Wood-grilled coconut shrimp and chicken tenders took two of the top prizes at the Rodeo season’s food-and-wine-focused kickoff event. Held on the Sunday before the cook-off begins, the annual Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup & Best Bites Competition drew a sold out crowd of more than 5,000 people to NRG Center.

More than 120 restaurants served food at the event. Attendees have the opportunity to taste more than 450 of the award-winning wines from the 2024 Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition. The annual competition drew almost 3,000 entries from 22 countries, including 539 from Texas.

While attendees enjoyed all the food and wine, a panel of media judges awarded prizes in various categories. They recognized a range of dishes that included a no-doubt Houston classic in Goode Co.’s seafood campechana along with wood-grilled coconut shrimp from Pier 6 in San Leon, stuffed mushrooms from Texas winery Messina Hof, and chicken tenders from Raising Cane’s, which paired well with Beau Joie Brut Champagne AOC, the wine competition’s Grand Champion Best of Show.

Upper Kirby Japanese restaurant Money Cat earned the Rookie Award for its Filipino-inspired bistec bao. Eculent's Alice in Wonderland-inspired display earned it another Outstanding Showmanship award.

Cotton Culinary’s “Duck Duck Crunch,” smoked duck with jalapeño jam over a crispy cheese cracker, narrowly missed out on earning People’s Choice for the third year in a row. Instead, Grazia Italian Kitchen earned the belt buckle for its risotto with smoked wagyu chuck eye and a blueberry-rosemary-garlic-port reduction.

Some of the night’s favorites from the non-winners included spicy penne pasta from Pastore, five-spice brisket slider from Jūn, and Brennan’s classic turtle soup.

Best Bites serves as the unofficial kick-off to Rodeo season ahead of the trail rides and barbecue cook-off. Those who missed the festivities have the opportunity to sample some of the winning wines in the Rodeo's wine garden, and many of the bottles will be auctioned off at the Rodeo Uncorked! Champion Wine Auction & Dinner on Sunday, February 25.

Here’s the full list of winners:

People’s Choice Award
First Place: Grazia Italian Kitchen
Second Place: Cotton Culinary

Cotton Holdings took second place in the People's Choice category.Photo courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Outstanding Showmanship Award
First Place: Eculent
Second Place: Sheshe Treats

Tasty Tradition Award
First Place: Messina Hof Harvest Green Winery & Kitchen – Stuffed mushrooms
Second Place: Cultivated F+B – Buckshot

Trailblazer Appetizer Award
First Place: Pier 6 Seafood – Wood grilled coconut shrimp
Second Place: Goode Co. – Campechana
Third Place: Loro – Curried brisket rice

Lone Star Entrée Award
First Place: Raising Cane’s – Chicken fingers on garlic butter Texas toast with Cane’s sauce
Second Place: The Capital Grille – Kona-crusted dry-aged sirloin finished with a shallot butter sauce and au gratin potatoes
Third Place: Grazia Italian Kitchen – R-C Ranch smoked wagyu chuck eye pancetta risotto topped with a blueberry, rosemary garlic port reduction

Two-Steppin’ Dessert Award
First Place: Egghaus Gourmet – Strawberry Tres leches croissant
Second Place: 1848 Handcrafted Heritage Ice Cream – Raspberry white chocolate & vanilla verrine
Third Place: Guzel Cakes – Perfect Love (Vanilla pudding cake with strawberry cheesecake)