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    Chefs of the Year

    Meet the 7 best chefs shaping Houston's dynamic dining scene

    Eric Sandler
    Apr 3, 2018 | 10:35 am

    Houston's culinary scene has captured the nation's attention for any number of reasons, but surely the city's wealthy of culinary talent has to play a huge role. Creative chefs who are capable of synthesizing both their own heritage and those of others into something new and noteworthy are at their heart of any city's culinary movement.

    That's why three of this year's nominees for the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Chef of the Year have won James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Southwest in the past five years. This year's zero finalist snub notwithstanding, expect at least a couple of the names below to receive strong consideration for the honor in future years. If they never do, so be it. As these nominations by the Tastemaker Awards panel of former winners and restaurant industry experts demonstrate, they have the respect of their peers.

    While they're all winners, only one chef will earn the title. Find out who on Wednesday, April 4 at the Tastemaker Awards party. We'll celebrate all of the nominees and reveal the winners in a ceremony hosted by Houston hip-hop legend Bun B. Get tickets before they sell out.

    Bobby Matos, State of Grace
    To bring his vision for State of Grace to life, Atlanta restaurateur Ford Fry tapped Matos. As a veteran of both Brennan’s and Tony Vallone’s Ciao Bello, Matos possessed both the knowledge of his River Oaks clientele as well as the culinary chops to bring together the menu’s disparate influences: Fry’s nostalgic memories of his childhood in Houston (Felix queso, duck carnitas) and the immigrant traditions that are shaping Houston’s contemporary cuisine. From its housemade pastas to a rotating roster of dishes that always include locally-sourced produce, Matos’ cuisine remains consistently satisfying. Beyond his technical skills as a cook, Matos has also shown leadership by retaining most of the cooks that opened the restaurant in 2015 — something that’s basically unheard of in Houston restaurants.

    Chris Shepherd, Underbelly/One Fifth
    Over the last year, the chef who created iconic Houston dishes like Korean goat and dumplings and the Cease and Desist Burger demonstrated he still has a knack for knowing just what Houstonians like to eat. One Fifth Steak’s baller boards became a must-order sensation, and One Fifth Romance Language’s cast iron paella, duck heart bolognese, and spaghetti carbonara have continued that track record of success. In a couple weeks, the James Beard Award winner will open UB Preserv, with the stated goal of serving Houston’s best dumplings; that’s pretty ambitious, but, given his track record, who’s going to bet against him?

    Hugo Ortega, H-Town Restaurant Group
    By any measure, Ortega had a really good 2017. He opened his Oaxacan restaurant Xochi to local, regional, and national acclaim. Then, he followed that up by finally winning the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in his sixth year as a finalist. Finally, he partnered with celebrity chef Michael Mina on new restaurant in L.A. Despite all the acclaim, he has remained humble about his accomplishments and quick to credit others — including his wife and business partner Tracy Vaught, beverage director Sean Beck, and his pastry chef brother Ruben — for their roles in his success. More importantly, all of his restaurants deliver consistently outstanding food and service, as if Ortega would allow anything less.

    Justin Yu, Theodore Rex/Better Luck Tomorrow
    Oxheart was a serious place. Research libraries are more lively than the studious atmosphere Yu and his cooks cultivated in the restaurant’s open kitchen, but the chef seems to be mellowing with age. Recently, the James Beard Award winner has begun to demonstrate his offbeat sense of humor; both of the establishments he opened in 2017, Theodore Rex and Better Luck Tomorrow, have names that are sly jokes. Thankfully, he still takes his food incredibly seriously — whether it’s BLT’s crispy, gooey Party Melt or T. Rex’s intricate, vegetable-forward bistro cuisine. Then again, even that’s changing. T. Rex is currently serving a Texas wagyu striploin. Admittedly, it’s paired with chewy, locally grown turnips, but serving an honest to goodness steak? Welcome to the new Justin Yu.

    Kaiser Lashkari, Himalaya
    If all Lashkari had done for Houston diners was focus his inquisitive culinary mind on classic dishes like fish masala and Hunter’s Beef, it would be enough to cement his reputation as one of the city’s best cooks. However, an interest in creating Indian-spiced versions of Southern staples like fried chicken, chicken fried steak, and crawfish etouffee catapulted him to the tier occupied by the city’s most creative chefs. An appearance in an episode of CNN’s Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown grew Himalaya’s fan base to a new level. With the Beard committee starting to recognize the value of Houston’s diversity by awarding semifinalist nominations to chefs like Ross Coleman and James Haywood (Kitchen 713) and Trong Nguyen (Crawfish & Noodles), can more national love for Lashkari be far behind?

    Kiran Verma, Kiran's
    Let’s not underestimate the significance of what Verma did when she relocated her eponymous restaurant from Highland Village to Upper Kirby. Moving to a new, larger restaurant would be a challenge for any chef, but Verma both added lunch and bar menus to her restaurant’s repertoire and maintained the famously high standards of her fine dining Indian fare. Verma remains an energetic, ebullient presence in her dining room, greeting both regulars and first time visitors like old friends. No wonder her restaurant seems more essential than ever.

    Ryan Lachaine, Riel
    Canadian, Ukrainian, Asian, and Southern: Lachaine’s influences for Riel might sound like the beginning of a weird joke about four guys walking into a bar, but a meal of borscht, tempura cauliflower, and hanger steak with pierogi works out a lot better than it seems like it should. What else should people expect from a chef who both trained at two of Houston’s most-acclaimed restaurants (Reef and Underbelly) and worked stages and pop-ups at some of the country’s greatest restaurants? So far Lachaine is more local favorite than the object of national acclaim, but that seems certain to follow soon.

    Hugo Ortega, H-Town Restaurant Group.

    Chef Hugo Ortega
      
    Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Houston
    Hugo Ortega, H-Town Restaurant Group.
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    series/houston-tastemakers-2018
    news/restaurants-bars

    Meet the Tastemakers

    Here's your taste of the best restaurants and bars in Texas for 2018

    Arden Ward
    Apr 23, 2018 | 2:30 pm
    Here's your taste of the best restaurants and bars in Texas for 2018
    Photo by Paula Murphy
    Houston Restaurant of the Year, Xochi.

    Each year, we hold a Texas-sized celebration of two of the things we love most: food and drink. The annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, presented by Woodford Reserve, honors the top restaurant and bar talent in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio.

    Our mission is to shine a spotlight on the people making each city's culinary scene special. First, we collaborated with a panel of experts, including previous Tastemaker winners, to determine the nominees in each city. The panels then selected winners in every category, except Best New Restaurant, which was determined by our readers in a tournament presented by Whole Foods Market.

    It all culminated in our series of signature tasting events and awards ceremonies, held in Houston, Austin, and Dallas, where guests mixed and mingled with top culinary talent and fellow foodies, while we unveiled the 2018 Tastemaker Awards winners. Join us in toasting the best of Texas dining right now.

    Austin

    • Restaurant of the Year: L’Oca d’Oro
    • Chef of the Year: Kevin Fink, Emmer & Rye
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Zach Hunter, The Brewer’s Table
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Emmer & Rye
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Texas French Bread
    • Best New Restaurant: Be More Pacific
    • Favorite Food Truck: Veracruz All Natural
    • Bar of the Year: Nickel City
    • Bartender of the Year: Erin Ashford, Olamaie
    • Brewery of the Year: St. Elmo Brewing Co.
    • Wine Program of the Year: Texas French Bread

    Dallas

    • Restaurant of the Year: Town Hearth
    • Chef of the Year: Omar Flores, Whistle Britches
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Anastacia Quinones, The Cedars Social
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Keith Cedotal, The Joule
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Nova
    • Best New Restaurant: Ferris Wheelers
    • Best Biscuits: Crossroads Diner
    • Bar of the Year: Parliament
    • Bartender of the Year: Trevor Landry, Jalisco Norte
    • Wine Program of the Year: Bullion

    Fort Worth

    • Restaurant of the Year: Piattello Italian Kitchen
    • Chef of the Year: Lanny Lancarte, Righteous Foods
    • Best New Restaurant: B&B Butchers & Restaurant
    • Bar of the Year: Proper on Magnolia

    Houston

    • Restaurant of the Year: Xochi
    • Chef of the Year: Chris Shepherd, Underbelly Hospitality
    • Rising Star Chef of the Year: Jason Vaughan, Nancy’s Hustle
    • Pastry Chef of the Year: Jillian Bartolome, Aqui
    • Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Paulie’s
    • Best New Restaurant: Field & Tides
    • Poke Restaurant of the Year: Izakaya
    • Bar of the Year: Better Luck Tomorrow
    • Bartender of the Year: Alex Negranza, Better Luck Tomorrow
    • Brewery of the Year: Eureka Heights Brewing Company
    • Wine Program of the Year: a’Bouzy

    San Antonio

    • Restaurant of the Year: Battalion
    • Chef of the Year: Pieter Sypesteyn of The Cookhouse
    • Best New Restaurant: Tenko Ramen
    • Favorite Coffee Shop: Bakery Lorraine
    • Bar of the Year: Downstairs at the Esquire Tavern

    Houston Restaurant of the Year, Xochi.

    Houston, Xochi, Cremoso de Chocolate, August 2017
      
    Photo by Paula Murphy
    Houston Restaurant of the Year, Xochi.
    tastemakerstexasbests
    series/houston-tastemakers-2018
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