When I first passed through Houston on my road-trip of discovery in 2000 I remember thinking that now that I was finally in Texas, I’d be able to eat a good steak any time I wanted. Earlier in my travels I had been consistently disappointed with sub-par offerings in one town after another along the Eastern Seaboard. Texas is cattle-country, and I had high hopes for mouthwatering steak.
I learned something interesting though. Here is a state where if you hit a cow on the highway with your car, you have to pay the owner of said cow for the damage. Yet Texans seemed to be more interested in BBQ brisket and TexMex than steak. All my friends in Houston wanted to eat was Mexican! I was shocked. Where were all the great steak restaurants I’d been dreaming of?
After seven years living in Houston and trying hundreds of restaurants, I offer up my personal list of favorites where you can get a delicious steak exactly how you like it.
If price is no object and you want a truly amazing venue, you want to eat at Vic and Anthony’s downtown (near the Toyota Center). The story goes that Tilman Fertita, who runs the massive Landry’s chain of restaurants hereabouts, and his father Vic, toured the country to learn what makes a great steakhouse, and then started this one in the middle of Houston. I don’t really care what the background is, what I care about is the great steak. The preparation of my personal favorite, a bone-in Ribeye, is flawless. The plate comes sizzling hot and the meat is cooked exactly right and tastes better than anything I’ve ever eaten before. The wine list is huge and ranges from “affordable” at ~$100 on the low end to incredible bottles that cost more than my car. Very nice place for a couple if they want a quiet and romantic meal that includes a great cut of beef.
Another place in the same price-range of Vic and Anthony’s, but where the customers are more likely to be wearing khakis instead of a tuxedo is Fleming’s. Located on West Alabama near Kirby, Fleming’s is louder, busier, and feels far more alive. It’s a great place for a foursome to eat and talk and laugh out loud. Their steak is also superbly prepared. Fleming’s has an exhaustive wine list with many options to match your taste and financial firepower. I always give mental bonus points for wine lists heavy with French wines and this has many. Try a Châteauneuf-du-Pape instead of a Cabernet Sauvignon with your steak next time, you won’t be disappointed. (Hint: Ask for Daniel as your waiter… he’s the best.)
Finally, since you are probably a mere mortal like me and can only eat at Fleming’s once in a long while, we’ll come to my Houston neighborhood (Timbergrove) and visit Pecos Grill. Pecos is so authentic walking through their door on East T.C. Jester (at Ella) is like teleporting to West Texas. This is a family restaurant with lots of tables, friendly down-to-earth staff and great steak. Before or after you eat, while they cook your order over mesquite on their massive grill, head out to the dance floor to live music most Fridays and Saturdays. My wife and I bring our six-month old there at least once a week and if the rest of the customers are any indication, we’ll still be going there once a week when we’re 100 years old. The steak is reliably good and we can just relax and skip the dishes that day. Wines run no higher than $30 a bottle, if that gives you any indication, but you won’t care.
So there you have it. Three restaurants from top to bottom for a great steak in Houston. Enjoy!
Reference:
- Vic and Anthony’s
