Since news of the Michelin Guide expanding to Texas broke over the summer, much of the conversation among Houston foodies has centered around which restaurants will be awarded stars… and when? This week, one of those queries was addressed, as the Michelin Guide revealed that the awards for its very first Texas selection will be given on Monday, November 11, with Houston serving as the host city for the ceremony.
“We are delighted to be hosting the inaugural Michelin Guide Texas Ceremony in the vibrant city of Houston,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides. “Houston is full of culinary innovation and world class hospitality, which goes hand in hand with our values at the Michelin Guide. Together with Houston First, as well as the support of Travel Texas, we look forward to an evening of celebration as we toast to the restaurants that our Inspectors have chosen to award in Texas.”
Many will agree that the Texas guide is a long time coming. Michelin’s first North American Guide was published nearly 20 years ago for New York, with Texas becoming the 11th Michelin Guide destination in the continent, on the heels of Atlanta last year and Mexico this year. For its part, the city of Houston has a wealth of talent to be considered, and serving as the host for the inaugural Michelin Guide Texas Ceremony feels fitting.
“The Michelin Guide’s arrival in Texas presents us with a unique opportunity to show the world the extraordinary sophistication and complexity of our state’s culinary scene. And there’s no better place to launch the Michelin Guide Texas than right here in Houston, the nation’s most diverse city, home to more than 10,000 restaurants and some of the culinary community’s brightest stars,” said Michael Heckman, president and CEO of Houston First.
The Texas guide will spotlight restaurants in Houston, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, with selections based on a set of universal criteria, including quality of ingredients, harmony of flavors, cooking techniques, reflection of a chef’s voice and personality within the cuisine, and consistency. When Michelin announced its entry into the Texas market in July, it was made clear that anonymous inspectors were already dining at restaurants throughout the state. Most notably, one, two, and three stars are awarded to restaurants that shine when it comes to the above-mentioned criteria, while its Bib Gourmand serves as a separate selection honoring restaurants that offer quality food for a good value.
As speculation grows rampant in the weeks leading up to the ceremony, here is a short list of restaurants that have us wondering, will they or won’t they?
Le Jardinier from the Bastion Collection, located at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, is first to come to mind when laying out predictions. The fine dining restaurant, rooted in French culinary technique, has two outposts in New York and Miami, which have both been awarded stars. Le Jardinier’s Houston locale, helmed by chef de cuisine Felipe Botero, follows the same methodology of utilizing the highest quality ingredients at their peak of freshness, and seems like a natural choice.
March, Goodnight Hospitality’s intimate tasting menu restaurant that pays homage to the food and wines of various European regions, is also at the forefront. The restaurant has a serene and quiet elegance, which serves as an exquisite backdrop for course after course to shine. The less formal and more lively Bludorn may also have captured the attention of Michelin inspectors. The namesake restaurant of Cafe Boulud-alum Aaron Bludorn opened at an inopportune time in 2020, but its French-inspired menu with just enough Gulf flair, proved to be enough to power through. Dishes like lobster pot pie and dry-aged duck with liver mousse speak for themselves.
With Texas being a world-class destination for craft barbecue, it’s likely that a barbecue restaurant will be recognized. In Houston, Truth BBQ, helmed by pitmaster Leonard Botello IV, is a serious contender. Botello’s patience and dedication to his craft is reflected in his Central Texas-style brisket, which is smoked over post oak for upwards of 18 hours. The Pit Room offers an unapologetic representation of Houston, with its traditional menu of Texas barbecue staples complemented by Tex-Mex-inspired sides like elote and charro beans. Harlem Road BBQ in Richmond, helmed by chef Ara Malekian, is another to consider. Malekian is classically trained and has a profound respect for ingredients, showcasing Texas barbecue in fine fashion with out of the box offerings like pork belly pastrami and smoked octopus.
Like barbecue, Texas steakhouses will likely be on the radar of Michelin inspectors. It’s hard not to acknowledge a place like Pappas Brothers Steakhouse, which prides itself on dry-aging its beef in-house and making available a robust and rare collection of wines to ensure the perfect pairing. Doris Metropolitan, while more modern in its approach to steakhouse dining, is just as worthy. Its beef program, which includes dry-aged prime cuts butchered in-house, is complemented by non-traditional sides with Mediterranean flair as an ode to the Middle Eastern heritage of the team behind Sof Hospitality.
When it comes to Mexican cuisine, chef Hugo Ortega’s Downtown restaurant, Xochi, has garnered much acclaim since opening in 2017 and remains one of the most thrilling places to experience the food of Oaxaca. Ortega honors the primitive customs of the region and takes pride in producing a made-from-scratch menu, from handmade masa items to a variety of moles. More recently, chef Beatriz Martines is shining the spotlight on her native Jalisco at Xalisko in the Woodlands. The cafeteria lunch lady turned chef’s signature dish is the trompito al pastor, a split of pork set aflame tableside that is served with corn tortillas.
South Asian food has been well represented in Houston for decades, but newer restaurants like Amrina, Musaafer, and Verandah have done a spectacular job of showcasing the breadth of the cuisine with their vibrant tasting menus. All three are led by Indian-born chefs who aptly share the vibrant flavors, spices, and ingredients of South Asian food in a way that is personal to them. Alternatively, Aga’s in Southwest Houston has captured the attention of Houstonians from all corners of the city for its broad menu of Indo-Pak staples, and is deserving of a Bib.
In the way of modern Japanese, both MF Sushi and Kata Robata are forces to be reckoned with in Houston, and each has launched new concepts, MF Lobster and Katami, respectively. While they have lasted the test of time, it’s possible a more intimate concept like Neo, which is housed in a Montrose boutique and only offers an omakase menu, will make an impression. Meanwhile, former Top Chef contender Evelyn Garcia and chef-partner Henry Lu’s Heights restaurant, Jūn, captivates with cuisine coined as new Asian. The small but mighty menu puts the spotlight on Southeast Asian flavors and encapsulates the colorful upbringing of both chefs.
The venue for the ceremony will be announced in the weeks to come, but in the spirit of making predictions, we could venture a guess that one of Houston’s three Michelin Key recipients will play host. In Michelin’s first full Keys selection released last month, the Post Oak Hotel and Hotel Zaza’s Memorial and Museum District locations were each named among the 412 hotels in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico that received Keys.
As the countdown to November 11 begins, let the speculation continue in the comments section.
