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    Food for Thought

    The Bermuda Triangle of Houston restaurant locales finds new life: Inside the city's eating history

    Marene Gustin
    Marene Gustin
    Nov 26, 2013 | 2:42 pm

    In a city that loves to tear down history and replace it with parking lots and multi-use high rises, it’s nice that some restaurants are still here, even if they morph into different eateries.

    I recently got into a game of Name the Previous Restaurant with my favorite waiter at Frank’s Americana Revival, and I lost. Of course, before Mike Shine bought it, it was Frank’s Chop House but before that I remember it as being Joyce’s Ocean Grill. But then Fernando brought up the fact that it was originally an outpost of The Stables, a River Oaks classic known for strong cocktails, grilled steaks and people watching.

    Haven’t thought about that place in years.

    That building has been more eateries than even I can remember. We used to call it the Bermuda Triangle of restaurants.

    And take the new 60 Degrees Mastercrafted on Westheimer Road. The former home of John Moore’s Palazzos Trattoria, this building goes way back. Originally built as a fast food drive through, when I first came to Houston it was Armandos, then something I vaguely remember called Dish either before or after it was an outside the Loop version of Two Chefs Bistro, which had wonderful angels on horseback, a hot appetizer of baked oysters wrapped in bacon by chef Andreas Zierau.

    Then for a long time it was Arturo Boada’s Beso before becoming Palazzos. And now 60 Degrees Mastercrafted, yet another new restaurant I haven’t gotten to yet. New restaurants opening in Houston in the final months of 2013 have been as numerous as bluebonnets sprouting in springtime.

    But I did make it over to the new Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette in the former Vida Tex-Mex spot, which, if I recall correctly was once a Mary Lee Donut shop. If you like oysters, raw or grilled, this is a fun spot for slurping and noshing.

    And it’s hard to imagine now, when dining at the elegant The Pass & Provisions that not only was it once Scott Tycer’s Gravitas, but that for ages Houstonians used to sit at picnic tables and eat tuna wraps there at the original Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys & Deli.

    Braving The Curse

    What about Torchy’s Taco on South Shepherd Drive? That building has been more eateries than even I can remember. We used to call it the Bermuda Triangle of restaurants. I can’t believe anyone would want to open another restaurant there, but it looks like Torchy’s just might make it work out.

    And so it goes. Local Foods is about to open a second location in the former Taco Milagro spot and Pico’s Mex-Mex appears to be finely ready to open in the Old Ninfa’s at the corner of Kirby Drive and Richmond Avenue. There is a sign up that reads “Now hiring.” Yeah!

    In the honor of full disclosure, I should mention between these two icons there was also the short-lived Maggie Rita’s in this building. But that’s enough said about that.

    There is one spot I’ve been keeping an eye on, waiting for news of a new eatery at — and that’s the location of the original Andre’s Café at the corner of Westheimer Road and River Oaks Boulevard. For as long as I remember it was a quaint little spot for coffee and pastries with a pretty hearty breakfast and lunch menu. It’s a shame it’s been empty so long.

    Hopefully something will go in there soon.

    I recently got into a game of name-the-previous-restaurant with my favorite waiter at Frank’s Americana Revival, and I lost.

    Frank's Americana Revival crowd in restaurant
      
    Frank's Americana Revival Facebook
    I recently got into a game of name-the-previous-restaurant with my favorite waiter at Frank’s Americana Revival, and I lost.
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    What's Eric Eating Episodes 471 and 472

    Texas Monthly's BBQ Snob dishes on the magazine's new top 50 list

    CultureMap Staff
    Jun 6, 2025 | 5:41 pm
    Texas Monthly's BBQ Snob dishes on the magazine's new top 50 list
    Texas Monthly's BBQ Snob dishes on the magazine's new top 50 list
    Texas Monthly's BBQ Snob dishes on the magazine's new top 50 list

    On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn joins CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the magazine’s new list of the 50 best barbecue joints in Texas. Seven Houston-area restaurants made the list, led by Truth BBQ at No. 9.



    What may surprise Houstonians is which barbecue joints made Texas Monthly’s list. Familiar names like Feges BBQ, Blood Bros. BBQ, and Killen’s Barbecue have been relegated from the top 50 to an honorable mentions list. In their place are newer restaurants such as Bar-A BBQ in Montgomery, Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q in Spring, and Brisket & Rice in Cypress.

    The two writers discuss what stood about the new Houston restaurants on the list, as well as the honorable mentions. Vaughn shares that Roegels Barbecue Co. in Briargrove almost made the top 50 based on a strong meal he had there. Sandler asks Vaughn whether the magazine felt compelled to choose between Blood Bros. and Brisket & Rice, since they’re both serving an Asian-influenced take on Texas barbecue.

    “It wasn’t about two different places serving similar cuisines. With Blood Bros., the things I love about them are really not their straight up sliced brisket, pork ribs, and sausage,” Vaughn says. “In comparing those items with others in the area, it didn’t seem fair to our readers to send them there saying it’s one of the 50 best barbecue restaurants. All things considered, it’s one of the 50 restaurants I’d want to go to eat barbecue, but maybe some of the specials — the banh mi, the boudain, the pho-strami, that sandwich was an absolute revelation. Comparing the barbecue with a place like Brisket & Rice, the brisket, ribs, and sausage were just a little better than Blood Bros.”

    After a thorough discussion of the Houston newcomers, Sandler turns to a few statewide questions. Tune in to hear Vaughn’s explanation for why Snow’s BBQ in Lexington and Franklin Barbecue in Austin — arguably the two most famous Texas barbecue joints in the world — moved out of the ranked top 10 and into the alphabetized top 50. They also discuss the restaurants that made the top three: Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin, LeRoy & Lewis Barbecue in Austin, and Goldee’s Barbecue in Fort Worth.

    The conversation concludes with a look ahead to the magazine’s best new list that will be published in 2027 as well as Vaughn’s thoughts on the Houston barbecue pop-up that would have a strong shot at the top 50 if it ever begins serving food at least once per week.

    In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Michael Fulmer discuss the news of the week. Since Fulmer is a co-founder of the Houston BBQ Festival, he has his own thoughts on the Texas Monthly list. He and Sandler also discuss the reopening of Cecil’s Pub.



    In the restaurants of the week segment, Fulmer and Sandler share first impressions of Silk Road, the dim sum restaurant in a West U. hotel that’s generating a lot of buzz. They conclude by talking about Doko, the new sushi restaurant in Autry Park from the chefs behind Handies Douzo and Aiko.

    -----

    Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

    Daniel Vaughn Texas Monthly
      

    Courtesy of Texas Monthly

    Daniel Vaughn is this week's guest.

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