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over creamy parsnip purée with chili-roasted broccoli. While Feast is the Southtown mainstay, Rebelle (300 E. Travis St., 210-352-3171) pleases palates inside the St. Anthony Hotel where Bowers leads a team of culinary badasses in a haunting setting. Stop in for fresh takes on seafood, sexy cocktails and excellent service. Brigid (803 S. St. Mary’s St., 210-263-7885) has already found a niche for itself by delivering Insta-worthy food — oh, and it’s also freakin’ delicious. A recent Valentine’s Day special of sous vide and fried duck confit was luxurious and
colorful, and yielded an intoxicating crunch. A relatively new restaurant on the block, Grayze (521 E. Grayson St., 210-4818776) is brought to you by James Moore (TBA, formerly with Boiler House and Max’s Wine Dive). Don’t let Grayze’s neighborhood café vibe fool you. The food, created by chef Pedro Cuellar, brings back familiar flavors once found at Arcade Midtown Kitchen. Toss most of what you know about Mexican food out the window. At Mixtli (5251 McCullough Ave., 210-338-0746), chefs Diego Galicia and Rico Torres deliver themed tasting menus to 12 diners four days
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a week that help reinvent Mexican dining. Named after the Nahuatl word for “cloud,” this boxcar restaurant created elaborate menus for Oaxaca, the D.F. Metro and, most recently, La Conquista, which merged ingredients from Spain and the New World to fantastic and historically accurate results. At Tobin Hill’s Creole kitchen The Cookhouse, (720 E. Mistletoe Ave., 210-320-8211) chef Pieter Sypesteyn and crew whip up classic po’boys by day and illustrious dishes come dinnertime. The charbroiled oysters and barbecue shrimp are can’t-miss items. When you want to get your daily serving of vegetables, DAVID RANGEL
serves up Mexican comfort food in Southtown. If you enjoy the occasional stogie, you’re in luck: El Mirador also houses the Puro Social Club, a cozy spot to smoke a cigar. Ray’s Drive Inn (822 SW 19th St., 210-4327171) is the place for puffy tacos. Whether the puffy, deep-fried concoction began at the late Arturo Lopez’s establishment (or at his brother Henry’s) is up for debate. But there’s no argument about whether Ray’s puffies — beef, avocado or another variety — get a thumbs-up. Here there be cheap eats. Teka Molino’s (multiple locations, tekamolino.com) specialties will only cost you a few bucks, and the restaurant prides itself on its house-milled masa.
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MODERN • The only semifinalist for a James Beard Foundation Award in town also happens to own Cured (306 Pearl Pkwy., 210-314-3929) inside a historic building that serves as one of the Pearl’s epicenters. Find seasonal fare focused on Texan flavors inside this airy eatery. A visit to Hotel Emma isn’t complete without a stop at Supper (136 E. Grayson St., 210-448-8351). The gnudi, gnocchi-like dumplings made with ricotta, are heavenly, while the burger is made for big appetites after a walk through the Museum Reach. Chef Stefan Bowers might be toiling away at his latest restaurant with Andrew Goodman, but the original flavors of Feast (1024 S. Alamo St., 210-354-1024) are still kicking — hard. The perennial brunch favorite also features off-menu specials on weeknights by chef Cody Clark, like a 30day aged Wagyu N.Y. Strip continued on page 90 →
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