Foodie News

Houston's top chefs give culinary tourgasm — again — as 2012 Where the Chefs Eatguided treks return

Culinary tour participants in one of last year's tours
Photo by Daniel Ortiz
Terrence Gallivan, from left, Chris Shepherd and Seth Siegel-Gardner
Photo by Daniel Ortiz
Charles Sharman, an attendee on a Vietnamese tour
Photo by Daniel Ortiz
Ryan Pera and Morgan Weber of Revival Market
Photo by Daniel Ortiz
Chefs Philippe Schmit and Monica Pope
Photo by Julie Soefer

Move over, Paula Deen. The hottest foodie tickets in town are for the 'Where The Chefs Eat' Houston Culinary Tours. This overwhelmingly popular concept is the brainchild of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, pairing H-Town's big name chefs with guided treks to some of Houston's best (and often undiscovered) food neighborhoods and destinations.

Now the GHCVB has announced the tours will be back in 2012, with new themes and new chefs participating. Tours are up-close-and-personal experiences, limited to 16 people with everyone traveling together on a luxury limo bus. Tickets are $180 per person and include tastings at each stop, along with beverages from Saint Arnold Brewing Company, a gift bag and an unforgettable foodie experience.

The tours will be back in 2012, with new themes and new chefs participating. Tours are up-close-and-personal experiences, limited to 16 people with everyone traveling together on a luxury limo bus.

Starting in 2012 the proceeds will benefit Foodways Texas, dedicated to promoting and preserving the unique cuisine of Texas.

The year kicks off with a "Chinese New Year" tour on Jan. 22 led by Underbelly's Chris Shepherd and Justin Yu and "Late Night Bars and Bites" on Feb. 18 with Pilot Light Group's Seth Siegel-Gardner and Terrence Gallivan and Anvil/Hay Merchant's Bobby Heugel and Kevin Floyd. (Interestingly, this tour starts at noon, just like the rest, so you'll want to start drinking early and wear dark shades to get the authentic experience.)

Other brand-new tours include oysters with Bryan Caswell and Robb Walsh (March 18), crawfish with Pesce's Mark Holley and Beaver's Jonathan Jones (April 22), a Day of the Dead tour of Airline Drive with Américas' David Cordúa and Hugo Ortega (Oct. 28), coffee and desserts with Rebecca Masson, Ruben Ortega of Hugo's and Avi Katz of Katz's Coffee (Nov. 4) and a farm tour with Haven's Randy Evans and Shade's Claire Smith.

Also returning in 2012 will be tours dedicated to world barbecue, street food, Long Point Road and Vietnamese cuisine.

For a full schedule of the 15 tours scheduled for 2012 as well as the itineraries and chefs participating, head to houstonculinarytours.com. Tickets for Chinese New Year and Late Night Bars and Bites go on sale on Dec. 1 — mark your calendars if you're looking for a the ultimate foodie gift, because these events always sell out.

What 'Where the Chefs Eat' tour looks most delicious to you? What tours should they invent for 2013?

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street food inspired

Veteran chef opens affordable new Thai restaurant in West Houston

A new restaurant serving Thai street food is opening in the Westchase District. Osha Thai Kitchen will begin serving customers on Tuesday, December 10.

Located in the West on West development (12230 Westheimer Rd.), Osha Thai Kitchen is the latest project from Saranya Danvetnukroh, who owns Nua Thai in downtown Houston. Named for the Thai word that means “delicious,” the restaurant takes inspiration from dishes served in street markets in different regions of Thailand as well as some items for those seeking more familiar flavors.

Meals at Osha could start with items such as crispy spring rolls, crab rangoon, or Thai chicken wings. Three papaya salads — traditional Thai, one with salted egg, and another that’s Lao style with salted crab — join chicken larb in the salads section.

Notably, Osha makes all of its noodles in-house. They’re utilized in dishes such as pad Thai, pad see ew, and pad woo sen. The restaurant also makes its curries in-house. They include red curry, green curry, and panang curry.

Part of Osha’s appeal will be its affordable prices. Only two entrees, crab fried rice and whole fried red snapper, cost more than $20.

Danvetnukroh has recruited sous chef Afridi Zama to lead the kitchen. His resume includes time with Pappas restaurant and at The Nicolette, a restaurant in Lubbock that earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination in 2022.

“This project is a culmination of dedication to our craft and creativity to elevate Thai cuisine,”

Danvetnukroh said in a statement. “It’s an homage to our roots and a celebration of our heritage in the modern age.”

West on West is home to number of food-related business. Its anchored by a 99 Ranch grocery store and includes restaurants such as cake bakery Lady M and Tokyo-based ramen shop Tsujita Artisan Noodle.

Photo by Becca Wright

Osha Thai Kitchen opens December 10.

openings news-you-can-eat osha thai kitchen

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street food inspired

Veteran chef opens affordable new Thai restaurant in West Houston