Last week, we challenged readers to try to guess what my picks would be for the 10 Best Dishes In Houston.
Shockingly, one reader guessed FOUR of them — and came real close with the others.
Our winning reader is Jim Ayres! In his email, Jim said, “My response started out as a somewhat humorous half-attempt, but then I got serious.” Indeed you did, sir.
Even when he was off, he was still really close! We’re sharing all ten of Ayres’s guesses here along with some notes, because all are worthy dishes. The correct guesses are in bold.
1. Smoked Brisket from Killen’s Barbecue (Their smoked Bone-In Pork Belly was #18.)
2. Bone Marrow Pho at Pho Binh by Night (Yes! It’s Dish #10!)
3. Black Pepper Spaghetti at Coltivare (So close! It was Dish #11.)
4. SG Burger at Southern Goods (Good thinking. We picked the Smoked Beef Belly as Dish #32, but the burger was praised in the review.)
5. Bucatini Amatriciana at Paulie’s (Correct! It’s Dish #4!)
6. Braised Goat at Underbelly (Yes! It’s dish #9!)
7. King Crab Fondue at Vic & Anthony’s (Nice guess. We picked the Crab Cake as Dish #34.)
8. Smoked Brisket at Pax Americana (Correct! It’s dish #6!)
9. Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich from the Modular (Maybe next year.)
10. Campechana Estilo DF at Caracol (Close. We picked the Blue Crab Soup as Dish #12.)
Obviously, Ayres has great taste.
A huge thanks goes to Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille for sponsoring our competition. Ayres will be taking home a gorgeous set of steak knives and a $100 gift card. That will enable him to try 100 Favorite Dish No. 89, Perry’s pork chop, for himself.
Thanks to all of our readers who participated!
This article appears in Dec 31, 2015 – Jan 6, 2016.