LOCAL Houston | The City Guide May 2018 | Page 30

FOOD | ARTS | COMMUNITY | STYLE+LEISURE PERFECT PAIR If we may for just a moment resort to rankings of our own devising, entertainment. Sitting in one of the best vintage shopping centers in the so focused and right on all the time – it's really a delight. Anyway, we have no intention of stopping anyone who thinks they alone we’re crowning STATE OF GRACE (SoG) as our city’s best restau- city, the classic, cool exterior of SoG draws you into the epitome of if we had the capacity, we’d eat everything on it, and the chef's should enjoy this meal. Served with both, at least to us, the perfect rant. Any given Sunday (or Monday or Tuesday or, yes, any day of brick, leather, tile, hardwoods, stone, brass, mounted game and so counter – if you can get in, you have to do it. But for most meals, amount and taste of mole, the virtual half duck carnitas-style makes the week) between the ambiance, staff, kitchen, et al., you’re getting many great details in between. No detail is spared on the decor, and we’ll happily socialize with the city's finest diners in the boisterous yet for simply wonderful tacos. Cotija cheese, pickled onion, peppers the best overall meal in our city. 100 emoji. Talk about fine art and no detail is spared on the food. The menu runs amok but yet remains business-appropriate dining or oyster room. We can’t forget to men- and, of course, the signature microgreens and radishes top the dish tion the bar program with around 50 pages of wine, its own creative when served. And damn those warm bacon fat tortillassssss…The LA cocktails, and of course martinis and old fashioneds flying off to table PARILLA, which is, uh, nice and hot, is one heck of a drink. “Be pre- after table...it hums along perfectly like all other aspects and is also pared” we were warned when served. It looks innocent enough on a great place to sit for a meal. ice, in a rocks glass, but that reposado tequila with blistered serrano pepper infusion is hiding within the triple sec, grilled lime and mezcal This month‘s Perfect Pair, picked by staff consensus, embodies the floater, with smoked salt on the glass adding to the innocence. “Be restaurant. Southern, Gulf Coast, Latin, Asian, American – all ac- prepared”... but really only that first sip. After that it‘s pure joy in a counted for. *Speaking of, the DUCK CARNITAS (an item on the glass. And paired with the duck, it's a wonderful blend of smoke, original menu we should note) has the (*for two) in parens because spice, heat and panache. This is State of Grace. 04.21.2018 3:11pm By Mike Cook | Photography by Anthony Rathbun LA PARILLA + DUCK CARNITAS 30 L O C A L | 5 . 2018 STATE OF GRACE 3258 Westheimer | Houston, TX 77098 | 832.942.5080 www.stateofgracetx.com | [email protected] Twitter@stateofgracehou | instagram.com/stateofgracetx | facebook.com/StateofGraceTX 5 . 2018 | L O C A L 31