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.