Do we need a recount?

In super-close vote, 5 contenders squeeze into finals of Last Chef Standing

Scores were tight, tough decisions were made and favorites were cut as CultureMap readers cast their votes to decide which restaurants will proceed into the final round of Last Chef Standing. The Top 10 was sliced in half, with the final five restaurants picked to compete for the People’s Online Choice Award. (Vote here to decide which restaurant should win.)

The scores were closer than they have ever been in previous rounds and in last year's inaugural competition; the biggest difference was a mere dozen votes amid the more than 3,300 cast in the second round.

In the tight matchups, Benjy’s in Rice Village narrowly beat out Haven by only four votes.

The biggest difference was a mere dozen votes amid the more than 3,300 cast in the second round.

Only nine votes separated two restaurants owned by the same company as The Tasting Room in Uptown Park squeezed by Max’s Wine Dive. Latin Bites scraped by Vic & Anthony's by seven votes and the Royal Sonesta Hotel bested Sparrow Bar + Cookshop by 12 votes.

And Brennan’s made it to the Final Five by six votes over Houston Texans Grille.

Don’t worry if your favorite restaurant did not make the cut because you can help it win the People’s Choice Award at the second annual CultureMap Last Chef Standing competition on June 4 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. All 20 of the top Houston restaurants in the competition will be serving up their signature dishes, with wine and beer pairings from Pisco Portón, Dripping Springs Vodka, Cabresto Tequila, Bombay Sapphire and Rebecca Creek Whiskey.

A panel of distinguished experts, including KHOU foodies Lily Jang and Katherine Whaley, Cleverley Stone (founder of Houston Restaurant Weeks), Mix 96.5’s Blake Hayes, Eric Sandler of Eater Houston and CultureMap contributor Marcy de Luna, will determine the Judges' Choice Awards.

The event, sponsored by Cadillac and Ben E. Keith, takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. VIP tickets, which include early admission, a meet-and-greet with the chefs and exclusive food samples, are $125 each; General admission tickets are $65. Both are available online.

A portion of proceeds benefit the Houston Food Bank.

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dock to table

Chef-loved Houston fisherman opens affordable seafood restaurant near Third Ward

Photo by Shane Dante

Captain Mc's serves fried drum and shrimp caught by McBride's boats.

A fisherman who’s a favorite of Houston chefs is getting into the restaurant business. Frederick McBride, better known as “Captain Fred,” will open Captain Mc’s Seafood near the Third Ward in May.

Located near the University of Houston and Texas Southern University at 5055 Griggs Road, Captain Mc’s will serve wild caught popcorn shrimp, black drum, and blue crab caught by McBride and his team of commercial fisherman. The menu has been streamlined to include plates of fried drum and fried shrimp, a fried shrimp po’ boy, and a crab cake sandwich, along with hamburgers and chicken tenders for non-seafood eaters.

“Our diners will have the real possibility of eating a fish or blue crab that was caught early that morning and fried up just in time for dinner,” McBride said in a statement.

The restaurant’s proximity to the coast allows Captain Mc’s to sell fresh caught, wild seafood at a price that’s similar to national fast food restaurants. For example, a four-ounce crab cake sandwich with fries, a hushpuppy, and a drink is priced at $20, and a combo meal of drum and shrimp with fries, a hushpuppy, and a drink is $25.

Since 2020, McBride and his crew have been supplying seafood to restaurants such as Navy Blue, Josephine’s, and Pier 6. As he prepared to open the restaurant, McBride asked his chef friends to contribute recipes. Matt Staph, a private chef who has worked at Brennan’s and One Fifth, helped with the fried recipes, and Lucille’s chef-owner Chris Williams worked on the crab cake. Pier 6 chef Joe Cervantez contributed a sauce that’s served with every meal, and James Beard Award winner Chris Shepherd contributed a remoulade recipe. Josephine’s chef Lucas McKinney, a CultureMap Tastemaker Awards winner, helped with overall menu development.

“Chefs Luke, Matt, Chris Williams, Joe, and Chris Shepherd have all been fishing with me on multiple occasions and have experienced the sea to table experience that we are bringing to Houston,” McBride said.

Speaking of Shepherd, he devoted an episode of his TV show Eat Like a Local to McBride’s operation. Watch it below.

Initially, the restaurant will be open Thursday-Sunday from 11 am-11 pm. It will offer diners the choice of a 35-seat dining room or getting a to-go order from its drive-through window.

Photo by Shane Dante

Captain Mc's serves fried drum and shrimp caught by McBride's boats.

news-you-can-eat openings captain mc's seafood