Across the 21st-century culinary landscape, there has been a plethora of exciting experimentation with vegetables. And we love that trend. But no fibrous green, root or legume surpasses the distinction of beef. Here in Houston, you’ll find a multitude of restaurants embracing this glossy, marbled protein. And since we’re in the best time of the year – rodeo season! – we’ve got a few recommendations for restaurants that go the extra mile in sourcing, creating and serving the beloved bovine.
FACÓN BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE
126 Vintage Park Blvd, 281-257-6100, faconhouston.com
This newish Vintage Park Brazilian steakhouse – it opened late December 2013 – is a journey outside our familiar restaurant-saturated Loop. And in true all-you-can-eat fashion, pounds of every protein in the book, including bright salmon, Chilean sea bass, juicy chicken and varnished beef, are prepared and served throughout the sumptuous feast. Using Certified Hereford Beef, the kitchen distributes skewers of salt- and pepper-seasoned, mesquite-smoked beef, including filet mignon and a house special picana – known as top sirloin cap – to exuberant patrons. “The picana is the house special in all churrascarias [Brazilian restaurants], and presents itself as a wonderful ratio between rich lean flavor and a succulent, smoky, fat cap that benefits from its slow roast over mesquite charcoal quite well,” explains executive chef Sean Skala.
KILLEN’S BARBECUE
3613 E Broadway St, Pearland, 281-485-2272, killensbarbecue.com
It’s impossible to spotlight local beef haunts without mentioning the master of bovine himself, Ronnie Killen, who also scooped up 2014’s Chef of the Year Award at My Table’s Houston Culinary Awards gala last October. As a busy Pearland restaurateur who owns and operates two wildly successful businesses – Killen’s Steakhouse as well as Killen’s Barbecue – Killen manages to conceive and serve well-flavored, charred beef cuts around the clock. Lately it’s his barbecue restaurant that has won over our taste buds. Brisket, ribs or sausage, select any piece of the steer that the crew wakes up at ungodly hours to smoke over a wood-fired pit, and you’ll get your fill. Arrive early to avoid the long lines (reminiscent of the DMV) to feast on the smoked meats. And like the best and most authentic barbecue spots, when it’s gone, it’s gone.
BERNIE’S BURGER BUS
5407 Bellaire Blvd, Bellaire, 713- 349-9400, berniesburgerbus.com
There is no shortage of burger establishments in our city, but few have garnered the same fanfare, awards and acclaim as Bernie’s Burger Bus, another Houston Culinary Awards winner. Whether it’s blue cheese-smeared burgers with bacon, mushrooms and crispy caramelized onions, a cheddar cheese-lathered Angus patty with house-made spicy salsa and guacamole, garlicky tomatoes, creamy chipotle aioli and crunchy tortilla strips, or sturdy sliders topped with applewood-smoked bacon, this food truck-turned-restaurant can wield its fair share of handheld edibles. “I was lucky at a very young age to work with amazing chefs who taught me the nuances of how to cook all the different cuts of meat,” says owner Justin Turner. “Becoming a great beef restaurant is unequivocally, hands-down all about quality. We pride ourselves on buying the best beef we can.” Wash down Bernie’s beef with a locally crafted brew or milky libation, such as the Fluffernutter – a thick ice cream milkshake made with peanut butter cookies and marshmallow Fluffernutter cookie crumble.
LINE & LARIAT
220 Main St, 832-667-4470, hotelicon.com
Line & Lariat, a gourmet restaurant inside Hotel Icon, doesn’t focus its efforts entirely on opulent beef fare, but it may fool its patrons into thinking otherwise. Dedicated to sourcing Texas-specific cuisine with an array of Gulf Coast, farm-grown and ranch-raised selections, Line & Lariat raises the bar with options like the Wagyu beef sliders, hearty ribeyes, filets and towering, all-natural beef burgers. What’s more, the restaurant’s décor resembles that of a ranch estate, reminiscent of interiors from the award-winning Texas film Giant, which inspires diners to feel right at home.
60 DEGREES MASTERCRAFTED
2300 Westheimer,713- 360-7757, 60degreesmastercrafted.com
When we first heard about the $200 goldleaf-embellished Bistro Burger at chef/owner Fritz Gitschner’s 60 Degrees Mastercrafted, we had our doubts. But that was before we put this menu to a taste test. Visit after visit, we’ve been surprised at both the execution and exceptionality of the restaurant’s cuisine, especially in regards to its livestock options. Showcasing orders like the necessarily shareable Cowboy Steak – a 30-ounce ribeye with chili corn sauce – the steak burger made with beef tender and a Wagyu beef strip steak, this ranch-style restaurant knows its way around the butcher’s block. And like Line & Lariat, 60 Degrees Mastercrafted’s wood-accented décor and livestock artwork transports diners straight to a scenic ranch that, crazily, dwells in the heart of Westheimer’s bustling traffic.
ELEVEN: ELEVEN RESTAURANT & BAR
607 West Gray, 713-529-5881, elevenxihouston.com
Executive Chef Kevin Bryant was raised on unfussy food, which works in his favor at Eleven: Eleven. “I was born and raised a steak-and-potato man, and I remember our family outings to buy a side of beef or two for the family. It was often a splurge, and we were more than happy to skip sides and dessert for a great piece of meat,” he says. Similar to a few of our other beef houses, Eleven: Eleven’s menu isn’t intended to pay such substantial homage to beef, but it sure does boast the robust protein well, with options like hand-cut beef tartare with a fried quail egg, Akaushi meatballs with ground candied jalapeños and a 12-ounce grass-fed ribeye.
JONATHAN’S THE RUB
9061 Gaylord Dr, 713-465-8200, jonathanstherub.com
What started as a catering service years ago has transformed itself into one of Houston’s most respected beef restaurants. An oldie but a goody, Jonathan’s the Rub never falters in generating mass quantities of beef. Using farm-raised Angus beef, executive chef and owner Jonathan Levine grills an assortment of olive oil-marinated steaks like the beef porterhouse, veal chop and a handful of other slices that are prepared with one of the restaurant’s five signature sauces: au poivre, black & blue, bearnaise, au jus and vera cruz. And not to forget, the crème de la crème of the whole operation: the Rub Burger – a colossal burger seasoned in a family-created spice rub and a hodgepodge of topping options, including sautéed avocado, chipotle mayo, chunky blue cheese and more.
CAFE PIQUET
5757 Bissonnet, 713-664-1031, cafepiquet.net
Cuban restaurants are fairly rare in Houston. [See A Little Havana In Houston in our December 2014-January 2015 issue for 10 recommended Cuban eateries.] While you’ll find more than enough hybrids, few places create such an authentic Cuban experience as Cafe Piquet. A trip down Bissonnet brings diners to this family-owned adobe-style building, and from there, the talented kitchen staff does the rest of the work. Cuban food is acclaimed for its hallmark beef dishes, like ropa vieja – shredded beef cooked in tomato and wine sauce – and beef empanadas. Cafe Piquet’s beef options, like the boliche – a roast stuffed with sausage and smothered in onion sauce – and the aforementioned dishes truly push the envelope. Two bits of advice: Expect large, family-style portions and always, always order the plantains.
BATANGA
908 Congress, 713-224-9500, batangahouston.com
Lively, spacious, romantic and yet unassuming, Batanga doesn’t prepare diners for the impressive beef dishes they subsequently find at this sprawling Downtown space. The steer isn’t the crux of the menu – provisions hail from ground to sea – but the grazing animal sure does work its magic. Championed by dishes like the grilled hanger steak, slow-roasted brisket tacos, Colombian-style empanadas and the substantial Batanga Burger – made with brisket, chuck, melted cheese and crispy challah buns – beef is heartily embraced by this trendy Latin American-style restaurant. Steal a seat on the twinkle light-illuminated brick patio with a cocktail in hand to savor these beef vittles.
FIELDING’S WOOD GRILL
1699 Research Forest Dr, Shenandoah, 832-616-3275, fieldings.com
At Fielding’s Wood Grill in the Woodlands, the kitchen’s commitment to sourcing Texas-raised, grass-fed Angus beef has sealed its spot on our list of Houston’s best beef houses. Using a meat market’s list of beef from cattle rancher 44 Farms in Cameron, Texas, Fielding’s chef Edel Gonçalves weaves together a curated collection of bovine, such as the Smoke Burger – a ground Angus beef burger surrounded by house-cured bacon, provolone, tomatoes and onions, an oozy fried egg, silky truffle bacon mustard, fresh lettuce and charred milk buns – and the substantial 10-ounce New York strip, amongst other steaks. And, no, you won’t need a slathering of A1 for these succulent meats.