Once again, Texas Monthly has published its list of the state’s best new restaurants. Led by food critic and executive editor Pat Sharpe, the 21st edition of the list highlights the magazine’s favorite dishes from around the state.
Texas Monthly utilized the same format for its 2021 list, opting not to publish a ranked list due to the difficulties restaurants faced during the pandemic.
“This year, in the wake of the delta and omicron coronavirus variants, we made the same decision,” Sharpe writes.
Eligible restaurants opened between December 1, 2020 and December 1, 2021, and the list breaks down dishes into the following categories: small plates, sandwiches, large plates, sweets, and cocktails. Separate features highlight Texas-made beers, wines, and spirits; provide an overview of popular outdoor dining options in major Texas cities; and look ahead to 2022’s most anticipated new restaurants.
Five San Antonio bars and restaurants receive recognition for their dishes or drinks. Looking at the state’s other major cities, Houston takes eight spots, while Dallas and Austin eateries earn seven spots each. Fort Worth has five entries.
Three restaurants receive slightly longer profiles. They are: March, the Houston restaurant devoted to elegant, Mediterranean-inspired tasting menus; Up Scale, a San Antonio restaurant that focuses on steaks, seafood, and sushi; and Meridian, Dallas chef Junior Borges’ modern Brazilian restaurant.
Sharpe hails a few of Up Scale’s dishes, including diver scallops with pumpkin curry, Black Angus New York strip, the Up Scale roll — “an extravaganza of scandalously fatty bluefin tuna belly, caviar, citrusy yuzu kosho, and glittering gold leaf” — and the chocolate cake.
Turning to the San Antonio bars and restaurants recognized for their individual dishes, The Moon Daughters’ Straw and Hay ricotta gnudi and the roasted beet salad at Bar Loretta make the small plates list. Both the crispy whole fish at Dashi Sichuan Kitchen + Bar and the tuna tostada at Domingo are included among the large plates. Brasserie Mon Chou Chou’s tarte Tatin with creme fraiche makes the dessert list.
The patio dining list suggests favorites like Bliss, Jardín, and Pinkerton’s Barbecue. Finally, Texas Monthly is looking forward to Allora, a new Italian restaurant from Peter Selig, and Ladino, a Mediterranean concept from chef Berty Richter of Austin’s Emmer & Rye Hospitality.
Head to the Texas Monthlywebsite to see the complete list of selections from across the state.
Dashi Sichuan.
