Food for Thought

Thanks, Houston, for a decade of memorable meals

Molina's Cantina and margaritas always go hand-in-hand.
Photo by Jordan Chan
Tony's, from its original location on Post Oak to its current Richmond Avenuelocation, makes truffle season a wonderful time of the year - every year.
Photo by Chris Conyers
Thanks for the memories, Avalon Diner, especially your bowl of Frito chili piepaired with your fresh limeade.
Raise a glass to 2010 and more fabulous meals to come!

How on earth have 10 years of eating gone by so quickly?

Sadly, I can’t remember a single meal from 2000. I was just so glad my computer was still working and Y2K had turned out to be a myth. E-mail was alive and well, although Facebook and Twitter weren’t even a gleam in restaurant PR folks’ eyes yet. Houstonians were still loving Tex-Mex—I ate out at the original Berryhill a lot—steakhouses and Italian. The first really memorable meal I can recall of the decade was at the second incarnation of Anthony’s on Kirby Drive.

And it wasn’t the now-bulldozed restaurant's food that made it so memorable, but the simple fact that eating out at a restaurant seemed almost normal.

It was Sept. 12, 2001 and the world was in shock, but somehow sitting in Anthony’s and eating those housemade potato chips smothered in Parmesan cheese made me realize life would go on. That’s the beauty of a familiar restaurant: The special sense of continuity that your favorite foods offer. The medium-rare filet mignon and white Burgundy were wonderful, but the emotional fare was even more filling.

Anthony's is long gone, and so is the Tony's on Post Oak, but I can still remember dining there in 2002, dragging myself to that haven of red velvet wallpaper just days after major surgery because it was Alba truffle season. And it was worth it; I can still taste the meaty white truffle risotto, even smell that wonderful scent. Truffle season at Tony’s is one of the highlights of any foodie’s year.

Then there was the first time I tried Feast. After all the media hype I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to its rep, but I was wrong. Not only was the décor of the old Montrose house less stuffy than I expected, but when the waiter brought a platter with a slow-braised lamb’s neck the size of my Chihuahua on it I practically swooned. To this day it’s still the best lamb I’ve ever eaten. And the whiskey prunes were sumptuous, too.

I’ve had a lot of great meals at Hugo’s, but one that really stands out actually started at Molina’s Cantina on Washington Avenue while I was interviewing the Molina brothers. Details are a little hazy now as I believe there were a few margaritas involved, but somehow we all wound up at Hugo’s eating chapulines. Chef Hugo fried the little grasshoppers up and served them with guacamole on blue tortillas. They were tiny tacos of salty, crispy delight.

So many meals over the past 10 years come to mind, from a girls luncheon of Salade de crabe et avocat, vinaigrette a’ l’orange at La Colombe d’Or with a bottle of bubbly to a bowl of Frito chili pie at Avalon Diner paired with their fresh limeade. (Editors Note: Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour and her main squeeze Shelby Bryan were spotted at Avalon having a late lunch on New Year's Eve.)

One of the best things about our city is the diversity of restaurants we have to choose from. From Tony’s to taco stands, we can eat our way through good times and bad, sampling culture, cuisine and camaraderie. So Happy New Year to you, and let’s all raise a glass to 2010 and all the great meals yet to come.

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Family friendly Houston restaurant shutters after less than 6 months

Photo by Quy Tran

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A Houston restaurant group has abruptly pulled the plug on its Garden Oaks location. Jax on the Tracks has closed, owner Gr8 Plate Hospitality announced.

Opened in February, Jax on the Tracks evolved out of The Union Kitchen, Gr8 Plate’s globally-inspired, full service restaurant that had operated in the neighborhood for almost 10 years. At the time, owner Paul Miller thought Garden Oaks diners would appreciate a more family friendly, affordable concept that centered around classic American fare such as burgers, pizzas, and fajitas. Unfortunately, it didn’t catch on quickly enough.

Gr8 Plate provided CultureMap with the following statement:

After careful consideration, Jax on the Tracks on Ella Boulevard has made the difficult decision to close its doors. While the concept was recently introduced to the neighborhood, many challenges ultimately led to the decision to discontinue operations at this location.

We are incredibly grateful to our guests, team members, and the Garden Oaks community for the warm welcome and support. There are currently no plans for another concept in the space.

In a separate conversation, Miller tells CultureMap that the switch from The Union Kitchen to Jax on the Tracks was too abrupt. It created confusion with regulars who missed dishes they’d been ordering for years.

“The people who had never been to the Union Kitchen loved it. They had a great time,” Miller says. “The people who had been to the Union Kitchen and had an expectation for that kind of food — our hummus, steak night, different cuts of fish — were blasting us.”

With revenues flat or declining, Miller says he made the difficult decision to close rather than using revenues from his other locations to keep Jax on the Tracks open in hopes its fortunes improved. Thankfully, the company’s other restaurants — including The Union Kitchen locations in Kingwood, Memorial, and Cypress; Jax Grill locations on Shepherd Dr. and in Bellaire; and Italian restaurant Passerella in Cypress — all remain open.

“It’s a hell of a lot more fun opening restaurants than closing restaurants. I can tell you that for damn sure,” Miller says.