Just what I asked for!

Last weekend was my birthday (thanks) and naturally I had to celebrate with a three-restaurants-in-three-nights dining binge! Let’s recap, shall we?

Friday – Costa Brava Bistro…an old favorite in the Bellaire area. The menu is a mix of Spanish and French-influenced dishes supported by an excellent wine selection, and the vibe is upscale neighborhood bistro done perfectly. Also, I’m not usually a big dessert person, but the chocolate croissant bread pudding here is one of the best in town and yet was upstaged this night by a simple apple tart.

Saturday – Emmaline…a newly opened Italian-ish spot off Allen Parkway where Teala’s (an old Houston institution featuring Tex-Mex with a twist from a Thai chef) used to be. My cocktail was a creative margarita-like concoction as an homage to Teala’s. Emmaline is hard to get into, so we went early before a play. I had one of the tastiest salads I can remember (escarole topped with a soft-poached egg, peppered pancetta, and caprino cheese) and all the rest of the food was excellent as well, if maybe not as creative as that salad. The prices, however, are pretty exorbitant. I’m glad we tried it, it won’t be going on my list of best deals in town.

Sunday – Theodore Rex…the latest incarnation of flavor heaven from Justin Yu (previously the proprietor of what was arguably Houston’s best restaurant over the last few years – Oxheart). His new place opened recently after a Hurricane Harvey rain delay in the same tiny 30-seat spot, which is basically underneath I-10 near downtown. It’s different from Oxheart in that the pris-fixe tasting menu is gone, which offers a more flexible experience, and the décor has been updated (a little). However, it’s the same in that every dish is perfect. All of them. It’s that simple. This guy knows flavors like nobody’s business, yet everything is totally approachable and he and his veteran staff are as humble and unpretentious as you could imagine. By the way, if you happen to live nearby, they do reserve space for walk-ins, and our server said that so far they’ve typically had a few seats available most nights…bon appetit!

#Houston #restaurants