LIBERTY KITCHEN & OYSTER BAR
1050 Studewood at 11th Street, 713-802-0533
For a Gulf Coast city, we don’t have nearly enough oyster bars. So we’re awfully happy that Liberty Kitchen saw fit to add “& Oyster Bar” to its name. The kitchen is under the direction of chef Lance Fegen (founding chef at Glass Wall and BRC), and if the food is not graceful, it is very good, with big flavors and hearty portions. Think: oyster stew (shades of Grand Central Oyster Bar!) and gumbo, lots of hefty “guy food” (burgers, cedar-plank salmon, po’boys) and breakfast all day long. It looks and feels casual – kind of shack-like – though the prices are a little higher than you expect.
LINE & LARIAT
220 Main at Congress in Hotel Icon, 832-667-4470
Line & Lariat is still a work in progress – it officially bowed in last October – as the new owners/managers have not quite finished their rebranding of the former Voice restaurant into a Gulf Coast-centric restaurant. Tommy Birdwell (exec chef at TQLA) was hired to consult on the new menu, and David Luna (opening chef at Flora & Muse) is the exec chef. Current menu items include a changing soup-of-the-day, crabcakes with spicy remoulade, fried oysters and steaks.
LOUISIANA HOMESTYLE KITCHEN
16950 Ella Blvd. south of FM 1960 West, 281-580-8400
Denis Wilson (of Denis’ Seafood fame and the late Jimmy Wilson’s Seafood & Chop House) and long-time sidekick Ellen Gonzalez opened this casual Cajun-Creole spot opened in early December. They’re serving all kinds of free-range chicken dishes, including fried chicken and chicken fricassee, as well as smothered pork chops, pot roast, crawfish etouffee, gumbo, dirty rice, maque choux, skillet cornbread and more.
MALA SICHUAN BISTRO
9348 Bellaire Blvd. bet. Ranchester & Corporate, 713-995-1889
The new darling of serious foodies is this trim and tidy little Chinese spot in the northwest corner of the Metropole Center. It’s been open a few months and strikes a nice balance between being accessible to non-Chinese (the menu includes English translations, the service is friendly, use of the word “bistro”) while feeling and tasting authentic. We especially liked the house special cold noodles, steamed ribs with crushed rice (hacked into small pieces for gnawing, served on the weekends only) and eggplants in spicy garlic sauce. Next time we’ll screw up our courage to try red oil rabbit, “Top Notch Pot of the Outlaws,” perhaps even the crispy and spicy pork intestines. No wine or beer is sold, but there is satisfying jasmine tea. Cori Xiong is the owner.
NABI
1517 Westheimer bet. Montrose & Dunlavy, 713-526-8866, nabihouston.com
This neighborly restaurant, which takes over the Tomo location on a heavy-weight restaurant row, is from owner/exec chef Ji Kang. Like its predecessor, Nabi does serve sushi, but there’s much more to enjoy here, such as pulled barbecue pork, red chile oil-dressed edamame, Korean-style fried chicken, ramen noodles, tempura and fried dumplings. Other attractions include service-industry night on Monday evenings, “happi” day 4 pm to midnight when select sushi rolls are half-price and $10 bottomless hot sake on Monday nights after 9 pm.
ROOST
1972 Fairview at Hazard, 713-523-7667
Roost’s chef/owner Kevin Naderi served as sous chef at Haven alongside chef Randy Evans since its opening (and before that at Brennan’s) and it’s easy to see that solid grounding in this new farm-to-table restaurant. This spaced used to be Latina Cafe, and it’s small, cramped even, but in a way that isn’t objectionable. Everything is humble, kind of mismatched and truly charming. A recent dinner included a starter of roasted cauliflower dressed with miso dressing, pine nuts and scallions and showered with shaved bonito. Flatiron steak, perfectly rare as ordered, came with pecan romesco, roasted mushrooms and chimichurri sauce, while diver scallops had a curried lentils and grape tomato “raita.” Dessert: Don’t pass on the donut holes with crushed pistachios, salted caramel and coffee ice cream.
TORCHY’S TACOS
2411 S. Shepherd slightly north of Westheimer, 713-595-8226, www.torchystacos.com
This Austin import (number 10 in the chain) opened on December 7, taking over the “cursed” South Shepherd location that previously housed Cafe Zol, Sabetta and Greatfull Taco. If you’re planning on visiting Torchy’s during the lunch rush, anticipate a line out the door (unless you think ahead and order online, which is your ticket to the front of the line). Just like in Austin, the menu is written on a chalkboard behind the counter, and the staff is friendly, ready to help you create your perfect meal. Recommended: green chile queso, “The Democrat” (shredded beef barbacoa taco) and the
“Trailer Park,’ which features fried chicken.
TRINITI
2815 S. Shepherd bet. Westheimer & W. Alabama, 832-582-5958
Triniti was one of the most anticipated Houston restaurant openings of 2011, and when it debuted on Christmas Eve it did not disappoint. It’s under the leadership of Ryan Hildebrand, formerly of Bistro Provence, Textile and Gravitas, and he’s supported in the kitchen by Greg Lowery (formerly at Voice). The space is vast, a large rectangular building that has housed a few prior businesses, including Fox Diner, Los Tonyos Cantina and, more recently, Club Pravada. An arty, glass bar with a deliberately unfinished concrete base holds promise for future happy hours, while a modern porch with gurgling water fountains outside will be great for small groups when the weather warms up again. The food is highly creative, whimsical, sometimes challenging, impossible to pigeonhole.
VIDA SEXY TEX MEX
4218 San Felipe just west of the railroad tracks, 713-961-9200
The “sexy” in Vida’s name is likely to keep away far more people than it attracts. It just seems so, um, cheesy. Here’s the thinking: This is a Mexican restaurant for adults (no kids allowed) where said grown-ups can drink and eat and even carouse a bit. (Houston has plenty of kid-friendly Tex-Mex restaurants, opines co-owner Yvonne Melcher.) The setting is dark, with deep purple and red walls and, there are some vintage-y Federico Archuleta paintings along one wall (and, curiously, dog paintings along another wall – a nod to the owners’ commitment to animal rescue work). The chips and salsa (smoky and warm) are outstanding, as are the various enchiladas (pulled pork among them) and the fried oysters. Our margarita arrived with a gorgeous little orchid on the lip of the glass. We liked this restaurant, which opened last summer, despite initial misgivings. Note: The manager’s card and the website do not have “Sexy” in the restaurant name. Perhaps a discreet rebranding is underway?
