Dining - A Little Bit Of Everything

Without a doubt, diners have a serious dilemma: so many delectable, delicious, delightful dining decisions! “Houston restaurant eating, I think it’s the best there is, especially if you’re willing to get out and look around,” says Houston restaurateur Dan Tidwell. “There are the must-see restaurants. But there are also so many small places, so much culture, so much variety. When you think how many square miles this city covers, it really is 25 different cities.”

Twenty-five … at least. Food critic John DeMers quips that he “ate his way through 128 foreign countries before settling in Houston — which is approximately the same thing.”

To start your tasting of the city’s culinary personas, start with the obvious: Houston is Texan, which makes barbecue a must-taste – beef, of course, and cooked in black barrels over mesquite and pecan wood, served with chile-piquant sauce simmered with a dash of vinegar. That famous Texas beef also means a city full of steakhouses – every variety from cigar-chomping gentleman’s clubs to romantic couple’s snuggeries. Several must-see restaurants have chefs who regularly grace the pages of Gourmet and Bon Appetit. This is a city that’s made for a chef’s creative palates.

Houston is the Bayou City, which means we love our seafood; huge shrimp fresh off the boat year-round is a delight locals take for granted. And we have many a Louisiana émigré serving up high-end Creole or roll-up-your-sleeves Cajun.

Houston’s Mexican dining treasures could fill volumes. Start with Tex-Mex, that addictive gastronomy of cheesy enchiladas and puffy tacos, imbibed with pitchers of frozen margaritas or brown bottles of Dos XX with lime, which can be as fun a dinner as any. But then try some heart-of-Mexico cuisine (Mex-Mex, as one dubs it), with rich, complex moles and sauces made with toasted pumpkin seeds and chipotle, heady flavors offered from fine dining establishments to humble taco stands.

The multinational side of the city comes to life in restaurants featuring Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian and Middle Eastern foods.

As the New York Times reported in a recent travel article, “In the end, maybe … what makes Houston such an unusual and wonderful place – there are so many different Houstons to see.” And to taste!