The 2021 Tastemakers

A toast to the top Texas restaurants and bars crowned at Tastemakers 2021

Each year, CultureMap celebrates Texas' culinary stars with our Tastemaker Awards program. This year felt especially celebratory, as we honored the resilience and ingenuity of restaurants, bars, chefs, and bartenders from across the state with the return of our in-person events held throughout the summer.

Our 2021 Tastemakers tour kicked off in Houston on July 22 with a full house of guests and nominees gathering for food, drink, and a lively awards ceremony emceed by Houston legend Bun B. We then traveled to Austin on August 5, where we honored our Austin and San Antonio nominees and unveiled the winners in an awards program featuring Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League. On August 19, we wrapped things up with a delicious night in Dallas, celebrating Dallas-Fort Worth's top culinary talent and welcoming comedian CJ Starr as emcee of the evening.

Guests dined on specialty bites prepared by participating nominees and enjoyed a variety of cocktails and other sips perfectly suited for a summer celebration. But the stars of the show — and the heart of the program — were our nominees and winners.

Our 2021 nominees were selected by local panels of industry experts, including past Tastemaker winners. The panels then determined winners in each category, except for Best New Restaurant, which was determined by readers in our popular online tournament, and the Hero Award in Dallas and Fort Worth, which was determined by our editors.

Join us in raising a final toast to the 2021 Tastemaker Awards winners, listed below. And watch the video above for highlights from all of our 2021 events.

Restaurant of the Year: José
Chef of the Year: Matt Balke, Encina
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Carol Nguyen, Ngon Vietnamese
Best New Restaurant: Monarch
Best Ghost Kitchen: TLC Vegan Kitchen
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Edoko Omakase
Pastry Chef of the Year: Corey Thomson, Fearing's
Bar of the Year: Cosmo's
Bartender of the Year: Liz Mitchell, Thunderbird Station
Wine Program of the Year: Veritas Wine Room
Hero Award: Meaders Ozarow

Restaurant of the Year: Hatsuyuki Handroll Bar
Chef of the Year: Felipe Armenta, Tavern, Towne Grill, Maria's
Best New Restaurant: La Onda
Bar of the Year: Tulips
Hero Award: Jon Bonnell

Restaurant of the Year: Nobie’s
Chef of the Year: Kaitlin Steets, Littlefoot/Theodore Rex
Rising Star Chef of the Year: AJ Ede, Brasil
Best New Restaurant: Xin Chào
Best Pop-up/Startup: Josh Deleon, Underground Creamery
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Candente
Pastry Chef of the Year: Drew Gimma, Bread Man Baking Co.
Bar of the Year: Heights Bier Garten
Bartender of the Year: Alphonso Quiñones, Tiny Champions
Wine Program of the Year: Squable

Restaurant of the Year: Nixta
Chef of the Year: Fiore Tedesco, L’Oca d’Oro
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Damien Brockway, Distant Relatives
Best New Restaurant: Plank Seafood Provisions
Best Ghost Kitchen: Mother Klucker
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Bouldin Creek Cafe
Pastry Chef of the Year: Ariana Quant, Uchiko, Uchi
Bar of the Year: Garage
Bartender of the Year: Travis Tober, Old Pal, Nickel City
Wine Program of the Year: LoLo
Brewery of the Year: Blue Owl Brewing

San Antonio

Restaurant of the Year: Clementine
Chef of the Year: Nicola Blaque, The Jerk Shack
Best New Restaurant: Southerleigh Haute South
Best Ghost Kitchen: Curry Boys
Bar of the Year: The Esquire Tavern

---

The CultureMap Dallas-Fort Worth Tastemaker Awards was brought to you by Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Maestro Dobel Tequila, Stranahan's Whiskey, and Topo Chico. A portion of proceeds benefit our local nonprofit partner, Harvest Project Food Rescue.

Houston Restaurant of the Year: Nobie's.

Nobie's dining room

Photo by Jack Thompson

Houston Restaurant of the Year: Nobie's.

Steak & Ale News

Local opening of Dallas chain Steak and Ale gets derailed

Steak and Ale

Steak and Ale

Steak and Ale

The long-in-the-works return of Steak and Ale in Dallas is being shelved for now: The casual steakhouse chain which in its heyday had nearly 300 locations is no longer opening a location it planned for in Grand Prairie.

According to a May 11 post from company owner Paul Mangiamele, the restaurant is definitely now a no-go.

"After years of very hard and exhausting work for making the Grand Prairie side by side S&A and Bennigan’s happen, the rug has been yanked out from under us," Mangiamele said in his post.

Often referred to as a pioneer in casual dining, Steak and Ale debuted in 1966, offering an affordable steakhouse experience with rustic Tudor design that included wooden beams and stained glass. In addition to steak and a signature salad bar, the menu featured then-fancy items such as steak Oscar, baby back ribs, and Hawaiian chicken with pineapple teriyaki sauce.

The chain remained a buzzy destination throughout the '70s and '80s, but by 2008, the parent company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and the remaining locations closed.

In 2023, businessman Paul Mangiamele, chairman and CEO of Legendary Restaurant Brands (which includes Monte Cristo sandwich purveyor Bennigan’s and Bennigan’s On The Fly, which he has also revived), launched a long-held plan to revive the Steak and Ale concept that included opening a new Steak and Ale in Burnsville, Minnesota, as well as partnering with a franchisee to open a location in Grand Prairie, side-by-side with a Bennigan's.

The Minnesota location opened in August 2024, but Grand Prairie will not be so lucky, and according to Mangiamele, it's due to the shenanigans of the franchisee.

"For years, we were being told by the developer and owner of the land how he was going to be our franchise partner," Mangiamele says. "He shared with me numerous times how he grew up with the brands and wanted to do his part in honoring Norman Brinker and would be a proud franchise owner. Well, after he finally (3 years later) received his money for selling some of his land, instead of being our franchise partner, he changed his tune, and wanted to instead, sell his land to us!!"

According to Mangiamele, not only did the franchisee try to sell back the land, he tried to make a profit.

"Our special deal was a ‘discounted’ price per foot on the land we’d need," Mangiamele says. "After a few due diligence calls, the discounted ’deal’ price was 20% higher than the comparable prices in the same area!! Simply unbelievable!"

Mangiamele says they are still talking to other interested parties in the greater DFW area and should have more news soon.

Loading...