Not long ago, the Texan food brand was barbecue, burgers and Tex-Mex. Now it’s a global feast. Houston alone has 10,000 restaurants serving 70-plus different American and international cuisines. Argentina, Korea and Mongolia are among the featured players in Irving’s diverse dining scene. Even Tex-Mex is evolving, in San Antonio, to Tex-Next. Also producing award-winning wines, craft beers and whiskies, Texas is a state to savor.

Dining Districts

Plano’s expanding appeal now includes Legacy Hall. Unveiled in November 2017, this expansive multilevel facility incorporates an artisanal food hall, beer garden, craft brewery and live entertainment venue.

With weekday reservations available, delegates can sample Texan and international dishes from local chefs and restaurateurs at 24 first-floor stalls. Other rentals include the third-floor Tap Room and the Box Garden. Constructed from reclaimed shipping containers, this 1,500-capacity courtyard features Carlton Provisions BBQ, bar concepts including a tiki bar and margarita cantina, and a 600-square-foot event stage with LED screen.

Hub Streat, a casual “culinary entertainment center” in Plano’s Downtown Arts District, offers a casual vibe, eclectic tastes ranging from Buddha bowls to Lowcountry boil, and four event spaces, including the Bee Hive and Social Suite.

From Japanese to Salvadorian-Mexican, the culinary options keep expanding at Irving’s new Toyota Music Factory. Group venues include Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill, offering indoor and outdoor space.

Arlington’s once-sleepy downtown continues to awaken with the rapidly growing Urban Union entertainment area. Updating a former car repair shop, Urban Alchemy is an event-capable coffee and wine bar. Other new concepts include 4 Kahunas Tiki Lounge and hometown brewery Legal Draft.

The culinary-driven Pearl district now includes San Antonio’s first food hall, the Bottling Department, built on the former Pearl Brewery bottling site. In 2017, UNESCO designated San Antonio as a “Creative City of Gastronomy.” Renowned local chefs Johnny Hernandez, Elizabeth Johnson and Steve McHugh are developing a three-restaurant concept showcasing the city’s richly layered culinary roots. Slated for 2021, the project will transform La Villita, the city’s original settlement, into an unprecedented culinary landmark.

Home Grown

Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught are Houston’s culinary power couple. Ortega, from Mexico City, met Vaught at her Backstreet Cafe around 1984. They married and began developing an award-winning collection of event-capable venues, including nationally acclaimed Hugo’s.

In 2016, Vaught was a James Beard semi-finalist for “Outstanding Restaurateur.” On his sixth consecutive nomination as “Best Chef: Southwest,” Ortega finally won in 2017, joining past Houston winners Robert Del Grande (Cafe Annie, 1992), Chris Shepherd (Underbelly, 2014) and Justin Yu (2016).

Named for Houston-born American pioneer Howard Robard Hughes Jr., Robard’s Steakhouse debuted in 2014 as the Howard Hughes Corporation’s first restaurant. Directed by Area Executive Chef David Morris, this newly redesigned Woodlands hot spot offers private dining in the 20-person Legacy Room and 40-person Premier Room.  

Katie’s Seafood Market is a great catch for Galveston groups. Featured on the National Geographic Channel’s popular Big Fish, Texas TV show, this family business founded in 1998 provides fresh seafood to local restaurants and the public. Katie’s also offers private boat tours and fishing charters. For a fun pairing, groups can take seafood purchased off the boat at Katie’s for cooking at the Kitchen Chick. Relocated to a newly renovated 10,000-square-foot location, this boutique kitchen shop hosts group cooking classes and camps.

Locally celebrated as the “Tex-Mex Capital of the World,” El Paso’s claim to fame starts with L&J Cafe. Opened as “Tony’s Place” in 1927, this fourth-generation family-owned institution is the city’s go-to for authentic borderlands cuisine.  

Liquid Assets

It’s been nearly a decade since Maryland native Leonard Firestone and third-generation Texan Troy Robertson launched the first craft bourbon and whiskey distillery in North Texas. Housed in a Prohibition-era warehouse below downtown Fort Worth, Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co. has since soared in sales, awards and customers.
PageBreak In 2014, seeking to expand, the partners acquired the circa-1912 Fort Worth golf course where golfing legends Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan started out as caddies. In November 2017, they unveiled Whiskey Ranch, combining an 18-hole golf course with the largest distillery west of the Mississippi.

Arrivals at the Ranch House lead to the “Barrel Breezeway” and venues including the Tavern for tastings and 175-capacity Oak Room for private events. There’s also the Ranch Store and outdoor venues including a covered 130-capacity patio.

The company’s official whiskey scientist, 24-year-old Ale Ochoa, was recently featured in Food & Wine as one of the “6 Women in Whiskey to Watch.” (See “Leading the Way,” page 26.)

 With growing regions such as the High Plains west of Lubbock and Texas Hill Country, Texas is the nation’s fifth largest wine-producing state. The industry is headquartered in Grapevine, which hosts the preeminent four-day GrapeFest each September. Grapevine’s Urban Wine and Craft Brew Trail, featuring nine wineries, two craft breweries and a cidery, offers daily tastings and year-round special events. Bourbon fans also have the new TahWahKaro Distilling Co., slated for late summer 2018.

Grapevine’s group-capable wineries include an outpost of Messina Hof. Established in Bryan, Texas, in 1977, this award-winning family-owned winemaker has a third location in historic Fredericksburg, the heart of Texas Wine Country. Becker Vineyards is another top group venue among 40-plus area wineries offering tastings, tours and food and wine pairings. Scheduled for late summer 2018, Altstadt Brewery is an authentic Bavarian brewery offering fine-dining, tours and event space.

Rock-Star  Chefs

Talent and independent spirit go far in Texas, the kitchen included. Like Callie Speer, her punk rock-inspired all-day brunch diner Holy Roller a rocking buyout option for Austin groups. Here are some other chef-restaurateurs putting their sizzle on the Texas scene.

Originally from Kirbyville, Texas, east of Beaumont, Monica Cobb’s journey is exceptional, even by prototypical chef standards. Among the highlights: working the line at Wolfgang Puck’s L.A. icon Spago; cooking privately for The Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening and artists at Burning Man; and while living on a Nile riverboat, launching a restaurant in Cairo for an Egyptian magnate.

Eventually settling in Beaumont, Cobb gained renown for selling French-Asian inspired sandwiches from her Elvis-adorned food trailer. Hurricane Harvey took her rig last year, but her story continues at 32-seat Monica’s Restaurant. For eclectic farm-to-table fare and authentic atmosphere, it’s a must for smaller groups. The Elvis— the backstrap pork loin version of her signature Vietnamese banh mon sandwiches—is still in the house.

Fresh shellfish in the landlocked Panhandle? Yes, from New Jersey-born celebrity chef Rory Schepisi, the “Southern Yankee,” at her Cajun-style Drunken Oyster in Amarillo. Featuring the Absinthe Bar, the restaurant accommodates 114-person buyouts.

For nearly two decades, charismatic Texas-born chef-entrepreneur Jason Dady has transformed the San Antonio scene. His portfolio includes Two Bros BBQ Market, providing catering packages for indoor and outdoor events; Range steakhouse at the Embassy Suites San Antonio Riverwalk-Downtown; and newly relocated to the San Antonio Museum of Art, his re-concepted Tre Trattoria.

Group dining at the 404-room Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center, offering 32,000-plus square feet of modern space, is in the experienced hands of award-winning Executive Chef Damon Simmons. With Marriott for nearly 30 years, Simmons’ leadership has earned the four-star property consistent Top 10 culinary ranking within all Marriott brands.