Foodie News

The Inn at Dos Brisas gets some love from The New York Times

Chef Craig Shelton

There are only about 50 Relais & Chateau-approved properties in America, among them some of the biggest names in dining, including The French Laundry, Per Se and Jean Georges.

So it's about time The New York Times discovered one of two R&C designated hotels and restaurants in Texas, The Inn at Dos Brisas. (The second is the Hotel St. Germain in Dallas.) Situated in the middle of the Texas countryside about an hour and a half from Houston, Dos Brisas is famous locally for its exemplary service and, more recently, the focus on "seed-to-table" cuisine.

The Gray Lady gives Dos Brisas a mostly positive review in its travel section, noting the 10-acre organic farm on the property, sommelier-trained servers and new executive chef Craig Shelton, who joined the Inn in November. Shelton has a James Beard Award to his name, earned at his Ryland Inn in 1991.

Despite some tongue-in-cheek knocks on Texas (describing typical Texas food as "smothered in gravy" and comparing the decor at The Inn at Dos Brisas to a suburban country club) and some bad directions (the restaurant is located northwest of Houston; the newspaper says east,) it's never bad to see a publication with national scope come to Texas and leave impressed.

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Farewell, ElRo

Creative Montrose pizzeria will shutter after only a year-and-a-half

Photo by Julie Soefer

ElRo Pizza & Crudo

An acclaimed Houston pizzeria will soon serve its final pies. ElRo Pizza & Crudo will close after service on December 31.

In a post on Instagram, chef-owner Terrence Gallivan thanks his staff for their dedication and his customers for their support. “We hope to see you all over the next couple weeks. Come celebrate with us,” he writes.

Open since June 2023, ElRo intrigued diners who enjoyed Gallivan’s work at pioneering Houston restaurant The Pass & Provisions. At ElRo, the chef served a modified version of the Provisions pizza recipe alongside crudos and shareable small plates such as arancini and housemade sausage. It earned four nominations in this year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, including Best New Restaurant and Chef of the Year.

Sadly, Gallivan tells CultureMap that business has seen “a steady decline in business for many months.” Recently, the restaurant had tried a number of initiatives to draw in diners, such as steak night on Tuesday and fried chicken on Saturday.

The early announcement gives diners two weeks to make one more visit (or two) to the restaurant before it closes. Customers may want to time their visit for happy hour, which takes places from 3-6 pm Tuesday-Friday. It includes half-off glasses of wine, $4 draft beers, $9 select cocktails, and food specials.

Gallivan adds that he doesn’t know yet what his next move will be. Hopefully, he’s got one more comeback in him. Houston is a more fun town to dine in when Gallivan is cooking in it.

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