Houston’s dining scene is something quite remarkable. We are a culinary destination with major restaurant chains choosing our city in which to launch. Houston Chefs are celebrities and acquiring rock-star status! Here are a few of our city’s leading stars who created wonderful recipes from lifetimes of family memories. Enjoy! Create memories of your own!
The Annie Café & Bar
The Annie Cornbread Dressing
Chef Robert Del Grande says, “I love this recipe for the holidays because fresh corn is actually the sweetest in the fall around Thanksgiving. Using fresh corn really makes this a sweet, luscious, and savory dish and the addition of the poblanos gives it that extra Texas flare. This dish has become a favorite of mine to make not only in the restaurant but also for my family at home.”
Chef: Robert Del Grande
Link to PDF of Recipe: Link to Custard Cornbread Dressing
Restaurant Contact: Hector Mercado, General Manager
Catering Contact: Kristin Bogart; kbogart@berghospitality.com
Restaurant Phone: 713.804.1800
Restaurant Website: The Annie Café & Bar
B&B Butchers
B&B Butchers’ Corn Soufflé with Rajas
Chef Eduardo Montesflores says “Owner, Benjamin Berg’s wife Monica grew up in Mexico City, and this is her aunt’s recipe that she would make every year during the holidays. Monica’s aunt came to Houston and got in the kitchen with us to show us how to make it, but of course, we do everything in ounces and Fahrenheit and she did everything in grams and Celsius. It took several tries to perfect the measurements, but we eventually worked it out. We basically took her recipe and added the rajas and cheese to make it more of a standout, restaurant-worthy side dish, and it has become one of our most popular side dishes ever since.”
Chef: Eduardo Montesflores
Link to PDF of Recipe: Link to Corn Soufflé Recipe
Restaurant Contact: Keith Garver, General Manager
Catering Contact: Kristin Bogart; kbogart@berghospitality.com
Restaurant Phone: 713.862.814
Restaurant Website: B&B Butchers
Back Table Kitchen & Bar
Organic Turkey
Back Table Kitchen & Bar will cater to those looking for a later Thanksgiving feast. Served from 5 until 10 pm, the special menu can be ordered a la carte or as a three-course dinner for $69 per person.
Chef: David Morris (Photo by Jenn Duncan)
Link to PDF of Recipe: Link to Back Table Organic Turkey Recipe
Restaurant Contact: Chef David Morris
Restaurant Phone: 281.364.6400
Restaurant Website: Back Table Kitchen & Bar
Bludorn
Cioppino (Fish Stew)
Having grown up on the Seattle coast, Cioppino was a holiday staple in Chef Aaron Bludorn’s home each Christmas Eve. After his time in culinary school, he was quickly tasked with leading this annual recipe at his family gathering which has now found a permanent home on his first restaurant’s menu. His Ciopinno has a Texas flare using Gulf seafood and some spice for an extra kick!
Chef: Aaron Bludorn (Photo courtesy of Bludorn)
Link to PDF of Recipe: Link to Cioppino Recipe
Restaurant Contact: Cherif Mbjodi
Restaurant Phone: 713.999.0146
Restaurant Website: Bludorn
Carrabba's
Chicken Bryan
Johnny Carrabba and Uncle Damian Mandola created this family staple in 1986. They combined their family’s Sicilian history with their grandma’s recipes and a few of their own, like this sought-after dish for their family and holiday gatherings. It was originally named Chicken Bryan Texas, after the Texas town, Bryan, which is where they initially settled after immigrating from Italy around 1890. Johnny’s mantra has always been “Give for the sake of giving, not for the sake of gaining.” Great words to live by, especially during the difficult times we’ve been through!
Chef: Johnny Carrabba (Photo by Alexander Rogers)
Link to PDF of Recipe: Link to Carrabba’s Chicken Bryan Recipe
Restaurant Contact: Rose Carrabba at Voss location
Restaurant Phone: 713.468.0868
Restaurant Website: Carrabba’s – The Original
Local Foods Market - Rice Village
Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake
Her son’s love for cheesecake is what inspired her to make this dish. He would always criticize her food, make comments on how his grandma’s food is better, which was a blow to her ego. Looking back now, she agrees no one can cook like your grandma. Cheesecake is one of the few things her son likes of hers and asked her to make for the holidays. This year they will all be together for the first time in a while due to the pandemic. In making this dish, she decided to put the spices in the crust instead of the batter, so the cheesecake’s color remained white. It is garnished with pomegranates and blood oranges. She prefers to use gluten-free flour to prevent it from getting soggy. Enjoy!
Chef: Maria Gonzalez (Photo courtesy of Local Foods Market)
Link to PDF of Recipe: Link to Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Recipe
Restaurant & Catering Contact: Benjy Levit; benjy@benjys.com
Restaurant Phone: 713.522.7602
Restaurant Website: Local Foods Market
Musaafer
Indian Spiced Stuffing
Musaafer’s co-owner, Mithu Malik, has found a way to seamlessly blend her native culture with new traditions in her Indian-spiced stuffing recipe. The recipe is a classic turkey and stuffing combination infused with Indian spice blends giving it grounding flavors and aromas. She started cooking this a few years ago when celebrating Thanksgiving with her family and it’s been a staple each year ever since.
Chef: Mithu Malik (Photo by Raydon Creative)
Link to PDF of Recipe: Link to Indian Spiced Stuffing Recipe
Restaurant Contact: Andrea Antonioli
Restaurant Phone: 713.242.8087
Restaurant Website: Musaafer
ROMA
Monkfish with Pomegranate Risotto
The Chef’s mother and father were talented cooks. This is a favorite dish that his mother used to make him when he was a child.
Chef: Sandro Scarafile (Photo by Al Torres Photography
Link to PDF of Recipe: Link to Monkfish with Pomegranate Risotto
Restaurant Contact: Jeremy Parzen
Restaurant Phone: 713.664.7581
Catering Contact: Shanon Scott
Catering Contact Email: Shanon@romahouston.com
Restaurant Website: ROMA
Rosalie Italian Soul
Rosalie Negroni Glaze
Cosentino’s love for his great-grandmother Rosalie, an Italian immigrant who taught him how to hand-crank pasta and make tomato sauce, translates more of that love into his Negroni Glaze, which is not only perfect for your holiday ham, but also pork and chicken. Mangia!
Chef: Chris Cosentino (Photo courtesy of Rosalie)
Link to PDF of Recipe: Link to Rosalie Negroni Glaze
Restaurant Phone:. 713.351.5790
Restaurant Website: Rosalie Italian Soul
TRIBUTE at The Houstonian
Cornbread Dressing
Chef Neal says, “This is a regional dish made with cornbread, so it’s a favorite, because unlike bread stuffing, southerners like our crunchiness.” It’s also his grandmother’s recipe, except she would put boiled eggs in it. He doesn’t care for eggs, so when he was growing up his mom would make a separate dish with no eggs just for him!
Executive Chef: Neal Cox (Photo courtesy of The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa)
Link to PDF of Recipe: Link to Chef Neal Cox’s Cornbread Dressing
Restaurant Phone: 713.685.6713
Restaurant Contact: TRIBUTE maître d’ Francisco Perez
Catering Contact: Danny Nguyen, dnguyen@houstonian.com
Restaurant Website: TRIBUTE at The Houstonian
