Chef’s Corner: Randy Evans

Find out where the experts eat, with our new Chef’s Corner column. Every month, chefs reveal their personal recommendations. From bargain Columbian eateries to high-end restaurants, you’ll learn where they go and what they order. To kick it off, restaurant writer Dai Huynh interviewed chef Randy Evans, who garnered countless fans during his tenure at Brennan’s of Houston and Haven.

After closing Haven, Evans became director and executive chef for H-E-B restaurants. In between tweaking menus for Table 57 (5895 San Felipe) and True Texas Barbecue (9710 Katy Freeway), he hunts down good grub during his visits to Houston. Last year, the Houstonian moved his family to a five-acre homestead in Boerne to be near H-E-B headquarters in San Antonio.

What do you miss most about Houston?

I miss good Southern fried chicken. I have been on the hunt [around San Antonio], but no luck so far. I still go to Barbecue Inn (116 W. Crosstimbers Road) for fried chicken. It’s one of my favorite places growing up on the North Side. We went there for fried shrimp, chicken fried steak and fried chicken. I didn’t try their barbecue until I was in my 30s. It’s good, but I still go there for the fried food – the right balance of crunch, salt and moisture.

What’s another must-visit when in town?

I always try to hit Underbelly (1100 Westheimer), to see Chris (Shepherd), eat great food and shoot the bull. When people think of Chris, they think about the best meats. But one of the best things Chris does is seafood. Fish, especially. People don’t talk about it.  Maybe it’s because of the giant meat case. Chris buys whole animal, but he buys whole fish as well, and he really does something special with it each time. Last time, I had this Vietnamese snapper dish that had this great sweet-and-sour tang. The thing about Chris is that he takes all those flavors from Chinatown and makes it his own.

Any new discoveries?

A place I went recently that was really good was Southern Goods (632 W. 19th Street) in the Heights. I like seeing people use underutilized cuts, and Southern Goods smokes this beef belly, and then roasts it with this wonderful crunchy glaze. It’s nice, served with creamy grits. Order that with really good fried green tomatoes. They sandwich the gooey mozzarella between the fried tomatoes. It’s refreshing.

What is your last stop before heading back to Boerne? 

Sushi in Boerne is slim to none. So I usually run into Kata Robata (3600 Kirby) for a fast bite. Otherwise, if I have time, I kill it, especially if my kids are with me. It’s one of their favorite places. My eldest, 9, loves the maguro, hamachi and the special rolls. My 6 year old loves the scallop with soy paper and spicy mayo. My wife and I will have an ice chest, and we’ll take home cold ramen, hamachi and snapper; we load up. Mainly, we go there for traditional sushi. The rice is amazing, balanced and served at about 98-100 degrees, with a nice tart acidity that brings out the freshness of the fish. Recently, we had sushi in Boston. Afterwards, my kids looked at me, “Really? This is sushi?” Kata has ruined sushi for my kids. We can’t eat anywhere else.

Read "This Month in Dining" on eating out at the grocery store.