Foodie News
Underbelly, Uchi & more: It's a Goode evening for winners at the HoustonCulinary Awards
It looks like 2012 will go down as the year of the Anvil empire at the My Table Houston Culinary Awards.
The bar and restaurant concepts owned by or associated with the Montrose bar took home several big awards in front of a fun, foodie crowd of 320 at the Hilton Hotel at the University of Houston on Sunday night.
Underbelly was recently named one of the best new restaurants in the country by Esquire, so it came as no surprise when it came up as a big winner, nabbing awards for Restaurateur of the Year for chef/owner Chris Shepherd and Service Person of the Year for manager Matthew Prigden.
To complete the Anvil-associated domination, co-owner Bobby Heugel took home Favorite Mixologist, while Ninfa's on Navigation was awarded a Houston Culinary Award for Houston Classic.
Underbelly's beer-centric conjoined twin, Hay Merchant, was named Favorite Pub or Bar under the more casual Foodie Star Awards. To complete the Anvil-associated domination, co-owner Bobby Heugel took home Favorite Mixologist, while Ninfa's on Navigation (which Heugel and partners Kevin Floyd and Michael Burnett recently signed on to manage) was awarded a Houston Culinary Award for Houston Classic, a restaurant in business for 10 or more years.
But Anvil, Underbelly & Co. weren't the only big winners in the room. Uchi earned two big awards, with a win in Best New Restaurant and Monica Glenn named Pastry Chef of the Year. Tiny Boxwood's won two Foodie Star Awards, for Favorite Breakfast and Favorite Outdoor Dining, while Bernie's Burger Bus was named both Favorite Food Truck/Cart and Favorite Burger.
Randy Evans of Haven took home Chef of the Year and Eatsie Boys' Matt Marcus was named Up-And-Coming Chef of the Year, another new milestone for a food truck at the Houston Culinary Awards.
The Legends of Houston award was given to Jim Goode, the founder of the Goode Company family of restaurants and accepted by his son, Levi Goode.
After My Table editor and publisher Teresa Byrne-Dodge read a proclamation from Mayor Annise Parker naming Oct. 7, 2012, Jim Goode Day in Houston, Goode talked about how his father started the original Goode Co. Barbecue on Kirby with $6,000 and thanked his extended family for all the sacrifices they made to succeed in the restaurant industry.
Check out the full list of Houston Culinary Awards and Foodie Star Awards winners:
2012 Houston Culinary Awards
Restaurateur of the Year — Chris Shepherd, Underbelly
Chef of the Year — Randy Evans, Haven
Up-and-Coming Chef of the Year (age 35 or younger) — Matt Marcus, Eatsie Boys
Outstanding Wine Service — 13 Celsius
Pastry Chef of the Year (includes breadmakers) — Monica Glenn, Uchi
Outstanding Bar Service — Truluck's Steak & Stone Crab
Service Person of the Year — Matthew Prigden, Underbelly
Houston Classic (a restaurant in business for 10 or more years) — Ninfa's on Navigation
Best Interior Design — Américas River Oaks
Best New Restaurant (must have opened since June 1, 2011) — Uchi
2012 Houston Foodie Star Awards:
Favorite Bakery — Slow Dough Bread Co.
Favorite Barbecue — Pappas Bar-B-Que
Favorite Breakfast — Tiny Boxwood's
Favorite Burger — Bernie's Burger Bus
Favorite Coffeehouse — Paulie's
Favorite Houston Food Blog — Eating Our Words
Favorite Mom & Pop Ethnic — Mai's Restaurant
Favorite Food Truck/Cart — Bernie's Burger Bus
Favorite Late Night Spot — BB's Cafe, Montrose
Favorite Mixologist — Bobby Heugel
Favorite Outdoor Dining — Tiny Boxwood's
Favorite Supermarket — Whole Foods Market
Favorite Pub or Bar — Hay Merchant
Favorite Sweets/Ice Cream — Hank's Ice Cream Parlor
Favorite Wine Seller — The Tasting Room