Houston Culinary Awards 2015

Houston restaurant world's big night: Vallone's vow, award surprises and a few choice words

Sunday may have been the night when Houston's restaurant community gathered to celebrate Donna and Tony Vallone's 50 years in business, but some more recent arrivals made the biggest splash at My Table Magazine's 2015 Houston Culinary Awards.

My Table selected the Vallones as the winner of the prestigious Legends of Houston Restaurants Award. In a short speech, Tony Vallone thanked people for their support and also acknowledged the presence of others at the ceremony who helped shaped dining in Houston such as Master Sommelier Guy Stout and El Meson chef/owner Peter Garcia.

As for questions about whether he'll retire, "I want them to carry me out with a fish in one hand and pasta in the other," Vallone declared to thunderous applause.

A portion of the evening’s proceeds benefited the Grant Gordon Foundation, which addresses issues in the medical field that further suicide prevention among those suffering from neurological diseases such as MS. Gordon served as executive chef at both Tony's and Vallone's prior to his death in 2014.

Midtown hotspot Weights + Measures took home three awards: Favorite Late Night Spot, Best Interior Design and Outstanding Bar Service. Expressing her excitement, bar manager Judith Piotrowski's acceptance speech including a couple of well-chosen expletives that had host St. John Flynn joking about two bleeps if the event were being broadcast by his employer Houston Public Media.

Elsewhere, Ronnie Killen added Restaurateur of the Year to the Chef of the Year and Favorite Barbecue honors he took home in 2014. Ryan Pera, the culinary force behind Coltivare, Revival Market and the upcoming 8-Row Flint icehouse, won Chef of the Year.

Holley's Seafood Restaurant and Oyster Bar won Best New Restaurant in a crowded field that included BCN Taste & Tradition, Pax Americana and Peska Seafood Culture.

As always, the awards' finalists are selected by a committee of writers (including this author) and sponsors, but winners are selected by My Table readers in an online vote.

The nature of the categories sometimes produces some surprising results, as in The Pass & Provisions chef/owners Seth Siegel-Gardner and Terrence Gallivan winning Up-and-Coming Chef of the Year two years after they won Restaurateur of the Year and less than two weeks after the duo landed the top spot on Chronicle critic Alison Cook's 100 favorite restaurants list.

However, both chefs meet the category's requirement of being 35 or younger.

While some will always quibble with specific results, the awards are always an entertaining evening that allows the hard working people in the restaurant industry to dress up and celebrate their accomplishments. Let's do it again next year.

The full list of Sunday night's winners follows:

Houston Culinary Awards

Restaurateur Of The Year: Ronnie Killen, Killen's Barbecue/Killen's Steakhouse
Chef Of The Year: Ryan Pera, Coltivare/Revival Market
Up-And-Coming Chef Of The Year: Terrance Gallivan & Seth Siegel-Gardner, The Pass & Provisions
Outstanding Wine Service: Underbelly
Pastry Chef Of The Year: Rebecca Masson, Fluff Bake Bar
Outstanding Bar Service: Weights + Measures
Service Person Of The Year: Steven McDonald, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
Houston Classic: Backstreet Cafe
Best Interior Design: Weights + Measures
Best New Restaurant: Holley’s Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar

Houston Foodie Star Awards

Favorite Bakery: Petite Sweets
Favorite Barbecue: Jackson Street BBQ
Favorite Bartender: Terry Williams, Anvil Bar & Refuge
Favorite Breakfast: La Guadalupana
Favorite Burger: Pappas Burger
Favorite Coffeehouse: Common Bond
Favorite Farmer’s Market Vendor: Blue Heron Farm
Favorite Food Truck: Tacos Tierra Caliente
Favorite Late Night Spot: Weights + Measures
Favorite Mom & Pop Ethnic: Arnaldo Richards’ Picos
Favorite Outdoor Dining: The Grove
Favorite Pub Or Bar: Julep
Favorite Supermarket: Sprouts Farmers Market
Favorite Sweets/Ice Cream: Cloud 10 Creamery
Favorite Wine Seller: Richard’s Liquors & Fine Wines

Mark Holley hugs sous chef Kenten Marin.

Houston Culinary Awards 2015 Mark Holley

Photo by Kim Coffman

Mark Holley hugs sous chef Kenten Marin.

awards

One Day Only

Chef of Michelin-starred Texas BBQ joint pops up at Houston crawfish favorite

Photo by Quit Nguyen

Join Lucas McKinney for a crawfish pop-up this Sunday, May 17.

The pitmaster behind one of Texas’ Michelin-starred barbecue joints will be in Houston for a one-day-only crawfish boil. Evan LeRoy, chef and co-owner of Austin’s LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, will be at Josephine’s this Sunday, May 17 from 2-6 pm.

Part of the restaurant’s Backyard Boil pop-up series, LeRoy and Josephine’s executive chef Lucas McKinney have collaborated on a four dishes that will be served at the pop-up, which will take place on Josephine’s patio. They are:

Smoked Crawfish Boil Sausage on a Stick: andouille flavored pork sausage with crawfish, corn, and potatoes
Brisket and Cheddar Croquettes: Chopped brisket and cheddar cheese in a creamy bechamel. Scooped, breaded in panko, and fried til crispy
Oysters on the Half Shell: Pickled Onion Mignonette, Smoked Jalapeno Salsa, Kimchi Elote
Smoked Salsa Macha with Beef Tallow: Guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles, lime, soy, garlic, onion, pepitas, and pecans

The pop-up is part of LeRoy’s tour for his new book, New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling, which he co-wrote with Texas Monthly restaurant critic Paula Forbes. Released this week, the book contains almost 100 recipes for mains, sides, and desserts.

LeRoy & Lewis Evan Leroy ATX Evan LeRoy is coming to Houston this weekend. Photo by Briana Balducci

“Lucas asked me to participate in a crawfish boil this year, and it happened to line up with the release of the book, so I said yes,” LeRoy tells CultureMap. “The event format centers around a crawfish boil, along with some fried items and oysters, so it doesn't necessarily reflect the recipes in the book. Instead, we decided to bring a few dishes we’ve been working on over the past year or so, including the brisket and cheddar croquettes — which will definitely make it into my next cookbook.”

McKinney has already hosted pop-ups with the likes of ChòpnBlọk chef-owner Ope Amosu and Mike Pham of Trill Burgers.

“With these crawfish boils, I want each chef to bring their own perspective and let the menu reflect their personal style of cooking,” McKinney adds. “Events like this are really centered around community, collaboration, and introducing something fresh and exciting to Houston each time.”

LeRoy and Lewis has earned wide acclaim for its “new school” barbecue. In addition to being one of only four Texas barbecue joints to hold a Michelin star, it ranked No. 2 on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints. McKinney began patronizing the restaurant when his friend, pitmaster Cole Parkman, worked there.

“It’s incredibly good,” McKinney says. “Eating there feels like they’re telling you, ‘I know you think you like brisket, but this is what you should really like.’ I really respect that they’ve planted their feet firmly in the ground and committed to doing things differently. It all makes so much sense — and it’s delicious.”

Reservations (free) are required to attend the Backyard Boil at Josephine’s; both 2 pm and 4 pm seatings are available. Attendees will purchase food and drinks a la carte. Josephine’s regular menu will not be available at the pop-up. Copies of New School Barbecue will also be available for purchase.

news-you-can-eat barbecue chefs