HOUSTON – The semi-finalists for the 2019 James Beard awards are officially announced and (of course) there are several Houston places on the list.
The Bayou City is packed full of delicious and trendy places to chow down and 11 have been ranked among the best.
Anyone who has been in Houston long enough has been to (or heard of) The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation. The iconic Houston Tex-Mex restaurant is a semifinalist for outstanding restaurant.
Hugo’s and Tony’s -- both Houston favorites -- are in the running for the title of outstanding service.
H Town Restaurant Group and Tracy Vaught (the restaurant group behind Hugo’s, Xochi, Caracol and more) are in the running for outstanding restauranteur.
Chef Kaiser Lashkari from Himalaya, Trong Nguyen from Crawfish & Noodles and Ronnie Killen from Killen's Barbecue are all vying for the title of best chef in the Southwest.
Several other Houston eateries and chefs were ranked among the semifinalists including Jonathan "Jonny" Rhodes from Restaurant Indigo, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse at the Galleria, Chris Shepherd from Georgia James and Anvil Bar & Refuge.
The nominations will be annouced in Houston on March 27.
The James Beard award winners will be announced on May 6 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
For the full list of the semifinalists visit the James Beard website.