No matter what you think of president-elect Donald Trump, guy’s got to eat.
Seriously. Don’t be a hater. Let him eat.
Houston has a decorated history of feeding United States presidents and first ladies (and not just local residents George Herbert and Barbara Bush).
Whenever Trump comes to H-Town during his presidency, he’s guaranteed to leave these restaurants a very happy man.
Tony’s, 3755 Richmond
Tony Vallone’s 50-year-plus institution has served seven sitting presidents. (If you can name all seven, you won’t get a free dinner or anything like that.) It makes sense why Lyndon B. Johnson, Barack Obama and more commanders in chief have eaten at Houston’s finest dining spot and one of the tastiest Naples-centric Italian restaurants out there.
Hugo’s, 1600 Westheimer
The Bushes and Bill Clinton have dined at Hugo Ortega’s baller modern Mexican restaurant. Chef Ortega, a five-time James Beard Award finalist, along with his wife and restaurateur Tracy Vaught, explode taste buds with dishes like chicken quesadillas with mango sorbet and all-you-can-eat ceviche on Sundays. The tucked-away patio, where former president Clinton posted up, is one of the best in town.
Redneck Country Club, 11110 West Airport, Stafford
Maybe Ted Cruz and Trump can bury the hatchet at KTRH-AM 740 provocateur Michael Berry’s bar-restaurant-venue in Stafford, where Cruz held a Texas-size shindig for Super Tuesday. Though Trump probably won’t touch the beer, whiskey or frozen moonshine (since he has said that he abstains from booze), he can dig into the honky-tonk’s fried catfish, brisket mac and cheese, or pecan pie while listening to acts such as Kris Kristofferson.
Underbelly, 1100 Westheimer
By many accounts, Trump is a carnivore. The craft butchery Underbelly is a meat eater’s dream. The onsite butcher shop allows super-fresh cuts of meat to go from cutting floor/board to oven/skillet to table to mouth at efficient speeds. The end results – such as the smoked beef shoulder, salsa-marinated flank and smoked Vietnamese bologna – earned chef Chris Shepherd a James Beard Award in 2014.
Harry’s Restaurant and Cafe, 318 Tuam
Trump once told People that one of his favorite meals is bacon and eggs. Not sure if that was a serious comment, but if it was, the place for that is Harry’s, a no-frills diner (established in 1948) that makes an unreal food pile known as the pancake omelette — a two-egg omelette with cheese and bacon that’s then wrapped inside of a pancake.
This article appears in Nov 3-9, 2016.
