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    Houston's Best Mexican

    Houston's best secret Mexican restaurant: Other restaurateurs love this under-the-radar gem

    Marene Gustin
    Marene Gustin
    Oct 28, 2013 | 7:01 am

    Sure, in Houston you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a Tex-Mex or Mexican restaurant and we all have our favorites, but lately I’ve run into a lot of folks who have never been to Maria Selma Restaurant.

    If you're one of them let me explain why you should try the orange restaurant on Richmond Avenue.

    I can’t remember the first time I came here, or why, but it was years and years ago. Owner Rene Hidalgo, who worked at the old Brownstone and Bistro Vino, opened Maria Selma in 2002. Back then the restaurant was at the end of a strip center that housed a package store and a used bookstore. Over the years Hidalgo's taken over the two stores, turning them into a private dining room for Maria Selma and a sports bar. Now the entire strip center is painted a vibrant orange.

    He also added a giant thatched palapa to the patio, decorating the underside with ceramic Mexican lizards, toads and such. It’s a pretty cool patio with a little water feature. There’s a second patio out back behind the sports bar as well.

    Think Mexican dishes that are lower in fat than you usually find.

    Inside it’s like you imagine some little taqueria South of the border looks. Only cleaner.

    Yellow, textured walls, a bar with all the requisite colorful tequila bottles behind it, a few tables in the center and two elevated sections along the side and back walls with bench seating. Some of the paintings on the walls are representative of Mexican art, some are by contemporary local artists. It’s a very casual, cool vibe.

    Of course, the real draw here is the food.

    I’m a big fan of El Real Tex-Mex for its authentic vintage border food cooked in real lard rendered in the kitchen.

    But I equally like the food at Maria Selma even though it is a completely different taste. Here the kitchen turns out dishes made from fresh, healthy ingredients, many imported from Mexico. Think Mexican dishes that are lower in fat than you usually find. They also offer gluten-free, vegetarian and Atkins diet options.

    Non-Greasy Tex-Mex

    Maria Selma has a nice looking seafood selection — although I’ve never made it that far. I usually stick with the enchiladas poblanas because the mole is very good. I used to like coming here for a working lunch ($3 margaritas and free Wi-Fi!). But lately I’ve been hitting the restaurant on Saturday mornings for the weekend breakfast menu.

    “It’s my favorite Mexican restaurant,” Vallone says. “The food is so fresh and light, not greasy.”

    Not only do they open at 10 a.m. on weekends, but you can order off the regular menu or the breakfast side. And it’s more than just breakfast tacos (although Selma's has those and they are yummy) and migas. There are plates of huevos motuleños — sliced ham topped with fried eggs and black beans, jalapenos, onions and tomatoes — and cactus omelets. All plates come with a slice of orange and chilaquiles, more than enough food to fuel your weekend plans.

    There’s also a full plate of those chilaquiles topped with chicken and sour cream. Get the tangy green sauce on them, it’s better than the red. Lighter eaters can choose buttermilk pancakes or fruit and yogurt, but it’s doubtful your margarita will pair well with those options. Oh, and Selma's has its own house tequila, Rene’s Special Blend — a Maestro Dobel blend.

    It doesn’t hurt that the flat screen over the bar, usually tuned to soccer games, shows Rick Bayless’ cooking show on Saturday mornings. Mexico: One Plate at a Time will just make you hungrier.

    I almost hate to tell you about Saturday mornings here because it’s my secret place. Usually it’s just me and one other table there. And, occasionally, restaurateur Tony Vallone and his family.

    “It’s my favorite Mexican restaurant,” Vallone says. “The food is so fresh and light, not greasy.”

    Now that’s a recommendation.

    There's a nice looking seafood selection at Maria Selma.

    Maria Selma Restaurant Houston ceviche
      
    Maria Selma Facebook
    There's a nice looking seafood selection at Maria Selma.
    unspecified
    news/restaurants-bars

    and the winner is...

    Innovative Houston chef is the city's newest James Beard Award winner

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 17, 2025 | 6:00 am
    James Beard Awards 2025 Thomas Bille Belly of the Beast
    Photo by Getty Images for James Beard Foundation
    Thomas Bille is Houston's newest James Beard Award winner.

    Add another Houston chef to the city’s growing list of James Beard Award winners. Thomas Bille, chef-owner of Belly of the Beast in Spring, earned Best Chef: Texas at the James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony.

    Held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, June 16, Bille was one of five finalists for the award, along with fellow Houstonian Emmanuel Chavez (Tatemo), Emil Oliva (Leche de Tigre in San Antonio), Regino Rojas (Purépecha in Dallas), and Michael Anthony Serva, (Bordo in Marfa). Neither of Houston’s other finalists — Mexico City-inspired cafe Casaema (formerly known as Ema) for Best New Restaurant and fine dining tasting menu restaurant March for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program — earned awards in their categories.

    A Los Angeles native who moved to the Houston area to be closer to his wife’s family, Bille took a winding path to his James Beard Award. He opened the first iteration of Belly of the Beast in 2020 as a chef-driven taqueria that was known for its ceviches and birria tacos. He then spent about a year at Chivos, an ambitious but short-lived Mexican-American restaurant in the Heights.

    In late 2023, he and his wife Elizabeth opened a new version of Belly of the Beast in a Spring shopping center. It showcased a broader array of Bille’s skills, with a wide-ranging menu that pulled from global flavors — lamb shank rendang, anyone? — that included meat, seafood, and pastas. The new restaurant quickly earned wide acclaim, including a Bib Gourmand in the 2024 Michelin Guide and CultureMap Tastemaker Award nominations for both Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year.

    “I feel a depth of gratitude,” Bille tells CultureMap in a text message. “Knowing that my wife and I were able to reopen on our own terms. Gratitude for my family, staff, and guests to give us love and support. It is much appreciated.”

    In an interview from the ceremony shared by the James Beard Foundation, Bille paid tribute to his wife, Elizabeth, for her role in the restaurant’s success.

    “The risk that my wife and I took to open this restaurant is more than worth it. My wife left her industry, she was a national director for nonprofit organization,” he said. “I said, ‘We’re going to reopen Belly of the Beast. I need you with me side-by-side the whole time.’ The first iteration she held down her job and supported us. With her at my wide, I’m able to focus on the kitchen, on the food, and mentoring my cooks. Able to see the bigger picture instead of just being in the weeds all the time.”

    Bille is the second Houstonian to win Best Chef: Texas, joining Street to Kitchen chef-owner Benchawan Jabthong Painter, who won in 2023. Since the category of Best Chef: Texas has only been awarded since 2022, Bille is the first man to earn the title. Prior to being its own region, the James Beard Foundation included Texas in the Southwest, where chefs Robert Del Grande (Cafe Annie), Chris Shepherd (Underbelly), Justin Yu (Oxheart), and Hugo Ortega (Hugo’s) all won awards.

    The only other Texas finalist to win his category was Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie's in Austin, who became the first winner of Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, one of three beverage-oriented categories the foundation added for 2025.

    In addition to Bille and Ezekiel, Texam Chad Houser, founder of Cafe Momentum in Dallas, received the Humanitarian of the Year Award. Toni Tipton-Martin, a Houston-based author, scholar, and journalist, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Houstonian Alba Huerta, who won Outstanding Beverage Program for her bar Julep in 2022, presented one of the night’s awards.

    “It’s with deep celebration that we congratulate the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award winners — distinguished culinary, beverage, and hospitality leaders whose talent and vision are shaping our dining landscape,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO, James Beard Foundation, in a statement. “These outstanding professionals are the epitome of ‘Good Food for Good,’ elevating our industry’s standards and redefining what’s possible in American cuisine.”

    James Beard Awards 2025 Thomas Bille Belly of the Beast
      

    Photo by Getty Images for James Beard Foundation

    Thomas Bille is Houston's newest James Beard Award winner.

    awardsjames beard awardchefsthomas billebelly of the beast
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