All-star plates
Before the release of her Top 100 restaurants list, our critic reflects on standout dishes
The months spent researching my annual Top 100 Restaurants list fly by in a whirl of revisits that can seem both bewildering and delightful, a grind and a joy, a pleasure and a peril. Always there are highlights that pop out both in the moment and in retrospect. Here are just 10 of the dishes that stood out on this year’s list.
Believe me, it was hard to pick just 10. I could have chosen 20 more and still not given due credit to the thrills I experienced in restaurants high and low, pricey and inexpensive. I’m still mooning over that stupendous house-smoked bologna sandwich at Gatlin’s BBQ, for instance, and about the rigorously old-school pressed duck at Tony’s, with its riveting sauce. There’s a version of pho I am still obsessing about; and a banh mi I’ve put on my permanent rotation. (Maybe it will land on yours, too.)
And that’s just scratching the surface. For more of the dishes that make Houston such an exciting, ever-evolving culinary landscape, stay tuned for the 2018 Top 100 list release Thursday on HoustonChronicle.com. Print subscribers will receive the keepsake booklet with their newspaper Sunday.
The Chronicle also is hosting an event to celebrate the city’s restaurant scene on Oct. 25; some of the top restaurants from the list will be in attendance and dishing out their wares. For ticket into, visit houstonculinarystars.com.
Suckling pig with apple purée at Costa Brava Bistro
Chef Kitty Bailey does a version of this classic dish that astonishes with its crisp crackle of skin and melting interior texture. It rivals the best work of the best restaurants in town — and it’s a testament to Bailey’s under-appreciated cooking at this low-key Bellaire spot. An apple purée accompaniment rises above the expected with a pure, soft undercurrent of vanilla. And a clear, intense pork reduction anchors all the flavors.
Smoked brisket nachos at Killen’s Barbecue
One of the revelations of the new dinner service at Ronnie Killen’s Pearland barbecue joint is this lavish heap of brisket nachos. Ordinarily I vastly prefer composed nachos rather than higgledy-piggledy piles of them, but in this case, the hill was intricately built, with well-balanced elements of smoky, charred brisket and edgy green salsa; pickled jalapeño and a confetti of pico de gallo; grated cheddar and ribbons of queso, too. They were freakishly delicious, right down to the base of the heap. So when Killen announced he’ll open a Tex-Mex restaurant down the road, I was thrilled.
Guacamole at Irma’s Original
The made-to-order guac at Irma Galvan’s homey downtown breakfast-and-loncheria is one of the glories of Houston cuisine. It’s so fresh and deftly balanced that it almost literally sparkles: poised between craggy and smooth; mined with crunchy bits of onion and green chile and soft tomato; outlined with just the right notes of lime, salt and cilantro. It’s a Tex-Mex monument.
Tava gosht at Himalaya
This new creation from chef Kaiser Lashkari reminds me of Vietnamese shaken beef crossed with boeuf bourguignon — but electrified by hot chile. But it’s northern Pakistani in spirit, thanks to “frontier spices” used to marinate the beef tips, which are then tumbled around on the flattop grill with red onion, tomato and green chile. A little cilantro, a spritz of lemon, and it’s off to the races.
Kimchi pancake with butter-poached crab at Tris
I laughed in delight when I realized what chef Austin Simmons had accomplished with his lush, provocative kimchi pancake at Tris, the rechristened and freshly remodeled edition of his Woodlands staple Hubbell & Hudson Bistro. With its cargo of dewy lump crabmeat and its gloss of kimchi beurre blanc, it tasted like a crab cake reimagined for the 21st century. The house-fermented kimchi contributed just the right edge.
Gazpacho at La Table
So deep and resonant was the gazpacho at La Table that it caught me by surprise. What was that dark note humming a bass line under the bright tart tomato? Bing cherry, it turned out: a brilliant addition that gave the smooth, cold soup something approaching gravitas. If you could spoon up a Gregorian chant, it would taste like this.
Labne and zaatar manakish at Cedars Bakery
Sometimes elemental is best. Pulled right from the brick ovens at this west side Lebanese bakery, a pita loaf smeared with satiny yogurt cheese and a gritty, herbal blend of zaatar and olive oil radiates a simple profundity. The milky tang of the labne sets off the herbal nuttiness of the zaatar, a mix of thyme, oregano, sesame seed and dusky sumac. It’s yin and yang, pasture and wild hillside, all cradled in a warm puffy loaf.
Raw and pickled cantaloupe in melon broth at Theodore Rex
This is the kind of dish you wake up thinking about the next day. Justin Yu’s Theodore Rex did this deeply seasonal cold soup (or is it a brothy salad?) for the height of summer melon season, alternating tiles of raw cantaloupe with lightly pickled ones. A twinge of banana pepper spiced up the broth. and a crinkly mesh of julienned roselle leaf — a type of hibiscus — gave the dish its airy, herbal green quality. Sweet and tart; cool and pepper-hot; fruity and vegetal … the contrasts were as unforgettable as the harmonics they created.
Jalapeño popper kolache at Pinkerton’s Barbecue
Sometimes you return to a favorite and find they’ve branched off in a fine new direction. Grant Pinkerton’s reliable smoked meats have met their match in pastry chef Alyssa Dole’s wonderful baked goods — including a new Saturday kolache special meant to be consumed with rosé and televised football. The jalapeño popper kolache blew me away with its molten, deconstructed interior of cream cheese, bacon and pickled green chile and its shiny exterior, which had been baptized in beef fat. I could eat a dozen all by myself.
Stuffed shells at Coltivare
Large stuffed shells are not a form of pasta I generally like. But I was forced to reconsider when I tried the midsummer version at Coltivare, where the grooved, supple shells hid chard-flecked ricotta, and a saute of corn kernels, pancetta, tomato and blistered pole beans scurried across the top. Whole leaves of tarragon cut in, and pan juices made a backdrop for this ultra-fresh, ultra-seasonal dish. “Just wow,” read my notes from the evening.