Students currently enrolled in culinary schools in Texas will want to head to their local news stand or head to the Internet to check out the November 2014 issue of Food & Wine. The magazine, which profiles the finest in restaurants and culinary experiences from across the U.S. and the world at large, recently released its list of the 20 Best Dishes in Texas. In order to do this, according to Eater, they enlisted the help of three elite Texans from the hospitality and restaurant community. If you’re in The Lone Star State and currently looking for a venue for that next special meal, then you’ll definitely want to take a look at a few of these fantastic culinary establishments and the highly renowned dishes they serve.
Houston
Among all of the cities included in the list of acclaimed dishes, only Austin came up stronger than Houston. The home to four of the total 20 dishes, Houston received recognition for a number of different areas of the culinary spectrum. One of the dishes that was spoken about most highly was the porterhouse for pwo at Da Marco, a local steakhouse that cooks American fare with traditional Italian touches. For those in the Houston area looking for a less red meat-intensive option, the list also calls out the brandade located at The Pass. The dish features smoked trout and fingerling potatoes in an olive oil and cream sauce. The other two Houston-based dishes on the list were the mesquite smoked roast pork from Underbelly and the bone-in pork belly at Killen’s Barbeque.
Austin
The only city in the state to outdo Houston on this list was Austin, where six of the total 20 dishes are located. An unsurprising leader in this regard, Austin has become revered over the past couple decades for its burgeoning culinary scene (which, paired with being the live music capital of the world, paints a pretty inviting picture). Alex Manley’s Josephine House in Austin, a restaurant with a French persuasion, was one of few places where a nontraditional meat dish was honored. The steak frites from Josephine House was included on the list, with the authors noting that it’s cooked each Monday night over aged oak chips in an outdoor pit. As an up and coming chef in the Texas scene, this is a huge break for Manley’s career.
Other cities
Of course, Houston and Austin weren’t the only two cities to be included on the prestigious list. Dallas received several mentions including perennial favorites Smoke and The Knife, where the open face beef cheek sandwich and the big rib were honored, respectively. Fort Worth’s Woodshed Smokehouse was named to the article for their lamb brisket. San Antonio had one of the least meat driven dishes honored with the Texas toast at The Granary ‘Cue and Brew, where the bread is fried in beef tallow and served with butter made from the grease of their multiple cookers.
