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Wine, Food, and Other Vital Things

Category: Restaurants (Page 1 of 2)

The hamburger au poivre at Marée. (Andrea Jernmark Instagram)

A Bistro on Pico: Marée’s Promising Start

October 23, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Marcus Jernmark is making quite the impression with Lielle, his tasting-menu restaurant that premiered in February. It’s receiving glowing reviews from critics and diners alike. Bill Addison, of the Los Angeles Times, writes that Jernmark’s tasting-menu restaurant is “one of the decade’s most exciting and assured debuts … ” in Los Angeles. Jernmark is also the man behind Marée, where my partner and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this year.

Marée had been open but two weeks when we dined there on a Monday evening last month, and while I generally avoid visiting a restaurant until it’s been “broken in” for at least several months, I miss French bistros and decided to make an exception to my rule: after all, Marée calls itself a “California French Bistrot.” This is a first look at the restaurant.

This building has seen a lot of culinary activity. (Brockhaus Images)

Marée is situated above Lielle in a building on West Pico Boulevard that has housed its fair share of restaurants over the years, including Osteria Romana Orsini, Sotto, Test Kitchen, and, most recently, Walter and Margarita Manzke’s Bicyclette, which I liked immensely — the République couple closed up shop there in 2024.

Jernmark’s creative partner, Andrea Jernmark, and Lovers Unite have given Marée’s interior an assured and inviting bistro feel. You’ll find, among other sights, textures, and surfaces, a zinc chef’s counter (weathered intentionally), vintage mirrors, a bar of green onyx marble, Fritz Hansen pendants, Thonet-style chairs, and Knoll velour-upholstered banquettes. The space is warm yet bright, in a wavelength proper for dining, drinking, and conversing.

Thonet-style chairs set a proper tone at Marée. (Andrea Jernmark Instagram)
An undulating bar leads the eye into one of Marée’s dining areas. (Photo by Kort Havens)

I like the colors of Marée; nothing offends the eye or the sensibilities. Some surfaces shine, others calm with their warmth. There’s gray — dark, dramatic gray — some copper, a touch of yellow at the entryway. And the walls, with their textured white expanses, make the other colors profound and true. It is a space that beckons and seeks. (Click here for more images of Marée at Lovers Unite.)

The zinc chef’s counter gives diners a perfect seat. (Photo by Kort Havens)

I order beef tartare as often as I can, and that was how I chose to begin my meal at Marée. It’s served on a round plate; pieces of finely diced celery dot the beef, along with parmesan and black pepper and olive oil. No egg yolk, which is a fine move by Jernmark. Earthy, rustic, pleasing texture, acid supplied by the olive oil and celery.

It’s my opinion that a dish of tartare should always be served with at least one piece of bread, even if the guest has not ordered bread service. We had not ordered the bread service, but my request for a piece of bread was granted. It was good bread, and with great pleasure I used it to eat the tartare; the bread soaked up the flavor-infused oil and I left nary a drop on the plate. A dish well prepared.

Beef, celery, and Parmesan combine in Marée’s tartare de boeuf. (Brockhaus Images)

A salad of figs and goat cheese was also on our menu that night, a small plate, figs and chèvre under dressed and crisp greens, figs meaty and slightly sweet, cheese creamy and tart. It was a good bite, altogether, to come after the tartare.

Tomatoes came to the table next, a Munak tomato salad with shiso vinegar and fig leaf oil. Fresh, lively, a clearing-of-the-palate dish that makes one wish peak tomato season lasted longer than it does. Touches of salt, along with the slightly savory fig oil and bracing vinegar, meld into something magical and alive.

Munak tomatoes, fig leaf oil, and shiso vinegar. (Andrea Jernmark Instagram)

The Caledonian blue prawn cocktail was to our liking; heads on, cooked so that the flesh retained moisture and bite — overcooked prawn or shrimp or lobster is never fun — and served with a cocktail sauce comprised of Marée’s homemade hot sauce, ketchup, tomatoes, and horseradish. A lemon wedge completes the dish.

I like my prawns cooked the way they cook them at Marée: carefully, not too long. Tough prawns are a travesty. (Brockhaus Images)

I ordered the veal sausage, because I am a sausage person. It’s made at the restaurant, and I sensed some offal, which I love. It’s served over lentilles du Puy and baby cauliflower florets and it’s moist and rustic and savory and earthy. Some house-made grainy mustard is a fitting accompaniment.

A coiled link of veal sausage and lentils make a comforting meal. (Brockhaus Images)

Perhaps you have heard of the hamburger au poivre that’s on the menu at Marée? It’s been appearing on a good number of social media feeds. We ordered it. Whenever I select such a dish my mind automatically goes to one of my favorite examples of a burger, The Big Mec, which is served at Petit Trois L’Original.

Marée’s hamburger is good, really good. It’s brought to table cut in half, the cut side down on a platter that contains an ample amount of au poivre sauce. There are fried onion rings on this burger, along with fried kale chips, Espagnole sauce, and oyster mushrooms. There’s plenty of beef, and it’s finished over Japanese charcoal, a touch that imparts umami and a note of mystery. The rich, grilled bun took on the sauce in a delightful manner. We also ordered fries, which are worth the $16 price tag. They were hot, crisp, toothsome, and stood up well to the aioli and mustard I asked for. What good is a fry without both?

The hamburger au poivre at Marée. It’s more than a burger, in a good way. (Andrea Jernmark Instagram)

We closed the meal with a chocolate mousse studded with caramelized hazelnuts, a dessert that straddles a great line between sweet and savory. Not savory in a meaty way, but savory in a dark-chocolate acid-salty way. It is served towering in a small ice cream parlor dish, and sharing it was fun.

A dessert of chocolate mousse and caramelized hazelnuts. (Brockhaus Images)

Marée shares Lielle’s wine list, a 47-page offering that includes some great California bottles — Radio-Couteau Seabed Estate Chardonnay for $175, Littorai Mays Canyon Chardonnay for $275, Hirsch Vineyards San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir at $182 — along with abundant selections from Europe, zero-proof libations, and a smattering of spirits (grappa, cognac, armagnac, amaro). I appreciate any list that includes Philip Togni wines, and this one, put together by beverage director Phil South, does. Corkage at Marée is $50, and at Lielle it is $75; if you buy a bottle from the list the fee is waived for one bottle.

Marée is definitely a bistro, and, based on my one meal there, it is a good one. You’ll pay $42 for the burger, and the veal sausage costs $48. If you have a meal at Marée you’ll have to assess whether the food is worth the money. I must be honest and state that I have had meals in bistros in France that cost much less and were just as good, but this is Los Angeles and that burger is damned good.

A place for grilling on Santa Monica Boulevard. (Brockhaus Images)

A Little Yakitori Night Music

August 30, 2026 / / 0 Comments

The restaurant’s signage caught my eye nearly every time I drove past it, which had been at least 500 times. It’s named Nanbankan, and its entrance is nondescript and unadorned, and that is what attracted me. I love Japanese cuisine, and this restaurant, with its narrow storefront and plain sign, seemed almost a speakeasy. I wanted to know what unfolded inside the door. For whatever reason, I had never taken the time to stop by and see what it was all about. Until a few nights ago.

I had made plans earlier in the week to meet my friend Allison for dinner, and, as we both live equidistant from Nanbankan, I suggested we meet there. It serves Yakitori, and, as its menu stated, “other good things.” Turns out, false advertising it was not.

A promising cover. (Brockhaus Images)

“Yaki” means “grilled,” while “tori” is translated as “bird, or chicken.” Grilled chicken. Nanbankan serves that, and Allison and I shared a fine example of negima, rich thigh meat and green onions on a bamboo skewer grilled perfectly, moist and full of smoke and glazed with tare (soy and mirin). It was the opening dish among many that we shared.

Need one anything else with which to begin a meal? Chicken thigh and green onions.

What followed, in no particular order, were lamb chops, yellowtail collar, eggplant, slightly — to my taste —overcooked ebi (shrimp), onigiri, one of which was stuffed with salmon, the other “house style” with scallions and assorted other ingredients, New York strip steak, mushrooms, and chicken breast wrapped in shisho leaf.

Shrimp grilled simply and perhaps 8 seconds too long.

We were seated at the far end — the last two seats next to a wall — of the bar, which wraps around the grilling area. The best seats, I would say, as we had a view of the entire busy yet orderly room. Older couples were there, as were diners in their thirties and twenties. I could tell that some of them were regulars, because their familiarity with the staff was evident. The Band played through the speakers, a good sign.

Every dish, excepting, as noted, the shrimp, was much more than good: the rice cakes with crisp exterior and warm and moist interior, the mushrooms slightly chewy and earthy, the yellowtail collar cooked with aplomb — flesh flaky and briny. I especially liked the two chicken dishes, and the egplant was perhaps the best thing of all.

Lamb was a blackboard special at Nanbankan.
Yellowtail collar: crisp skin, delightfully flaky flesh.
Onigiri made well.
New York strip with a tangy and rich glaze.
I love meaty and earthy mushrooms, and these were that exactly.
Tender, moist breast meat wrapped in shisho leaf.
The 2025 ‘Wild Series’ skin-contact white from Pali Wine Co.

Allison brought a bottle of ski-contact white from Pali Wine Co. — Nanbankan has a $20 corkage fee — and it paired well with most everything we ordered, though the steak skewer might have been better off with a red. The Pali wine is a blend of gewürztraminer and pinot noir, fruit of the former from Danny’s Vineyard in Monterey County. The pinot is Pali estate.

Nanbankan is a place to which I can walk, and that makes it even better. Plus, upon entering I was greeted by a gracious and attractive man with silver hair wearing a tailored seersucker suit. What could be better?

I shall return, soon, to Nanbankan, this time with Angela. And I will order pork.

Where the action takes place. (Brockhaus Images)

(All images, unless noted, courtesy of Please the Palate.)

Lamb on the tasting menu at Electric Bleu.

A French/California Bistro Takes Root in Mar Vista

November 30, 2025 / / 0 Comments

The place makes me miss dining in France. Bistros in France specifically. The tables and bar, the music and laughter and (at times) chaotic activity, the service and ambiance and navigation of tight spaces. And the cuisine.

Electric Blue occupies a warm corner in Mar Vista.

I’m referring to Electric Bleu, a restaurant in Mar Vista that opened a few months ago. I’ve been there twice now, and will go again. On that third visit I would like to sit at the bar that overlooks the kitchen, or perhaps perch at the end of the bar near the wine cellar. The wine list is a good one — how about an Aligoté from Georges Lignier et Fils for $72, a Sancerre from Jean Paul Ballard for $95, a Xavier Gerard Saint-Joseph Syrah for $129, plus a small selection of sake and vermouth? — and a tightly organized by-the-glass program keeps things fresh.

Craig Hopson, the chef owner of Electric Bleu, is from Australia, and dreams of becoming a pro surfer were sustained financially by his cooking job at a restaurant in his home country. He hung up his board after discovering his true calling, and made a stop in Europe to consort with, among others, Guy Savoy, Michel Troisgros, and Alain Senderens. In New York he plied his trade at a number of restaurants, including Picholine and Le Cirque.

My first evening at Electric Bleu was a rainy one, so the outdoor patio was closed. We arrived early, around 6, and were in the company of a few other diners. That changed around 7, and the place suddenly became packed. Our small table, sandwiched between the bar and the tables along the outside wall, seemed to shrink as guests and staff maneuvered the narrow space on either side. A few tables that normally seated diners outside had been moved inside for the evening, adding to the crunch. We, however, had no complaints, and the buzz and activity added to that bistro feel.

Chanterelles, sunchokes, and hazelnuts at Electric Bleu

The food? Very memorable. Sautéed chanterelles with sunchokes, lettuce, and hazelnuts began that first meal, followed by smoked salmon on a large blini topped with trout roe and capers. A superb sausage of rabbit and bacon was my main course, and it was served over ribboned salsify, spinach, and a rabbit ragout, which was rich and warm and salty and sensual.

A large blini with smoked salmon, capers, trout roe, and dill.
A rabbit and bacon sausage with salsify and a rabbit ragout.

We closed the meal with a piece of Reblochon Reine de Dévotion.

A return to Electric Bleu on Saturday, about two weeks after the initial evening, began at that bar area near the wine cellar. We were meeting two others for dinner and ordered glasses of Aligoté and a Languedoc Blanc de Blancs. The place was already nearly full — Angelenos generally dine earlier than their NYC counterparts, in my experience — and it felt good. The staff impressed me again with their casual yet disciplined demeanor, and navigated the environs proficiently.

Hokkaido scallops, apple gelée, and mustard seeds.

Our guests arrived, we moved to a table along the wall, and the meal commenced. Two of us opted for the tasting menu ($64), a four-course affair that featured Hokkaido scallop crudo with an apple gelée and mustard seed vinaigrette to start, followed by sea bass with sweet potato, lime, and fried Brussels sprout leaves. The scallops were briny and fresh, lifted by the gelée and mustard seeds.

Sea bass and sweet potato.

The bass was cooked well, firm and moist. I wish the plating had left the skin exposed, because I love crisp fish skin, but the leaves largely gave me soggy skin. The potato chips on the plate suffered the same fate.

Lamb cooked well.

The third course, lamb, was the high point. Spinach perfectly sautéed, a citrusy gremolata-like sauce, and sliced lamb, rare on the inside, seared on the outside. Pear ice cream over poached pear ended the tasting menu in a good way. There was also pâté en croûte, and it was a fine example of that French wonder.

Pear ice cream, poached pear, and white chocolate crisps
Pâté en croûte worthy of France.

Electric Bleu has the feel of a neighborhood place, and I was told that there are already regulars. Hopson says he wants his restaurant to be a place with great food and world-class hospitality for Mar Vista and Los Angeles. It is well on its way there.

Wagyu brisket, and a lot more. This curry, at Sway near Austin, Texas, has a lot of personality.

Texas Thai: Jungle Curry at Sway in West Lake Hills Is a Dish Deluxe

August 16, 2019 / / 2 Comments

You might expect bold flavors, but this is something even more profound and satisfying. Texas wagyu brisket, red chili, baby corn, tiny eggplant, stalks of green peppercorn, and coconut cream — it’s called Jungle Curry.

It’s a dish on the menu at Sway, in West Lake Hills, near Austin, Texas. The dining room here is captivating; large communal tables and dark tile, a busy open kitchen, a rooftop bar with views of Austin’s skyline.

And flavors in abundance. Beginning with that beautiful brisket in the Jungle Curry.

Joto Daiginjo’s 72 Clocks sake pairs well here.
Kamille and Angela at Sway
Justin Yu and his team create great meals in the small kitchen at Theodore Rex.

Rabbit, Peaches, and Some Great Wines: Theodore Rex is One of Houston’s Best

July 6, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Theodore Rex has, for the past year or so, been one of my favorite restaurants in Houston, and a recent evening spent there resulted in a firm reinforcement of that opinion. It is, in my estimation, one of the five best restaurants in that city.

I’ve dined at Theodore Rex six or so times, and each evening has been full of myriad flavors and textures that are just right, from a dish of poached peaches coddled in a rich broth with fresh herbs — a savory/slightly sweet beauty of a course — to handmade farfalle in a rich sauce vin jaune with chard and braised rabbit (typing that made me want to have this dish now) or, one of my top dishes of the past several years, beans and rice (but not your average bowl of beans and rice, to be sure).

Beans and rice
Tomatoes and bread extraordinaire

On that recent evening, Angela and I sat at the chef’s counter at Theodore Rex and shared a few dishes (we skipped the beans and rice — “Carolina Gold rice and butterbeans cooked in soft butter with crushed garden leaves,” but will have them on our next visit — ) including the famous tomato toast:

As I wrote about that toast last year … another small and epiphanic item that you will crave often after experiencing its wonder. It combines rye pain de mie, bright green herbs and onions, and some of the most delicately delicious tomatoes you’ve tasted. (Many pounds of the fruit are cooked down into a rich fondant, which is spread on the toast and then topped with cherry tomatoes from Finca Tres Robles.)

The Dutch Crunch Roll
Ham and cream and hot sauce

We had the Dutch Crunch roll, which came with split butter (butter mixed with just enough crème fraîche to split it without completely separating it — Justin Yu, the man behind the restaurant, says, “it has a fun texture and I like the sourness.” I agree) and ham and Mexican oregano and Cherry Bomb pepper sauce. We had those peaches in stock and herbs — the fruit was mighty savory, while still tart — and that ethereal housemade farfalle with rabbit, the vin jaune sauce one of the best I’ve tasted.

Peaches and herbs
Farfalle and rabbit
An Abariño of distinction
From France, with much love.

To end the evening, instead of my usual dessert choice, Yu’s take on the Paris Brest, we went with a moist and rich strawberry cake. I missed the Paris Brest only a little.

A fine cake of strawberries

The great wines? An Albariño to start, followed by a selection from Charles Hours. Yes, Theodore Rex has a wine list I adore.

Garganelli, leeks, sausage, leeks, mascarpone, and truffles

A Pasta Dish Extraordinaire: Garganelli, Sausage, and Leeks, Plus Truffles

March 16, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Leeks and garganelli, plus sausage and mascarpone. The pasta, a type hailing originally from Romagna, is both hearty and delicate, graceful and sturdy. It’s been rolled by hand.

Rustic is what this dish certainly is; the leek and sausage ragù I would happily eat on its own, or spread on grilled bread. The sausage possesses a richness that, when combined with the leeks, mellows and lingers. The mascarpone is warm and creamy and slightly acidic. And the truffles.

The truffles belong here. Your spirits lift when you lean over this dish and inhale their aroma. The right thing to do: Take your spoon and mix everything, gently. The distinct flavors will meld, the pasta’s tiny ridges will capture the sauce, and your evening will become more than satisfying.

You’ll find the garganelli, and the rest of this creation, at Sorriso, a restaurant that opened early in 2019 in The Woodlands, a planned community north of Houston. The kitchen is run by Enzo Fargione, who made his name in D.C. with Barolo and Elisir. Giorgio Ferrero, the sommelier at Sorriso, will energetically take care of your wine needs, and oversees a diverse and quality list. They’ve gotten off to a promising start.

Somerset: Order the smoked beet tartare here.

A Beet Tartare That Impresses

December 27, 2018 / / 0 Comments

We’re in Chicago for Christmas, and today at lunch came across a perfect little dish. It was at Somerset, an elegant, two-story restaurant that’s part of the Boka Restaurant Group.

The main dining room — Somerset is meant to evoke a country club vibe — is full of brass and leather and tweedy fabric and wood, but it all meshes in the mind in an airy and comfortable manner. One would not expect cigar smoke in this club, but Martinis and deck shoes would fit right in.

Wood, brass, a welcoming air, and food that makes delicious sense.

Service here is casual but professional; the wine list is thoughtful, with glasses and bottles from $11/$40ish. Domaine Olga Raffault is represented, as are Giovanni Rosso and Billecart Salmon. Cocktails and draft beer mean you won’t suffer from thirst.

To the beet tartare. It comes to table in a bowl, and the first element one notices are the dark crackers studded with sunflower seeds and other nuts. Light, crisp, earthy … the perfect scoop for the beets and cheese. Break off a piece of the cracker, and be sure to get a bite containing everything. When it hits your palate, you’ll like the initial citrusy/smoky rush, which mellows into something deeper, richer. The sunflower seeds give texture, and the cheeses jump on your tongue.

Under all the cheese are cumin yogurt, goat gouda, and sunflower seeds, plus smoked beets. If you are in Chicago, get this.

This beet tartare has been added to The Brockhaus 2018 Top 20 Dishes List.

This list is small, but it's packed with interesting bottles.

First Impressions: Nobie’s Has Some Good Stuff Going On

December 26, 2017 / / 0 Comments

A busy and inviting bar, suitable lighting — neither too bright or jarring, nor too dark so as to cause discomfort— a small but considerable wine list, and a menu created with thought. All good things, yes?

I experienced all that, and more, this past week in Houston, at Nobie’s, a welcoming (and, on the evening of my visit, my first to the restaurant, bustling) place set up in a former residence in a neighborhood street off of Kirby. It opened in the fall of 2016, so all things should be firing well, and based on my meal, they are.

I arrived earlier than my date, so took a seat at the bar. It was a Thursday, and all bottles of sparking wines are half off on that day. I ordered a Spumante (100 percent Arneis) from Malvira and was glad the bartender poured it into a wine stem. Light and fizzy, aromas of peach and white flowers, and pleasantly dry — no residual sugar here. Most of the seats at the bar were occupied, some guests with plates of food before them, others drinking only. Go to this bar, and if whisky is your thing, go on Wednesday, when all whiskies are half off.

Shrimp and grits at Nobie’s

We sat outside to dine, and began with a dish they’ve named “Bohemian Radishy.” Yes, there are lots of radishes on the plate, perhaps too many for the amount of crab dip served. (I write that because I loved the crab dip, all speckled with trout roe, and wanted more.)

Next came “Bang Bang Shrimp & Grits” and “Surf n’ Swine.” The former’s grits were definitely the stoneground variety, rich and creamy and dotted with hot sauce. The crustaceans were not overdone, something I encounter far too often in these parts, and I liked the crunchy texture provided by their shells.

The seafood and pork dish was served in a small cast-iron cocotte, and the clam and chorizo played off of one another marvelously. The pork was smoky and tender and reminded me of my great-grandmother’s ham and peas. What’s better than that?

This pie: Oreo crust, and a salty, rich peanut butter, plus fresh whipped cream

Well, our dessert came close. A pie with an Oreo crust (minus the white filling of the cookie, thank goodness) topped with a decadently creamy and slightly salty peanut butter. Share this with someone you like.

Sara Stayer (Courtesy Nobie’s)

Martin Stayer (Courtesy Nobie’s)

First impressions matter, of course, and I’ll return to Nobie’s soon. Martin Stayer, who’s done the rounds of some fine kitchens in Chicago, runs the back of the house, and Sara Stayer, to whom he is married, has the front of the house under relaxed but professional control. The menu changes often, so consult it before you go. But do go.

Nobie’s is at 2048 Colquitt Street.

If you want great food, go to Himalaya, a gem in Houston.

NPR Shows Some Love to Himalaya, One of Houston’s Culinary Jewels

December 10, 2017 / / 3 Comments

[dropcap]Y[/dropcap]ou’ve all read about my visits to Kaiser Lashkari’s little restaurant in a strip mall off of busy Interstate 59; Himalaya is one of my favorite restaurants in Houston, and if I don’t have my fix of saag paneer and masala fried chicken — not to mention chicken hara masala, goat biryani, and chicken fried steak — at least once every three weeks or so, the withdrawal symptoms get bad. The saag paneer is, bar none, the best I’ve had anywhere, including versions served to me in several cities in India and any number cooked by Indian mothers. Himalaya is on The Brockhaus’ Top Restaurants in the World List, and is nearer the top of that roster than it is the bottom. It is the real thing.

National Public Radio has now joined the Himalaya bandwagon, and on Sunday morning aired a visit by Lulu Garcia-Vavarro to the restaurant. If you have not had the pleasure of tasting Kaiser’s food or hearing him hold forth on food and business and life, give the NPR segment a listen by clicking here. Then, take a drive to the Hillcroft area and sit down to some of the best food in Texas. Tell Kaiser I sent you. (And if you don’t know, Himalaya is BYOB, so chill some Riesling and make it a feast.)

A room for the ages (Courtesy Long Island Bar)

A Frittata For Emma: Cooking This Will Make You Happy (Plus, Wine, Music, and Foie Gras)

August 20, 2017 / / 0 Comments

Buddy and Emma (far right) Sullivan, with Maruja and Pepita in the 1950s.

[dropcap]B[/dropcap]rooklyn Heights, 2004. That’s the year I met Emma Sullivan and her cousins Maruja and Pepita. Emma owned The Long Island Restaurant, one door down from our apartment on Atlantic Avenue. I was in the restaurant often. It was (and still is) a beautiful time-capsule of a place, booths and wooden bar, photographs of Buddy — Emma’s late husband — and other family members behind the bar, a manual cash register that made me smile when Emma opened it. The sound was comforting. It was a warm and gentle room.

Emma closed up shop in 2007; she and Buddy had taken it over in 1956. Hers was a 51-year run of countless conversations and days and nights making guests feel at home. I miss walking into her restaurant, and probably always will. (The space was reopened in 2013, after Emma leased it to a pair of worthy guys. Next time you are in Brooklyn, pay them a visit.)

I wrote this week about Emma and her cousins and The Long Island Restaurant for PaperCity magazine, and included a frittata recipe based on that special woman and her cousins. You might like to make the dish one morning, or night. Think of Emma — or someone whose life is special to you — when you do.

[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ike good music and wine, plus some tasty crab cakes? If so, and you find yourself in Missouri City, Texas, check out B’s Wine Bar. Angela and I were there last night, and the band was hot, the crowd stylish and fun, and the staff welcoming and obviously excited about their work.

Drink some wine here in Missouri City, Texas. (Courtesy D-Mars.com)

Angela and I were seated in the wine room, just the two of us at a quaint table, the kind one finds in parks in Paris. We talked and drank and laughed and found a place new to us to which we’ll return. (Thanks for the recommendation, Kennady.)

How’s this for a transition: I love foie gras. I’ve eaten it in Spain, in Dubai, in Paris, in New York, in Italy, in New Delhi, and, most recently, last week in Houston. It’s from Hudson Valley Foie Gras, and it’s prepared in a wonderful way. Take a look at this:

That’s Foie Gras alla Fiamma, newly added to the tasting menu at Tony’s, and it’s good. Order it and savor the preparation process. There’s Moscato and a vanilla bean and a grape, and it’s served with toasted farro. Sensual, delicious, decadent.

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