The February Hit List: Degust, Diversión Cocktails, Tres, and More

It’s been a minute since Houston has seen the debut of a tasting menu restaurant. Which is why just the idea of Degust, a 20-seat boîte designed to showcase chef Brandon Silva’s talent, is so exciting. Silva, a Houston native of Castilian and Mexican descent, draws from 15 years of experience working in places like Uchi Houston, Relae Copenhagen, and Central in Lima to craft his eight-course degustation. Choose between vegetarian or carnivore menu, opt in for the beverage pairing, then sit back and enjoy the ride.

Dining status: Reservations required, with three nightly seatings offered four nights a week.

Opening with an all-American dinner menu and weekday happy hour, downtown’s newest restaurant exudes cosmopolitan elegance. Located on the ground floor of the historic Texaco building and luxury apartment development The Star, grand arches and concrete columns frame a gorgeous, dog-friendly patio, while an open kitchen and floor-to-ceiling bar design beckon patrons from within. The menu, described as a love letter to American cuisine, runs from globally inspired appetizers like Korean bacon with gochujang barbecue sauce, to steaks and chops, with fantastic pizza and pasta.

Dining status: Dinner nightly, with patio seating, weekday happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m., plus takeout.

Easily the coolest cocktail bar to debut in Houston, Diversión Cocktails by Steven Salazar of the Kirby Group (Wooster’s Garden, Holman Draft Hall, etc.) is aiming for world class status. Modeled after the exclusive cocktail bars of Barcelona and Tokyo, the 32-seat setting feels like an intimate secret. Book one of the eight bar chef’s counter seats for a view of the mixology action, then splurge on one of three large-format immersive cocktails like Day at the Beach, a tiki-inspired rum cocktail topped with Texas Meyer lemon ocean foam, served in an edible dark chocolate “coconut” shell nestled on a bed of edible sand.

Dining status: Reservations recommended, but walk-ins are welcome.

The latest project from Matt Pak and Shawn Bermudez — the partners behind The Burger Joint, Present Company and Pistolero’s — this is not your run-of-the-mill taco spot. White corn tortillas are cooked to order. Vegan oil is used in the housemade flour tortillas. Five fresh salsas are prepared daily. The menu, which includes a selection of tacos, burritos, quesadillas and bowls, features al pastor from a rotating spit, street-style meats such as lengua and barbacoa, along with fish, vegan and vegetarian items. Grab a seat on the sunny patio and wash it all down with a cold beer or margarita.

Dining status: Open daily for dine-in, patio and drive-through service, takeout and delivery. More info here, or call 832-409-6433.

With just two seatings per night and just 12 seats per seating, this Japanese tasting menu experience by chef Billy Kin, which debuted in January, is one of the most coveted reservations of the moment. Outfitted with plexiglass dividers and HEPA air filtration for protection, guests are treated to a 10- to 12-course sushi bar-style chef’s table experience filled with top shelf ingredients. Representative courses include Japanese A5 wagyu nigiri, Santa Barbara uni hand rolls with caviar, and whole Hokkaido scallop with shaved black truffle.

Dining status: Reservations required, with two nightly seatings.

“Tacos, tequilas, y todo” is the slogan at this new Tex-Mex hotspot. A project by Anas Mousa of La Fisheria downtown, fresh Mex meets Mediterranean cuisine in a colorful splash of flavors and ingredients, from a lamb kebab taco with a garlic sauce and cumin-spiced labneh, to the eye-popping, quesadilla-like machete filled with cheese and birria. Cocktails are a must; try the picture-perfect Como La Flor, made with hibiscus-infused Tequila, Aperol, orange juice and bitters.

Dining status: Open daily for dine-in, with patio seating, takeout and delivery. More info here, or call 713-485-5980.

Upbeat K-pop and the smell of sizzling meat greet you at this new Korean barbecue in Chinatown’s Diho Square. The seventh outpost of a popular chain founded by Micky Kim in Annandale, Va., the restaurant offers the quintessential K-barbecue experience: round tables and booths with tabletop cast iron grills, plenty of waitstaff who do the cooking for you, glorious meat plates and complimentary banchan side dishes.

Dining status: Now serving lunch and dinner. More info here, or call 713-842-7993.

Still one of the best places in town to enjoy a sit-down breakfast (the house-made quiche is always fabulous), this Heights bistro also has cool things afoot thanks to its new chef de cuisine, Iggy Olivera. Just a few weeks in, Olivera has already put his stamp on the menu, with a new dishes like duck confit with butternut squash puree and baby bok choy; and pan seared snapper with cucumber, napa slaw, and crispy wonton over Thai red curry. Saturday takeout also has a new perk: a complimentary choice of brownie, slice of pumpkin cake or bread pudding with each order.

Dining status: Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with takeout and delivery via Postmates.

Is there anything better in the winter than comfort food? Lucille’s has it all, from their famous chili biscuits, to the melting tender braised oxtails, to the lobster eggs benedict during weekend brunch. You can take the comfort home now, too, with a special wine list and pre-packaged bottles of cocktails to go by the liter.

Dining status: Open for lunch, dinner, and brunch, with indoor and patio seating. For curbside takeout, call 713-568-2505.

Now open at the state-approved 75 percent capacity, it might feel almost like pre-COVID times as this River Oaks steakhouse. Seafood towers brimming with in-season stone crab claws, and off-menu specials like the 32-ounce wagyu tomahawk, beckon alongside the restaurant’s regular selections of prime steaks. Book ahead to snag one of the five chef’s table booths overlooking the open kitchen.

Dining status: Open for dinner daily, with curbside pick-up and delivery. For info, call 713-322-7448.