MOTHER'S DAY DINING

2 Michelin-recognized Houston restaurants land on OpenTable best brunch list

Brunch at Maximo includes eggs Benedict with mole short rib and cinnamon sugar waffles.

Photo by Carla Gomez

Houstonians have a new reason not to procrastinate on Mother's Day reservations. Le Jardinier, the one Michelin star French fine dining restaurant at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Maximo, which holds a Bib Gourmand designation and is home to CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Rising Star Chef of the Year winner Adrian Torres, have earned spots on OpenTable's Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in America for 2026 — the only Houston restaurants on the list.

According to the restaurant booking platform, the annual ranking is based on analysis of more than 10 million diner reviews, along with diner ratings. Texas claimed 11 spots total, with Austin and Dallas leading the state's showing with four restaurants each. Chama Gaucha, a Brazilian steakhouse that also has a location in Houston, was San Antonio's only entry. Two of Dallas' entries, Hudson House and Perry's Steakhouse, also have Houston locations.

OpenTable also revealed some data about Mother’s Day dining preferences. Its research says that most moms (42 percent) prefer dining out on the big day over having breakfast in bed. Those silver dollar pancakes may be adorable, but mothers still often have to clean up all the spilled flour after the celebration ends.

"Our research shows dining out is the gift moms want most this Mother's Day, with 42 percent ranking it at the top of their wish list," said Cheryl Paniagua, VP of Restaurant Sales & Services at OpenTable, in a release. "That makes planning ahead more important than ever, especially considering the majority of reservations are made over a week in advance.”

OpenTable says noon remains the most popular reservation time for Mother’s Day overall, but it saw a 14 percent increase in users opting out of mimosas and choosing an early 5 pm dinner.

Whether in the morning or evening, parties are growing larger. There was a 13 percent increase in tables for six or more, a trend the platform suggests is due to more multi-generational gatherings.

Here are all the Texas restaurants that earned a place on OpenTable’s unranked list:

Aba — Austin
Al Biernat's Oak Lawn — Dallas
Cafe Pacific — Dallas
Chama Gaucha — San Antonio
Hudson House Lakewood — Dallas
Josephine House — Austin
Le Jardinier — Houston
Maximo — Houston
Perla's Seafood and Oyster Bar — Austin
Perry's Steakhouse & Grille Park District — Dallas
Suerte — Austin

5 pounds of meat

3 pro football players tackle Houston restaurant's viral steak challenge

Courtesy of Star Rover

It's hard to tell from the picture, but that's almost five pounds of meat.

Houstonians have been flocking to Star Rover ever since it opened in February. While almost every diner orders from the regular menu, about 20 ambitious eaters have taken the restaurant’s eating challenge — consuming 76 ounces of prime rib along with salad, fries, onion rings, salad, and rolls in an hour.

Finish on time, and the $99, “I ate the 76’er” meal is free. Groups can order the meal to share — complete with individual portions of the sides, salads, and rolls — for $250. Whether dining solo or with friends, the restaurant requires a day’s notice to have the prime rib ready.

Star Rover calls attention to anyone attempting to complete the challenge by requiring them to sit at table by themselves with a timer ticking away. Chef Bobby Matos tells CultureMap that most people tap out after about 40 minutes. It is, after all, almost five pounds of meat plus sides. Maybe that’s why only one person has finished it so far.

“You have to sit at your own table. It’s loud. People are cheering you on, taking pictures of you,” he says. “That lends to Star Rover not being a fussy place — just come in and have a good meal, play skee-ball.”

Among the recent contestants were three offensive lineman from the Houston Gamblers, the city’s new United Football League (UFL) team. Center Jack Kramer, left guard Victor Curne, and right guard Gareth Warren — all 6’5”, 324 pounds of him — took the challenge last week. Needless to say, none of them came close to finishing.

“The moment I realized it wasn’t going to happen was when I hit the halfway mark. I hit a huge wall and felt like I couldn’t eat another piece of steak even though it was super good,” Warren says. “I think that’s just how it is. You need a change of taste after eating so much of one thing. So, I started to venture to the sides and realized that it wasn’t going to happen. However, i’m not a quitter and I continued to try until the very end.”

“I started off hot and strong taking huge cuts, trying to do as much damage as I could,” Curne adds. “At about the 25 minute mark, I started to hit a wall. I tried mixing everything a little bit to shake it up.”

Matos says the football players performed similarly to most of the people who’ve attempted the challenge. “They didn’t do the damage I thought they’d do,” he says with a laugh.

While the Gamblers couldn’t cash in, the team may find more success on the field. Led by head coach Kevin Sumlin — a man some Cougars may remember fondly but Aggies probably don’t — the team will play the Columbus Aviators this Sunday, April 26 at Shell Energy Stadium in EaDo. Tickets are available on the Gamblers’ website.

Courtesy of Star Rover

It's hard to tell from the picture, but that's almost five pounds of meat.