Bludorn in Houston is Aaron Bludorn's Gulf Coast fine-dining room on Taft Street, opened 2020, with a lobster pot pie that broke nationally and a serious Gulf-seafood pantry.
Must order: Lobster pot pie. Whole branzino for two. The duck breast with stone fruit in season.
Tip: Bar seats face the open kitchen and serve the same menu. Book the patio if the weather is sub-30C.
Address: 807 Taft St, Houston, TX 77019
Theodore Rex in Houston is Justin Yu's Nance Street bistro, a Michelin-recommended relaxed fine-dining room, a sequel to his closed Oxheart with a tomato toast across the seasons.
Order: Tomato toast in summer. Whatever is on the blackboard with stone fruit in late summer. The pork chop in autumn.
Tip: Bar is walk-in and the best seat. Arrive at opening, 5pm Thursday through Monday.
Uchi Houston is Tyson Cole's James Beard-winning Japanese room in Montrose since 2012, with hama chili, untraditional sushi and one of the city's strongest omakase counters.
Order: Sit at the sushi bar and order omakase off-menu. If a la carte, hama chili and maguro-and-goat-cheese.
Tip: Sushi happy hour 5 to 6:30pm Sunday to Thursday is the city's best deal. Bar seats only.
Xochi in Houston is Hugo Ortega's Oaxacan dining room at the Marriott Marquis downtown, a James Beard winner with seven moles, a tasting menu and a masa bar in view.
Order: Mole tasting flight. The chichilo (one of the harder moles). House-made tlayuda.
Tip: Lunch tasting at $48 is the value entry. Sit at the masa bar to watch the corn ground fresh.
Pappas Bros Steakhouse Downtown is the Houston steakhouse on McKinney Street with a 4,000-bottle James Beard outstanding wine program, dry-aged ribeyes and cellar-aged Bordeaux by the glass.
Order: 28-day dry-aged bone-in ribeye. Creamed spinach. Ask the sommelier for a glass of older Bordeaux.
Tip: The wine list is unrivalled in the city. The Galleria-area location on Westheimer serves the same menu but with a busier room.
Killen's Steakhouse in Pearland is Ronnie Killen's white-tablecloth steakhouse on West Broadway, with a 1,200-bottle wine tower, 44-Farms wagyu and dry-aged cuts off the side menu.
Order: The bone-in ribeye, dry-aged. Le Cordon Bleu mashed potatoes. The wagyu flight when offered.
Tip: Pearland is south of downtown Houston; 25 minutes drive. The bar serves the full menu and is easier than the dining room.
Brennan's of Houston is the 1967 Texas Creole dining room on Smith Street, the New Orleans Brennan family's Houston outpost, with turtle soup, bananas Foster tableside and Sunday jazz brunch.
Order: Turtle soup with sherry. Bananas Foster, flambeed tableside, to close. Pecan-crusted Gulf fish at dinner.
Tip: Sunday jazz brunch is the local routine. Reserve the courtyard if the temperature stays under 30C.
