Houston, we have no problem: Texas Children's Houston Open, March 28-31, 2024
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I wouldn’t have necessarily guessed but turns out Houston has the best restaurant wine scene of any place in the entire South. But it’s Texas after all, so first you gotta wade through the herd of national and regional steakhouse chains. Once you do, you can find enough great wine lists to rival NY, Chicago, and San Francisco. I’m telling you, it’s happening here. Perhaps the most appealing aspect is that even the ethnic and themed restaurants have plenty of game (see the Rainbow Lodge!) We had to put an arbitrary limit on the number of entries this time, but we swear to “beef” it up on the next Tour visit. As Phil Rizzuto would have said, “Holy Cow!”
Before diving into the excellent restaurant options, I wanted to point out that although I haven’t had the pleasure of playing there, I got a glimpse of the wine list at River Oaks Country Club. It’s one of the truly great club lists I’ve seen around the country, not surprising when you learn it’s presided over by an Advanced Sommelier, Lindsay Thomas. If anyone reading this is a member, I’m available for golf and a free, independent assessment of the wine program at the drop of a (cowboy) hat.
Restaurants:
Post Oak Hotel. You could stop right here if you wanted, one of the world’s great wine lists can be accessed from any of at least six different restaurants in the Hotel, of course including a steakhouse. It’s got that phonebook heft and while you’d need to be an oil baron to afford some of the treasures, there’s no shortage of more affordable options, like 10 wines from Texas all under $60. You get the idea, it has everything.
Pappas Bros Steak. If you somehow escape from the Post Oak and still want a steak, Pappas is up to the challenge with its own 3900 bottle selection of the world’s best. I’d have to bring a bucket of Lipitor if I moved to Houston.
Rosie Cannonball. A sense of fun and adventure pervades the small, well-priced list. A little bit of everything and a welcome tendency to walk on the wild side.
Amrina. Indian-inflected modern food and a very deep and strong list. Was hoping to see more specificity in matching the imaginative cuisine but there’s so much to choose from you probably can’t go wrong. Here’s a place it might be worth asking the sommelier what he/she recommends with the food.
13 Celsius. This wine bar features a ton of appealing wines by the glass and has a good eclectic range of wines by the bottle, conveniently organized in buckets from light to full-bodied, although within these categories the entries are seemingly random and whiplash-inducing. Many options under $100, although weirdly the website carries some prices out to several decimals, like the Elio Altare barbera for $54.15
Masraff’s has a good solid list across the board that seems to specialize in pinot noir, especially New World. But there’s also a strong Cali cab and Bordeaux presence. I’d describe the list as “safe,” and you’ll be fine if you like to play the favorites.
Brix leans heavily New World, especially California reds. The French and Italian selections are representative if not inspired.
Rainbow Lodge. The emphasis here is on game, so I was expecting a heavy dose of full-bodied reds. The list is good, with a lot of high-end choices in the categories that are presumably traditional fits for elk and antelope, as if I know. If so inclined, you can get a 6oz pour of ’17 Opus One under Coravin for $154.
El Meson The very reasonably priced list at Spanish/Latin-focused El Meson pulls out the stops in offering a vinous tour of Spain, tossing in carefully selected complementary choices from around the world. A lot of imagination is at work here and this list got my juices flowing even at 9AM.
Kiran’s. When the restaurant’s theme is “Delhi by way of Houston” you might be expecting an episode of lassi come home. Instead, there’s a solid balanced list of traditional wines. You can find plenty of wines you’ve heard of and like, but theoretically would have wanted to see a little more imagination in matching the cuisine.
State of Grace. Someone lovingly annotated the entire wine list with brief background text and tasting notes, so here’s a list you can “read” if you want. Diverse and inviting with a few killer bargains lurking if you know where to look.
Bludorn: a strong list with a little bit of everything but nice depth in Burgundy, Bordeaux and California. Plenty of off-the-beaten path surprises.
Retail:
I hate to say it but with the strength of Houston restaurants, retail is almost an afterthought. If you need to stock up your AirBnB, you can find what you’re looking for at either Houston Wine Merchant or Spec’s. Spec’s offers the convenience of multiple outlets but if searching online, use this link to “Explore All Wines” or you’ll be scratching through your Stetson for a half hour like I was.
