Cafe Piquet in Bellaire

Eat here for excellent Cuban cuisine. This is about as close as one can come to Havana without leaving Houston. The restaurant is decorated with lovely photos, artwork, and curios depicting Cuba, which gives the restaurant an authentic atmosphere. The menu offers a very wide variety of dishes. We like to start with an off-menu item--a basket of warm plaintain chips topped with chopped roasted garlic. I like the grilled chicken breast (Pollo a la Plancha) or thin-cut sirloin (Palomilla), both of which come with grilled onions on top and black beans, white rice, and sweet plantains on the side. There are plenty of typical Cuban dishes too, such as Ropa Vieja (shredded beef in tomato and wine sauce) and Cuban sandwiches, if you are more adventurous. Service is excellent and prices are very reasonable. Cafe Piquet is definitely worth a visit.

Frank's Chop House on Westheimer

Eat here on Sunday nights for half-price wines and good 'ol Southern cooking. But don't check your cholesterol for at least two weeks afterwards! We loved the appetizer of fried green tomatoes, topped with three succulent shrimp in a spicy remoulade, served piping hot and delicious. We followed that up with Frank's specialties: chicken fried steak and buttermilk fried chicken. Each came with two sides. The baked macaroni and cheese was to die for, made with four Italian cheeses and just the right amount of crispiness on top. The service was good, not great, and the ambiance was pleasant, although a little too dark for my taste. Frank, the owner, is always on duty, making the rounds and adding that special personal touch that so many restaurants today don't have. By the way, there are healthier choices on the menu, such as the beautifully presented herb roasted half chicken, grilled veggies, and cauliflower purée, but when you need Southern comfort food, Frank's is the place.

Local Foods in Rice Village

Eat here for a great egg salad sandwich. Since you don't find egg salad on many lunch menus, it was nice to see a truffled egg salad sandwich here. With a hint of truffle oil and Parmesan, the tasty egg salad was served with greens and a slice of tomato on an amazingly crunchy, delicious salty-sweet pretzel bun. Choose two side salads from amongst nine on the menu, but beware. They are a bit unusual and may not be what you would expect from their names. Read the ingredients on the menu, but then check them out in the case. They all have very distinctive flavors, which you may or may not find pleasing. I liked the beet salad, but my friend, Kim, did not. The kale salad was too strong on this visit, but I liked it on my previous visit. My friend, Debbie, ordered the three side salad plate and had plenty to take home because of the ample portion. The place is busy, very casual, and not too noisy, with comfortable chairs, big booths, and an outdoor patio. Try to avoid the peak lunch hour because parking (in the way too narrow spaces) and seating is limited. 

Brasserie 19 on West Gray

Eat here for a summery, beach-like atmosphere, but not for great food. The white-on-white decor is stylish and reminiscent of a seaside resort in the Hamptons. Unfortunately, the food doesn't live up to the decor. It is average, with limp mixed greens, bland and too rare sirloin strip steak instead of typical entrecôte for steak frites, and a funky wine list presented on an iPad. While the wine selection is decent and the bottle prices reasonable, the by-the-glass prices are ridiculously high. A $45 bottle is offered for $18 a glass. The pommes frites and bread are good, as is the service. We may give the restaurant another try in order to sample other menu items, such as mussels in white wine and French onion soup, since these are typical bistro foods that you can't find everywhere, but I am not terribly optimistic. However, there is something to be said for an attractive setting and a good bottle of wine. So if you go, ask for the "quietest table", go early, and don't go with high expectations. 

Max's Wine Dive on Washington Avenue

Eat here for outstanding Southern fried chicken. A signature dish at this noisy, slightly irreverent late night neighborhood gastropub, the chicken was a delicious indulgence worth every calorie. It was tender and juicy, with crispy skin that was seasoned just right and wasn't greasy. It was served piping hot with sweet and spicy chipotle honey dipping sauce, mashed potatoes, and collard greens (which can be substituted for a salad, if you are like me and don't care for these greens.) The Kobe beef burger was a generous 8 ounces, but pricey at $18, plus another $4 if you want to add mushrooms, onions, and gruyere or bacon and blue cheese. The fried oysters were sublime. Served atop crunchy fried wontons, the oysters were crispy outside, melt-in-your-mouth soft inside, made perfect with a touch of garlic aioli and a sweet and spicy habanero salsa. The wine list is extensive, reasonably priced, and features many wines that you won't find anywhere else. The bartender was very knowledgeable and gave us three different wines to sample to help us choose. No snootiness here! Max's takes reservations, which were honored promptly. Definitely pay Max's a visit when you long for gourmet comfort food and a nice glass of wine.

Little Pappasito's on Richmond

Eat here on Wednesday nights. That's because the "Fajitas For Two" are half-price. We ordered the beef, medium rare. Given the fact that most restaurants' fajitas are so thin that they can almost never be rare, I was skeptical. But some of our beef slices were actually pleasingly red. The portion was large and the beef tender. It came with the standard accompaniments: beans (I recommend the black beans), rice, guacamole, and pico de gallo. The hot platter usually has lots of onions beneath the beef, but only a few tonight, plus a big jalapeño pepper. The red and green salsas were flavorful and not spicy-hot. Fun, festive, and reliably good Tex-Mex is what you will find at this popular spot. Call ahead and they will add your name to the waiting list to save you time once you arrive.

Laurenzo's on Washington Avenue

Eat here when you don't quite know what you want to eat. I came at noon and was amazed by the vast number of menu options. I have been here many times for dinner, but never earlier in the day (my dinner favorites are their signature prime rib and seared ahi tuna salad). At midday you can choose from the weekend brunch menu, a lunch specials menu, and the extensive dinner/anytime menu. Since breakfast is my favorite meal, I chose brunch. The brunch menu consists mainly of eggs Benedict dishes (two poached eggs atop a toasted English muffin with hollandaise sauce), served with two incredible melt-in-your-mouth folded crepes and a side order of creamy mascarpone cheese grits--think Paris, France meets Paris, Texas. Having grown up in the North, I am not accustomed to eating grits, but I tried them for the sake of research, and I have to admit, they were pretty darn good. I chose the "Lake George" eggs for two reasons: (1) it sounded tempting; and (2) it was Lake George in NY where my parents first met! Don't ask me what it's doing on a Houston menu, but, hey, it made my selection a tad easier. Layered beneath my poached eggs were crisp-tender asparagus, grilled tomato, and fresh mozzarella (hollandaise sauce on the side, as requested). It was a colorful combination of textures and flavors that worked really well together. My companions enjoyed their lunch specials, which included soup, a generously-sized half sandwich, and a side dish. While we have always had friendly, well-meaning servers, the kitchen occasionally makes mistakes, so consider yourself warned. I find Laurenzo's a convenient place for dinner before downtown theater. It is not inexpensive, so look for the occasion half-price coupon to save some bucks. Come hungry and allow enough time to study this eclectic menu.