Tastemakers Best Restaurants

Houston's Best Restaurants: These 7 eateries lead city's dining scene to greatness

The final category reveal in the CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Awards 2015 is the most prestigious of all: Restaurant of the Year. As selected by our panel of industry insiders, these are the seven establishments that are leading Houston's culinary movement.

What's striking is how new they are collectively. Four of them opened in 2014, which once against bolsters the argument that last year saw another leap forward for the city's dining scene. Even Kata Robata only opened in 2010, but it already feels like a staple that will be around for many more years to come.

Without further ado, here are the nominees. We'll be celebrating them at a party Wednesday night. Advance tickets are sold out, but 50 general admission tickets will be available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.

BCN Taste & Tradition
Chef Luis Roger moved to Houston from Spain, along with his wife and three children, to bring Spanish fine dining to Houston at a converted house near the intersection of Richmond and Montrose. In an era when casual neighborhood restaurants seem to be the norm, BCN has emerged as a Montrose hotspot by being distinctly fine dining. Suit-wearing servers populate the understated dining room and the guests are similarly attired. Dining on BCN’s authentic Spanish fare feels very upscale, but the atmosphere isn't stuffy — just elegant.

Caracol
As the follow-up to Hugo's, diners had sky-high expectations for this coastal restaurant from four-time James Beard Award finalist Hugo Ortega, but, of course, Caracol's creative menu overcame any skepticism. The ceviches, seafood entrees and the instant classic roasted oysters with chipotle butter have blown diners away since day one. The restaurant is both popular — it's a bona fide hot spot that's routinely packed for lunch, brunch and dinner — and really good. A beverage program that features creative cocktails and a well-chosen wine list means that every dish has a perfect pairing. Hugo's and Backstreet Cafe are already local staples, and Caracol looks to be well on its way to achieving a similarly beloved status.

Coltivare
As promised in the article that profiled the Tastemaker Awards Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year nominees, Coltivare is back. This Italian-inspired spot from Revival Market principles Morgan Weber and chef Ryan Pera features an evolving menu, reasonable prices and a sophisticated selection of wine, beer and spirits. Coltivare charms diners by being casual and comfortable, especially when the weather is nice enough to sit on the patio adjacent to its 3,000 square-foot garden. The sourdough pizza crust may not be traditional Italian, but it serves as a flavorful, hearty platform for the flavors that Pera and his chefs place atop it. That's why Coltivare is the current holder of the unofficial title of "the restaurant Houston chefs are most likely to dine at on their own time." The only downside is famously long wait times that tag Coltivare as the victim of its own success. Go early (before 6 p.m.), late (after 9 p.m.) or during the week to mitigate them.

Kata Robata
Under the direction of chef Manabu Horiuchi, usually known as Hori-san to friends and diners, Kata Robata has become Houston's premier destination for sushi. Of course, the kitchen excels beyond raw fish; dishes like the lobster mac and cheese or uni chawanmushi make it appealing for just about anyone. No wonder Kata's dining room regularly hosts Houston chefs in search of Hori-san's clean flavors. While an omakase tasting allows the kitchen to show off, going in for a bowl of ramen at lunch shows that even the most humble dishes are well-prepared.

Oxheart
Outside of Underbelly, Oxheart continues to be the Houston restaurant that receives the most critical acclaim: chef Justin Yu earned his second James Beard Award nomination for Best Chef: Southwest; Oxheart appeared as one of only two Houston restaurants on Eater's list of the country's 38 most essential restaurants; and it's at the top of Chronicle critic Alison Cook's list of the city's top 100 restaurants. While all the acclaim could lead to complacency, Oxheart continues to evolve; last year, Yu slimmed down the menu, dropping the four-course option and focusing on two, six-course menus: one vegetarian, one omnivore. Experience has also allowed Yu to pickle and preserve ingredients and then reuse them in interesting ways a year or more later. Oxheart's subtle flavors aren't for everyone — radio and television personality Cleverley Stone was apparently so underwhelmed that she ate dessert at Del Frisco's steakhouse after her recent meal there — but enough Houstonians and visitors are intrigued by the restaurant to keep its 30-seat dining room full.

Pax Americana
This Montrose hotspot has been packed since day one thanks to Rising Star chef nominee Adam Dorris's creative cooking. Under the direction of owner Shepard Ross, the fast-moving service staff brings order to Pax's boisterous dining room while guiding diners through the menu. Newcomers are advised to go in a group of six and order, well, pretty much everything that sounds interesting — and the things that sound challenging. They'll be rewarded with balanced flavors, precise cooking and combinations that don't exist at other Houston restaurants. That doesn't mean Ross can't execute classic fare, too. The restaurant's massive, two-pound, 30-day dry aged ribeye that's cooked precisely medium rare and served sliced for the table might be the city's best steak. That's why Pax landed on GQ critic Alan Richman's list of 2015's 25 most exciting restaurants.

Underbelly
Chris Shepherd's restaurant that tells "the story of Houston food" has emerged as the symbol of Houston's rise as a nationally prominent food destination; after all, Shepherd ended the city's 22-year-long James Beard Award drought. For food-obsessed visitors, a meal at Underbelly may be more important than shopping at the Galleria or visiting the Menil. Shepherd has reloaded with new talent in the kitchen; he calls pastry chef Victoria Dearmond "my 23-year old grandmother" for the way she organizes the rest of the kitchen. The menu continues to offer lots of interesting flavors that are inspired by restaurants on Bellaire, Hillcroft and Long Point and executed using the best locally-sourced vegetables, meat and fish. Even the bar menu has received some tweaks thanks to new offerings that are "covers" of famous dishes from other Southern restaurants. Now diners can wait with fevered anticipation for the inevitable collaborations that will occur once Mala Sichuan opens across the street.

Kata Robata.

Courtesy photo

Kata Robata.

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A CultureMap Exclusive

Meet the ex-Killen's employees opening a new barbecue joint in EaDo

Eastbound Barbecue Jake Granville Luis Lopez Ryan Penn Ryan Powell

Photo by Eric Sandler

Meet the Eastbound Barbecue team: Jake Granville, Luis Lopez, Ryan Penn, and Ryan Powell.

A new barbecue joint is ready to introduce itself to Houstonians. Let’s meet the four men behind Eastbound Barbecue.

Partners Ryan Penn, Ryan Powell, Luis Lopez, and Jake Granville all worked in senior roles for Ronnie Killen at his various restaurants across Houston. Lopez was the executive chef of Killen’s Steakhouse in The Woodlands, and Granville rose through the ranks from pitmaster of Killen’s Barbecue in Cypress to overseeing operations for the other two locations. Powell is a front of house specialist, and Penn was Killen’s most trusted lieutenant, overseeing operations and maintaining standards company-wide.

Together, they’ve leased the former East End Backyard space (1105 Sampson Street) for Eastbound’s brick-and-mortar outpost. They’ll begin introducing themselves to the neighborhood with a pop-up this Sunday, August 31 from noon until sold out.

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For Penn, leaving the Killen’s organization after almost 20 years was a difficult decision, but one he felt he had to make. “I could have worked for [Killen] forever and been happy. It was more along the lines of, if I don’t do this now, I don’t want to be 70 and wish that I had,” he says.

He asked Powell, the best man at his wedding, to jon the project. Together, they recruited Lopez and Granville for their culinary skills.

“It was a no-brainer for me,” Lopez says. “Barbecue is something I’ve had my hands in for a bit. It’s the four of us cooking what we want. Working with these guys has been a fun challenge.”

While they contemplated finding beginning their collaboration with a fine dining restaurant, the East End Backyard space lended itself to showcasing their skills with Texas barbecue. Once the group receives all the necessary permits, they’ll close in the bar’s covered patio to have climate-controlled seating. Rather than build a kitchen from the ground up, they’re installing converted shipping containers to give Eastbound a place to serve people. A separate enclosure will be built to house two, 1,000-gallon offset smokers and two rotisserie smokers. The property’s small bar will continue to serve cocktails and be the focus of plans to operate into the evening.

These choices are designed to allow Eastbound to open as soon as October or November. Until then, look for them to do more pop-ups both onsite and in the neighborhood.

Eastbound's Barbecue

The obvious question for this quartet is — how do they create barbecue that tastes different from what they served while working for chef Killen? The answer is different seasonings that bring a fresh perspective to the Texas trinity of beef brisket, sausage, and pork ribs.

Eastbound’s brisket uses rosemary salt in its rub for a herbal flavor that’s distinct from traditional Texas ‘cue. Similarly, the chefs decided to smoke baby back ribs rather than pork spare ribs and glazes them with a miso-caramel sauce for a sweet and savory bite.

“It’s a smaller rib, so we’re able to give guests a couple more ribs per order. At the very least, it looks like more on the plate,” Lopez says.

“One rib on a three meat plate is a problem we’re trying to avoid,” Granville quips.

Instead of a traditional Carolina-style vinegar sauce, Eastbound’s pulled pork takes inspiration from Cuban-style mojo pork with a citrus component that’s bright and fresh. Instead of jalapeno-cheddar sauce, the team looks to Italy for with mozzarella and Calabrian chiles.

Eastbound barbecue food A three-meat plate from Eastbound's first pop-up.Photo by Eric Sandler

The sides are similarly distinct — herbed potato salad, stewed beans with Spanish chorizo, and a hatch chile lasagna that seems poised to become as essential to Eastbound’s identity as creamed corn is to Killen’s.

For Sunday’s pop-up, they’re adding a beef cheek cheesesteak that occupies a space between the classic Philly favorite and a Mexican torta.

After a successful trial run at Winnie’s, word about Eastbound is already spreading. They’ve picked up some catering jobs and are expecting a good crowd for Sunday. Since the restaurant is still in development, the quartet has had an opportunity to learn more about some of the bars and restaurants that have helped make EaDo and the East End a rising culinary destination.

“I’d like to mention how excited we are to be part of East Downtown,” Lopez says. “Neil’s Bahr is down the road. We come here to work. When it’s time to go, we’re getting to know our neighbors. Nickel City and Eight Row are the main two.”

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