A Tower of Tex-Mex

TUESDAY JUNE 15, 2010

Heard on the Street

We had a chat with Bill Floyd today at Reef, and he confirmed that he and chef Bryan Caswell are partnering with former Houston Press restaurant critic Robb Walsh on a new Tex-Mex spot that will go into the Tower Theatre location on Westheimer near Montrose.

Permitting has already begun, and the handsome Art Deco design will be kept intact. The great old balcony is also being rebuilt. Floyd says the new as-yet-unnamed spot will seat 300 and be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Look for it to open right after January 1.

Uchi, the much-praised sushi restaurant in Austin, is coming to Houston. The ownership team has bought the old Felix Mexican location on lower Westheimer. That building is in disrepair and will probably be torn down. Not sure whether Tyson Cole and partners are planning another Uchi, Uchiko or some totally new concept.

What Houston chef is currently in Los Angeles for the filming of The Next Iron Chef? We can’t tell you -- it’s all hush-hush -- but we know that he/she is one of the four still-standing chefs of the original 10.

Meet the Chefs

Landry’s Signature Group -- these are the white-tablecloth restaurants within the Landry’s organization -- is hosting a “Signature Chef’s Series” on select Tuesday evenings through August. We attended the kick-off event last Tuesday with chef Carlos Rodriguez at Vic & Anthony’s, and our dinner was amazing. Most memorable: the bone-in beef filet with sticky-rich bone marrow bordelaise.

Next up is chef Mark Holley, tonight, at Pesce. Next Tuesday’s dinner is with chef Grant Hunter at Brenner’s on the Bayou, and so on. For a schedule, reservations and details, click here.

It's Cyclone Season

We knew that chef Jason Gould (formerly at Gravitas and briefly at Stella Sola) had joined the team at Cyclone Anaya’s, and we finally got to sample the new menu that he’s helped write.

Our faves? The Caesar salad (served with the traditional large pieces of romaine) dressed with a garlicky chipotle dressing, the corn chowder and -- pace yourself, this is a big plate! -- slow-roasted carnitas sided with creamed corn and black beans and a jicama and watermelon salad that kicks. We managed to also squeeze in a brownie that had just a hint of tamarind: soft, gooey, delicious.

June is Foodie Month

Just when you thought that you’d heard enough about National Hamburger Month in May, we found out that June is National Candy Month as well as National Steak Month.

While red meat and sugar are two of our most-consumed food groups, there’s got to be room for something a little lighter in the month of June. Enter the Tootsy Maki coupon, which you yourself can get on RA Sushi’s Facebook page.

If you “like” RA Sushi on Facebook, you’ll get a printable coupon for a free Tootsy Maki which you can use at either the Highland Village (3908 Westheimer) or CityCentre (12860 Queensbury) location on Friday, June 18, which, appropriately, is International Sushi Day.

By the way, we recently asked you what your favorite candy was. While most people shunned black licorice, some of our readers’ top choices were dark chocolate, candy corn, “a chocolate martini,” and Skor bars. We willingly participated in National Donut Day (June 4), meaning that all of our chowing down will be dealt with at the gym … next month.

This Week's Entrée Offer: Cafe Bendicte's

Take a tour of European cuisine with the half off deal from Entree and Cafe Benedicte's. Sale ends soon but Certificates good through November 2010. Get it here.