Jonathan Jones of Monarch at the Hotel Zaza

This is the first part of a three part Chef Chat series. Come back on Thursday and Friday, to read parts two and three of this series.

Walk into the lobby of the Hotel Zaza, and as you're checking in you'll see a life-size billboard of the hotel restaurant Monarch's new executive chef, Jonathan Jones. Next to him, the caption reads: "Don't let the picture fool you. He is not that serious." And in big bold letters, it says: "Only about his food!"

For guests staying at the hotel, Jones' face re-appears on placards in each guest room and on in-room dining trays, all part of a campaign to show that Hotel Zaza has retained one of Houston's most prominent and much-loved chefs.

For his part, Jones, who is probably most known for his role at Beaver's and through social media under his former Twitter handle @PapaBeav, has been noticeably quiet since he joined Hotel Zaza's Monarch Restaurant. We caught up with him last week for a chat about his new role and what he's been doing since he left the independent restaurant world for a position at one of Houston's finest hotels.

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Photos by Mai Pham

The blue crabs, or "cua rang muoi" -- out-of-this-world delicious.

This is the third part of a three-part Chef Chat series. If you missed our previous posts, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

This week, we got to know the chef and owner of Crawfish and Noodles, Trong Nguyen. We learned how he struggled to maintain the restaurant while holding down a full-time job in a totally different industry; how he quit his job to take over the restaurant's kitchen and operations; and how he turned what would have been an unsuccessful restaurant into one where there are lines out the door on weekends. His restaurant is emblematic of this Vietnamese crawfish movement that has swept across Houston, a fact that hasn't gone unnoticed by the national media. Today we taste some of his food.

We start with his crawfish, large, selected crawfish that are almost all the same size. There is only one sauce. You can get it mild, medium or hot, depending on your sprice preference. Mine happens to be mild.

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Photos by Mai Pham

Trong Nguyen, the chef and owner of Crawfish and Noodles

This is the second part of a three-part Chef Chat series. You can read Part 1 here and Part 3 in this same space Friday.

EOW: So you took over this restaurant and it's in the dumps. How did you bring it back up?

TN: What I did is I rephrased the whole strategy. You see people losing money? They cut costs and try to save the food product. I did the total opposite. I dumped everything away. That means that every day, whatever leftover food we had, we'd dump it and cook a new one, dump it, cook a new one. So the food cost kept on rising up, but then that's how we build the quality food. And then we constantly work on the food taste. If I want to put out a dish, I let my family and friends taste it. I say, "Hey, I cook something for you, taste it and see if you like it." And then if you taste it and you say, "Okay, there's something missing here," then I kind of get your idea and I re-season it so I can make it to where you like it, until everyone who tastes it likes it.

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Photo by Mai Pham

Trong Nguyen, the owner and chef of Crawfish and Noodles

This is the first part of a three-part chef chat series. Come back to read parts two and three, which will run in this same space on Thursday and Friday.

It's taken me years to find Crawfish and Noodles. I've seen it, driven by it, heard about it, read about it, and have been meaning to try it at least a couple of years now, but it wasn't until a few friends and I decided to entertain an out-of-towner that I made it to the popular shop. And wow.

Crawfish and Noodles, I discovered, definitely has great, tasty crawfish. But there's more to it than that. The restaurant also offers an extensive Vietnamese menu that is both authentic and delicious -- some of the best I've had in the city. In fact, since I visited it for the first time three weeks ago, I've been back no less than five times, tasting some superbly prepared dishes by chef and owner Trong Nguyen. Nguyen sat down with us to chat about how he came to own what is arguably one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Houston.

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Photos by Mai Pham

Left to right: Chefs Ryan Hildebrand, Greg Lowry and Matthew Lovelace working in the open kitchen at Triniti

Inside the gorgeous dining room at Triniti, which is currently a James Beard Foundation finalist in the Outstanding Restaurant Design category, you can always spy the chefs hard at work in the open kitchen creating food that is both delicious and beautifully plated. But it makes you wonder: If these chefs make beautiful food day in and day out, what do they eat in their downtime?

This week, we answer that question when our Where the Chefs Eat series visits Triniti to see where Greg Lowry, Matthew Lovelace and Dax McAnear like to eat when they're out of the spotlight. (Executive chef Ryan Hildebrand shared his answers in a previous post, which you can read here.)

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Photos by Mai Pham

The Reuben at Brooklyn Athletic Club. The best I've ever had.

This is the third part of a three-part Chef Chat series. If you missed the previous posts, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

This week, we chatted with Jeff Axline of the new Brooklyn Athletic Club (BAC) on Richmond. We learned about his experiences, how he's made a name for himself with macaroni and cheese, his definition of "Americana"-type food, and what he thinks of the Austin food scene in comparison with Houston's. Today we try his food. And before you read further, I must warn you: It's gonna make you hungry.

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Photos by Mai Pham

Jeff Axline of Brooklyn Athletic Club

This is Part 2 of a three-part Chef Chat series. You can read Part 1 here and Part 3 in this same space Friday.

EOW: Tell me about Brooklyn Athletic Club.

JA: This was originally Shepard's idea. He's had the idea for a long time, but it was hard to come to fruition without having a property that had this outdoor space. When this property came up, it was kind of a no-brainer for him to jump on this idea. We had a whole undeveloped lot back here that we could put gaming on without doing a whole lot, so that's kind of where "Bam!" That's when the phone call happened. So, yeah. Idea is all his, food is all mine. Obviously he had some input on some things we had to have.

EOW: So his idea was to have this kind of country club atmosphere, and so then, from the food standpoint, it's all yours.

JA: Well, he wanted a Reuben on the menu, a kick-ass meatball, a pasta, a meatball sub. You know, New York deli-type things.

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Photos by Mai Pham

Jeff Axline of Brooklyn Athletic Club

This is the first part of a three-part Chef Chat series. Come back to read parts two and three, which will run in this same space on Thursday and Friday.

On a sleepy corner of Richmond, close to the Spur and around the corner from Montrose, the Brooklyn Athletic Club -- which took over the space that was formerly Zimm's Little Deck -- has quickly become a go-to destination for fun, food and games.

In the backyard, customers can play bocce ball, compete in bean-bag throws or challenge each other to a game of badminton. Out in front, a mini croquet lawn doubles as a putting green, and two fire pits that also double as smashingly successful S'mores roasters anchor one of the best patios in Houston.

People wouldn't just come to play the games, however. The food at Brooklyn Athletic Club also happens to be sinfully delicious, and at the heart of the food is Brooklyn Athletic Club's executive chef and partner, Jeff Axline, who sat down with us for a chat last week on a gorgeous, sunny day.

EOW: Jeff, I understand you traveled a lot as a kid; tell me about that.

JA: Yep. My dad was in the navy for 30 years. I grew up moving around a lot. Went to two different high schools, three different junior highs, a bunch of different elementary schools, absorbing a lot of cultures. Started my life out in California, moved to the Philippines.

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Photo by Mai Pham

Cresta de gallo pasta at Provisions -- one of Ryan Lachaine's favorites.

With the proliferation of open kitchens in Houston, it's hard to ignore the chefs who are actually making the food. Nowhere is that more true than at Underbelly, where food enthusiasts can literally spend the evening watching all the action going on in the kitchen. At one point during the night, you might even see the entire kitchen shotgunning beers simultaneously, a public ritual to mark the end of a good night.

This week, our Where the Chefs Eat series makes a pit stop at the Underbelly kitchen to see where chefs Ryan Lachaine, Lyle Bento and Victoria Dearmond eat when they're not under the spotlight.

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Photos by Mai Pham

Buffalo Mozzarella Caprese Salad

This is Part 3 of a three-part Chef Chat series. If you missed the previous posts, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

This week we chatted with Joe Macri of Up Restaurant, finding out about his Italian roots and his quick decision to leave the East Coast for Houston a little more than a year ago. We also learned a bit about his food philosophy, how he tries to make food safe for everyone, sourcing the best ingredients possible to create a "melting pot of cuisines." Today we get a glimpse into the extensive menu on offer at Up.

We started with a blue fin tuna tartare, elegantly served in a martini glass and topped with a generous mound of caviar. The tuna sat on a bed of yuzu brown butter sauce, which acted like a light fish marinade, the flavor profile of the dish simple but elegant. The sauce was well-balanced, with citrus-y acidity and a more earthy butteriness. Very nice.

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