5 Texas Eateries Make New York Times' 2021 Restaurant List

Austin TX

15 October, 2021

1:02 PM

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AUSTIN, TX — Five Texas eateries were handpicked by New York Times as one of the top 50 restaurants in 2021. The newspaper dispatched critics, reporters and editors around the country this year to find the 50 most "vibrant and delicious" restaurants. The list is not ranked in any particular order but features a "rich mosaic" of American dining. From newcomer restaurateurs to owners who've been in the business for decades, the newspaper shared why they loved each eatery and why foodies should too. Here are the 5 Texas restaurants picked in New York Times' Restaurant List 2021. Live in Austin? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and download our free mobile app on Android or iPhone. Birdie's in AustinBirdie's is an order-at-the-counter natural-wine bar and cafe recently opened in an old taqueria in east Austin by a talented young couple who relocated from New York. NYT's Brett Anderson said relaxing on Birdie's back patio with chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel's bright, graceful food is to be on "the leading edge of what makes eating great in this booming town." Anderson's favorite dish: A golden-crusted panisse, steak tartare folded with shiitakes and pecans, roasted local eggplant and peppers with stewed field peas. For dessert, he enjoyed a vanilla soft-serve, drizzled in olive oil pressed with tangerines. Fish Lonja in San AntonioCarnitas Lonja, a southside San Antonio eatery, became a popular go-to taco destination when it opened in 2017. Two years after it opened, Chef and owner, Alejandro Paredes, quietly opened a seafood window tucked behind the original. Since then, it has captured the tastebuds of many, including NYT's Priya Krishna. Krishna said the menu winds through various Mexican coastal cities, and each offering is distinct. "The shrimp and cucumber in the aquachile, a dish found in Sinaloa and Nayarit, swims in a brightly flavored sauce of roasted tomatoes, chile piquín and lime juice; while a richer, more piquant shrimp-and-chorizo quesadilla takes cues from the camaronillas of Guerrero and Michoacán," Krishna said. "The seafood — much of it from the Gulf of Mexico — tastes so fresh, you might wonder if San Antonio is a coastal town." Blood Bro's BBQ in BellaireThis barbecue joint, which is located in a strip mall, in a Houston suburb is known for its daily changing menu. Blood Bro's BBQ in Bellaire is described by Anderson as a "product of the seemingly endless ideas for cooking Texas barbecue whirling through the brains of the owners and staff." The reporter said all the feature meat is smoked by the pitmaster, Quy Hoang, who owns the restaurant with the brothers Terry and Robin Wong "One day, brisket burnt-end steam buns and smoked chicken karaage. The next, char siu pork banh mi and Thai green curry boudin balls," Anderson said. "These disrupters don't disdain the classics: Their traditional brisket, ribs and housemade sausages are excellent, and available every day." Roots Southern Table in Farmers BranchRoots Southern Table, which opened in June 2021, is located in a Dallas suburb that isn't known for its top dining spots. However, NYT's Krishna said it soon will be, thanks to the chef Tiffany Derry. Derry's restaurant is her take on Southern cooking, anchored firmly in her Louisiana upbringing, with plenty of seafood, okra and dirty rice to go around. "The food speaks in loud exclamations, like her mother's gumbo, punctured by a fat blue-crab claw and bathed in a rich, dark roux. If eating her cornbread with smoked butter is like a warm embrace, the duck-fat fried chicken — which should certainly be ordered with a side of duck-fat-fried potatoes — is the equivalent of a bear hug," Krishna said. Sylvia's in BrownsvilleLocated along the city's famous Southmost Boulevard, Sylvia's has earned the praise from NYT's Krishna as one of the best taquerias along "La Southmost." "But Sylvia's stands apart — not just for the sheer volume of Dallas Cowboys paraphernalia papering the walls, but for dishes like the machacado con huevo a la Mexicana, dried shreds of rich beef and eggs encased in a giant, buttery, almost translucent tortilla," Krishna said.