3 Houston establishments make Esquire’s list of best bars in 2024

It’s summer, and people are going to hit the roads and take trips, see family, and just get out and explore. There’s nothing I love more than quick trips to clear the mind and see new things.

Last weekend I cooked at Aaron Franklin’s house Festival of luck in Austin, and man, it was awesome. It was a time to connect with new friends and reconnect with old ones. It’s time to cook and share meals with those you love. I’d love to share one of these meals with you because when you’re in Austin, this is one of those places you have to be.

The birds opened in July 2021 and made a lot of noise that was heard for miles. Let’s talk about why. Birdie’s is a husband and wife team who took the dining experience and changed it. Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel is the chef and her husband Arjav Ezekiel runs the front of the house, and together they have created a concept they refer to as “Fine Casual,” meaning all sourcing, technique and the thought of refined cuisine. restaurant but carried out in an accessible restaurant with counter service and without reservation.

According to them: “We are a counter service restaurant, first come, first served. You can expect dishes that you might expect at an upscale restaurant, but they may be served on a slightly chipped plate and with paper napkins instead of pressed linens. We are a family business and we hope your evening will feel like dinner at a new friend’s house. The music is louder than most restaurants and the energy is higher! »

With this model, they were also able to realize a dream: a family restaurant model, deeply rooted in the idea that restaurants should be a place where people can pursue long and meaningful careers. They advance this philosophy by paying their team fair wages and providing benefits, including paid family leave, subsidized therapy, health insurance, and four weeks of scheduled, paid vacation each year. It’s simply incredible and it’s been noticed a lot! Food and wine the magazine named them Restaurant of the year in 2023, and Tracy is a James Beard Award Finalist for Best Chef: Texas which will be announced in a few weeks in Chicago (Editor’s note: She also just won Chef of the Year at the CultureMap Austin Tastemaker Awards.

The menu is constantly evolving. Last week when we dined there we basically had the full menu plus a few extra treats. Don’t miss the beef tartare with pecans, sonora, rosemary and carta di musica and the minute steak with smoked cabbage and a beef and red wine sauce. Anything that says it has beef gravy, I’m in!

One of the many things I love about this restaurant is – you guessed it – the wine list. Arjav describes it this way: “It’s an eclectic mix of new and classic producers who all prioritize farming and producing quality fruit. We made it based on what Tracy cooks and where we are throughout the seasons. Warm weather means lots of easy-drinking reds, rosés and whites. Winter brings smoldering reds and richly textured whites. The intention is to be a bridge between the exciting new wave of winemaking and classic winemakers.

The list includes several very well thought out sections at several price points, which is very nice to see. “The Bottle List” has many delicious options, including wines like a Sylvaner de Beurer, “Alte Reben,” 2020 for $64 and a Gamay de Phelan Farm “Autremet” 2022 for $97. Arjav made ordering wines easy by using one-word adjectives to describe the wines. He explains it to you so you can understand what you’re getting into. Words like kind, ardent, friendlyAnd dazzling.

Then you come to the next part of the list called “Gems”, and that’s what they are! We had a bottle of Ronchi di Cialla Schioppettio 1994, a grape variety thought to be extinct but which was brought back by this family and is worth a try as it is fantastic! Then, out of nowhere, bottles of Château de Pibarnon Bandol 1995 and 1996 arrived on the table, and my senses were overwhelmed!

Arjav put a lot of thought into the alcohol-free section of the list. This is something I’ve never seen before with bottles of Navarro Vineyards pinot noir grape juice from Mendocino and La Ferme d’Achille sea buckthorn juice from Saint-Ubalde, Quebec. Another amazing bottling was from a Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Company, “Bla”, from Denmark, but what topped it all was an “Amrno” style of Amaro from Dr. Zero Zero in Trieste, Italy, which was delicious ! I appreciate a restaurant that has delicious food, amazing wines and drinks, is great to its staff and community, and can have a vision for the future of restaurants. Good teamwork, I’m a fan.

Calling all (wine) lovers

On the other hand, it’s that time of year for rosé! I love him so much, I really do. At Southern Smoke we are having a party. This year, we are organizing another Respect the Rosé evening and are bringing the whole gang! The summer party is here! Wear your best Kentucky Derby outfits as we race for the rosés, presented by Lexus, with our good friends Ryan Prewitt, Stephen Stryjewski, Michael Hudman, Andy Ticer and Victoria Dearmond. And yes, I’m cooking at this dinner!

Respect the Rosé returns on June 29.Courtesy of the Southern Smoke Foundation

The dinner will be held at my alma mater Brennan’s in Houston on June 29th. This dinner is a fantastic party but also a great fundraising event for Southern Smoke to help people in the food and drink industry. As you all know, with the unexpected storms hitting Houston over the past few weeks, the team has been working hard with more requests for assistance than Hurricane Harvey. SSF has already awarded more than $132,000 with more to come. These events allow those who care for you to receive support when they need it most. These are the people you ask for gift certificates for your own charity auction, when you need a space to throw a party, or need a last minute reservation when you’ve forgotten that it It was your birthday. Help them help you. Get your tickets now!

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What are your favorite restaurants in Austin? Email your suggestions to Chris at [email protected].

Chris Shepherd won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2014. The Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit he co-founded with his wife Lindsey Brown, has distributed more than $11 million to workers at the hotel industry in crisis thanks to its emergency relief fund. Watch his TV show, Eat Like a Local, every Saturday at 10 a.m. on KPRC Channel 2.