It's not Thanksgiving yet, but we're already thankful for the cornucopia of new eateries around town. From high on style to quick and casual, these hotspots cross genres and price points, rewarding the culinary explorer with a feast of good food.
- Tony and Jeff Vallone only took one week to turn Jimmy Wilson's into Ciao Bello, a comfortable Italian emporium, and the Tanglewood crowd has kept it packed ever since.
- Eddie V's Prime Seafood, the new ultra-high-end seafood spot in CityCentre does everything right, from the freshly flown in seafood cooked to perfection to the pitch-perfect service.
- Lynette Hawkins' colorful and popular Giacomo's Cibo e Vino serves up Venetian cicchetti, or small plates, as well as full-size Italian dishes and boutique wines in a casual (if a little confusing) set-up.
- Somewhere between the cheap Heights eats and the high-end restos that have invaded the neighborhood, Lola is an upscale diner by the owner of Pink's Pizza and Dragon Bowl, serving burgers, sandwiches and classic breakfast faves all day.
- Ruby Tequila's, a West Texas import, trades on traditional Tex-Mex favorites cooked on a mesquite-fired grill, with a focus on fresh ingredients and a fun atmosphere.
- Bringing the rich, uncommon flavors of Singapore to CityCentre, Straits gets points for originality and ambition, even if execution and ambiance (hot pink unisex bathroom, anyone?) leave a few things to be desired.
- John Tesar has helmed five-star kitchens from New York to Dallas (and been immortalized as Jimmy Sears in Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential) and has now brought his signature ambitious take on modern American cuisine to The Woodlands with Tesar's.
- A steakhouse with a sophisticated Southern sensibility, the menu at III Forks is Texas-French, and the Houston Pavilions location is the first to offer lunch and an expanded menu of lighter dishes.
- Valentino offers advenurous Italian from west coast master Piero Selvaggio and exec chef Luciano Pellegrini in an appropriately luxe setting inside the Hotel Derek—think red lacquered walls, black club chairs with white piping and iridescent white light fixtures.