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The east wall’s floor-to-ceiling windows overlook Tranquility Park and downtown. An elegant setting for fun with food – opening act, crawfish taquitos, mudbugs snuggled in hand-made tortillas with smooth jalapeno-spiced sauce. Food snobs bristle are uncomfortable choosing a entrée from column A and a sauce from column B while relaxed diners realise the menu is planned so all pairings please. Michael Cordua, of Americas and Churrascos, brings his celebrated tres leche dessert to his latest venture. Caveat: valet prices are ridiculous.
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Oh come on, even hick boomtowns on a bayou are entitled to traditions – Brennan’s is one of the city’s finest. Chef Carl Walker pleases the old guard using signature dishes such as clay-crusted salmon and Creole turtle soup while appealing to curious foodies by insisting on fresh local and artesian ingredients. Chef for a Day events offer an all-day intense immersion crash course in cookery which concludes with dinner for five.
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welcome reaction to years of fusion, this kitchen keeps it simple and starts with ingredients that are have enough star quality to go solo. Atone for years of honey-glazed hams with a single serving of Laurier’s roast pork loin, daubed with chipotle sauce evoking sweetness with tart citrus. No vertical food, no pretending tobacco’s a garnish, just chef/owner Gary Fuller’s unerring instincts.
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Chef Mark Cox has a devoted following comprising executives, the art crowd, and suburbanites. Simple roast meats are the base of the menu, contrasting accents and unlikely but effective pairings make meals special. His funky converted church turns feats for diners with frisky dishes such as roast quail served with down-home side of grits and a sophisticated vinaigrette.
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You’ll be forgiven for doubting that excellent food is served in establishments with a self-serve salad bar, bread bar, and dessert bar. The cowboy kitsch – stuffed rattlesnakes everywhere you look and a herd of taxidermy longhorns mounted on the walls – may raise further questions. One bite of this gaudy steakhouse’s excellent beef, prepared exactly as you requested will assuage any fears. Need another surprise? The wine list rivals Houston’s finest.
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