Be it a great hot dog, burger, chicken-fried oyster, foie gras mac and cheese, or braised and grilled beef belly, BRC Gastropub's recipe for over-the-top comfort food is always eminently satisfying. Consequently, the chicken-fried steak, available on the menu as an "evening breakfast" or on the brunch menu in a half order portion, is everything you could want and then some. The huge order of beef cutlet, delivered in two large pieces, is breaded in potato chips and then deep-fried until heartily, wonderfully crisp, topped with creamy gravy, and served alongside two eggs over easy, a heaping mound of smoked paprika potatoes, and BRC's famous bacon jam. The restaurant's legendary buttermilk biscuit comes with it so that you can lap up every last bit of bacon jam and gravy left on the plate.

READERS' CHOICE: Hickory Hollow Restaurants & Catering

What started out as a brother and sister catering business has flourished and grown into Houston's best Peruvian restaurant. Here is a place where you can experience the true essence of Peruvian cuisine. Chef Roberto Castre's dishes shine with authenticity as well as artistry. His simple trio of three causas, pastel-hued mounds of whipped potato flavored with different types of aji (pepper), and his beautiful tiradito tres sabores (thinly sliced fish made with three flavors of sauces) are the kinds that inspire imitators. His ceviches — especially the ceviche de mercado, or market ceviche — immediately whisk you to the streets of Lima with their strident acidity and melange of fish and seafood. Castre and his partners — sister Rita and brother-in-law Carlos Ramos — are also constantly innovating, making Latin Bites the destination for a taste of contemporary Peruvian. Start with a perfectly constructed pisco sour made with the highest-quality branded Pisco Portón, marvel at the consistency of no-fail entrées like the lomo saltado and complete your meal with a scratch-made dessert of alfajores (dulce de leche sandwich cookies).

Walk into Pho Dien on a Saturday at 9 a.m., and you'll undoubtedly have to put your name on a list to get a table. But not to worry; the wait won't be too long. Pho Dien is the restaurant that Vietnamese know to frequent when they want a high-quality bowl of pho. The specialty here is the pho tai uop, which translates to "rare steak marinated special." It's beef carpaccio that has been marinated in a special sauce, and the meat is ultra-tender and flavorful. Another specialty is pho nam cuc, which comes with small chunks of beef brisket. But seriously, all you need to order is the pho dac biet — which comes with everything in it, including rare steak, flank, brisket, tendon, tripe and meatball — to know that you've found the best bowl of pho in the city. The broth is clear but rich with spices and aromatics and the flavor of long-simmered beef bone. Bowls come with your choice of bean sprouts blanched or raw and a side of veggies. Add a glass of cafe sua da, or Vietnamese iced coffee, and your meal will be complete.

You wouldn't expect to find the best Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches in Houston on Gessner in the Spring Branch area near the city's Korean community, but that's exactly what you get. Owned by Ronnie and Linda Nguyen, a young Vietnamese couple in their late twenties, the fast-casual cafe offers banh mi as well as rice and noodle dishes. Though the other items are perfectly good, it's the banh mi that definitely stands out. Served on a crispy oblong roll, the Vietnamese sandwich is filled with the perfect ratio of protein to pickled vegetable, cilantro, cucumber and jalapeño. For proteins, you get a choice of barbecue pork, pork belly, gogi (Korean-style) beef, barbecue chicken, crispy tofu or combinations. You also have the option of adding an egg or avocado. All of this is finished off with a generous smear of the restaurant's house-made garlic aioli, the secret weapon that ties it all together. First timers would do well by choosing the pork belly or the gogi beef banh mi, the restaurant's two best-sellers.

Tucked away in the corner of a strip mall on Bellaire in Chinatown, One Dragon Restaurant is as unassuming as it is special. This one-room hole-in-the-wall with no more than ten tables is presided over by a husband and wife who barely speak English but whose mission is to serve up Shanghai cuisine like you'd find in China. You can have an entirely solid family meal here made up of several family-style entrées, and it will be excellent, but the thing that everyone comes here for — the reason there's often a one-hour wait during the lunch hour on weekends — is that One Dragon has mastered the delicate and mysterious craft of making the most delicious xiao long bao, or soup dumplings. Not a single table goes without an order or two or three of these beauties. They come six to an order, the outer dumpling wrapper elastic but ultra-thin. Grab one softly with your chopstick, and it will sag with the weight of the soup inside. Bite into the dumpling and it will gush pleasantly with flavorful broth before you bite into the small pork patty inside. It's an absolute thing of beauty that is well worth the wait.

Don't drive past this modest Independence Heights eatery without stopping in for a plate full of rib-sticking, soulful Cajun fare. The brothy bowls of chicken and sausage gumbo have a hot pepper bite, and the shrimp and crawfish étouffée is thick and bright with cayenne. The red beans cook for hours and are laced through with andouille sausage. There's a selection of rotating daily specials, so check the menu on the web site before you go see what's in store. There's also a soul food side of the menu and it's worth delving into, especially the tender oxtails covered with thick, beefy gravy. It's BYOB, and cold lager goes really great with the food. Pick up a bag full of homemade cracklins at the counter to take home.

There is no dearth of steakhouses in Houston, but for a quintessentially local experience that couples the finest meat with delicious sides and impeccable service, you've got to give it to Killen's Steakhouse. Under the direction of newly named executive chef Joe Cervantez, the restaurant founded by Ronnie Killen is the place to experience an exquisitely prepared piece of USDA prime beef, sourced from top-of-the-line Allen Brothers and Strube Ranch. Whether you choose a New York strip, tenderloin, filet mignon or the infamous 32-ounce dry-aged bone-in Wagyu rib eye — a sight to behold — you can't go wrong. Add well-constructed sides such as the award-winning creamed corn, starters such as a lump crab cake chock-full of crab, and desserts meant to seduce, such as Cervantez's bread pudding or hot carrot cake, not to mention a thoughtful and well-curated wine list by DeeDee Killen, and you have one of the best steakhouses not just in Houston but in the entire country.

Occupying a stately corner in the Saigon Houston Plaza on Bellaire is Tony Thai Restaurant, one of the most beautifully appointed Thai restaurants in Houston. Step through the doors, and you're greeted by ornate sculptures and fountains shipped to Houston direct from Thailand. Tony is the owner and his wife, Ede, is the cook. She whips up dishes effortlessly, everything full of flavor and spiced as hot as you like. They've made things easy here by creating a laminated picture menu so that you can just point at what looks good, but top bets include the sweet and spicy Thai chicken wings, papaya salad, beef Tiger Cry and the spectacular fried fish garlic. Noodle dishes, such as the pad Thai or pad see ew, are also excellent, and the service from the primarily Thai front-of-the-house staff is friendly and helpful. For an extra bit of adventure, ask for off-menu specials by Ede, and you're sure to discover something new and delicious.

The Ham O' The Day has been on the Provisions menu since day one, and is still the must-order appetizer that manages to be light and flavor-packed at the same time. Paper-thin slices of cured domestic ham from heritage pigs are piled up across a smooth, oblong platter and rest on top of rye aioli studded through with whole mustard seed. The featured ham changes from week to week, but the varieties have included La Quercia's Tamworth and Prosciutto Picante from Iowa, as well as Surryano from Edwards Virginia Smokehouse. If you think Italian prosciutto is always superior, these feathery layers of meaty goodness may very well change your mind.

This spot in Webster brings a wide selection of craft beer to patrons south of Houston. The beer list is updated on the website daily, which is helpful for those who might have to make a drive to the southern outpost. On any given day, there are more than 40 beers on draft and more than 100 by the bottle, and Nobi regularly taps limited-offering kegs, too. Just as an example, on a single Saturday, Nobi served Founder's CBS Imperial Stout and Avery Brewing's Mephistopheles Stout and had bottles of Saint Arnold Bishop's Barrel on hand, too. As if more incentive were needed, there's an ambitious Asian-inspired food program (chargrilled pork banh mi and beer go hand in hand) and theme days like "Sunday Phonday," when the pub makes one big pot of beefy pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). When it's gone, it's gone, so get there early.