Top Wine Destinations

List of America's Best Wine Restaurants includes three Houston destinations

Wine Enthusiast selected Reef as one of the country's top wine restaurants.

Photo by © Julie Soefer/Greater Houston Visitors and Convention Bureau

As if Camerata wine director David Keck earning the highly coveted title of Master Sommelier isn't sufficient proof that Houston is emerging as a top destination for oenophiles, Wine Enthusiast has named three Houston restaurants to its prestigious list of America's 100 Best Wine Restaurants of 2016.

The list celebrates "restaurants where wine, food, service and atmosphere are all integral to the overall experience." Wine Enthusiast included both Underbelly and The Pass & Provisions last year. Midtown seafood restaurant Reef joins the list for 2016.

"This is a highly subjective list reflecting Wine Enthusiast’s dedication to not only legendary wine establishments but also those that are reflecting or pushing new and exciting trends in the market," said executive editor Susan Kostrzewa in a statement. "There’s an incredible amount of diversity and experimentation happening with wine in the restaurant space right now and our list reflects this variety - from small lists that are redrawn every day, to massive tomes that reflect decades of cellaring - and similarly, the food ranges from an upscale hot dog hangout in New York wine country to the peak of fine dining."

Underbelly earned its nod for its "laser focus" on family-owned and operated wineries. Both Reef and The Pass & Provisions are labeled "not to be missed" thanks to Reef's low markups and extensive selection of rosé and P&P's creative wine list that includes regional maps.

Two restaurants with Houston ties also make the list — the Dallas outpost of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse and Commander's Palace in New Orleans, which is owned by the same family as Midtown Creole institution Brennan's of Houston. FT33 in Dallas is the only other Texas restaurant on the list.

Consider visiting these restaurant during happy hour to get a sample of their wares. Underbelly features half-price wines by the glass Monday through Saturday from 3 pm to 6:30 pm and 10 pm to midnight in its bar. Provisions' happy hour is available in the bar and patio from 2:30 pm to 6 pm. Reef's 3rd Bar features an appealing mix of small plates (mostly priced at $5) from 4 to 7 pm Monday through Friday.

wine awards lists

birdie's in Houston

Award-winning Austin restaurant flies to Houston for one-night-only meal

Birdie's Arjav Ezekiel Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel

Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelly

Birdie's is coming to Houston.

Two top Texas restaurants are teaming up for a one-night-only pop-up that will feature creative cooking and thoughtful wine pairings. Houston’s Rosie Cannonball and Austin’s Birdie’s are uniting on Monday, September 14 for an evening they’re calling Birdie’s Cannonball.

Held at Rosie Cannonball, the event will feature a menu created by Birdie’s chef and co-owner Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel and Goodnight Hospitality partner Felipe Riccio, who created many of Rosie Cannonball’s signature dishes and leads the kitchen at March, Rosie Cannonball’s Michelin-starred sister concept. Arjav Ezekiel, Birdie’s co-owner and a James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, will team up with Goodnight Hospitality partner and master sommelier June Rodil to select wine pairings for the night.

“This collaboration came together the way the best restaurant ideas usually do: over years of eating, drinking, traveling, talking shop, and saying, ‘We should really do something together,’” Rodil said in response to CultureMap’s request for comment on the collaboration.

“All of the Goodnight partners make a point of going to Birdie’s whenever we’re in Austin, because we genuinely love what Tracy and Arjav have built: the food, the people, and their fiercely independent spirit. Bringing our teams together feels less like a formal collaboration and more like finally hosting the dinner party we’ve all been meaning to throw,” she added.

Both restaurants have earned plenty of acclaim. In addition to Ezekiel’s Beard Award, Birdie’s has earned a Best New Restaurant award from Bon Appetit, been named Food & Wine magazine’s Restaurant of the Year in 2023, holds a spot on the New York Times’ list of “The 25 Best Restaurants in Austin Right Now,” and earned a Recommended designation from the Michelin Guide.

For its part, Rosie Cannonball and Goodnight Hospitality have earned their fair share of national attention, including a James Beard Award finalist nomination for Rodil, a Michelin Bib Gourmand designation for Rosie Cannonball, and Best New Restaurant awards from Esquire and Robb Report for March.

The evening will also serve as a homecoming for Malechek-Ezekiel, a native Houstonian and a graduate of the UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership. The meal will be her first time cooking professionally at a restaurant in her hometown.

Seats are priced at $200 per person, which includes food, tax, and tip. Reservations are only available to Sapphire Reserve credit card holders, as it is presented as part of Birdie’s sponsorship by Chase Sapphire. Find more details on OpenTable.

Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelly

Birdie's is coming to Houston.

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