By Jim Ayres  When my friend Bill suggested we have dinner at Maison Pucha, I jumped at the chance. Even though I wasn’t sure what Maison Pucha was.  I learned that Maison Pucha is the house of the three brothers Pucha, who began their culinary adventure in Deleg, Ecuador. At Maison Pucha, classic French dishes

By Jim Ayres Once upon a time in Shady Acres, where 18th and 19th streets fork away, there sat a forlorn, decaying Chinese restaurant. Who knows if the food was any good? Who remembers what it was named? I never tried it and no one I know had either. After the restaurant sat closed for

By Jim Ayres Want a steak dinner tonight? Without spending a fortune? Breakaway from the Outback/Saltgrass rut and try two higher-quality alternatives without big spending Mastro’s-level cash. Jacket and tie not required! I’ve written about Perry’s on these pages before. But that was a dine-in experience focused on their famous Pork Chop. And the newest

By Jim Ayres Last year, Dak & Bop brought Korean fried chicken (dak) and rice (bop) to Timbergrove. Driving by recently, in the mood for something different, I thought I’d give it a whirl. It’s in an old pizza parlor, Hut or Inn, not sure which. So, anything could have been inside those tinted windows.

By Jim Ayres It seems Tilman Fertitta has his hand in everything these days. But I’m particularly happy about his latest project. A collaboration between King Ranch and the Fertitta family, King Ranch Texas Kitchen opened in November 2020 in the space formerly occupied by Willie G’s (which has gone uptown to the Post Oak

By Jim Ayres Happy Holidays, MONTROSE STAR readers! I hope you all had a filling Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the year-end observances. We’ll be staying in and away from each other, so don’t underestimate the value of a phone call to someone you might not have talked with for a while. Normally, I’d

By Jim Ayres Happy Thanksgiving, MONTROSE STAR readers! I’m writing this at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. That means shortly afterward, we’ll either still have much to be thankful for, or a whole bursting-at-the-seams horn o’plenty to rejoice and be thankful for. Just a few notes about dining around town as I gear up

By Jim Ayres I was so hoping it would be over with. This summer, as you may know, I was stuck in the hospital for a month recuperating from a nasty foot infection. Twice-daily IV doses of Vancomycin would surely erase everything. Perhaps it did, but another toe became infected recently. As I write this,

By Jim Ayres Hello, MONTROSE STAR readers! I’ve missed you. A month in the hospital took me out of the loop, but COVID-19 has taken everyone else out of it, too. I was in a post-op facility after being discharged from Methodist. The staff and facility at Houston Transitional Care couldn’t be lovelier, but their

Dine out while staying in By Jim Ayres What’s a dining writer to do when there’s nowhere to dine? These are tough times, and the hospitality industry is taking the biggest economic hit. Here are three ways you can support your favorite bar or restaurant, even if you can’t do it in person. Order to