Six Quintessential Dishes in Houston

You’ll want to try these for the taste and for a taste of history

Some restaurants are known for certain dishes, and some of those dishes are famous in Houston and beyond. Here, we’ve rounded up six dishes that are mainstays of H-town meals, everything from top-of-the-line streaks to Tex-Mex. We’re not saying they are the best, but they are right up there in both Houston’s heart and history.

Steaks from Taste of Texas

105050 Katy Freeway
713.932.6901
tasteoftexas.com

It may be a bit of a drive for innerloopers, but Taste of Texas is worth it for their steaks. Opened in 1977, it’s become a must-visit restaurant for Houstonians and out-of-towners. Known for its award-wining wine list and yummy sides, Taste of Texas has been tops in beef, with its on-site butcher shop and perfectly grilled cuts for decades of meat eaters.

Stuffed Redfish at Eugene’s Gulf Coast Cuisine

1985 Welch Street
713.807.8883
eugeneshouston.com

When it comes to seafood, there are plenty of places with fresh gulf coast cuisines, but one of our favorites is Kyle Teas’ Eugene’s Gulf Coast Cuisine, where fresh is a matter of pride. Try one of the signature dishes like the stuffed redfish. A filet stuffed to the gills (not really) with a blue crab claw stuffing and then broiled. It melts in your mouth. Pop for the extra-large twice baked potato as a side and you’ve got a great meal.

Original Fajitas at The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation

2704 Navigation Boulevard
713.228.1175
ninfas.com

You’ll get a lot of arguments about the best Tex-Mex in town, but it’s hard not to love the original Mama Ninfa’s tacos al carbon. The legendary Mama Ninfa first introduced North American restaurant goers to her fajitas in 1973 and they’ve been best sellers ever since. Grilled beef or chicken wrapped in a warm flour tortilla topped with pico de gallo, guacamole, and chile con queso, Tex-Mex doesn’t get any better or more basic than this dish. You need to try it just so you have bragging rights.

Jose’s Dip at Molina’s Cantina

Three locations
molinascantina.com

And speaking of Tex-Mex, who doesn’t start their meal with a bowl of chile con queso? If you’re like us, we like it spiked with some meat, like the original’s Jose’s Dip from Molina’s Cantina. Houston’s oldest family-owned and operated Tex-Mex eatery, they turn 83 this year, claims that their delicious dip was created by a long-ago waiter named — what else? — José, when a diner asked him to add some meat to the cheese dip. As the story goes, he went back to the kitchen and saw the spicy ground beef for tacos and dumped some in. And thus, as classic was born.

Eggs Brennan at Brennan’s

3300 Smith Street
713.522.9711
brennanshouston.com

Brunch is a rite of passage in Houston, be it fancy or your neighborhood taco truck. If it’s jazzy you want, try the venerable Brennan’s. Known as the crown jewel of Texas Creole cuisine and southern hospitality, it opened downtown in 1967 as a sister eatery to New Orleans’ famed Commander’s Palace. Its famous Sunday Jazz Brunch features such divine dishes as the Eggs Brennan. It’s two favorites in one: One Egg Benedict, an English muffin, Duroc Canadian bacon, poached egg, with Hollandaise sauce, and one Egg Sardou made of an artichoke bottom, topped with creamed spinach, a poached egg, and Hollandaise sauce.

Chicken “Bryan” Texas from Carrabba’s The Original on Kirby

3115 Kirby Drive
713.522.3131
carrabbasoriginal.com

For almost four decades, Johnny Carrabba’s eponymous Italian American eats restaurant in Upper Kirby has been dishing up great food for generations of Houstonians. It’s hard to know where to start, or end up, as most everything on the menu is wonderful, from the wood-fired oven pizzas to the pasta greats but there’s one specialty that sums up the Italian-Texan tastes here and that’s the Chicken “Bryan” Texas. Grilled chicken breast topped with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil butter, served with fettuccine Alfredo. Named for the community of Bryan, Texas, where the Carrabba family first settled after they migrated from Sicily, this dish is a crowd pleaser.

Wanna make a savory steak at home? From Taste of Texas’ award-winning cookbook, Perfectly Aged, here’s how the pros do it.

How to Make Crosshatches from Taste of Texas

You eat with your eyes first. The appearance of their steaks will go a long way in your guests’ perception of the meal they’re about to enjoy. To make crosshatches, sear perpendicular grill marks on both sides of the steaks. Place the steaks at a 45° angle to the grill grates over high heat. Sear for 2 minutes. Rotate the steaks 90° and sear again to create diamond grill marks. After 2 minutes, flip the steaks and repeat on the other side, for a total of 8 minutes of searing. Keep a water spray bottle on hand to address any flare ups.

After searing, transfer the steaks to the lower heat side of the grill, making sure to line up the grill marks. This is where the steaks will finish cooking. The less you move the steaks around on the grill, the more perfect the grill marks will be.

Should you close the lid while the steaks are on? We leave this up to you to decide. If you close the lid on the grill, it’s possible you might get carbon marks from flare ups; however, a closed lid often gets you a better sear and crust.

You can purchase the cookbook, as well as gourmet steaks and more, at tasteoftexas.com.