made sauce will make you sweat, in a good way. The
next day we returned at 1:00 and were blessed with the
last pork ribs. They’re exceptional: tender, of course,
but with enough chew to require a tiny pull, not too
smoky, coated with pepper and Asian-inspired season-
ings, and served with mustard-enhanced barbecue
sauce. Stellar sides include stir-fried rice with chunks
of brisket, sweet creamed roasted corn with jalapeño
bits, and rockin’ coleslaw to cool the palate (though it’s
also spiked with diced jalapeño). 5425 Bellaire Blvd,
Bellaire (713-664-7776). L Wed–Sun. $$MINA RISTORANTE S
NEW Italian | Husband-and-wife duo Luis
Mancera and Monica Fallone have transformed their
Borgo Food Station into a thirteen-seat restaurant with
banquettes, a pint-size bar, and sidewalk tables. Our
first visit had its ups and downs. House-made pasta is
the star, with several choices available; our ravioli
came with a tangy pomodoro and a smooth, flavorful
stuffing of ricotta and spinach. Not as successful was
the overly dense and oddly sweet polenta topped with
oversalted shrimp. If you just want to pop in for a nosh
and a glass of Italian wine, the antipasti options are
many. Our beef carpaccio arrived with a delicious mus-
tard sauce and wide ribbons of shaved Parmesan, but
the meat was chewy. Service was sweet if a bit slow; it
feels like the kitchen is producing dishes one order at
a time. Beer & wine. 3641 W. Alabama (832-940-
2126). L Mon–Fri. D Mon–Sat. $$NOBIE’S SSS
NEW New American | Four of us sat outside on the
pleasant deck of the little house off Kirby, listening to
Willie Nelson and enjoying the day. Though the menu is
filled with groaner puns, the folks here do take their cock-
tails, wines, and food seriously. Brie with local honey
and—surprise!—amazing smoked purple grapes got top
marks, along with fabulous orecchiette with pistachio
pesto, sweet peas, lemon curd, and goat cheese. Our
guest approved his scallops with puffed rice, speck, and
white bean puree, and the grilled carrots with feta, pis-
tachio, and yogurt for added richness made us all happy.
Dilly bread with rich herb butter came a bit underbaked,
so we just concentrated on the perfectly done beer-bat-
tered sweet potato tots with harissa spice for dipping.
Bar. 2048 Colquitt (346-319-5919). D 7 days. $$$THE RICE BOX SS
NEW Chinese | Don those sunglasses as you ap-
proach the Rice Box on the Shepherd Curve; its psy-
chedelic-bright, Hong Kong cityscape exterior is daz-
zling. This food truck, all grown up into a proper and
casual restaurant, serves clean, classic Chinese in
generously sized paper boxes to take home or unfold
onto plates and enjoy on the popular patio. Mongolian
beef with fried rice is close to perfection, though the
General Tso was a bit sweet and in need of the fire-power of a few potent red peppers. The Chow Fun
(wide, flat noodles stir-fried with egg and green onion)
also proved a little too bland to be fun. Still, we finished
happily with egg custard buns, a weird, delightful riff
on savory bao. Beer. 1111 S. Shepherd Dr (713-247-
9604). L & D 7 days. $$ROKA AKOR SSSS
UPDATE Japanese | Oh, to arrive with unlimited
funds... In this beautiful, sleek spot, a warmth emerges
as the sun sets and the room fills with candlelight. Roka
Akor (a chain, but a good one) is a combo of inventive
sushi and robata. For starters we chose a delicate yel-
lowtail sashimi with green chile and garlic ponzu. We
coupled this with grilled pork belly (not too fatty) cut
by pickled radish and tarragon miso. Those were two
immediate hits. Golden eye snapper and a salmon nigiri
will also be dishes that linger long (and expensively) in
memory. The seared escolar and prawn tempura maki
was gorgeous, arranged dragon-like and zinged with
fresh wasabi—it is now our benchmark for what maki
can be. And a small wagyu sirloin, sliced and topped
with marrow scooped from the bone, was tender, sweet,
and perfect. A fine finale to our feast? A sizzling
five-mushroom hot pot. Bar. 2929 Weslayan (713-489-
6717). L Mon–Fri. D 7 days. $$$1751 SEA AND BAR SS
NEW Seafood | 1751 has morphed out of Star Fish,
a place we truly liked. The Pit Room guys purchased it,
and they’ve brought their smoke with them. What bet-
ter way to start than smoked oysters—medium-sized
beauties served cold from a jar with horseradish aioli
and saltines? The “1751” refers to the British Gin Act,
and gin abounds, 150 varieties and myriad ways to
drink them. Portions are large, and a plate of crispy
calamari with Alabama white sauce was gigantic and
as good as we’ve had. The smoked crawfish soufflé,
however (a knockout at the earlier Star Fish), arrived
with a paltry number of crawdads that seemed to have
been murdered by salt. The fish proved better: a crispy
snapper with mushrooms and snow pea leaves was
deliciously jacked up by house kimchi, and a panéed
halibut was fresh and simple. The coconut cake, de-
spite being highly praised by our overly relaxed waiter,
collapsed into crumbs—a major disappointment. 1751
is still getting its sea legs but we have faith. Bar. 191
Heights Blvd (832-831-9820). D Tue–Sun. $$$SQUABLE SSS
NEW New American | Justin Yu and Bobby Heugel
know their way around the restaurant biz, and it shows
at this brand new, well-run instant hit in the Heights,
helmed by co-chefs Mark Clayton and Drew Gimma.
The space is simple and attractive, with a wraparound
bar and outdoor seating. We began by sharing the rich
Dutch baby, the pancake formed into a bowl filled with
fresh cheese, preserved orange, black pepper, and
honey (it could be a dessert as well!). Small plates in-
clude chilled Royal Red shrimp, tender and juicy, withwhite sauce (crème fraîche and aioli, with a hint of
horseradish) and maltagliati pasta tossed with but-
ter-braised onions, Parmesan, and a touch of anchovy.
Our “big plate” fed two: a half chicken served with bread
dumplings (dubbed “gnocchi fritos” by our waiter) with
chicory and a Parmesan-soy dressing. One leg was a bit
rare, but otherwise no squabbles from us. Bar. 632 W.
19th (832-834-7362). D Tue–Sun. $$$TRIS SSS
UPDATE New American | Though chef Austin
Simmons’s Woodlands locale is quite a trek for Hous-
ton inner loopers, Tris makes a satisfying option if you
are in the area. A posh setting and friendly staff add to
the pleasure of well-prepared dishes. Thai blue crab
fingers, tender smoked morsels, come with a peanut-
garlic-and-mint dipping sauce. Equally fine is the Ora
King salmon, a big, juicy slab with an herby crust, len-
tils, and basil hollandaise. Carnivores can be just as
pleased with lamb lollipops, slightly sweet with honey
and spiked with herbes de Provence and bits of truf-
fles, followed by veal osso buco with gremolata on
saffron polenta sided by grilled asparagus. Bar. 24
Waterway Ave, The Woodlands. L & D Tue–Sat. $$$$XOCHI SSSS
UPDATE Mexican | Our recent meal at Hugo Orte-
ga’s Xochi, anchoring the Marriott Marquis and over-
looking pretty Discovery Green, justifies all its national
kudos. The wood-framed patio is inviting, and the airy
restaurant has generous dining areas, a wraparound bar,
and comfortable banquettes. We relished our memela
starter: a toasted masa cake layered with refried beans,
shredded pork, queso fresco, and avocado-tomatillo
sauce. The Gulf catch of the day, grouper, was cooked
perfectly, resting in piquant yellow banana pepper mole
scattered with baby vegetables and greens (perfectly
paired by Mexican-crafted chenin blanc). Also fine: the
giant pork shank, falling-off-the-bone tender and en-
gulfed in a pool of brick-red fruity mole. If you’re truly
hungry, skip the tuna crudo; it’s only six slivers of seared
tuna with flowers. If you have room, the desserts are
lavish and Instagram-worthy. Bar. 1777 Walker (713-
400-3330). L Mon–Fri. D 7 days. B Sat & Sun. $$$Laredo
TRATTORIA MIA SSS
UPDATE Italian | Handcrafted pasta is the foun-
dation for some Italian amore on the border. We start
with toothsome nibbles, namely the beer-battered
artichoke hearts, ready for dredging through a heady
basil aioli sauce. On to a wide-spectrum charcuterie
and burrata board heavy with pork coppa, mozzarella,
prosciutto, salami, and curated sides of seasonal jam
and slick balsamic reduction. The house muffaletta
sandwich is fat with standard capicola, mortadella,HOUSTON118 TEXAS MONTHLY