Foodie News
Houston Chef's Table: David Cordúa only needs Osaka's uni and cold sake to be ahappy man
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:
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
