Last night, Houston Chronicle food critic Alison Cook revealed her 2014 choices for the Top 100 Houston Restaurants. It was the first time since the list was first released in 2012 that she did it in a public forum, in this case, a sold-out walk around dining event called the Houston Chronicle Culinary Stars.
The event, held at the Hilton Americas downtown and benefitting Recipe for Success, featured wine tastings and samplings by 21 of Houston’s top chefs, all of whom had a place on Cook’s list.
One of the evening’s highlights included Ronnie Killen’s short rib topped with bonito flakes, a four-mushroom medley and finished off with a barbecue beef consomme. To make the incredibly rich, flavorful cuts of meat, Killen says he sous vide the short rib for 48 hours before barbecuing it for another six hours. Killen’s BBQ, which received a four-star review from Cook this year, debuted at third place on Cook’s list; his steakhouse came in at 22, dropping 14 spots.
In fact, many of the invited chefs saw their spots on the list drop a few places from their 2013 spots, making room for newcomers. Hugo’s dropped from 6th place in 2013, to take the 11th spot this year, but his newest restaurant, Caracol took home 5th place.
Kris Bistro, which dropped from 52 to 61, offered another highlight of the night with tastings of smoked short rib over spaetzel, jalapeรฑo, pickled onions, and double Bach. Uchi Houston offered samplings of their famous machi cure; they dropped from 3rd place to 32; Latin Bites went from 19 to 29; Gatlin’s BBQ from 36 to 57; Monica Pope’s Sparrow Bar + Cookshop from 27 to 35.
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Other restaurants kept their spots, such as Kata Robata, which held steady at 17. Kata’s chef Manabu Horiuchi was on hand to serving a delectable Big Eye Tuna Ceviche made with marinated tuna, shiso leche de tigre, nuts, mango puree, shimeji and micro cilantro. Triniti also stayed steady at 16, with chefs Ryan Hildebrand and Greg Lowry on hand serving mouthwatering tastings of San Marzano tomato soup topped with a huge round bulb of sherried pimento cheese kolache.
A few restaurants inched up a few notches, including Roost, which came up from 30 to 19; Himalaya, which went from 13 to 11; Cuchara, which came up from 44 to 43; Revival Market from 77 to 55; and Americas, which came up from 50 to 49. Kevin Naderi, Kaiser Lakshari, Ana Beaven, Ryan Pera, and David Cordua, respectively, were all offering samples last night as well.
In an unprecedented move, Cook, who has famously protected her identity for years, was at the event to mix and mingle, took to the stage to kick off the unveiling of her list, which took place in the form of a slideshow countdown in descending order from 100 until it was time to announce the Top 10.
In the 10th spot was mobile cart Melange Creperie, which took the place of the now closed Cove Bar, moving up five spots from 15th place last year. Tony’s, which has been in the Top 5 for the last two years, dropped off the Top 10 completely, landing in at 27. Newcomer Coltivare — named one of Bon Appetit’s Magazine’s Top 50 restaurants in the United States this year — came in at 9th. Common Bond, the new bakery by Roy Shvartzapel, which just recently received a four-star review from Cook, took fourth place, while Underbelly dropped from fourth place to seventh. Oxheart and The Pass held onto their No. 1 and No. 2 spots from last year.
This is the third year in a row that Cook has named Oxheart the No. 1 restaurant in Houston.
Cook’s list is published online. While attendees of the event received a signed glossy book to take home, readers who purchase a single copy of the Houston Chronicle today will also receive a copy of the book. Copies will also be available for purchase in H-E-B, Walmart, Walgreens and Stripes in October.
In it, Cook provides a detailed synopsis for each restaurant and why it was included on her list. The introductory remarks at the front of the book also explain her method for creating the list: “What I look for are restaurants at the top of their class, whatever class that may be. It’s about food quality, of course, but also consistency, a distinct sense of place, warmth and personality on the service side and a strong beverage program.”
This year’s Top 100 is revealed below. What do you think of this year’s list? Were your favorites left off the list? Do you have any opinions on the list itself? Comments are welcome.
Alison Cook’s Top 100 Restaurants
1. Oxheart
2. The Pass
3. Killen’s Barbecue
4. Common Bond Bakery & Cafรฉ
5. Caracol
6. Indika
7. Underbelly
8. MF Sushi
9. Coltivare
10. Melange Creperie
11. Hugo’s
12. Pax Americana
13. Himalaya
14. Pondicheri
15. Mala Sichuan Bistro
16. Triniti
17. Kata Robata
18. Reef
19. Roost
20. Pho Binh Trailer
21. Dolce Vita Pizzeria Enoteca
22. Killen’s Steakhouse
23. Good Dog Houston
24. Hubcap Grill
25. Da Marco
26. Etoile Cuisine et Bar
27. Tony’s
28. Pizaro’s Pizza Napoletana
29. Latin Bites
30. Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino
31. Great W’Kana
32. Uchi
33. Huynh
34. Provisions
35. Sparrow Bar + Cookshop
36. Local Foods
37. Corkscrew BBQ
38. Costa Brava Bistro
39. Brennan’s of Houston
40. Pico’s Mex-Mex
41. Fielding’s Wood Grill
42. Cedar’s Bakery
43. Cuchara
44. Andes Cafe
45. Bernie’s Burger Bus
46. Irma’s
47. Hai Cang Seafood
48. Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen
49. Amรฉricas
50. Shri Balaji Bhavan
51. 60 Degrees Mastercrafted
52. Ciao Bello
53. La Casa del Caballo
54. Coppa Ristorante Italiano
55. Revival Market
56. Pappas Bros Steakhouse
57. Gatlin’s BBQ
58. Confucius Seafood
59. Vic & Anthony’s
60. Ninfa’s on Navigation
61. Kris Bistro
62. Heights General Store
63. Vieng Thai
64. Cajun Kitchen
65. RDG + Bar Annie
66. Rainbow Lodge
67. Mezzanotte
68. Piqueo
69. Kasra Persian Grill
70. Hubbell & Hudson Bistro
71. Kiran’s
72. El Tiempo Cantina
73. Bijan Persian Grill
74. Paulie’s
75. Lupita’s Mexican Restaurant
76. Pho Hung
77. Eatsie Boys Cafe
78. Rice Bowl Indonesian
79. The Breakfast Klub
80. Karanchos
81. Yum Yum Cha Cafe
82. Cafe TH
83. Brooks’ Place
84. Bon Ga Garden Korean Restaurant
85. Taqueria Laredo
86. Que Huong
87. The Shack
88. Banana Leaf Malaysian
89. Goode Co. Seafood
90. La Guadalupana
91. Virgie’s Bar-B-Que
92. Pollo Bravo
93. Classic Kitchen
94. Bosta Wine & Coffee
95. FuFu Cafe
96. Seabrook Waffle Co.
97. Alpha Bakery & Deli
98. Frenchy’s
99. Gilhooley’s
100. Xin Jiang BBQ
This article appears in Artopiaยฎ 2015 Guide.
