JBF in Houston

America's culinary Oscars will reveal food star finalists at VIP events in Houston

The James Beard Foundation is coming to Houston.

Courtesy photo

The James Beard Foundation is coming to Houston. The organization will announce the finalists for its annual awards, considered the Oscars of the culinary world, live from Hugo's in Montrose on Wednesday, March 27 at 9 am.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation, will co-host the press conference and corresponding breakfast, which will be streamed online via the Beard Foundation website. The awards will be presented in Chicago on Monday, May 6. The list of semifinalists will be revealed on Wednesday, February 27.

“We’re thrilled to showcase the city of Houston and bring our 2019 James Beard Awards nominees announcement to this diverse and vibrant culinary and dining scene,” Reichenbach said in a statement. “The city of Houston’s dedication to cultivating and embracing its local restaurants and culinary talent make it the perfect community for such an occasion.”

In addition to the awards announcement, an all-star roster of Houston's most talented chefs will unite for a special benefit dinner that will be held at Caracol the night before the press conference (March 26).

Hosted by Caracol owners Tracy Vaught and Hugo Ortega, the meal will feature entrees prepared by Ortega, Chris Shepherd, Justin Yu, and Robert Del Grande — all of whom have won the Beard award for Best Chef: Southwest. In addition, Bobby Heugel, a Beard nominee for Anvil Bar & Refuge, will serve cocktails, and Beard semifinalist nominees Seth Siegel-Gardner and Terrence Gallivan (The Pass & Provisions) and Anita Jaisinghani (Pondicheri) will serve canapes with Beard winner Irma Galvan, whose downtown restaurant Irma's Original earned a James Beard America's Classic award in 2008, and Himalaya chef-owner Kaiser Lashkari — who hasn't been nominated for a Beard award yet but probably should be. Rounding out the roster is Sean Beck, beverage director for Ortega and Vaught's restaurants, and Ortega's brother Ruben, who will serve dessert. See the full menu here.

The event will benefit James Beard Foundation National Scholars Program, which provides "$20,000 scholarships to 10 candidates from across the U.S., who demonstrate the potential for leadership roles in culinary arts, food studies, agriculture, hospitality management, and related fields," according to the Beard Foundation website.

Needless to say, the dinner is a virtually unprecedented collection of Houston culinary talent that will sell out quickly. Tickets, priced at $200 per person plus tax and gratuity ($256), are available here.

“The City of Houston is honored to host the James Beard Foundation as it announces the 2019 James Beard Award nominees,” Turner added. “The Foundation has come to the ideal place. With one in every four Houstonians being foreign born, Houston takes pride in the rich culinary scene that comes with being one of most diverse cities in the nation.”

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Anthony's song

Prolific Houston pizza chef fires up a new Italian restaurant in River Oaks

Courtesy of Anthony's New York Italian

Anthony's New York Italian is now open near Central Market.

One of Houston’s most prolific pizzaiolos has quietly opened a new restaurant in River Oaks. Anthony Russo, founder of Russo’s New York Pizzeria, has opened Anthony’s New York Italian in the former Pie Tap Pizza space at 3748 Westheimer.

While Russo is known primarily for his fast casual restaurants that sling New York-style pies, Anthony’s New York Italian is both more personal and more upscale. It takes inspiration from his Italian heritage — his father grew up in Naples and his mother grew up in Sicily — as well as Russo’s Italian Restaurant, the Galveston eatery his parents operated for almost 20 years.

“We had veal, lobster, Gulf snapper, a lot of nice, classic dishes. There’s where I grew up in the kitchen,” Russo tells CultureMap. “I was always around fine dining restaurants. My mom and dad used to bring in chefs from Italy. They were excellent chefs. That’s what we had in Galveston for 18 years.”

With Russo’s at more than 50 locations, the time felt right to open a more upscale concept. Partially inspired by New York restaurants such as Carbone and Quality Italian, Russo thinks Houstonians will appreciate his high-end take on Italian American fare.

The menu includes lobster fra diavolo, a 24-ounce prime porterhouse, bone-in veal parmesan, frutti di mare (shellfish with tomato sauce over pappardelle), and more. In addition, the dish utilize Italian olive oil that’s pressed by one of the chef’s friends. Anthony’s also makes all of its doughs, sauces, and sausage in house.

Of course, Russo is making pizza, too. They’re baked in imported Italian ovens using slightly different dough and sauce recipes — along with imported mozzarella and burrata — than his more casual restaurants.

And, no, Russo isn’t concerned that a pizzeria lasted less than a year in the space.

“I feel confident this location is going to be a killer for us. We make homemade pasta on site here, fresh from scratch.” he says. “We're bringing fresh lobster. We're bringing fresh clams. We got a nice veal chop. I mean, these are all chef-selected ingredients. I don't think anybody's doing that in town right now.”

The restaurant is still in such early days that it doesn’t have its own website or social media pages yet. For now, diners can follow Russo on Instagram for updates.

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Anthony's New York Italian is open for dinner Monday-Thursday beginning at 4 pm. It’s open for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday beginning at 11 am. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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