​For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

Along with Texas oyster season, crawfish season is officially upon us. No Label Brewing out of Katy is offering an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil for only $10 at Ashford Pub this Saturday at 1 p.m., while the Heights Chamber of Commerce is busy prepping for its annual crawfish boil at the SSQQ Dance Studio on March 3. Yesterday, when I spoke to Jim Gossen -- hero of the New South and founder of Foodways Texas -- he talked of hosting a crawfish boil soon to promote membership in Foodways Texas and bring people together.

"I don't want to have a clique," he said of the young organization, which promotes Texas food history and culture. "I don't want it to be this small group of people. This is something that everyone can get involved in. I want everyone to feel welcome."

And that's exactly what a crawfish boil does. It's hard not to feel like part of a greater whole when you're eating crawfish with others: You're in the trenches together, battling through a field of mudbugs and emerging dirty yet victorious at the end of the meal.

More >>

Photo courtesy of The Rainbow Lodge

A fireside table at our No. 1 pick. See more restaurants that almost made the cut in our romantic restaurants slideshow.

​For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

Most people have their own, definite and occasionally unique ideas of what is "romantic." For example, an old friend of mine once tried to woo a girl by making her lasagna in his home to the sounds of the most romantic music he could think of: the soundtrack to Gladiator. (Long story short, they ended up dating for years.)

That applies to me, as well. I have my own ideas of what's romantic in a restaurant: quirky or eccentric spaces that encourage cozy dining and long stretches of time spent at a table over excellent food and wine. These other 16 restaurants just narrowly missed making the cut -- that's how many gorgeous dining rooms we have in this city. Your mileage, as always, may vary -- and we want to hear about your own favorite Houston restaurants for romance in the comments section below.

More >>

Photo by Groovehouse

As seen at our Cupcake Smackdown, people go nuts over tiny cakes.

​For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

More >>

Inside SRO on a quiet night.

​If food and a clear line of sight to a fancy television were all it takes to make a good sports bar, you might as well build up those plaque reserves at home. Judging sports bars involves more utilitarian considerations than usual - some of us have even ended up at Buffalo Wild Wings at some point because of convenience or peer pressure, terrible as that truth is. But it's character, camaraderie and specialization that make sports bar great, as opposed to just a place to park your ass while you fume about everything your team should be doing differently.

Based on that, here's our list of the top ten local sports bars. The order is rigidly definitive, and if we forgot your favorite place, it's because your favorite place is actually worthless.

Center Court.

​10. Center Court

This Pearland spot has only been around for half a dozen years or so, but it's already older than the surrounding bars in its strip center. (Except for area ice houses, Pearland is a fairly young town, bar-wise.) It's small and brighter than most places, with plenty of TVs. What makes Center Court stand out, though, is the family feel (relatively speaking -- this is still a business that sells liquor and stays open until 2 a.m. on weekends) and the pizza. The pizza isn't the best in town, but the thin-ish crust variety they sell is some of the best we've had at a Houston bar. It comes in a dozen varieties; try it with goat cheese, spinach and grilled chicken, or go Ninja Turtle with extra cheese and pepperoni.

More >>

Does that burger have Fritos and refried beans on top? Yes. Welcome to Texas.

​For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

Houston has a lot of burgers. A lot. We could do a dozen different Top 10 posts on just the different styles: gourmet, steakhouse, fast-food, burger stand, veggie, old-fashioned -- you get the drift.

Instead of that, we've picked 10 of our favorites from around the city that all represent the many different styles you can find in Houston. If you like burgers, you're guaranteed to find at least one burger that's "your type" on the list.

If not, you know the drill: Yell at us in the comments section until you feel better.

More >>

Photo by Jonathan Cohen

​For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

There's something about the kind of place that specializes in a good martini -- a true martini, I might add, and not one made with vodka -- that typically lends itself to a certain clientele.

Customers ordering legit martinis are not the same people you'll find ordering appletinis at Midtown clubs or vodka martinis at River Oaks hot spots. Martini drinkers are, on the whole, a more mature set -- not necessarily in age, but in attitude -- and therefore more appreciative of liquor's taste, choosing not to mask it with sugary syrups or juices.

Many bars that specialize in the classic cocktail also have a darker side to them, too. Marfreless is a good example of the dirtier side of martini bars, and there's a reason that people have nicknamed the bar on Sandman "The Davensnort."

Keep your nose clean, though, and a true martini bar can be a thing of beauty.

More >>

My own personal version of heaven, served up at our No. 1 pick.

​For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

Houston has two world-class sushi restaurants headed its way in 2012: Uchi, to open in the old Felix space at Montrose and Westheimer, and Katsuya by Starck, which will become another tenant in the tony West Ave development. Our sushi landscape will undoubtedly change dramatically with these two heavy-hitters, which could render this entire list moot shortly.

But for now, here are our top picks for when you get the raw fish jones.

More >>

KIDDING. But seriously, the fried chicken here is outstanding. Get that.

​For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

More >>

No.

​For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

More >>

Photos by Mai Pham

Very inviting: a gorgeous shrimp and avocado salad

​It's rare that I have the opportunity to eat brunch on Sundays. I'm usually one of those up-till-the-wee-hour-of-the-morning types, so getting up early on a Sunday is just not part of my regular agenda.

But this last Sunday was special. It was New Year's Day, 2012. And to ring in the new year, I figured I could lose a bit of sleep and start the year fresh with a fabulous meal.

Mission Sunday Brunch was to wake up early, get myself to Hugo's so that my friend wouldn't get stood up, and heartily partake in the bounties of regional Mexican cuisine. It would also be the first time I got to try the famous Hugo's award-winning brunch, so I was excited at the prospect.

More >>