She may be an intense competitor on Iron Chef America, but in person Cat Cora is the opposite of intimidating. Sitting at a corner booth near the entry of her new Cat Cora's Kitchen in Terminal E at Bush Intercontinental Airport, she pauses her conversation to thank customers as they exit and agrees to pose for photos and sign autographs with a smile.

Both adorable and exacting, I've decided she's the real-life version of the Claire Dunphy on Modern Family.

Opened on Friday, IAH's is the second location of her fast-casual, airport-centric concept (the first opened in San Francisco's SFO earlier this year), with future spots planned for the Atlanta and Salt Lake City airports.

The space isn't particularly large, but it's airy, with panoramic views of planes on the tarmac, a stately bar, an open kitchen and at least one flat screen tuned in to (you guessed it) the Food Network.

"I feel like this is an oasis from the travel experience," says Cora. "You come in here and there's an open kitchen, you get to see the kitchen from every angle of the restaurant, see your food being cooked right in front of you. For me it doesn't get any better than that. That's what we want to create all over the country."

"You're kinda held hostage in the airport in some ways. And for us, we turn that around and say we have a captive audience. There's nothing worse than when you have to eat junk food because you're hungry and there's nothing else to eat," says Cora.

"It's a terrible experience! And then you have to sit on the plane for four or five hours. You feel horrible. So they can come in here and have a great, grilled avocado cobb salad. Or even our burger, it's quality. People come in and they get to sample haute cuisine and they can do it in a fast-casual atmosphere."

There are hints of Tex-Mex, California and Greek influences on the brief but eclectic menu, like the lamb meatballs served with a zesty tzatziki sauce and chicken sandwich spiced up with both chimichurri sauce and a "salsa fresca," though Texans might object to anything called salsa that also resembles an olive tapenade.

Juicy and flavorful, it's definitely not what you think of as airport food.

"I designed it to be more global; it's not just one style of cuisine. I want people to feel like they can come in here and they can get a variety of flavors. They can get something spicy, something sweet, something salty; it's all those things that hit your palate.

"There's going to be people from different cultures from all over the world coming in here, and I want there to be something on the menu that they're going to be happy with."

Cora says consistency is important to her, especially with a focus on travelers that will be tasting her food in different cities. But she's also added a few dishes that are unique to the Houston location.

"I'm always going to put a couple things on there that are celebrations of the region. You know, there's a steak on the menu — it's Houston. It's from New York, really thick and juicy and we paired it with a creamy lobster mac and cheese."

Cora has several projects in the works, including her own television show set for a "major network" in 2012, but she says fans will still be able to find her in the restaurant.

"I travel 250 days a year, and I travel a lot through Houston and Salt Lake City and all the places I'm going to be. I'll stop in, cook for a couple days, make sure the quality is right, make sure everything is running smoothly, make sure all the bottles are straight," says Cora.

"I'm so proud of everything we're serving here. It's really a meticulous menu. It's the way I want to eat and the way I want my family to eat when we're on the road."