No one knows Houston restaurants better than the people who run them, own them, and work in the kitchens. In this continuing series, CultureMap is asking our favorite foodie personalities around town where they go for great eats when they're not working.

David Cordúa has that rarest of chef qualities — a beaming, contagious smile. And for good reason — at only 28 he's a second-generation executive chef at Américas and he's won the My Table Culinary Award for up-and-coming chefs for his work in the kitchen.

Restaurant for a special occasion: I'm a huge fan of Da Marco, it's kind of my special occasion place. The staff is super knowledgeable, I love the charcuterie and the cheese plate and his chicken liver risotto. Even Marco's smaller places are good, I like going after work for a glass of wine.

Restaurant to take out-of-towners to: Definitely to experience Mexican Foods from the Laurenzo family, to Chinatown and Bellaire to experience dim sum at HK, peking duck at Sinh Sinh ... this is what makes Houston food so unique. It'd be hard to pick one.

Favorite meal: Uni at Osaka on Tuesdays. Their uni comes in fresh every Tuesday — I get the nigiri with a cold bottle of sake and I couldn't be happier.

Breakfast/Brunch favorite: I don't do brunch very often but Brennan's is sort of a family tradition of ours, during the holidays we have at least one brunch at Brennan's, that's kind of a Houston tradition in general. For my favorite breakfast, I grew up eating New York Bagel Shop on Hillcroft, it's the best and has great memories from my childhood in Meyerland.

If you have a huge appetite Kenny and Ziggy's is as good as it gets.

Dessert: I just did a 15-course dessert tasting at Bootsie's Heritage Cafe in Tomball by Chris Leung, the pastry chef. It was amazing.

I was hesitant because I didn't know if I could handle that much pastry, but it was really phenomenal, well done, and they added some savory bits in there so it wasn't too much.

Other articles in the Houston Chef's Table series:

Lee Ellis loves Les Givral

Sugar hooker Rebecca Masson can't get enough of Catalan's Cake

Beachy L.J. Wiley digs the special occasion simple flavors at Dos Brisas

David Grossman goes for Vic & Anthony's crab cake, Yelapa late nights & some Bootsie

Jeramie Robison appreciates Kata Robata's sushi, Beaver's bangin' meatloaf & foodie chicks

Tony Mandola finds breakfast magic at Sunrise Taquitos

Philippe Schmit craves a Picnic romance & Stella Sola's French toast

Benjy Levit is torn between Indika's salads and Hank's Ice Cream

Flora & Muse's David Luna likes to hang with his fishing buddy and hit the Blue Nile

Asian Bistro's Gigi Huang seeks out spicy fried chicken at a Dive

Hugo Ortega believes in a Goode tradition

Soma Sushi's Jason Hauck is anti-brunch, pro-Feast

Jenni Tran-Weaver can't get enough hot pot

Bistro Alex's Juan Carlos Gonzalez finds a great $1.50 meal & giant key lime pie

Mockingbird Bistro's John Sheely treasures homemade Mexican & cool Connie's Seafood

Elizabeth Abraham dishes on her secret Royal Restaurant

Fleming's Jason Cole finds Texas' best barbecue, surf secrets

Kraftsmen Cafe's Scott Tycer hungers for the Taco Nazi's tortillas

Robert Del Grande reveals his IHOP regular past & his Baskin beginning

Ristorante Cavour's Renato De Pirro finds hidden food gems

Chip Hight adores Queen Vic, but he's still a Le Peep kind of guy

Food snob Craig Mallinson unearths the best steak in Houston

Bill Floyd shares his new Vietnamese go-to spot & an old dessert obsession

Florence flavor man Maurizio Ferrarese's favorite places to pig out in H-Town