Houston Restaurant Week Is Your Chance to Try These Award-Winning Spots
Our recommendation: use this as a chance to visit some of the city's most awarded restaurants, especially if you haven't gotten to them yet. We pulled together a list of Michelin-starred spots and Eater Award winners from this decade, looked over their $55 per person dinner deals, and included a list of what we would order from the offerings.
4210 Roseland Street in Houston
For our first course, we would get the Patatas Bravas BCN with spicy oil and aioli. The second course has to be grilled duck breast served with quince, Idiazábal cheese sauce, pine nuts, and a balsamic vinegar reduction. We'd finish with a third course of Tarta de Santiago, an almond cake with homemade lemon marmalade.
5500 Main Street, Suite 122 in Houston
First course of cured salmon with melon, creme fraîche, marinated cucumber, and croutons. Second course of Green Circle chicken with shallot coulis, haricot vert, and cashew chili crunch. Finish with a third course of caramel sabayon made with Valrhona Guanaja dark chocolate cremeux and salty caramel sabayon.
9061 Gaylord Drive, Suite 200 in Houston
At this restaurant, which we coined as the place we'd most want to be a regular last year, we would start with the chilled corn soup with poblano, lime creme fraiche, and chilli oil. Second course has to be branzino with succotash, romesco, and radish. We'd end with the chocolate mousse with miso caramel and a flourless biscuit.
3001 South Shepherd Drive in Houston
It's all about the seafood at our 2023 best new restaurant winner, and we'd go hard on Texas options. For the first course, we would go for the Gulf shrimp and andouille gumbo with potato salad. Second has to be the Texas redfish served with heirloom tomato sauce vierge. Finally, end with the tropical rum parfait with spiced rum cake, coconut chantilly, and mango pineapple compote.
3 Waterway Square Place, Unit 100 in The Woodlands
The chicken tikki sampler is the place to start at our 2023 Restaurant of the Year. Second, we'd order the Malabar prawn curry with coconut kokum sauce. We'd finish with the cardamom chocolate mousse served with jaggery caramel.
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
He earned a Michelin star, but all he really wants to do is sell ice cream
There are more than 3,000 restaurants in the world with at least one Michelin star. Only one of them is dedicated solely to ice cream, and you'll have to travel to Taiwan to experience it. Located in an alley in the city of Taichung, next to the tree-lined Calligraphy Greenway boulevard, Minimal's spartan gray and dark charcoal façade is a stark contrast to the sweet, colorful treats served inside. Founded by chef Arvin Wan in 2021, it's included in the Michelin Guide's 2024 Taiwan edition, which was unveiled last August. But just a few months after receiving that star, Wan took a bold step that highlights the pressures many chefs face — he did away with Minimal's tasting menu, which was served in a separate dining space, opting to sell takeaway scoops only. 'I had been contemplating this decision before the [2024 Michelin] ceremony,' Wan tells CNN Travel. 'I've always wanted to sell ice cream and only ice cream. The tasting menu was a temporary journey for me to explore the flavors and possibilities of iced desserts. I learned a lot in the process, which will benefit my ice cream-making. But sustaining it would demand more of my time and energy on plating and service — time and resources I could have spent on ice cream. I chose the latter.' The 20-seat dining section, on Minimal's second floor, offered a creative seven-course menu that focused on the various temperatures of its dishes, including a -5° Celsius (23° Fahrenheit) shaved ice dessert and a bowl of very chilly -196° C (-321° F) ice crystals. The menu, piloted in 2023, clearly impressed Michelin Guide inspectors. 'Focusing on ice and ice cream, the restaurant skillfully layers flavors and textures through temperature variations and creative combinations, using unique local ingredients from Taiwan,' says the Michelin Guide's write-up on Minimal. 'The meticulous flavors, delicacy and mature, skillful techniques all impressed us and reached a higher level, warranting a Michelin star.' Whether they'll still feel that way now that he's gotten rid of his dining space is out of his hands, Wan says, telling CNN Travel that all the added attention made it challenging to devote time to his true passion — the ice cream. He won't have to wait long to find out — the 2025 edition of the Taiwan Michelin Guide will be unveiled on August 19. A different kind of ice cream shop Wan has been fascinated with the cold treat since childhood. Observing how little ice cream shops have evolved compared to their food and beverage counterparts, such as restaurants and bars, he was determined to build something different. Since becoming the world's first Michelin-starred ice cream shop in 2024, Minimal has become a culinary attraction, luring ice cream lovers from near and far. Hopeful patrons line up patiently every Friday through Monday, often waiting over an hour until the last scoop is sold out around 4 p.m. 'After gaining a star, the biggest change for us has been the increased business and attention,' he says, his tone a mix of pride and concern. 'But other than that, I haven't changed much. I just want an ice cream store. No one should have to wait an hour for ice cream, or any food, for that matter.' When asked if opening another shop could ease wait times, Wan says he doesn't plan to leverage his success to expand his business — for now at least. His reluctance to scale up makes sense, considering the complexity of his offerings — these are not your run-of-the-mill flavors. Take one of his gelatos, featuring olive oil, oolong tea and magnolia leaf. To extract the most from each ingredient, he slowly condenses steeped tea to maximize its fragrance. Milk is blended in afterward, in powder form, to avoid diluting the flavor. To compensate for the decreased aroma from the tea leaves during the brewing process, magnolia leaves and olive oil are added to enhance the flavor, giving it a dose of freshness. 'An ice cream only consists of four elements — fats, proteins, sugar and liquid. What I want to do is to rethink each of these elements and play them to the extreme for that ideal flavor, without adding anything extra,' explains Wan. Every batch of ice cream, even those with tested and confirmed recipes, requires a lot of tasting and adjusting. The complexity of each batch makes it difficult for Wan and his small team to produce large quantities. 'Instead of risking a dip in quality or sacrificing work-life balance, I want to focus on what I can handle for now,' he says. Life in a pressure cooker CNN Travel has reached out to Michelin for comment on its judging process. According to the official website, a Michelin star is awarded based on five criteria: the quality of the ingredients, the harmony of flavors, the mastery of techniques, the personality of the chef as expressed through their cuisine, and consistency across the menu and over time. It stresses that a Michelin star is awarded only for the food on the plate — not the decoration, style, formality or service of a restaurant. Restaurants don't need to offer a tasting menu to receive a star. However, Minimal's no-seating policy could seal Wan's fate. 'I guess about 70% of our star was awarded because of our tasting menu,' says Wan. 'But they did sing praises to our ice cream as well. If we don't get a star because of (our latest decision), then it's meant to be. If we still get a star as an ice cream store, then it'll mean much more to me.' Wan certainly isn't the first chef to make an unconventional decision after receiving a star from the industry's most sought-after gourmet bible. Acclaimed TV show 'The Bear' offers a fictional but somewhat realistic account of just how hard chefs need to work to get that star. Which makes it all the more surprising when one of them suddenly decides they're no longer willing to play the game. 'The culinary industry's obsession extends beyond Michelin stars to other accolades like the 'World's 50 Best',' says Agnes Chee, a Hong Kong-based international food critic. 'While it's understandable for chefs and restaurants to pursue recognition — both for personal achievement and business success — the problem arises when some chefs lack self-awareness. 'They become completely driven by these rankings, prioritizing constant media and social media exposure over actual cooking and culinary development… This represents the negative impact of such awards on the industry, as human nature tends to lose itself in the glare of accolades.' While a star from the Michelin Guide serves as an achievement and often brings lucrative business opportunities, some restaurateurs have spoken out about the stresses of keeping it. Chef Michel Roux Jr. surprised everyone by closing his two-star Michelin restaurant, Le Gavroche, in London in 2024 to 'make time for a better work/life balance.' Meanwhile, the owners of the now-closed Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant Deanes EIPIC in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said it was not financially sustainable for them to keep going. Others have even taken Michelin to court. After suing the prestigious guide over an unfavorable review of his soufflé, chef Marc Veyrat earlier this year decided to ban Michelin inspectors from visiting his new venture Le Restaurant. In Wan's case, he says he still holds immense respect for the guide but believes it shouldn't dictate his happiness. His goal has always been simple — make delicious ice cream. 'In this age of overwhelming information from anyone, I think awards like the Michelin Guide serve as an objective and authoritative voice to clear the fog,' he says. 'But at the same time, it might be tempting for chefs to guess what the guide wants or to follow a path they think might earn them a star. You may lose your own way as a result. I find it even more frightening to lose myself than to lose a star.' What makes the perfect cup of ice cream? These days, Wan is content, telling CNN Travel he sells about 300 cups of ice cream per day. 'We can't do more than what we're selling really,' he says while scraping creamy gelato from a tub, gently nudging and spreading it to the side a few times before scooping out a smooth and cold serving into a cup. For this ice cream perfectionist, each scoop needs to be executed with just the right technique and a dose of patience, every cup leaving his hands with a uniform ridge. This ensures the ice cream's texture is extra smooth and melts more slowly. 'Fragrances and flavors are released more as temperature rises,' says Wan. 'I want my ice cream to melt two seconds after you put it in your mouth, rather than one second. It just tastes better.' Food critic Chee agrees with Wan's choice to refocus on his true passion — the ice cream. 'While Minimal's decision might appear 'unwise' at first glance, it actually reflects a very grounded mindset,' she says. 'The owner understands that regardless of any star ratings, their true professionalism lies in making excellent ice cream. Customer satisfaction ultimately matters more than award recognition.' And when it comes down to it, she says Minimal really is special. 'Having their ice cream is akin to having a whole dessert course — so flavorful and delicate.'
Eater
12 hours ago
- Eater
A Sneak Peek at the Stunning Dishes Debuting at the Happy Crane
is the regional editor for Eater's Northern California/Pacific Northwest sites, writing about restaurant and bar trends, upcoming openings, and pop-ups for the San Francisco Bay Area, Portland, Seattle, and Denver. Chef James Yeun Leong Parry is opening his highly anticipated modern Cantonese restaurant the Happy Crane on Friday, August 8. This is the crowning achievement of his culinary career thus far, which spans Michelin-starred restaurants in Hong Kong (Bo Innovation), Japan (Nihonryori RyuGin), and the United States (Benu). For the last year or so, he's been touring the Happy Crane around San Francisco as a pop-up. Fittingly, he's found a home in the location of Benu chef Corey Lee's former restaurant, Monsieur Benjamin, in the busy Gough Street corridor. His vision is 'to represent something that feels authentic, that is rooted in traditional flavors,' he says, but given its San Francisco location, the Happy Crane will also be taking advantage of local seasonal produce with a mashup of traditional and modern cooking techniques. 'What I hoped to represent is food that doesn't look overly complicated, but actually in the back end, that's where the work is,' Parry says. 'The real hard work is in the preparation and the techniques.' Read on for the inspiration and details behind four dishes on the Happy Crane menu. XO Little Fry King Jeremy Chiu Parry calls the XO Little Fry King, 'a wok dish that's super flavorful, very umami-forward.' It's a street food made in dai pai dongs, or food stalls in Hong Kong, incorporating vegetables and dried seafood, like shrimp and fish. In Parry's version, he focuses more on folding in fresh seafood. Cantonese food is highly seafood-focused, and that's something that he is passionate about. Parry will change this dish with the seafood 'seasons'; at the restaurant launch, the dish stars abalone, but he hopes to swap in shrimp or firefly squid when it's the right time of year. Parry works around the chewy qualities of the abalone through Japanese knife techniques, tenderizing it with thin knife cuts before lightly steaming the meat. This gives the abalone, as Parry puts it, 'the right amount of bite, but it's not overly chewy and still showcases the freshness of the ingredient.' The abalone is then stir-fried with bay shrimp, salted duck leg in place of the more traditional Jinhua ham, Chinese chive flowers, Jimmy Nardello peppers, bean sprouts, and cashew nuts. It offers different textures with the chewiness of the abalone, the crunch of the vegetables, and the umami notes of the XO sauce. 'It looks simple, but actually there's real tension and thought behind it — and it's tasty,' Parry says. The XO sauce is worthy of its own write-up. As Parry explains, 'It's a labor of love in that there's just a lot of steps, then the yield is quite small.' As Jinhua ham is not allowed into the United States, he is instead making a duck ham, air drying it in the walk-in and adding it to his XO recipe, along with dried scallop and shrimp, raw and dried chiles, garlic, and shallots. The sauce then marinates for six days before it's used in this stir-fry dish. Eventually the team will scale up the amount of XO they make, but for now, this is the only dish it stars in. 'Truthfully, the reason for that is, I'm really stingy about it,' Parry says, laughing. 'It's so labor-intensive.' Crab rice roll Jeremy Chiu Parry admits that cheung fan, or rice rolls, are more of a dim sum brunch dish, 'but I wanted to serve it as a dinner item, almost like a noodle, where we freshly mill the rice ourselves,' he says. He does not include any flour in his batter; instead, the bouncy, chewy gelatinous texture is achieved through soaked jasmine rice ground on a stone, then steamed. Parry's rice roll is a nod to another dish, similar to a hor fun with gravy — a less common dish at restaurants, he says — so his version comes with a sauce made of crab butter made of crab shells, chicken stock, and Shaoxing wine. The rice rolls are then dressed in this sauce and topped with Dungeness crab, Chinese celery, and yellow chives. Brent Wolfe quail Jeremy Chiu Parry admits he is also very passionate about Cantonese roast meats, and from the start, his team makes its own char siu, or Chinese barbecue pork; siu yuk, a Cantonese roast pork belly; and quail (with plans to expand the offerings down the line). He uses quails from Brent Wolfe, whom Parry calls one of the best quail purveyors in the country. For this dish, Parry takes Cantonese roast duck cooking methods and applies them to this smaller bird, dry-aging it up to six days for a crisp skin. The duck is marinated in their house-made five spice, along with ginger and fresh and dried spices, along with a glaze. The dish requires a three-step preparation: First, he cooks it at a low temperature before tossing it over a charcoal yakitori grill. It's then finished at a high temperature 'fry' where hot oil is ladled over the bird to crisp up the skin at the end. The bird is then served, bone-in, claw and all, with a side of Sichuan pepper-salt and fresh lime, plus salted, pickled Tokyo turnips to reset the palate. Mochi Rocher Jeremy Chiu Ferrero Rocher chocolates are a favorite gift to give family and friends around Chinese New Year, Parry says, and it serves as the inspiration for his dessert jian dui, or fried sesame dumplings. Traditionally filled with red bean paste or lotus seed, his version is instead filled with dark chocolate ganache and a candied, salted hazelnut, plus a chopped hazelnut exterior. Parry makes his dough with both rice flour and glutinous rice flour. The dark chocolate ganache is then portioned out with the candied hazelnut at the center, and frozen, before it's wrapped in the dough. The dumplings are then rolled in those toasted hazelnuts, rather than the usual sesame seeds, then fried to order. The result is a still-warm dumpling with a runny chocolate center; to complete the look, it's presented in a Ferrero Rocher-like wrapper. 'It's just a fun, fun way to end dinner, that's not too sweet,' Parry says. The Happy Crane (451 Gough Street) debuts Friday, August 8, and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations can be made via OpenTable. Jeremy Chiu Jeremy Chiu Eater SF All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Eater
13 hours ago
- Eater
Gymkhana, London's Two-Michelin-Starred Indian Restaurant, Is Opening at the Aria
A two-Michelin-starred restaurant out of London is landing on the Las Vegas Strip, bringing upscale Indian dining to the Aria Resort and Casino. Gymkhana will debut this fall with a design inspired by Indian social clubs, chaat-style sharing plates, and the refined cooking that made it one of London's most sought-after reservations. In London, Gymkhana was upgraded to two Michelin stars in 2024 after earning its first star in 2014 for its extensive Northern Indian-style menus, with standout dishes like tandoori masala lamb chops and kid goat methi keema. At Aria, the restaurant will focus on tandoor-grilled chicken, classic curries such as Goan prawn curry and pork cheek vindaloo, and fragrant biryanis, like a version made with wild venison, pomegranate, and mint raita. Gymkhana will also introduce new menu items exclusive to Las Vegas, along with a full bar program built around Indian-inspired cocktails. The restaurant will take over the former Julian Serrano Tapas space, which closed in February following legendary chef Julian Serrano's retirement. In London, Gymkhana spans two floors, designed with jewel-toned interiors, a vivid red basement dining room, and architectural elements influenced by Northern India. At Aria, the Las Vegas outpost will feature a bold forest green entrance, replacing Tapas' open format with double doors that lead into a mirror-flanked foyer and a dramatically warm interior. The restaurant was founded by siblings Jyotin, Karam, and Sunaina Sethi of JKS Restaurants, inspired by Indian social clubs where members of high society socialize, eat, drink, and play sports. Gymkhana is the first-ever upscale Indian restaurant to open on the Strip, which is surprising given the sheer number of restaurants and the breadth of Indian cuisine in the city. While Tamba, which opened earlier this year at Town Square, recently brought higher-end Indian cooking back to Las Vegas Boulevard, Gymkhana will be the first to bring a globally recognized Indian fine dining standard to the heart of the Strip. Gymkhana opens this fall, marking a rare moment for the Las Vegas Strip: the arrival of an acclaimed Indian fine dining restaurant — and a major win for the Aria, which hasn't seen a marquee opening since Cathédrale, whose brief two-year run ended in May.
