Restaurants & Chefs

We give you the short story on the ovens at the Texas barbecue joint from the last century, told in the style of Elmore Leonard.

Once you've had your fill of Indian tacos from the street vendors, check out these local favorites hand-picked by Katharine Kagel of Cafe Pasqual's.

More than any epicurean metropolis I know in the West, Santa Fe has gone through some major changes in its restaurant scene, with important older restaurants acquiring new chefs, new owners, and new looks.

Javier's Gourmet Mexicano has been serving warm, sensual salsas that have been a Dallas obsession for decades. New on the scene: a some-like-it-hotter habanero.

Oliver Ridgeway and Charles Dale came to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to reinterpret Southwestern fine cuisine. We thought they might be curious about each other, and we were right.

Here are some favorite places that serve up smokin' great barbecue. Don't forget the napkins.

C&I's Western Gourmet, John Mariani, hits the summer slopes of Vail for some lofty cuisine.

Located in the oldest building in downtown Heber City, Utah, this eatery serves "international peasant food."

Austin has some of the West's best restaurants at every level, from French to sushi — and some of the best Mexican food in the state.

Many have stripped away the school-lunchroom and blue-collar associations by renaming them "family restaurants" while keeping the metal-rung cafeteria lines, the steaming trays just out of the dishwasher, and the orderly array of American fare that can send you reeling with indecision.

Our Western gourmet savors Houston sophistication that won't break the bank and searches for the best pizza west of Chicago.

John Mariani gives the scoop on Terra, Inn of the Anasazi, Café des Artistes Del Mar, and more.

Elevated cuisine and high-elevation restaurants make for must-try mountain food.