Avalon Makes Stern's Top 10 Diners List

Bon Appetit magazines' June 2007 issue runs Roadfood authors Jane and Michael Stern's list of America's top 10 diners. Writes the Sterns, "Diners used to be thought of as greasy spoons with dubious night-owl clientele — a reputation earned a hundred years ago when the first ones were established in decommissioned trolley cars in rough urban areas of the Northeast. But when indoor plumbing was introduced in the 1930s, they cleaned up their act and became known as a source of good square meals. As American as apple pie, the diner is one of our country's unique contributions to the world's culinary culture. Here is our honor roll of 10 primo diners where the food is good, prices are low, and the atmosphere is blue-plate bliss: Avalon Diner, Houston; Becky's Diner, Portland, ME; Blue Benn Diner, Bennington, VT; Connelly's Goody Goody Diner, St. Louis; Dutch Kitchen, Frackville, PA; JoJo's, Pittsburgh; Mickey's Dining Car, St. Paul; O'Rourke's, Middletown, CT; Summerton Diner, Summerton, SC; Wasp's Snack Bar, Woodstock, VT.

IN THE NEWS: My table my-table.com reports: Michael English is the new restaurant manager at Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar; British Chef Robert Gadsby has resigned from the Noe restaurants in Houston and Los Angeles to appear in an upcoming Will Smith film and has auditioned to become the fifth Iron Chef on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America. The Noe restaurant in Houston is at the Omni Houston Hotel ... Texas Monthly's Pat Sharpe makes Houston's renowned Mexican eatery Armandos her pick restaurant of the month in the June 2007 issue and also features Bob's Steak and Chop House (1801 Post Oak Blvd.). www.texasmonthly.com ... The Chronicle's Dai Huynh looks at big buck burgers at: Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar (1985 Welch); 17 (Alden Houston Hotel, 1117 Prairie); Tony's (3755 Richmond); Cafe Annie (1728 Post Oak Blvd.); Remington Bar & Grill (St. Regis Hotel, 1919 Briar Oaks Lane); Max's Wine Dive (4720 Washington). Colleague Alison Cook subsequently blogs, "Her (Huynh's) search--plus my own recent (disappointing) encounter with a big-bucks foie gras burger at Stephan Pyles in Dallas--got me in a mood to find a luxury model that I loved right here in Houston. My quest ended at my first stop, Mockingbird Bistro, where I fixated on chef John Sheely's fabulous American Kobe beef burger with blue cheese." ... The Drive-Thru Gourmet looks at so-called "hand-tossed" pizzas at area chains. chron.com ... Houston Press critic Robb Walsh reviews Fu Fu Cafe (9889 Bellaire Blvd), while Paul Galvani samples the Latin small plates at Oporto (3833 Richmond). houstonpress.com

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

Applebee's Says No to Trans Fat

Applebee's International Inc. has joined the ranks of restaurants putting their menus on trans fat-free diets, the Kansas City Business Journal reports. The Overland Park, Kan.-based casual dining chain said May 17 that its more than 1,800 domestic restaurants have finished a three-year transition to frying oil with no trans fats, a blend of two soybean oils. Several other local and national restaurant chains also are taking the cue. Overland Park-based PB&J Restaurants Inc., whose concepts include Yia Yia's Euro Bistro and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, is trying to move to completely trans fat-free menus, President Paul Khoury said recently, the paper reports. Casual diners such as Jason's Deli, Ruby Tuesday and Chili's already have made the change. Leading quick-service restaurants, including Wendy's, Starbucks and KFC, have done the same, leaving Burger King the target of a lawsuit filed May 16 by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. Also, Hooter's has announced plans to switch to zero trans-fat frying oil in its 22 restaurants in Tampa Bay, Chicago and New York City.

IN THE NEWS: The Chronicle's Alison Cook reviews Cafe Soleil (11910 Louetta) and La Guadalupana Bakery and Café (2109 Dunlavy), while the Drive-Thru Gourmet visits Quiznos. chron.com ... Houston Press critic Robb Walsh reviews Bissonnet Grill (2726 Bissonnet), while Paul Galvani dines on stracciatella at Amici (16089 City Walk, Town Square, Sugar Land). houstonpress.com ... The Houston Business Journal reviews the Indian restaurant Yatra Brasserie ... The paper also reports, "No matter how appetizing (Houston-based) Landry's Restaurants Inc. made the deal, the restaurant chain just couldn't get Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group Inc. to come to its merger table. After nearly five months of back-and-forth, New York-based steak restaurant chain Smith & Wollensky (last) week decided to forgo Landry's takeover bid in favor of a higher offer by Patina Restaurant Group LLC.

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

Houston No. 6 on Best Restaurant Cities List

"Today ... most major cities in the U.S. have the kind of gastronomic diversity and regionality that is rich in every department, and even if you’ve visited recently, you can be sure that next time you go, there’ll be more new and enticing restaurants than you could possibly visit," writes Donald Burnam in a recent ForbesTraveler.com piece, "America's Best Restaurant Cities." "It’s getting hard not to have a great meal anywhere in the U.S.." Burnam continues.

Forbes' Top 10 Restaurant Cities:
1. New York City
2. Chicago
3. San Francisco
4. Los Angeles
5. New Orleans
6. Houston
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Atlanta
9. Boston
10. Las Vegas

Rankings were based on: Overall number of restaurants above the fast food level; Number of fine dining restaurants with national and international standing; Solid representation of regional American food; A wide segment of second-tier restaurants that would include seafood, steakhouses, and independently chef-owned restaurants; Breadth and depth of ethnic restaurants, especially if the city has neighborhood such as a Chinatown; A significant number of neigborhood restaurants where the locals tend to eat out regularly; A well-traveled clientele that regards eating out in that city one of the real pleasures of going there.

IN THE NEWS: Chronicle critic Alison Cook reviews La Guadalupana Bakery and Café, 2109 Dunlavy, and Nidda Thai Cuisine, 1226 Westheimer. And Drive-Thru Gourmet admires McDonald's Southwest Salad. chron.com ... Houston Press critic Robb Walsh reviews Kasra Persian Grill on Westheimer near Gessner. houstonpress.com ... Blogger Food In Houston (http://foodinhouston.blogspot.com/) returns to the acclaimed Annie's Cafe and has the Cinnamon Roasted Pheasant.

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

James Beard Awards Announced

Chicago's Frontera Grill won Outstanding Restaurant of the Year and Michel Richard of Michel Richard Citronelle in Washington, D.C. was named Outstanding Chef at the 2007 James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony. Hosted by CBS Early Show anchor Hannah Storm, the Beard Awards were held May 7 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York's Lincoln Center. More than 60 awards were presented by the country's pre-eminent nonprofit culinary organization, in its 20th anniversary celebration, and more than 1,600 industry leaders attended the ceremony. Other top awards went to: New York's L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, named Best New Restaurant; Thomas Keller (The French Laundry, Yountville, Ca.) received the award for Outstanding Restaurateur; and David Chang (Momofuku Noodle Bar, New York) received the Rising Star Chef of the Year award. Celebrity and culinary superstar attendees included Stephanie March, Ted Allen, Katie Lee Joel, Martha Stewart, Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, Thomas Keller, Jose Andres, Tom Colicchio, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Padma Lakshmi, and Marcus Samuelsson. The Foundation's Media Awards took place at a separate event at the Hudson Theatre at Millennium Broadway Hotel on May 6. All Award winners received a bronze medallion etched with the image of the late James Beard, the esteemed chef, cookbook author, and food journalist. There are no cash awards. Established in 1990, the James Beard Foundation Awards recognizes outstanding achievement within the fine food and beverage industry in North America. For full awards results, please visit http://www.jamesbeard.org.

Beard Award highlights are:

AMERICA'S CLASSICS: Primanti Brothers, Demetrios Patrinos, Pittsburgh, Pa.; The Pickwick, Christopher Wisocki, Duluth, Minn.; Doe's Eat Place, The Signa Family, Greenville, Miss.; Aunt Carrie's, Elsie Foy, Narragansett, R.I.; I

Brookville Hotel, Mark and Connie Martin, Abilene, Kan.; Weaver D's, Dexter Weaver, Athens, Ga.

BEST CHEF, GREAT LAKES: Grant Achatz, Alinea, Chicago

BEST CHEF, MID-ATLANTIC: R.J. Cooper, III, Vidalia, Washington, DC

BEST CHEF, MIDWEST: Celina Tio, The American Restaurant, Kansas City, Mo.

BEST CHEF, NEW YORK CITY: David Waltuck, Chanterelle, New York, NY

BEST CHEF, NORTHEAST: Frank McClelland, L'Espalier, Boston

BEST CHEF, NORTHWEST: John Sundstrom, Lark, Seattle

BEST CHEF, PACIFIC: Traci Des Jardins, Jardinière, San Francisco

BEST CHEF, SOUTH: Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans

BEST CHEF, SOUTHEAST: Scott Peacock, Watershed, Decatur, Ga.

BEST CHEF, SOUTHWEST: Nobuo Fukuda, Sea Saw, Scottsdale, Ariz.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT: L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Chef-Owner: Joël Robuchon, New York, NY

OUTSTANDING CHEF: Michel Richard, Michel Richard Citronelle, Washington, DC

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF: Michael Laskonis, Le Bernardin, New York, NY

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT: Frontera Grill, chef-owner: Rick and Deann Bayless, Chicago

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR: Thomas Keller, The French Laundry, Yountville, Calif.

OUTSTANDING SERVICE: Rick Tramonto, Gale Gand, and Richard Melman, Tru, Chicago

OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL: Paul Draper, Ridge Vineyards, Cupertino, Calif.

OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE: Mark Slater, Michel Richard Citronelle, Washington, DC

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR: David Chang, Momofuku Noodle Bar, New York, NY

IN THE NEWS: USA Today's May 4 story on the ethical eating movement -- which is driven by customers who seek out food that is produced locally, organically and in a manner that has minimal effect on animals and the environment -- includes mention of these restaurants: Red Avocado, Iowa City, Iowa; T'afia, Houston; Sage's Cafe, Salt Lake City; Early Girl Eatery, Asheville, N.C.; Chez Panisse, Berkeley, Calif.; Restaurant Nora, Washington, D.C. ... Orlando-based Darden Restaurants shut down more than 50 of its Smokey Bones Barbeque & Grill locations across the country on May 5 and said it will sell the remaining 73, The Orlando Sentinel reported. The closings include a Houston-area store in Willowbrook ... Houston Chronicle Alison Cook reviews: Nidda Thai Cuisine, 1226 Westheimer; and Riverside Terrace Café, 2515 Riverside. ... Houston Press critic Robb Walsh considers the Mexican restaurant Armandos, 2630 Westheimer, while Paul Galvani spotlights the pork chop at Lucio's, 905 Taft. ... H Texas magazine reviews: Piatto Ristorante, 4925 W. Alabama and 11693 Westheimer; and Cafe Red Onion, 3910 Kirby. ... The Blog Food in Houston looks at Laurenzo's 1308 Cantina, the restaurant formerly called Sabor. ... Houston Business Journal reports Baker Bros American Deli is planning to open 10 locations in the Houston area over the next five years. Meanwhile, the Journal's mystery dining critic HBJ Gourmet picks Glass Wall and Chez Georges as new favorites.

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com