LOCAL Houston | The City Guide FEBRUARY 2015 | Page 27
Local February 2015 final.qxp_002houston 1/26/15 1:57 PM Page 27
SAL Y PIMIENTA
$$$ South American | 818 Town & Country Blvd. Ste. 105 |
832.849.0097 | www.salypimientakitchen.com
For starters, good bets are the empanadas or the traditional iron skillet
proveleto cheese. If you’re like me, something lighter, like delicious
mango salad drizzled with a tango mango vinaigrette, will surely
please. Plan to devote the bulk of your meal to the beautiful meat
selections, because this is where Sal y Pimienta shines.
en, two pounded pieces of moist chicken covered in a crispy buttermilk
batter, then topped in a country sausage gravy and served over dirty
rice. Um, yum! I love, love, loved the Grilled Kobe Dog, the very definition of gourmet comfort food.
–Mai Pham
KENNY & ZIGGY’S
$$$ Delicatessen | 2327 Post Oak Blvd. | 713.871.8883
www.kennyandziggys.com
I need to rave about the triple-decker wonder of corned beef and pastrami (cured right there for 45 days) on artisan rye. And the chicken
soup. And the sinfully sumptuous slab of cheesecake. For four. The
menu is huge! Do yourself a favor. Enjoy this authentic food. But bring
–Jeff Lane
friends. It’s just too much for one appetite.
KUU
$$$ Modern Sushi | 947 Gessner Rd. #A180 | 713.446.1688
www.kuurestaurant.com
Plan to start dinner with a crafted cocktail featuring seasonal ingredients like freshly squeezed beet juice or lychee puree. Then, sit back and
enjoy the show as you indulge in delicately plated sashimi starters, like
the Truffle Japanese Sea Bream or the Kanpaccio, in which thin slices
of kanpachi are laid against wedges of Texas orange and finished off
with a drizzle of yuzu-soy vinaigrette. If the chef is offering a nightly
special, don’t hesitate, because he can whip up sumptuous dishes on
the fly, like the seared hamachi belly with citrus and plums that we
–Mai Pham
ordered one night (total foodgasm!).
LILLO & ELLA
$$$ Pan-Asian Street Food
2307 Ella Blvd. | 281.888.5335 | www.lilloandella.com
The large dinner menu has a nice assortment of bar bites like the sweet
with a kick chipotle and honey edamame and shared bites like the
addictive five-spice spare ribs with summer melon slaw or the super-delish Thai muu noodles – ground pork and chili tossed with thin noodles,
long beans, bean sprouts and herbs. Good bets for mains include yogurt
and curry shrimp skewers and soft-shell crab served with cucumber
–Jodie Eisenhardt
salad and Korean chili.
MASCALZONE
$$$ Italian
1550 Shepherd | 713.862.9700 | www.ilmascalzone.com
Preparing all of their ingredients in-house for sauces, pizzas and pastas with
mostly organic ingredients, there is a strong commitment to quality. Utilizing a
state-of-the-art wood-fired Marana Forni pizza oven, the pies come out fast
with a crispy, flavorful crust and fantastic yeast pockets. –Jodie Eisenhardt
–Mai Pham
MR. PEEPLES
$$$$ Steakhouse
1911 Bagby | 713.652.0711 | www.mrpeeples.com
Steaks and seafood are the specialties, but the menu is packed with
delicious descriptions and creative titles. There are banquet and meeting facilities on the second floor with state-of-the-art audio and visual
systems for business conferences, receptions, private parties, et al. So
there are plenty of reasons to return.
SONGKRAN THAI KITCHEN
$$$ Modern Thai | 1101-08 Uptown Park Blvd. | 713.993.9096 |
www.songkranthaikitchen.com
The Nam Tok, a cold beef salad with red onions, peanuts and a limefish sauce vinaigrette transported me to the streets of Bangkok (this
will definitely become one of my go-to dishes). The Khai Luk Koei sonin-law eggs, deep fried for a lightly caramelized outer shell and served
in a tamarind sauce on an iron skillet, is also a thing of beauty, with
these amazing textures, and again, that deep tasty flavor intrinsic to
–Mai Pham
Thai food.
–Jeff Lane
MUSEUM PARK CAFE
$$ New American
1801 Binz | 713.520.0109 | www.museumparkcafe.com
For dinner, housemade pastas are a must, like the exquisite gnocchi
with roasted mushrooms and a hit of acidic heat from pickled chiles
balanced by wild arugula. Protein options do not disappoint, either –
consider the Black Hills Ranch pork roast, served with creamy polenta, roasted winter veggies and toasted walnuts. Pastry Chef wiz Chris
Leung is the icing on the cake (so to speak) with his innovative,
scrumptious desserts. I’m currently obsessed with mascarpone semi–Jodie Eisenhardt
freddo. Mmm.
NARA
$$$$ Sushi & Korean Kitchen
2800 Kirby Dr. | 281.249.5944 | www.narahouston.com
Nara brings with it its Japanese strength in the art of sushi and sashimi.
Only the freshest fish make the cut here, and it’s undeniable in the
taste. Think delicious steamed soft buns full of delicious fillings. From
prime boneless short-rib, prime rib-eye and pork belly to market veggies
or peppercorn tuna – the options are endless and divine.
–Jeff Lane ()A`