Favorite Foods

Try these Houston restaurants the next time you’re in town

1. Feast. 219 Westheimer Road, 713.529.7788. English childhood friends Richard Knight and James Silk collaborate on rustic European food. Forget your diet and dig into roast neck of pork with roasted potatoes, cabbage, and applesauce.
2. El Patio Club No Minor. 6422 Westheimer Road, 713.780.0410; 2416 Brazos, 713.523.8181. First-time visitors at the Westheimer location wonder where everyone is. A secret door behind the bar leads to the action-packed Tex Mex dining room. The new midtown location has jettisoned the “front dining” room.
3. Catalan. 5555 Washington Ave., 713.426.4260. Chris Shepherd serves up decadent dishes like crisp pork belly with cane syrup, foie gras bonbons, and braised lamb with peppers. Or you can keep it light with gazpacho served in a shot glass and lavender-cured salmon.
4. Beavers. 2310 Decatur St., 713.864.2328. Chef Monica Pope’s new venture is a neighborhood barbecue joint with dry-rubbed ribs, housemade pork sausage, and tasty sides like New Orleans baked beans, Philly mac and cheese, fried pickles, and sweet potato home fries. There are lots of veggie choices too.
5. Backstreet Café. 1103 S. Shepherd Drive, 713.521.2239. The shady patio is a favorite place for many Houstonians to while away a Saturday afternoon with a bottle of wine and nosh on ethereal crab cakes or the impressive meatloaf tower.