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    Restaurants of the Year

    These are Houston's 6 best restaurants for 2018

    Eric Sandler
    Apr 2, 2018 | 10:17 am

    Of course, we love all of the categories for the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. Rising Star Chef, Bartender of the Year, Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: together, these categories demonstrate the diversity and talent of Houston’s culinary scene.

    But a couple of categories are, shall we say, slightly more special than others; they are Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year. After all, people always want to know two things: what’s the best restaurant in Houston right now? Who’s the best chef?

    Let’s start with the restaurant category (chefs will follow tomorrow). These are the places that Houstonians seek out for special occasions and recommend to visitors because they deliver consistently outstanding food, drinks, and service. In a city full of great restaurants, these are the best of the best, according to our judges panel of former winners and restaurants industry experts.

    Find out who wins at the Tastemaker Awards party on Wednesday night. We’ll dine on bites from 20 of the nominated chefs and restaurants before emcee Bun B hosts the awards ceremony. Get tickets before they sell out.

    BCN Taste & Tradition
    Don’t tell Luis Roger that fine dining is dead or that Houstonians are only interested in steakhouses. Not only is his Spanish restaurant in Montrose one of the few dining rooms where diners get dressed up, it’s consistently one of the city’s toughest reservations. The combination of Roger’s expert preparations of rigorously sourced ingredients and the disciplined service provided by general manager Paco Calza and his staff have proven to be irresistible. Later this year, Roger and BCN owner Ignacio Torras will open the more casual tapas-style MAD in River Oaks District — bringing the chef’s cuisine to an all new audience. 4210 Roseland

    Himalaya
    Already considered one of the city’s most reliable Indo-Pak restaurants, Himalaya has stepped things up over the past couple of years. Chef-owner Kaiser Lashkari has added Southern-inspired dishes to his menu of Indian classics. Now the only challenge for diners is deciding whether to stick with favorites like masala fish and hunter’s beef or to embrace new favorites like masala chicken fried steak and crawfish etouffee. Better to go with a big group and order as much as possible. 6652 Southwest Freeway

    One Fifth
    Whether in its form as Houston’s hottest steakhouse or its current incarnation as an upscale European-inspired restaurant, One Fifth represents chef Chris Shepherd’s vision for putting his unique spin on familiar fare. At Romance Languages, Shepherd and his crew traded the decadence of the steakhouse’s baller boards for a more precise, technique-driven cuisine — hell, he has the whole city eating duck heart bolognese. In September, he’ll roll out One Fifth Mediterranean, which will give the James Beard Award winner the opportunity to put his spin on one of the country’s trendiest cuisines. We can smell the pita already. 1658 Westheimer

    State of Grace
    The beauty of Ford Fry’s River Oaks restaurant is that it’s so flexible — equally fitting as a happy hour destination for a dozen oysters and a glass of wine as it is for a no holds barred tasting menu dinner at the chef’s counter. Surely some of the credit goes to the decor, which could be wildly over-the-top but somehow feels just perfect. Some to the service, which balances friendliness with knowing when to back off and leave people (like a food writer on a date) alone. Then there’s chef Bobby Matos’ food, which seems to change just often enough that there’s always something new to try. 3258 Westheimer

    The Pass & Provisions
    With Underbelly, Oxheart, and Triniti having closed, only The Pass & Provisions remains from the class of locally-owned, super-ambitious, chef-driven restaurants that opened between the end of 2011 and the end of 2012. Only chefs Seth Siegel-Gardner and Terrence Gallivan are still doing what they’ve always done for almost six years now: turning out an ambitious tasting menu at The Pass and consistently well-executed, interesting fare pizzas, pastas, and other dishes at Provisions. If anything, cutting down the number of courses at The Pass and opening Provisions for brunch and dinner on Sundays has made both concepts more accessible than ever. If the national press has moved on to champion newer arrivals, at least Houstonians still recognize both restaurants’ consistent excellence. 807 Taft

    Xochi
    Houstonians have long understood the difference between regional Mexican cuisine and Tex-Mex, but Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught’s restaurant in downtown’s Marriott Marquis hotel introduced the city to the flavors of Oaxaca in a way that was entirely new. From its housemade queso garnished with edible insects to precisely-cooked moles that offer an incredible depth of flavors, Xochi took diners to places they may not have realized even existed. Add in pastry chef Ruben Ortega’s most ambitious desserts to date and beverage director Sean Beck’s mezcal-heavy cocktail program, and the result is a restaurant that’s earned citywide, regional, and national acclaim. 1777 Walker

    Roasted redfish on the half shell at State of Grace.

    State of Grace Oak Roasted redfish on the half shell
      
    Courtesy photo
    Roasted redfish on the half shell at State of Grace.
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    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.
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