Pat’s Pick

Nov 12, 2024 | texasmonthly.com | Patricia Sharpe |Pat’s Pick

In a ceremony in Houston on Monday night attended by the crème de la crème of the Texas restaurant world, France’s Michelin company bestowed single stars on fifteen Texas dining places. The awards are widely regarded as the most prestigious in the culinary world, and it was the first time the French tire company had been successfully coaxed to evaluate the Lone Star State.

Nov 11, 2024 | texasmonthly.com | Patricia Sharpe |Pat’s Pick

Nobody believes me when I say I’ve decided to retire. “What?!” they exclaim. “You have the best job in Texas!” Yes, I know. My job is fantastic. For the better part of fifty years I have been Texas Monthly’s designated eater, exploring and writing about this state’s rowdy, brilliant, perennially shape-shifting food scene. The pace has been relentless. On a typical day I might roll out of bed in the morning thinking about the lamb kebabs I’d eaten in Houston the night before.

Sep 11, 2024 | texasmonthly.com | Patricia Sharpe |Pat’s Pick

The summer sun is slip-sliding away when my pal Courtney and I arrive at a labyrinthine two-story compound that houses our destination: Ishtia, an unexpectedly experimental restaurant in the stunningly improbable location of Kemah, a coastal town of about two thousand souls 25 miles southeast of Houston. We have semi-starved ourselves in preparation for the evening’s entertainment: a twenty-course menu dreamed up by chef David Skinner, who has more than once been called the Willy Wonka of food.

Aug 21, 2024 | texasmonthly.com | Patricia Sharpe |Pat’s Pick

Word on the street—or in the kitchens—over the last week is that restaurants in at least two Texas cities have been asked confidentially to provide certain materials and information to the Michelin Guide. That suggests Michelin’s anonymous inspectors are finishing up their last few bites—and may, in fact, already be through.

Aug 19, 2024 | texasmonthly.com | Patricia Sharpe |Pat’s Pick

You could be forgiven for thinking that the last thing Tiffany Derry needed was another restaurant. The chef had her hands full with Roots Southern Table, the Farmers Branch venue she opened to considerable acclaim in 2021. On top of that, she was busy babying along the two locations of her fast-food joint, Roots Chicken Shak, which she knew could go national. But Derry and her business partner, Tom Foley, hungered for a new concept. At a meeting, she mentioned how much she loved Italy.