Best of Houston 2009

Alison Cook makes her list of best new restaurants of 2009--Houston-area places, of course. Gotta say, I should travel north more often, not that I subscribe to the believe that Houston's good restaurants are all in the loop. Rioja, after all, is outside the beltway.

And, the Loop Scoop gives their list of Houston's top 10 coffee shops. Salento used to be in my top 5, but they've changed a lot. It's now sleek-wine instead of cozy-coffee. The top three places, I'd say, have been among the best for many years, though I'd probably have put the old Salento at #3. This place should really be on the list, though. Top 5.