Eating with the Gray Lady
New York Times names 2 Asian restaurants in Austin to 50 best list
The New York Times has included four Texas restaurants, including two in Austin, on its annual list of America’s 50 best restaurants.
They are:
- ChòpnBlọk (Houston)
- Isidore (San Antonio)
- Lao’d Bar (Austin)
- P Thai’s Khao Man Gai & Noodles (Austin)
Published Monday, September 8, the list mixes newer restaurants that have opened since 2024 with older establishments. In an introduction, editor Brian Gallagher writes that the Times created its list by sending 14 reporters and editors to eat more than 200 meals in 33 states. “These places all have delicious food and a mastery of craft, but also a generosity of spirit and a singular point of view,” he writes.
Overall, 28 states and Washington, D.C. are represented. California leads the way with six representatives. New York joins Texas as the only state with four restaurants on the list.
Food reporter Priya Krishna writes the entries for all four Texas restaurants.
At Lao’d Bar, chef Bob Somsith puts a creative spin on the famously spicy Laotian dishes such as rib-eye lahb with crying tiger sauce, papaya salad, and a Lao’d smash burger that’s made with a lemongrass-pork sausage. “Mr. Somsith has created a restaurant that feels more like a house party, with garage doors, string lights and colorful tablecloths — and where one frozen guava cocktail may easily give way to more,” Krishna writes.
Lao'd Bar is having a big year, with a James Beard Award semi-finalist nomination and a feature on the famous behind-the-scenes cooking show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The restaurant is still only about a year and a half old, although the food truck that preceded it was established — and quite popular — for longer.
Krishna calls the version of khao man gai being served by chef Thai Changthong at P Thai’s “a masterpiece.” She notes the multiple steps involved to prepare the meat in a way that’s both tender and flavorful. “This cooking speaks to the distinct cuisine born of Chinese immigrants who moved to Thailand, adapting their dishes to the electric flavors of their new home,” she writes.
At ChòpnBlọk, Krishna hails the West African spin that chef-owner Ope Amosu has put on the familiar bowl concept. She notes the upgrades that Amosu made for his brick-and-mortar location in Montrose, including cocktails and small bites. “In a world of sad salads shoveled out of cardboard, ChopnBlok is a delightful antidote to the slop bowl era,” she writes.
Located in Pullman Market, Isidore is built around a menu of Texas ingredients prepared over live fire. Krishna praises chef Ian Lanphear’s syrup made from mesquite beans and a Texas wagyu steak. “But the real prize is an elegant dish of yuba made of milk from a nearby farm that’s stuffed with fresh cheese and cooked in cream — it looks like ethereal ravioli and tastes like heaven,” she writes.
A very saturated look at spicy chicken and sides.Photo courtesy of Angry Chickz
Cape Bottle Room is pairing ice creams and wines December 9.Photo by Jack Fanelli