Adrian S

CHICAGO RESTAURANT REVIEW: Crying Tiger

The Windy City has one of the best culinary scenes in the country, right up there alongside New York, Houston, and New Orleans. You can find just about anything there, from the top-ranked restaurant in North America (Smyth), to a stable of Michelin-starred hotspots (Alinea, Ever, etc..), to

CHICAGO BAR ROUNDUP: Best Intentions, Gus' Sip & Dip, Queen Mary, Bar Bambi

Chicago is my favorite non-Houston city in the country, and over a handful of previous trips I've managed to explore quite a few of its beloved and eclectic eateries and drinkeries. But a town of this caliber has so many more to offer, and I was able

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Rosie Cannonball

I was thinking the other day about one of my favorite stand-up bits ever, Ricky Gervais talking about the world's greatest leaflet, that begins with "You know, you don't always have to..." (I'll let you look that up if you'

ATLANTA RESTAURANT REVIEW: Bacchanalia

I was at a bit of a loss when trying to figure out where to eat on a recent trip to Atlanta, as I had never been before and was completely unfamiliar with the food scene there. After consulting the usual references, I zeroed in on Lazy Betty, an incredible

BAR REVIEW: Bar Madonna

Hotel bars are one of my favorite places to hang out, especially when traveling abroad on Holiday. There's something fascinating about the mixture of people that could be from anywhere, in town for any number of reasons, and, if my favorite literary genre (British spy fiction) is to

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Rainbow Lodge

One of my main culinary tenets (shoutout to the best Christopher Nolan film, I'll hear no arguments to the contrary) is the love and appreciation of unusual meats. I almost always order venison or bison in place of cow when possible, and I strive to seek out more

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Credence

Pretty much everyone in Houston has eaten at, or at least heard of Goode Company restaurants. From their old-school barbecue joint (personally not my favorite entry in the genre, but many people swear by it, and the pecan pie is admittedly excellent) to solid seafood to Tex-Mex, their

CINCINNATI RESTAURANT REVIEW: Skyline Chili

Throughout the United States, culture is shaped and exemplified by differences in regional cuisine. Most of these, from Texas brisket to Maine lobster rolls to Louisiana gumbo to Nashville hot chicken, are beloved by locals and visitors alike. However, one example bucks that trend: fiercely defended by the people who

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Kira

We've talked a lot about Japanese food here lately, especially the fine folks at Comma Hospitality (Neo, Oru, Toga), but wouldn't you know it, I found myself entertaining clients (aka going to dinner with some treasured out-of-town friends) at their other concept recently. I&

BAR REVIEW: Berwick's Bird Of Paradise

Today marks a very special occasion... it's the one year anniversary of this website! That's right, in the past year we've had nearly 69 restaurant and bar reviews from Houston, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, New York and points in between, and amassed dozens

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Toga

**Note: this post is being written under protest after Czechia was erroneously and egregiously denied a win over South Africa in the World Cup after one of the most appalling hand ball penalties I've ever seen awarded. I hereby swear that I will NEVER publish a Peli Peli

BAR REVIEW: Lee's

Rice Village is an area of Houston that I don't think about that often these days when it comes to dining, even though I used to spend a ton of time there when I lived nearby. But it's surprisingly loaded for a small neighborhood, including the

MEXICO CITY BAR ROUNDUP: Hanky Panky, FO+MA, Bar Mauro, Tlecān

On the Mount Rushmore of mixology, Mexico City is a stone-cold (geology pun) lock alongside New York and London, with the other spot probably going to Hong Kong or Singapore, though I would hear arguments for Tokyo, Paris, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, or Toronto. During my first trip to the

MEXICO CITY RESTAURANT REVIEW: Pujol

Last year I traveled to Mexico City for the first time, taking in some great food and drink. But I missed out on a reservation at my top choice, perhaps the most iconic address in the entire country. I'm not gonna lie, I've been a bit

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Oru

I've only had three #1 ranked restaurants in Houston in the modern era. First was the dearly departed Triniti, a progressive American masterpiece which sadly closed after our last Super Bowl in 2017. As something of a temporary placeholder I promoted B&B Butchers to the top

BAR REVIEW: Donna's

Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines "verbosity" as: (noun) the quality or state of being verbose or wordy; the use of too many words. And honestly I have some thoughts about th... just kidding. I've had a lot of lengthy reviews lately, so let's

BAR REVIEW: Xolo

It's hard to believe that over three months have passed since my last proper bar review, so it's about time we correct that. And what better way to do so than with one of the hottest new Houston openings in some time! Mexico City is one

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Bahel Ethiopian Dining

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PIZZA REVIEW: Talespin Pizza

Back in 2020 when I moved outside the Loop (sorry), the pizza landscape in West Houston left a lot to be desired. The only options anywhere close to my area were Domino's (which I LOVE, don't get me wrong, but it's nice to have

RESTAURANT REVIEW: The Marigold Club

A disclaimer right off the top: I am historically not a brunch guy. There are a number of reasons for this, the biggest probably being that I don't normally eat breakfast. To me it's a bit preposterous to have three savory meals a day... sure I&

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Zaranda

I've extolled the virtues of legendary Houston restauranteur Hugo Ortega in the past, but I have yet to review any of his restaurants since starting Adrian Reviews. Before getting into the nitty gritty on his newest spot, allow me to do a quick ranking of his existing venues

BIG SKY RESTAURANT REVIEW: M By The Alinea Group

It's often said that men think about sex every seven seconds, though recent studies (of course someone studied it... this is what's at risk with NIH research cuts) show that the average is actually a mere 19 times throughout the waking hours. For me, that stat

RESTAURANT REVIEW: The Henry

The term "greatest" is thrown around more and more these days, often with impunity and hyperbole. There are GOAT debates (MJ vs LeBron, Ronaldo vs Messi, Beatles vs Stones, The Wire vs The Sopranos, etc..), and some unimpeachable superlatives (e.g. everyone agrees that Nic Cage is the

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Aga's

Alright y'all, this is the one you've been waiting for. Aga's was ranked the #1 eatery in the city by the Houston Chronicle in their 2025 Top 100 Restaurants list, a subject which I have previously devoted several paragraphs to. I won't

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Josephine's Gulf Coast Tradition

PERIODIC REMINDER: Make sure you're getting the full functionality of the site! If you aren't a subscriber, you can enter your email in the box at the bottom of any post to get email updates whenever there's a new review, as well as the