From the warped wood floor to the cramped kitchen, barely large enough for chefs Richard Knight and James Silk to work in, the 80-year-old building, a former home, looks like it has seen better days. Pig figurines, planters, and family photos dating back four generations adorn the walls, along with enlarged scenes from an old Italian cookbook painted onto canvas, hung in simple, handmade frames. Forget white tablecloths and gloves. The new Houston restaurant Feast (219 Westheimer Road, 713.529.7788, feasthouston.com) doesn't bother with such nuances.

"We envisioned Europe and the old country, with a family outside around the table eating supper," says co-owner Meagan Silk, James' wife (Knight introduced the couple). "We want you to feel you're eating in our home." Meagan drew Feast's porcine logo, and the Silks pitch in waiting tables, adding to the family feel, she says.

That deliberate lack of glamour has worked to great effect. Feast's rustic cuisine earned it a semi-finalist spot for Best New Restaurant in the 2009 James Beard Awards. And not only did the New York Times' Frank Bruni gush that it's "one of the country's outstanding newcomers," but GQ praised its menu as "elemental, gutsy, and smart."

That last comment (specifically, the word "gutsy") could be a tongue-in-cheek reference to Feast's menu. The restaurant's "nose-to-tail" philosophy, inspired by the chefs' rural background — they met as teenagers on England's south coast and trained as chefs in the prestigious London restaurants Green's (Knight) and St. John (Silk) — has helped them connect with local farmers and fishermen. "It's a matter of giving animals respect by using all of them rather than the so-called 'prime' cuts," Meagan says. "We're trying to open people's minds. But our approach has been around for ages."

They use every bit of the critter — from pork cheek and hocks (ankles) to lamb's heart to beef tongue. But the food is so delicious that while you'll see offal on the menu, the typical puns and jokes that would normally follow just don't seem apropos.

Customers' desire for constancy has led Feast to offer "favorites" and post a daily menu on its Web site. Familiar items include fish and scallop pie, but many diners go whole-hog, opting for dishes like pig's foot and bacon or a dessert of spotted dick (a steamed suet pudding speckled with currants) surrounded with custard. Some diners dive in with relish, like the group who ordered multiple appetizers, entrées, and desserts one recent evening — informing the waiter they wanted the "oddest offal." A British couple seemed equally undaunted.

British menu terms can confuse diners, but Meagan and waiter Phil Gonzalez, a singer with Houston Grand Opera, explain selections like brawn (head cheese) and bubble and squeak (a cabbage and mashed potatoes dish that makes those sounds while cooking).

The proprietors were drawn to Houston and its worldly palate after their lease expired at Taverna, their eatery in Conroe, just as a space that Meagan had her eye on became available. The building previously housed the Guy family's Chez Georges, and it's fitting that another family is gaining prominence in the space. "There's still no guarantee we'll be successful," Meagan says. "But we're having fun, and that makes the hard work worth it."

— Michele Meyer

Getting There: Continental offers nonstop service to 162 destinations worldwide from its hub in Houston.

Five to Try

Houston is full of restaurants that deliver fine meals without the fuss.

1 Ruggles Green. 2311 W. Alabama St., 713.533.0777, rugglesgreen.com. Houston's first GRA-certified restaurant takes green to gourmet levels and has customers lining up for quinoa pasta and gluten-free beer.

2 Tiny Boxwoods Café. 3614 W. Alabama St., 713.622.4224, tinyboxwoods.com. The setting is impressive — lush rhododendrons, ivy, and bamboo gardens — and the food lives up to the environment.

3 Vinoteca Poscol. 1609 Westheimer Road, 713.529.2797. Chef Marco Wiles, of DeMarco's fame, offers house-cured sausage and other appetizers to accompany a vast wine list.

4 Little Big's. 2703 Montrose Blvd., 713.521.2447, littlebigshouston.com. Sliders and sangria slushies served at a shack counter aren't what you'd expect from acclaimed chefs Bryan Caswell and Bill Floyd. But they raise diner fare to a new level.

5 Crave Cupcakes. 1151-06 Uptown Park Blvd., 713.622.7283, cravecupcakes.com. Rich and moist, these sweet treats in old-fashioned red velvet and nontraditional key lime induce lustful urges.

— M.M.