71. NICHE
St Louis, MO
72. SPIAGGIA
Chicago, IL
73. OXHEART
Houston, TX
74. UCHI
Austin, TX
75. VETRI
Philadelphia, PA
76. NETA
New York, NY
77. NO. 9 PARK
Boston, MA
78. JOURNEYMAN
Somerville, MA
79. NORTH FORK TABLE & INN
Southold, NY
80. IL GRANO
Los Angeles, CA
73

Photo Courtesy of: Tasty Bits

Oxheart
Houston, TX

1302 NANCE STREET
832-830-8592
HTTP://OXHEARTHOUSTON.COM

If Justin Yu’s restaurant were located in Europe, we suspect it would be one of the regular stops on the hard-core foodie circuit, which is not all that surprising given his background: The kitchens he’s worked in range from Napa’s Ubuntu to Copenhagen’s Relae to Belgium’s In de Wulf. Given that list, it’s also not that surprising that Justin’s menus revolve around “studying and getting the most out of individual vegetables and fruits”; recent dishes have focused on a diverse group: eggplant, okra, nectarines and grapes. Breads and desserts are handled by Justin’s wife, Karen Man, and they are so good that one reviewer described them as “deserving of a separate spotlight.” But the best quote came from a reviewer who said “the food is so meticulously prepared and creative, they can make me want to eat dishes I’d ordinarily despise.”