McDonald's sells more burgers than any other company on the planet, and few outside of that organization would attribute this achievement to the quality of the food. It's a restaurant that foodies love to hate, representing everything bad about the prefab nature of fast food.
Texas may not have been the most likely place for an east coast kid who grew up in the Hamptons to settle but that’s exactly what he’s doing. Chef John Tesar announced today he would open Tesar’s Modern Steak & Sustainable Seafood this August in the Woodlands.
The chef says his roots are submerged deeply in the ocean he grew up near and always will be: "I identify with the sea there so completely and it’s companionship with our modern steak concept though I look forward to opening my first eponymous restaurant in Texas. Texas and Texans have been kind to me. I lived in Dallas for three years and loved it. Came back to New York for less than three months and found I missed it," said Tesar.
Tesar, a 2009 James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef: Southwest has seen crowds gather for his fare and his commitment to sustainable food sources when he revamped the menu and restaurant into three distinct dining areas at the Mansion on Turtle Creek.
Nationally lauded restaurant critic, John Mariani wrote Chef Tesar brought "New York edge to Texas swagger," when he named the Mansion Restaurant one of Esquire’s Ten Best New Restaurants of 2008.
Since his early 20's Chef Tesar has created his own restaurants and reinvented others for some of the best chefs, hotels and resorts from New York, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas and Dallas. "I’ve been asked many times to brand my name, but timing is everything, and this is the time. Tesar's will be a special place," Tesar commented.
Fresh from his success in Dallas, Tesar looked to investors who believed in modern gastronomy for his next adventure. "Planning this concept has been intense," Tesar says. "Plenty of investors showed interest, but I needed to find the dedicated 'sustainable' backers. We take from flora and fauna without regard to maintenance; even poisoning it with the chemicals we use to make 'earth-foods' grow. But, people care more about what they eat now and my customers are desirous of the locavore and sustainable movement," states Chef Tesar.
Tesar’s Modern Steak & Sustainable Seafood will parlay the chef’s talents with a varied menu loaded with organically grown, "green" selections using side-by-side comparisons of grass and grain-fed beef and earth-easy seafood.
"Modern Steak is not only tastier it’s healthier." opines Tesar. "I’m currently engaging ranchers who practice these newer, cleaner modern ways of raising and aging cattle. My entire menu will be 100 percent sustainable created with a zero-waste food ethics in mind. This will also include our hamburgers served at our outside burger bar."
Tesar’s will have multiple options and price points for diners including a bar lounge menu, raw bar, chef’s room and main dining room with whole fish choices. "Whole fish will be a principal part of our menu. It’s an amazing way to taste the true flavor of the sea and the quality of finfish," informs Tesar.
McCarble and Tesar say they hope this to be the first of many restaurants. "Diners are searching for modern thoughtful cuisine everywhere, and the demand is high," states Tesar.
There's a notable new Italian place on the dining scene, and it's in an area of town that really needs more great restaurants.
La Baraonda is a great example of what a small restaurant can be when the front of the house and the back of the house are in sync. It's the antithesis of the soulless chain restaurant, a wonderful, family-owned establishment that's infused with the skill and attention of the proprietors.
Located in a strip center behind a Whataburger, the location is not one that says fine dining. But step inside, and your opinion changes instantly.
The lovely, jewel-like interior is divided into small areas for a more intimate feeling. The design is tasteful and restrained, beautiful fabrics, nice quality tableware, and an eye for detail complete a very good first impression. It's a great spot for a romantic dinner, or a quick lunch in a lovely setting.
And it lasts. Gus (one of the owners) took care of us on our recent visit, and was both professional and warm. A veteran of the Houston restaurant business, his expertise shows in thoughtful recommendations and an eye that anticipates a customer's needs.
And the food is outstanding. At Gus's recommendation, I tried the Chicken Marsala. The Marsala reduction was superb; clearly a very good quality wine was used, and the thyme and other flavors complemented the wine. Plenty of crimini mushrooms topped this delicious dish.
Everything is made in-house, from all the sauces to the excellent Italian sausage, rich with fennel. Notable is the delicious garlicky pesto that is served with the bread. It's even better with the superb garlic bread, made from pannini bread, fresh crushed garlic, and toasted in the pannini press.
Prices are very reasonable, and considering the quality of the cuisine, it's a genuine bargain.
The FM 1960 area has a new star for fine dining. If you've not tried La Baraonda, you're missing out. Make sure to tell Gus hello when you stop by.
We'd observed a new place going in along I-45 across from the the Woodlands Mall. It was named Ambience... and we had no idea what it was. One Saturday we ventured in, and discovered a new, family-run restaurant and lounge.
Upon entering, we found a lovely setting. Dark yet inviting, the interior was totally redone from the location's previous incarnation. As you enter, on the right is a large lounge area, with lots of leather seating and a full-service bar.
Further back is the dining room. We were seated promptly, and soaked up the vibe of the place. It feels more like a nightclub than a restaurant; there's a second bar on one side of the room, and the blacked out roof, sound system, and mood lighting add to that, um, ambience.
Our server appeared with the menu, and we were surprised... in a good way. A nice selection of international sandwiches and wraps, as well as an eclectic set of entrees - Asian, South American, Mexican, Italian, and American. Prices were good: Entrees are in the $9-11 range, and lighter dishes like sandwiches ranged from $6 to $8.
We tried the Argentinean Chimmichurri Mini Burgers. Instead of the traditional ground beef slider, ours featured marinated and grilled fajita meat, swiss cheese, grilled onions, a bit of lettuce, and housemade chimmichurri sauce. The result was delicious; a multicultural kaleidoscope of flavor. We opted for the yucca fries, a light and healthy alternative to the traditional french fries, and used them to sop up every drop of the chimmichurri sauce.
Our companion tried the empanadas. Ground beef, delicately seasoned and wrapped in a pastry shell, these were among the best we've tried. The side of housemade onion rings were a good accompanyment; the batter was light, crisp, and slightly sweet.
Service was prompt, professional and friendly.
We didn't partake (since it was lunchtime) but Ambience offers live music or a DJ on weekends, and they rearrange the tables to allow for dancing. Dinner and dancing is a tradition that we miss, and we think they've got a great concept for the Woodlands area.
Combine the excellent and varied cuisine, great service, a nice room, and very reasonable prices, and Ambience is a winner. We're looking forward to returning soon.
Local culinary star Bryan Caswell has another feather to put in his quickly-filling cap: He was selected as one of the country's ten Best New Chefs for 2009 by Food & Wine magazine.
Caswell is the executive chef and owner at Reef, a hot spot on the local dining scene. he also recently opened Little Big's, a fast casual hamburger spot in Montrose specializing in beef, chicken, and mushroom sliders.
Caswell is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. While at CIA he secured a coveted six-month externship under Chef Jose Muneisa at Michelin-rated Via Veneto in Barcelona. After graduation, he apprenticed under Aurole Chef Charlie Palmer, Gotham Bar and Grill Chef Alferd Portale, March Chef Wayne Nish, and Union Pacific Chef Rocco Dispiritio.
He then progressed to a two-year stint at Jean-George Vongerichten's flagship Restaurant Jean-George, followed by a world tour of other Vongerichten restaurants in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Paradise Island.
In Houston, Caswell opened Bank with Vongerichten at the Hotel Icon before moving on to open Reef.
Food & Wine: 2009 Best New Chefs
Another year at Houston's annual rodeo has drawn to a close, and we survived another visit. As always, the rodeo was home to some truly bizarre and not remotely healthy choices, including a wide variety of truly mediocre bar-b-que, a selection of unremarkable hamburgers, a plethora of items impaled on stick, and an assortment of things we never thought could be fried.
In other words, business as usual in Rodeo food.
We're Texans. We enjoy haute cuisine, but we love a great burger or a slab of BBQ just as much. And when the burger isn't up to snuff, or the BBQ is mass produced instead of lovingly smoked, we console ourselves with the necessary accompaniment to fast food in Texas: Dr Pepper.
But we were surprised by one small fact that has been overlooked in the numerous reviews we've read:
We couldn't find Dr Pepper at the Rodeo.
Apparently Coca-Cola has an exclusive with the Rodeo, and that extends to the supposedly independent concession stands. We searched the midway, and all we found were Coca-Cola products.
Why is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo giving an Atlanta company an exclusive, locking out the Texas-based Dr Pepper?
A recent weekend found us in San Antonio for a convention, and over the years we've learned that as lovely as the Riverwalk may be, it's not the place for serious food. So we ventured out to Chris Madrid's, the legendary nacho and burger joint.
We arrived around 7 on a Saturday night, and parking was nowhere to be found. We circled the restaurant a couple of times, and swooped in when a space appeared.
Entering the building, we were impressed by the cross-section of humanity enjoying the cool March evening. We headed to the counter and waited in a short line while perusing the menu.
Following the advice of some regulars, we ordered a Cheddar Cheezy, macho. For those who've not been to CM's, macho is the keyword for a half-pound burger.
Chris Madrid's builds a very unique burger. The half-pound patty is not thick, but it is very wide; the size of a medium-sized pancake. It drapes across the bun on all sides, and is covered with a thick, oozy layer of cheddar cheese.
We like an oozing burger as much as anyone, but this, my friends, is too much. There's no way to really grip the burger without fondling all the cheesy, meaty goodness. We think the quarter-pound, non-macho version is the way to go, even if you're very hungry.
This is also the first burger we've found that has way too much cheese. There was over a quarter pound of cheddar, and we ended up discarding about half of it in order to get the cheese/meat ratio where it needed to be, and then folding the patty to make it (mostly) fit on the bun. This was way too much work; we'd rather have the kitchen deliver a more finished product.
Once we reengineered the burger for good handling, we ended up with an above-average cheeseburger that we really enjoyed. The thin patty was griddled well throughout, and gently seasoned with salt and pepper. Ooze remained, and it combined with the cheddar cheese to form a mass of molten goodness. The bun was beautifully griddled to a buttery crispness, and the veggies were plentiful, crisp, and fresh.
So how does this burger rate compared to the best in Houston? Pretty well, but it wouldn't crack the Top Five.
For our money, Houston is still the best burger town in Texas, and thus in the world.
We've been hearing the buzz about Little Bigs, the burger shack from Bryan Caswell, the mastermind behind the hot midtown spot Reef. They recently extended their hours to include lunch, so we stopped in to check 'em out.
Little Bigs is located in the old Ming's location on Montrose near Westheimer. They've really brightened up the place, sprucing up the deck and installing a bunch of large picnic tables. Indoor seating is limited and packed in tightly; if you dine inside on a busy day, you'll be making new friends.
Ordering is a snap: Choose between three varieties of sliders: Beef, chicken, or mushroom. Add some fries, and your choice of beverage, including shakes and a variety of alcoholic options. Then wait. And if they're busy, the wait can be 15-20 minutes, as it was for us this beautiful Sunday afternoon.
Our name was called, and we went to claim our sliders.
We had been disappointed with the beef sliders at Reef, but the ones served here at Little Bigs were a revelation. Cooked medium well, the mini-burgers remained deliciously juicy, with just the right amount of ooze. Grilled onions perched atop the beef, and a bit of American cheese formed the perfect finale. The whole assembly is perched atop a small yeasty roll, and the result is Slider Nirvana.
We also sampled the chicken slider: A crispy fried piece of chicken breast, seasoned with Cajun spices, served atop the same yeasty rolls. Tasty, but they play second fiddle to the superb beef sliders. (We didn't try the mushroom option.)
Chef Caswell has a winner in Little Bigs. We look forward to watching this mini-burger empire spread across Houston; a second location in Hermann park is already in the works.
Luby's, the Houston-based cafeteria chain, is celebrating its birthday by offering a present to its customers.
On Fridays and Saturdays in February, Luby's famous LuAnn platter will be half price, making it a legitimate bargain, and less expensive than the combo meal at your local McBurger place.
Jasper's features modern interpretations of traditional American cuisine. Owned by Chef Kent Rathbun (one of the rare guest winners on Iron Chef America,) Jasper's delivers excellent cuisine in an upscale, casual setting.
We met a friend recently for lunch at Jasper's, and ordered one of their gourmet hamburgers.
The recipe: A half pound of high quality beef, hand-formed and grilled over a mixture of woods. Cooked to order (medium rare, in our case) and nicely juicy. Topped with your choice of cheese (cheddar for us) carmelized onions, thick cut applewood-smoked bacon, fresh veggies, and served on a barely toasted egg bun. The result is one of the best upscale burgers you'll find anywhere, and the side of housemade potato chips is a great finishing touch.
Other great bets include prime steaks, upscale BBQ dishes, and gourmet pizzas. They have a decadent appetizer of housemade potato chips covered with Maytag bleu cheese chunks and a creamy cheese sauce that's not to be missed. Desserts are excellent as well, and there is a wecome option of mini-desserts offering just a taste or three; perfect after a large meal.
Brunch is excellent as well; our favorite is Jasper's take on French Toast.
Bottom line: Best restaurant in the Woodlands... or anywhere Outside The Loop for that matter.
Jasper's: Market Street Square, 9595 Six Pines, The Woodlands, 77380, 281-298-6600
jaspers-restaurant.com