With the whirlwind departure of Chef John Tesar from his self-named restaurant in the Woodlands, we were concerned that the kitchen might be losing its mojo.  After all, John Tesar, the bad boy chef depicted in Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, had to be the heart and soul of the place. His sudden departure left us wondering what would become of Tesar's, and of a spectacular hamburger, the Magic.

We decided to find out.  We visited for lunch with a foodie friend, and looked for changes.

And we found them.


The first thing we noticed were subtle changes in the bar / informal dining room.  New linens provided a crisp yet relaxed feel.  Gone were the signs with John Tesar's cartoon likeness, something we always thought was slightly cheesy.

The service was as prompt and professional as always.  We've dined here a half-dozen times, and our server remembered us and our preferences.  The entire vibe of the restaurant was significantly more relaxed and upbeat than before.

Our server suggested that we try a new appetizer, and we took her advice.  What appeared was a lovely tuna tartare, expertly presented over a bed of crushed ice.

The dish combined coarsely chopped tuna, a bit of wasabi-tapiko roe and roasted cashews.  It was served over a mango puree dusted with sesame seeds.  The result was outstanding; the tropical sweetness of the mango balanced the Asian tang of the wasabi, and the cashews provided a crunchy, smoky counterpoint to the aquatic flavor of the tender, fresh tuna.  The roe snapped delightfully on the tongue, adding a small surprise that made us smile.

Next was the main course - the Magic burger, a cheeseburger we consider to be among Houston's very best.  Would the departure of John Tesar ruin this work of beefy art?

We were greeted by this beautifully arranged creation, flanked by the assortment of pickles and the addictive cherry tomatoes marinated with aged balsamic vinegar.  These accouterments had lost none of their zing.  But it was time to sample the burger.

We've tried the Magic on several occasion, but it appears that the new talent in the kitchen has taken this already superlative burger to new heights.  There's something slightly different about the beef; the flavor was even more sublime, and the ooze factor was slighly higher, and perfectly balanced with the melty cheese.

Our curiosity was now piqued; who is the talent behind this even-better burger and the wonderful new appetizer?

The answer comes in two parts.  With the departure of Chef Tesar, two of his sous chefs have been promoted to Co-Executive Chefs.  "Co-Executive Chefs"?  At first this seemed odd to us, but after talking with the chefs, it makes perfect sense.

Helming the kitchen are the new Dynamic Duo - Chef Austin Simmons (left) and Chef Jeramie Robison Jeremy Robinson.  They've been working at Tesar's since it opened.  Both have a strong background working with some of the best in the business, having spent time in the kitchens of John Tesar and Wolfgang Puck.  Each has a slightly different specialty; Chef Simmons focuses on the meat dishes, and Chef Robison's passion is with the fish.

This arrangement is eminently suited to Tesar's.  On one hand, it's a modern steak house, with a wonderful selection of steaks and superlative hamburgers.  On the other, it's a contemporary seafood restaurant, featuring fish from the Gulf Coast and those flown in from around the world.  While it is certainly possible to be a creative genius who can execute both meat and fish dishes, the Simmons/Robison approach has great merit.  These two talented chefs can bounce ideas off of each other, and while each can focus on his particular area of focus, both can contribute ideas to the other side of the menu.

Talking with these two chefs was a delight.  Unlike some executive chefs who believe that they're God's gift to cooking (we won't mention any names) these young men are focused on delighting their patrons, and enjoy the fact that they can practice an art that "they are pretty good at".

If our meal was any indication, "pretty good" doesn't come close to describing their talent.

We walked in concerned that Tesar's would go down hill with the departure of John Tesar.  Now we're confident that Austin Simmons and Jeromy Robison will take this restaurant to even greater heights.  There are now two more young chefs to watch in the Houston area.

Keep an eye on these two.

Tesar's on Urbanspoon

More information is coming out about John Tesar's exit from his eponymous restaurant.  We broke the story last week about Tesar's hasty and unexpected exit, and a whirlwind of speculation has surrounded the chef's moves.

Last night, John Tesar recently spoke with D Magazine's Nancy Nichols about his leaving Tesar's in the Woodlands.  We're quoting the highlights, and you can read the full interview on D Magazine's site.

In short, Tesar is leaving the Houston area, and heading back to Dallas.

NN: Are you coming back to Dallas?
JT: I am coming back to Dallas. Currently I have 2 options. They are two separate entities. I have signed a letter of intent with both. 

Our source for the original story told us quite plainly that Tesar was fired by the restaurant's investors. Tesar himself tells a different story:

NN: So were you fired from Tesar’s in Woodlands?
JT: I voluntarily decided to walk away from Tesar’s. I was not fired; I walked away. It’s not going to effect my future.

Tesar goes on to present his version of what happened:

NN: So give me the short version of what happened?
JT: I do not wish ill on my ex-partners. They enticed me to leave New York when I was with David Burke [at Fish]. I went into the business with good will. I realized that the project was opening in the middle of a recession and was undercapitalized. We started out with three partners and the 2 majority partners [Bill and Hilary Burke] pushed out my main contact. But we built this thing [restaurant] and got good reviews. But they had no experience in the restaurant business and we knew it wasn’t going to make enough to pay me, especially since I have a family.

We're sorry to see John Tesar leave the Woodlands.  He's a very talented chef, and his restaurant raised the bar for both fine dining and great burgers outside the Loop.

When asked about the fate of Tesar's in the Woodlands, the chef made a telling comment:

JT: The restaurant is doing well—just not well enough to pay a John Tesar-style chef. I gave them back my 20 percent and we are still wrangling over things like money the and name.  It’s a good restaurant.

Reading between the lines, it appears that Tesar was expecting from his months-old restaurant the type of salary that an executive chef would receive at mature, successful establishment.  That sounds naive to me; part of the reason a key employee gets equity in a startup is the fact that he's willing to work for less than his normal salary.  The term is "sweat equity", and it's one well known to folks who work in startups.  Sweat equity can make a key employee rich when the business succeeds, but it means that he won't be paid a high salary until the business becomes profitable.  It's a great example of capitalism in action.

Apparently Chef Tesar wanted to have his steak, and eat it too.

Unless you've been living in a cave, you know that Congress passed the most sweeping healthcare reform legislation in decades.  It mandates all sorts of changes in the healthcare industry.  But did you know it also mandates changes for restaurants?

One change that will be obvious: If a restaurant has more than 20 locations, it will have to place calorie information on the menu, so it's easy to read while ordering.

We think this is a provision that's long overdue.  Due to hectic lifestyles, many people, especially in Houston, eat at restaurants several times a week.  It's often difficult or impossible to know how many calories a dish contains, or how many can be saved by choosing between two dishes.

Now the information will be readily available to consumers, and each of us can decide whether or not to factor it into our dining decisions.  We applaud this.

Many Houstonians are making the annual drive to Austin for the zoo that is SXSW, and the question always comes up: "Where do we eat"?


We've got some favorite places, but the locals have created a Food Bloggers' Guide to Austin with information about everything you could possibly want to eat.  (Thanks to Katherine Shilcutt for pointing out this and other guides to food at SXSW.)

The guide is quite comprehensive... except for burgers.  I didn't see a burger guide.  So here's ours.

H-Town Chow Down Two Minute Guide to Burgers in Austin:

Hot

Casino El Camino (on Sixth Street) for the best burgers in town.  Thick, juicy, and incredibly flavorful.
Dan's or Fran's (all over town) for the classic griddled burger.
Dirty's (on the Drag) for a bit of Austin history from a grill that's rumored to be about three decades overdue for a good cleaning.

Not

Hut's (on Sixth Street) Revered for years as a great historic burger joint, it's certainly old but it's not very good, with mediocre industrial patties on unmemorable buns.

We're glad to see all sorts of responsible movements happening in the world of food.  One of our favorites is the focus on sustainable sources - the last thing we want to experience is the disappearance of great ingredients, leaving us to dine on Soylent Green burgers (We've heard they taste like chicken.)

We recently attended a dinner at the swanky new RDG that was focused on an ingredient with a great story: Yukon River Salmon.  It's a wild salmon that has been harvested for centuries by the Yup'ik Eskimos, and they have partnered with Kwik Pak Fisheries to turn their staple food into a source of income for their tribe.  The Yup'ik harvest the salmon at the mouth of the Yukon river, before the arduous journey upstream, while the fish are vibrant and full of nourishing oils (rich in Omega 3 fatty acids).  The Yup'ik tribe is a careful steward of this resource (it is literally their primary source of food) so it's a prime example of a carefully managed, sustainable resource.

But how does it taste?  We got to find out.


Oldways, a non-profit organization devoted to educating the public on better ways to eat, put together a special evening that allowed a group of people to experience Yukon River Salmon in the hands of an expert.  The expert is nationally renowned chef Robert Del Grande, who also provided the gorgeous venue for the event.

Chef Del Grande created a dinner based around salmon, serving it in several courses.  First were the appetizers, passed around as everyone met and mingled.  Salmon was served smoked with a delicate green apple tartar sauce, seared with a red chili ginger sauce, and our favorite, fried into savory-sweet beignets, offered with a creamy buttermilk sauce.

Shortly after, we were seated, and had the chance to explore some other dishes.  First out was a light, clean dish featuring cured salmon n a creamy avocado dressing, served atop a mache and frisee salad.  The flavors were cool and crisp.

Next up was steamed salmon in fennel broth, accented with giant corona beans and black olives.

Then came our favorite dish of the evening.  Wood grilled salmon in banana leaves, served with a dark roasted tomato salsa.  Here Chef Del Grande's southwestern background really shined through; the rich, earthy flavor of the wood grilled salmon was accented by the sweetness from the banana leaves, and the tangy salsa provided a tart counterpoint.  Dishes like this demonstrate the chef's unmatched mastery of southwestern cuisine.

Dessert was the only course that didn't feature salmon (Chef Del Grande quipped that he probably would have included salmon in his younger days, but we applaud his wisdom here.)  A rich chocolate cake with chocolate mousse was complemented by a unique persimmon vanilla bean soup.

We consider the even to be a wonderful experience.  We like salmon, but we were wowed by the variety of flavor profiles and textures that it can take on in the hands of a master chef.  Thank you to Oldways, Kwik-Pak Fisheries, Robert Del Grande, and the Yup'ik people for making this event possible.

Special thanks to Alison Clancy of Oldways who was on hand to answer our seeming endless questions, and who made everything run smoothly.

If you'd like to read more about this event, Ruthie Johnson has her impressions on the Houston Press web site.  And if you'd like to try some of the Yukon River Salmon at home, it's available in Houston at Central Market.

RDG + Bar Annie on Urbanspoon

We're fans of Jasper's, the upscale restaurant concept from Dallas's Kent Rathbun.  We love pretty much everything about their Woodlands location, from the great spot overlooking the Market Street park to the gorgeous modern interior to the excellent service to the creative takes on traditional Texas favorites.  We've been many times, and consider it to be one of the best restaurants in both the Woodlands and the entire Houston area.

But a recent show on TV got our attention.  The claim:  Bon Appetit magazine ranked Jasper's BBQ ribs as their third-best ribs in the nation.  That's a serious claim, and it runs contrary to our First Tenet of BBQ Wisdom:  The Fancier the Store, the Worse the BBQ.

Since we love BBQ almost as much as we love a great burger, we had to test out the claim for our readers.

We visited Jasper's on a beautiful Thursday for a late lunch.  We started with the one thing we can never pass up at Jasper's, their outrageous housemade potato chip appetizer.

The thin-cut russet potatoes were flash-fried to perfection, and covered with Maytag bleu cheese mixed with chives and a mild soft cheese sauce.  The result is nothing short of amazing.  We've recommended this dish to everyone who goes to Jasper's, and the feedback we get is universally positive.

But now it's time to get down to the ribs.  Our server suggested that the half rack was plenty, so we took his advice and ordered them.  After a reasonable wait, they appeared.

The half rack was split into two three-rib bits, artistically stacked, and served with their creamy "baked potato" salad.

We dug into the ribs, and were impressed by their tenderness; the meat came off the bone without any significant effort on our part.  It was thoroughly basted in Jasper's spicy-sweet BBQ sauce, and more of the sauce was on the side.

All we could taste was the sauce.  We simply couldn't taste the meat, and we didn't use the extra sauce.

We are firm believers that world-class BBQ is delicious with no sauce at all, and should be served with the sauce on the side, not pre-slathered on the meat.  We find the preapplication of BBQ sauce to be a crutch to disguise meat that hasn't been adequately rubbed or smoked; it's popular at high-end, high-volume BBQ restaurants because the meat doesn't have to spend hours on the smoker - the flavor comes from the sauce.  Folks who've never been to a great Texas BBQ joint probably won't see anything wrong with this saucing technique, but I contend that they've never really had great BBQ, either.

Bottom Line:  We enjoyed the ribs, but weren't blown away at all.  We believe that better ribs can be had at the County Line upscale BBQ chain, not to mention at landmark establishments like City Market in Luling.

And we're convinced that Bon Appetit really shouldn't be ranking ribs.

Ah, Market Square.  One of the few areas of Houston where history matters, and where you'll find places that have been the same for decades.  On the eastern edge of the square, you'll find the Market Square Bar & Grill, a place that's known for good food as well as strong libations.  We'd been here before, years ago, and really enjoyed it.

This trip... not so much.

We were there a bit after 5; prime happy hour time.  And it was empty; only one group besides our party.  Yet the service was glacially slow - the waitress seemed to be more interested in chatting with the cook than doing her job.

Once we got her attention, we placed our order.  And waited longer.  A burger and a salad should not take 20 minutes to prepare.  Hopefully it'll be worth the wait.

Well, it wasn't.


Something was amiss with the beef; it had a peculiar flavor.  I ate about a third of it and decided not to risk gastric disturbance.  The side of new potatoes was very good, though.  My companion's salad was disappointing as well.  Served in a smallish bowl, it only held about a half-bowl of salad.  Nothing memorable about it otherwise.

When we asked for our check, the waitress noticed that I'd not eaten much of the burger.  She asked if I enjoyed my burger.  "No.  It was horrible, and the flavor was off." was my reply.

In 90% of cases, the offending item will be removed from the bill.  Not at Market Street.  Apparently customer satisfaction isn't a major concern; heck, the waitress had to get back to her conversation with the cook, and thankfully doing her job didn't get in the way.

What was good?  The room is very nice; it's an old, narrow building, and has a cozy atmosphere.  If the food and service improved, it would be a great spot.

Until then... pass.

Market Square Bar & Grill on Urbanspoon

Recently, Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) asked the Twitterverse who they should put on the cover.

Our suggestion? Jonathan Jones (aka @PapaBeav), chef and partner at Beaver's Ice House.

photo: Katherine Shilcutt

C'mon, Texas Monthly. Do it. (And no, that isn't a real Texas Monthly cover. It's a parody. For now.)

Why? Because Jonathan Jones's kitchen is turning out perhaps the best example of real Texas cuisine in the state. Fresh gulf seafood, expertly prepared. Burgers that are among the best anywhere. Excellent BBQ. Mac and Cheese that's considered by many to be the best in town. Their bar even initiated the cocktail revival that's sweeping across Houston. Heck, Beaver's was our Restaurant of the Year.


Houston's rock star chef, Randy Rucker (of Tenacity Dining, Rainbow Lodge and Laidback Manor fame) has announced his latest venture.

Bootsie's Heritage Cafe is scheduled to open this February in Tomball, at 112 Commerce St. Details are scarce, but we expect Rucker to wow local foodies with his creative takes on local seafood and superbly crafted comfort food.

Particularly exciting are rumors of the Mother Rucker burger. We're looking forward to sampling the hamburger that measures up to Rucker's exactling standards.

It's the end of the year, and time for us to recognize the people, places, and things that impressed us the most during the previous year.

Opening of the Year

Haven. Chef Randy Evans has been without a kitchen since Ike did a number on Brennan's, and rumors of his environmentally responsible Modern Texas Cuisine project were buzzing around the foodie community. Unlike many hotly anticipated restaurants, Haven opened with all cylinders firing, delighting patrons with its tightly focused, well executed menu.

Honorable Mentions: Tesar's, Ciao Bello, Chez Roux, Stella Sola

Event of the Year

Tenacity Dinners. Culinary magician and Houston rock star chef Randy Rucker (@greensandbeans) doesn't need a fixed location to practice his art. So he's organized periodic underground dining events, assisted by some of H-Town's top culinary talent. Foodies flock to the events, expecting to be wowed by Rucker's creations, and they walk way with their expectations exceeded. The best measure of their success: Every Tenacity dinner sells out minutes after it's announced, but you can read and drool on Rucker's blog.

Honorable Mentions: Fried Chicken Throwdown, Pork Belly Throwdown, Blogger Trip to the Inn at Dos Brisas

Foodie Accessory of the Year

Apple iPhone. The iPhone lets a foodie roam all around the Houston area and still keep his finger on the pulse of the food community. Apps like Yelp and UrbanSpoon give insight into previously unknown-to-you restaurants, and the map application's traffic display keeps you on schedule. The good enough camera lets you record your dining experience in excruciating detail, so you can share it with the world with a Twitter or blog client. You can even keep tabs on your bank account.

Honorable Mentions: Thermal immersion circulator, bottle of Tums, Randy Rucker's e-mail address

Burger of the Year

Tie: Tesar's Magic and Beaver's Burger. New York and Chicago can fight over who has the best pizza (it's NYC) but Houston stands alone as the city with the best burgers in the country. And while legendary burger joints like Christian's Totem continue to turn out an excellent product, two local chefs have raised the bar considerably in the burger world.

John Tesar has put together a superlative burger. Tesar's Burger Bar (located inside his Woodlands restaurant) offers several different burgers, but the purist Magic is our favorite. It's the iconic bacon cheeseburger taken to its ultimate conclusion with top quality ingredients and meticulous execution.

Johnathan Jones (@PapaBeav) takes a slightly different route at Beaver's, with equally impressive results. Ground sirloin is masterfully combined with brisket and ground bacon, and combines this unique patty with carefully selected components to produce a burger unlike anything we've tasted.

Which is better? We can't say. But we can say that a Houston burger lover needs to try them both.

Honorable Mentions: Christian's Totem, Farrago, Beck's Prime, Jasper's

Foodie of the Year

Katherine Shilcutt. Making the transition from blogger to the mainstream media isn't easy, but Shilcutt did so with style and verve. Her arrival at the Houston Press shook the cobwebs off the food writing at that alternative paper, and her Food Fight articles stimulate discussion (sometimes heated) throughout the foodie community. Her great twitter comments (@she_eats) complete the triple threat.

Honorable Mentions: Jenny Wang, Misha G., J.C. Reid, Jodie Eisenhardt

Critic of the Year

Alison Cook. The explosion of new media and food blogs brought many new voices sharing their opinions about dining, but one voice stands above all the rest: Alison Cook, the Chronicle's food critic. Her flowing prose takes the reader to the restaurant without leaving home, and her insightful analysis delves below the surface and educates the reader as well as entertains. Unlike many traditional journalists, Cook has embraced both twitter (@alisoncook) and blogging, and her Cook's Tour blog is a must follow for any Houston foodie.

Honorable Mentions: Robb Walsh, Ken Hoffman, Greg Morago

Restaurateur of the Year

Tony Vallone. Year after year, Houston's legendary restaurateur keeps his flagship restaurant Tony's at the forefront of Houston's culinary scene, and now he has another out-of-the-park hit with Ciao Bello, bringing authentic Italian cuisine to a packed house since opening day. In an industry where being around five years makes you and old timer, Vallone has been doing this for forty years, and is still at the top of his game. He's even on Twitter (@TonyVallone).

Honorable Mentions: Monica Pope, Bryan Caswell, Mark Cox, Alex Brennan-Martin

Chef of the Year

Plinio Sandalio. While the executive chefs get all the attention, we feel that pastry chef Plinio Sandalio is doing the most creative work at any restaurant in Houston. Patrons are visiting his restaurant, Textile, just to experience Plinio's remarkable dessert tastings, which stretch the definition of dessert beyond what's being done anywhere else in town. His blog always makes us hungry, and he's active on twitter (@psandalio) as well.

Honorable Mentions: John Tesar, Randy Rucker, Jason Gould, Jonathan Jones

Restaurant of the Year

Beaver's Ice House. We loved the concept of a local upscale BBQ joint, and thought the initial incarnation of Beaver's was off to a promising start. But it took the addition of local star Jonathan Jones (@PapaBeav) at the helm to fully realize the possibilities. Beaver's delivers great BBQ, innovative Gulf Coast seafood, and stellar burgers in a setting that would be off-the-charts cool no matter where it was located. Beaver's has become more than a restaurant; it's the unofficial hangout of the Houston foodie community, and a great place to run into one of Houston's top chefs when he's not under his toque.

Honorable Mentions: Tony's, Indika, Tesar's, Feast

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