In partnership with
Some of my favorites got a little Michelin shine at last night’s ceremony in Houston. Yes, this week you are getting a brag post about how great my taste is. Essentially, this entire newsletter is a brag post, but maybe this is your sign to tell some friends to subscribe.
From the newly Michelin-ified restaurants, here are some I’ve written about, recommended, and fallen in love with in the last year.
Bread service at Isidore.
Isidore in San Antonio - Green star and one star
My obsession with Isidore hasn’t slowed down since I visited in April. I will happily tell you it is one of the best restaurants in Texas right now, and certainly the most visionary representation of “Texas cuisine” that you’ll find. A few things really stood out in my meal, including the forraged lichen from East Texas trees in the himachi, the beets served with pecan butter (the latter is something that is always in a dish on the menu somewhere, thanks to the prolificness of pecans in Central Texas), the beet cocktail, and the bread service which is a lesson in Cherokee inventivenss with lard.
Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.
Manami in Dallas - One star
I lauded Manami to you in this very newsletter back in September. I also made a very PBS-in-spirit video about it (at over 15K views across Instagram and TikTok), explaining what kind of French cuisine it serves, which is highly traditional. The chef has curated a small menu of simple dishes done with extremely high quality. He looks back to haute cuisine from the 19th century, and uses a lot of cooking techniques from the Celts and Romans from when they mingled with the Gauls, which date back to a time before France was even a country. There are also nods to how the French bourgeoisie and nobility would have eaten in the 17th century, with many plates that were meant to be shared. He cleverly references French trade routes with Rome and Asian countries as well. Eating here is a history lesson, and preparing to understand it before you go pays big dividends.
The “land” plate from Sushi Kozy’s summer menu, with duck, asparagus, fig, and deer heart.
Sushi Kozy in Dallas - new recommendation
I visited Sushi Kozy back in July and loved it. I’ve been bored by omakase, as it is in Dallas, for a few years — you couldn’t pay me to go to any of them at this point. But Sushi Kozy offers kaiseki, a style of omakase that incorporates courses beyond sushi, such as soups, large-format plates that serve as a main course, and small plates. It also isn’t the standard arrive at 5:30 and plan to stay for an hour and a half while eating in concert with other diners thing. This is a restaurant experience, and diners are encouraged to stay as long as they like while they finish their 17 courses. The chef/owner, Paul Ko, is Uchi’s former top chef in Dallas, and his focus on creating a seasonal and local experience is very much in the spirit of kaiseki.
Siti in Austin - new recommendation
Chef Laila Bazahm opened this restaurant inside the Frances Modern Inn with the idea of creating a menu of the dishes she craves from her stints living in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. That means iterations of bites she fell in love with at the Singapore hawker’s market while working at Joël Robuchon, her take on laska (traditionally an inexpensive noodle soup), and dishes she learned from the women who taught her to cook — her family in the Philippines. Everything is beautiful on the plate and the chef’s pick for the best dish in the place is hiramasa served with a sauce inspired by tom kha soup.
Parish Barbecue in Austin - Bib Gourmond
This food trailer in Austin stole my heart when I interviewed Pitmaster Holden Fulco. I haven’t stopped thinking about the pulled duck, treated like pulled pork but marinated in orange zest, duck fat, orange juice, and Steen’s Cane Vinegar, then served on a sandwich. That alone is reason enough to visit. Everything has a tint of Creole and Cajun flavors here, you can’t go wrong.
A beautiful bunch of barbecue from J-Bar-M. This was my favorite smoked turkey, and the elotes and greens were both delightfully spicy.
J-Bar-M Barbecue in Houston - new recommendation
I landed at this joint on a trip to Houston in September to evaluate the city’s barbecue offerings. It was my first stop and I loved the big, open space with floor-to-ceiling windows, the massive outdoor patio, and that all the dishes have a little heat to them. Jalapeños in the elote AND the greens? Why not! I strongly recommend the cheddar and jalapeño sausage here, which has generous portions of both built in. Also, a stunner is the barbecue chicken, which I found to be the tastiest and most moist in the city.
Chopnblock in Houston - Bib Gourmand
I haven’t written about Chopnblock, but I will tell you that I joined several Eater editors there for a meal before the 2024 Michelin ceremony to partake in the premier African restaurant in Houston. We each ordered a dish and allowed folks to have a forkful, but then pulled back — everything was so incredible that no one wanted to share. You can literally order anything on the menu, and you will love it. If it looks good to you, go for it.
Now, I’d love to hear from you. What do you want more of from The Leftovers?