1. Perry's Steakhouse Famous Pork Chop
Handselected in the Midwest for Perry's Steakhouse's dinner menu, this prime tripledecker chop is cured, roasted, slow-smoked and caramelized, and carved tableside with homemade applesauce. Epic. The new River Oaks location is the flagship restaurant. $40, 346.293.8400, perryssteakhouse.com
2. Irma's Southwest Hot Tamales
Irma Galvan's time-honored family recipe for her plump, dewy and precisely spiced pork tamales is so beloved, it got the attention of Food Network's Guy Fieri. Irma's oldest son, Louis Galvan, has taken up her receipes, marinating the juicy shredded pork in a chile sauce and crowning the tamales with thin chile con carne sauce, melted Monterey Jack and cilantro. $17 per plate, 713.247.9651, irmassouthwest.com
3. Mastro's Seafood Tower
It doesn't get more opulent than this two-tier masterpiece, a sumptuous customizable display of the finest seafood dramatically presented smoking over dry ice. Gems of la mer might include sweet, fresh live lobsters flown in daily from Maine, Colossal Alaska king crab broiler claws, East Coast oysters and Pacific Northwest prawns. Price upon request, 713.993.2500, mastrosrestaurants.com
4. Tomato Toast at Theodore Rex
Award-winning chef-owner Justin Yu takes a simple idea and builds a stunner. It starts with 75 pounds of Gulf Coast-region tomatoes, cooked down into an intense fondue. It's the base for the rye pain de mie layered with tomato fondant, crimson cherry tomatoes, chives and fresh herbs. The plate is meant for sharing, but you may not want to. $12, 832.830.8592, trexhouston.com
5. B.B. Italia Kitchen's Signature Italian Fried Chicken
Guests are gobsmacked by the fried chicken at newly rechristened B.B. Italia, formerly Carmelo's, owned by restaurateur Benjamin Berg. It's the Sicilian honey and Calabrian chile peppers that lend the crispy skin a surprisingly explosive sweet and spicy flavor. Served over Italian polenta, the chicken is crowned with grilled broccolini, lemon, garlic and chile flakes for the ultimate comfort food dish. $16, 281.531.0696, bbitaliakitchen.com
