Foodie News

From Sardinia with love: Cooking Light names Arcodoro cookbook among the best inpast 25 years

Cooking Light named Sweet Myrtle & Bitter Honey to its list of the nine bestItalian cookbooks from the past 25 years.
Inside Houston's Arcodoro in the Galleria area
Efisio Farris
D'Argagnan.com

There are about 2,500 Italian cookbooks listed on Amazon, but only nine of them made Cooking Light's list of the best Italian cookbooks, including one from a Houston restaurateur.

The illustrious group was chosen by Cooking Light magazine as part of its year-long 25th anniversary special, naming a total of 100 of the best cookbooks from the past 25 years.

Among Italian tomes from Lidia Bastianich and Jamie Oliver is Efisio Farris's Sweet Myrtle & Bitter Honey: The Mediterranean Flavors of Sardinia, published by the Arcodoro chef/owner in 2007.

Quoth Cooking Light:

Sardinia is one of the last frontiers for Italian cooking in America. Bottarga, the island’s dried, briny mullet roe, has popped up on high-end cheffy pastas in recent years, but the long, rich history of Sardinian cuisine remains foreign to American palates. Let this book be your delicious introduction."

Not listed: Any cookbook by a Housewife of New Jersey. Hard to believe.

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Farewell to auden

One of Texas Monthly's favorite Houston restaurants will soon shutter

Photo by Jordan Hughes

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A vegetable-forward Montrose restaurant will soon serve its final meal. Auden is closing after service on Sunday, April 6.

Chef-owners Kripa and Kirthan Shenoy provided CultureMap with a brief statement about their decision to close the restaurant in the Autry Park mixed-use development:

“We’re holding our heads up high and looking forward to the future. Houston has always been kind to us so there’s only gracious vibes from our hearts towards the community here,” the couple wrote.

Open since the fall of 2023, Auden served a globally-inspired, vegetable forward menu created by its owners. Prior to moving to Houston, executive chef Kirthan and pastry chef Kripa worked at a number of restaurants in New York, including Marea, which earned a Michelin star, and Brooklyn's Nitehawk Cinema. In addition to staples like steak frites and a burger, the couple spotlighted their Indian heritage in dishes such as Chicken 65, Crawfish Samosas, and Masala Shrimp Scampi.

The restaurant earned critical acclaim, including a strong review from retired Houston Chronicle restaurant critic Alison Cook and an honorable mention on Texas Monthly’s list of the best new restaurants of 2025. Still, the media attention wasn’t enough to keep the restaurant afloat.

While Auden is closing, Autry Park has seen a number of new openings. They include both Annam, a fine dining Vietnamese restaurant from MF Sushi chef-owner Chris Kinjo and twin concepts Doko and Bar Doko, a new sushi restaurant and Japanese-inspired cocktail bar from the team Kokoro and Aiko. Mayahuel, a Mexico City-inspired restaurant and bar from acclaimed chef Luis Robledo in partnership with Houston-based Culinary Khancepts (Leo’s River Oaks, Liberty Kitchen) will open later this year.

The Shenoys also own EaDough, a coffee shop and bakery located in East Downtown. It remains open and is not affected by the closure of Auden.

auden restaurant autry park closing