Tuesday and when the grill cook doesn't show up. So call before you make the trek (about an hour from Houston). The burgers are mountainous — each patty appears to be around two-thirds of a pound. (You'll want a double-meat, double-cheese.) A crunchy wedge of iceberg and two tomato slices come under the burger in the "upside down" configuration with a modest sprinkling of chopped onions and a couple of pickle slices. The white-bread bun is toasted and spread with yellow mustard and Miracle Whip salad dressing. Some burger lovers I know bring their own Hellmann's mayonnaise to replace the offending MW. But it's a tiny blemish in the otherwise perfect burger.

Best Burger Joint

Lankford Grocery and Market

When Guy Fieri and his Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives visited Eydie Prior on his trip to Houston, he confirmed what many Houstonians already knew — Lankford Grocery is a treasure. Eydie's parents started the place as a convenience store in 1939, but it was the hamburgers that brought in the crowds. And so they took out the store shelves and put in some tables. The smoking section is on a former driveway where two picnic tables are adorned with orange marigolds growing out of coffee cans. The garage door is still there. Today, Lankford Grocery's rural vibe is one of the last remnants of the historic Freedmen's Town neighborhood. The row houses have mostly been leveled and replaced with towering town houses. Every couple of months, Eydie goes on a decorating binge and decks the place out with a seasonal theme.

Best Caesar Salad

Mockingbird Bistro

It looks so simple and elegant: several long leaves of romaine lettuce laid across the plate, coated, not slathered, with a tangy Caesar dressing made fresh just moments earlier. Grated cheese, potato croutons and black pepper round out this traditional dish. On top of it all, just to add some color and a bit of punch, rests a thin slice or two of roasted red pepper. It's a true classic with just a hint of daring that makes this salad a must for any palate.

Best Chain Restaurant

Laurenzo's El Tiempo Cantina

Jeff Balke

It's all about the ambience, fajitas and margaritas at this famous Houston Tex-Mex institution. The restaurants are dark and homey, with inviting bars that exude that relaxing cantina feel. Start off with a serving of queso and chorizo and then order up a heaping plate of fajitas, piled high with strips of filet and lobster, with a decadent butter sauce on the side to go along with El Tiempo's famous red and green salsas. Then wash it all down with a potent margarita that'll make any drinker thankful he's 21 or older.

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