Foodie News

Where to eat right now: 10 hot Houston restaurants

The Burger Guys' hamburger topped with a fried egg
Photo by Ruthie Johnson Miller
Catalan's flatbread
Photo by Ruthie Johnson Miller
Deli-style sandwich at Kraftsmen Cafe
Photo by Ruthie Johnson Miller
Arborio-dusted calamari at Catalan
Photo by Ruthie Johnson Miller

Need a lunch or dinner recommendation? Here are 10 places around town that are turning some heads and taste buds. Some are new restaurants entirely, while others are seasoned venues with fresh offerings.

Bootsie’s Heritage Café
Randy Rucker's foodie delight (located in Tomball) concentrates on local ingredients served up in outrageously delicious way using interesting techniques. Try the “3rd coast menu,” a five-course culinary fireworks display for just $35.

Piola
This new Italian joint in Midtown offers thin-crust pizza and happy hour meal deals. Piola also offers all-you-can-eat gnocchi (for $13) on the 29th of every month.

The Burger Guys
Creative burgers (like the Sydney with thin-sliced pineapple and beets, plus a fried egg), plus duck fat fries and fabulous milkshakes, draw Houstonians beyond the beltway to the new Burger Guys.

Don’t miss the soda fountain, which boasts throw backs like Dublin Dr Pepper and Big Red.

Samba Grille
A Brazilian churrascaria in Bayou Place downtown, Samba Grille offers fabulous meats, incredible popovers, and a burger inspiring raves. Need more? Samba also offers a nice three-course lunch special for $19 and an inspiring cocktail list.

Catalan
Catalan, arguably the best restaurant in the city, continues to keep diners on their toes. They’ve recently added a kickin’ daily happy hour and a family-style meal on Sunday nights. Last Sunday’s Italian-themed meal earned praise for cheese-filled meatballs, while the previous week’s dinner was Cajun.

The Queen Vic
Houston’s newest gastropub offers a cleaner, higher-end take on standard bar fare. The menu combines British pub food with regional Indian specialties … short rib samosas, fish and chips, curries, Scotch eggs, and paneer, all in a bright, shiny atmosphere.

Stella Sola
Bryan Caswell’s Texas-Tuscan restaurant in the Heights is still abuzz with the crowd that comes when you serve great food with great prices in a great atmosphere. They’ve recently revised the cocktail menu, which means it’s high time for another tipsy looksie.

Hubcap Grill Burger Truck
Parked most nights in front of Liberty Station on Washington, Ricky Craig’s red burger-truck-that-could offers unique inventions like a Cheeto-Cheeseburger and a Peanut Butter Sticky Burger. Follow @hubcap_grill to confirm days and hours.

Kraftsmen Café
Scott Tycer’s new casual lunch spot takes over the former Textile location and offers seasonal soups, gorgeous pastries and creative sandwiches (served on fabulous Kraftsmen bread, of course). Sandwiches are a pricey, but come packed with delicious and fresh ingredients.

Café Bello
It seems odd that the storied Tony Vallone would open a no-frills Italian place like Café Bello, but the new Montrose restaurant is just that. Yes, it’s got the typical pastas, mains, and service you’ve come to expect from Tony, but the real reason to go is the fantastic pizzetta.

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cheers to that

Texas bourbon named one of 2024's top 10 whiskies

Still Austin Whiskey Co. Red Corn Bourbon Whiskey

Still Austin Whiskey Co./Facebook

Now if only we could snag a bottle...as a Christmas gift, of course.

Three cheers for Still Austin Whiskey Co.! The distillery's Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon Whiskey was recognized as one of Whisky Advocate'sTop 20 Most Exciting Whiskies of 2024.

Every year, Whisky Advocate's expert panelists rank hundreds of whiskies based on their quality, availability, value for the price, and "X-factor," meaning an excitement-inducing component like a unique flavor or an innovative idea. An international panel also reviews contenders through several blind taste tests without knowing each whisky's producer, origin, age, or price.

The magazine ranked Still Austin's five-year Red Corn Bourbon No. 7 on the list with a prestigious score of 94 points. The Red Corn whiskey, which was released in June 2024, has mash bill consisting of 36 percent Jimmy Red corn, 34 percent white corn, 25 percent rye, and 5 percent barley.

According to panelist Shane English, tasting notes start big and bold with cracked pepper, dusty leather, and cocktail cherries, before moving on to a palate of chile pepper, caramel, and buttery cornbread.

"Each sip is electric — the pepper gives this whiskey a zing balanced by poundcake and glazed doughnuts," English said. "Charred oak fades to chocolate, coffee, and pecan pie on the finish."

Still Austin had the only Texas product on the list, which was fitting given the brand's recent boasting that it could match any Kentucky Bourbon. As a game day stunt when the Texas Longhorns played the Kentucky Wildcats in November, Still Austin refilled empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles with its own Cask Strength Bourbon for just $1.

When the brand isn't playfully antagonizing Kentucky fans, its Red Corn Bourbon sells for a retail price of $85 per 750-milliliter bottle, falling nearly in the middle of the price category out of all 20 bourbons on the list, with eight others priced for less.

For additional context, none of the top five bourbons fall under a $100 price tag. In fact, the most expensive bottle on the 2024 list is the Angel's Envy 2023 Cask Strength Port Wine Barrel Finished Bourbon, which ranked No. 12 and retails for $230 per bottle.

"Our top 20 whiskies represent a curated collection that deserves your attention. Each whisky on the list stands out for its superb taste, representing the pinnacle of a year filled with remarkable tastings," said executive editor David Fleming in a release. "This list features whiskies offering exceptional value, leaders in their respective styles, and superbly made expressions that are well worth seeking out."

Whiskey Advocate's 2024 Whiskey of the Year is Laphroaig Elements 2.0 Cask Strength Scotch Single Malt, which earned 95 points and retails for $165 a bottle.

whiskey bourbon distilleries awards lists