Meet the Tastemakers

Here's your taste of the best restaurants and bars in Texas for 2018

Each year, we hold a Texas-sized celebration of two of the things we love most: food and drink. The annual CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, presented by Woodford Reserve, honors the top restaurant and bar talent in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio.

Our mission is to shine a spotlight on the people making each city's culinary scene special. First, we collaborated with a panel of experts, including previous Tastemaker winners, to determine the nominees in each city. The panels then selected winners in every category, except Best New Restaurant, which was determined by our readers in a tournament presented by Whole Foods Market.

It all culminated in our series of signature tasting events and awards ceremonies, held in Houston, Austin, and Dallas, where guests mixed and mingled with top culinary talent and fellow foodies, while we unveiled the 2018 Tastemaker Awards winners. Join us in toasting the best of Texas dining right now.

Austin

Restaurant of the Year: L’Oca d’Oro
Chef of the Year: Kevin Fink, Emmer & Rye
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Zach Hunter, The Brewer’s Table
Pastry Chef of the Year: Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Emmer & Rye
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Texas French Bread
Best New Restaurant: Be More Pacific
Favorite Food Truck: Veracruz All Natural
Bar of the Year: Nickel City
Bartender of the Year: Erin Ashford, Olamaie
Brewery of the Year: St. Elmo Brewing Co.
Wine Program of the Year: Texas French Bread

Dallas

Restaurant of the Year: Town Hearth
Chef of the Year: Omar Flores, Whistle Britches
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Anastacia Quinones, The Cedars Social
Pastry Chef of the Year: Keith Cedotal, The Joule
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Nova
Best New Restaurant: Ferris Wheelers
Best Biscuits: Crossroads Diner
Bar of the Year: Parliament
Bartender of the Year: Trevor Landry, Jalisco Norte
Wine Program of the Year: Bullion

Fort Worth

Restaurant of the Year: Piattello Italian Kitchen
Chef of the Year: Lanny Lancarte, Righteous Foods
Best New Restaurant: B&B Butchers & Restaurant
Bar of the Year: Proper on Magnolia

Houston

Restaurant of the Year: Xochi
Chef of the Year: Chris Shepherd, Underbelly Hospitality
Rising Star Chef of the Year: Jason Vaughan, Nancy’s Hustle
Pastry Chef of the Year: Jillian Bartolome, Aqui
Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year: Paulie’s
Best New Restaurant: Field & Tides
Poke Restaurant of the Year: Izakaya
Bar of the Year: Better Luck Tomorrow
Bartender of the Year: Alex Negranza, Better Luck Tomorrow
Brewery of the Year: Eureka Heights Brewing Company
Wine Program of the Year: a’Bouzy

San Antonio

Restaurant of the Year: Battalion
Chef of the Year: Pieter Sypesteyn of The Cookhouse
Best New Restaurant: Tenko Ramen
Favorite Coffee Shop: Bakery Lorraine
Bar of the Year: Downstairs at the Esquire Tavern

Houston Restaurant of the Year, Xochi.

Houston, Xochi, Cremoso de Chocolate, August 2017

Photo by Paula Murphy

Houston Restaurant of the Year, Xochi.

tastemakers texas bests

Ice Cream News

Global gourmet ice cream chain debuts in U.S. with 2 Dallas-area shops

Dumont Ice Cream

An ice cream concept from India has made its U.S. debut, right here in Texas: Called Dumont Creamery & Cafe, it's an ice cream chain founded in Hyderabad that now has two locations in the Dallas area.

Their first location was Frisco, which opened at 1951 FM 423 at the end of 2023; a second location opened in late October in Coppell at 1535 S. Belt Line Rd. #160.

Dumont was founded in 1999 by brothers Vivek and Bhashkaar, and currently has 23 locations in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Vijayawada listed on their website.

Bringing the concept to Texas are local franchisees and friends Sai Sashank and Tarang Tirumala, who moved to the U.S. in 2005 to attend college.

Both have successful consulting careers, but craved a taste of home.

Ice cream is the centerpiece at Dumont with more than two dozen flavors, ranging from gourmet to classics to flavors boasting global influences: from Italian-inspired sorbet to a New Zealand-inspired honey ice cream called "hokey pokey."

There is vanilla, chocolate, and mint chocolate chip — but also unique options such as cake and jam, an ice cream with a vanilla base, bites of cake, and spiced jam; and kheer, a coconut ice cream studded with dried fruits and nuts — a nod to the kheer rice pudding that's one of India's favorite desserts.

A single scoop is $4. They have cups and a cute version of waffle cones: shorter and fatter than usual, to provide a greater ratio of ice cream-to-cone.

In addition to ice cream, they have a beverage program with coffee and espresso drinks such as lattes, plus boba tea. There are also special drinks like falooda — an exotic Indian milkshake with rose syrup and vermicelli — as well as limited-edition drinks like iced kheer, a cool beverage version of that same popular rice pudding dessert.

Both locations are spacious, bright, and clean, with pale green banquettes at Frisco, and pale blue chairs and tables at Coppell. Both feature an astronaut theme with statues and framed photos and cartoons on the wall. The Coppell location also has a mural dedicated to great moments in Coppell history.