When PSA Wines sommelier Justin Vann told us he would be releasing a definitive field manual for BYOB in Houston, we demanded he let us publish it, too. Below are his thoughts, comments and observations to guide diners into successful BYOB pairings. The intro text and map summarize the contents of the document and spreadsheet embedded at the bottom. See them for full details. Take it away, Justin.
Are BYOB guidelines for Mala Sichuan interesting? Read on. [Gary R Wise]
This is a list of restaurants that allow you to bring your own wine and beer. It catalogs how much it costs to do so at each establishment, what kind of glassware (if any) they provide, and if they have any wine or beer in house already.
Also, we take it a step further and provide wine and beer suggestions with 3-5 classic dishes from certain establishments. Some of them we've tested, others are admittedly just suggestions we cooked up in theory. They're something to get you thinking critically about what to bring. Don't feel obligated to follow them exactly. Be a rebel and break some goddamn rules. Just get out there and booze it up- on your own terms. That's the joy of BYOB.
Revival Market is a grocery store in the heights that features produce from local farms, plus meats and cheeses that came from animals that led happier lives than most humans. They have a small café that allows BYOB, and they regularly hosts dinners by their chef de cuisine Adam Dorris. The now serve breakfast every day of the week, and alcohol is great with breakfast. The café serves hearty lunch fare which is good for moderate weight pairings. The dinner series features much more complexity, and we recommend lighter selections like whites, mildly hoppy beer, sparkling wine and such. No corkage fee. Stemware available.
Oxheart is a modern american restaurant that is tasting menu only. It has two 4 course menus and an extended 7 course menu. They offer wine pairings with each menu for an additional charge. Oxheart dishes favor complexity in lieu of intensity. Whites are overwhelmingly the best choice for the food. When choosing reds, the best choice is lighter reds, like PN, Sangiovese, or light Tempranillo. Full bodied wines with significant age perform well. Wheat beer and saison work especially well here. Avoid heavy beers. For white wines, look to high acid, mineral driven options from the old world. $20 corkage fee. Crystal stemware available.
In general, red wines do not flatter Vietnamese food. Lighter reds are encouraged here, like Pinot Noir and Gamay. Ideally though, white wine should be the go-to. German and Austrian white wines work wonders, with or without sugar. Beer is a powerful ally here. Don't be afraid to use hops or wheat beer. Saison is especially useful. Sparkling wine (both white and rose) are ideal. Consult the Pho Binh by night manual for more in depth Pho pairing. Corkage $2 per person. Stemware available.
Café TH is only open for lunch, and only does dinner on Thursday and Friday night. It is one of the most charming places in the city to BYOB, both because of the delicious food, and because of Minh, the owner who is usually the captain of the entire dining room. In general, red wines do not flatter Vietnamese food. Lighter reds are encouraged here, like Pinot Noir and Gamay. German and Austrian wines work wonders, with or without sugar. Beer is a powerful ally here. Don't be afraid to use hops or wheat beer. Saison is especially useful. Sparkling wine (both white and rose) are ideal. Consult the Pho Binh by night manual for more in depth Pho pairing. This covers non-pho dishes.
Luigi's is a good classic pizza place that is vocal about their BYOB option. It has a nice patio, and is a relaxing, unpretentious place to crack open a bottle of something special with a humble pizza. They also have pasta, sandwiches and calzones. Pizza is easy to pair with. Ideally bring whatever beer or wine you want, and find the pizza to match it. Luigi's has pizza that can accommodate any weight of wine or beer. Don't think too hard about it. No corkage fee. Stemware available.
Lucio's is higher end American-Italian food. Lots of good seafood and steakhouse-esque meat preperations. This is a restaurant where you should bring whatever you feel like, and coordinate the food with it. $5 corkage fee. Stemware available.
Light to medium old world wines. A good backdrop for malty beer. You can easily order food to accommodate your wine. No corkage fee. Glassware available.
Underbelly is modern creole, heavily influenced by the vast array of international cusines represented in Houston. Intensity of flavor here is moderate to high, but does have more delicate dishes. The menu regularly rotates. It's hard to draw sweeping conclusion, but the best strategy is to pick something you like, and order food around it. Matthew Pridgen, the wine director, is available to help with this tasty puzzle. $15 corkage fee. Crystal stemware available.
In a tiny little house on Dunlavy, Just Dinner is a classic BYOB restaurant. (This was home base for the Just August project). The food here spans a wide spectrum of flavors and intensities. Order the food to suit your wine or beer. Everything is tasty here. $8 corkage fee. Stemware available.
Paulie's serves classic, hearty Italian fare. Their pastas are made in house daily, and they have a daily special that is always worth your time. There are a wide range of dishes here (with a favor towards richness) so this is the kind of place you can take just about anything, and order food to accomodate the wine. Paulie's already has an affordable Italian wine list. If you're going to go through the trouble of BYOBing there, it would make sense to bring a rare / expensive Italian wine, or a wine from a completely different country altogether. With beer, most basic styles are covered, so unless you're bringing something bizzare, it may not be worth the trouble to bring something readily available. $10 Corkage fee. Crystal stemware available. PSA Wines consulted on list.
Collinas is reliable americanized italian. The atomsphere is refeshingly unpretentious and inviting. You can reliably bring anything to a place like collinas, and order the food to suit the drink. No corkage fee. Stemware available.
This is one of the best Thai restaurants in Houston, and the atomsphere is super laid back. Perhaps one of the greatest places in the city to flatter a bottle of good riesling. Capsaicin levels are high here, which means reds are mostly out of the question. Use hoppy and high carbonation beer. Use whites with residual sugar and or high acid and or bubbles (demi-sec champagne has all 3). No corkage fee. Stemware available.
They have been a valuable BYOB spot for years. Food is diverse, with solid pizzas, and a badass steamed mussel dish that people should be legally required to eat. The food spans a wide spectrum of flavors and intensities, so you can bring pretty much whatever you want and you'll be able to find something that tastes good with it. $7 per bottle corkage. Stemware available.
This is one of the best Indian / Pakistani restaurants in the city. Chef Kaiser is a wizard, and his food is one of the most worthy backdrops for BYOB in Houston. Himalaya's food has both aromatic spice and a great deal of heat from capsaicin. This means that even though stewed tomatoes and red meat are often employed (two common resonant points for red wine), red wine is easily discombobulated. Classic options for this cusine include IPA / Saison / Wheat beer, Sweet wines (Gewurztraminer, riesling, chenin blanc). Sparkling wine performs well. No corkage fee. No stemware.
This is one of the best Sichuan restaurants in Houston. The food is spicy, and prominently features the Sichuan peppercorn which causes a tingly numbing sensation. It is a hurricane of flavor. This cuisine has the narrowest window of pairing opportunity of any Chinese cuisine (because of their namesake peppercorn). Sparkling wine, whites with residual sugar, dry whites, and beer (IPA/Saison/Wheat). Are the reliable options. Most other pairings will be shut down by *the Mala sensation*. $10 corkage fee. Stemware available. PSA-consulted wine list.
Banana Leaf is one of the best Malaysian restaurants in Houston. Malaysian food is heavily influenced by Chinese, Indian, Thai culinary traits. This makes it a fearsome food pairing opponent, but extremely rewarding when done well. Heavy reds do not fare well here. Stick with the bellaire toolkit: High acid whites, with residual sugar, Sparkling wines, California IPA's, Belgian Pale Ales, Wheatbeer. No corkage fee. Stemware at this location only.
This is one of the best Bosnian restaurants in Houston. Since there aren't a lot of Bosnian restaurants in Houston, it might be more flattering and accurate to say Café Pita + is a really good Bosnian restaurant. Mediterranean wines do well here like Greek Xinomavro or Assyrtiko from Santorini. In general, old world reds and whites will carry the day here. Pick utilitarian beers like Saison or Biere de Garde.
One of the most important Vietnamese restaurants in town. Clay pot catfish here is particularly good (and a fun pairing challenge). In general, red wines do not flatter Vietnamese food. Lighter reds are encouraged here, like Pinot Noir and Gamay. German and Austrian wines work wonders, with or without sugar. Beer is a powerful ally here. Don't be afraid to use hops or wheat beer. Saison is especially useful. Sparkling wine (both white and rose) are ideal. Consult the Pho Binh by night manual for more in depth Pho pairing. No corkage fee. Stemware available.
{Photo by: Robb Walsh/Houstonia]
This is considered by many to be some of the best Pho in Houston (if not the country). Their broth is particularly well made, and everything else falls into place. Lots of things to avoid here. Red wines, sparkling wines, and wines with residual sugar all clash with pho. Beer works well, but don’t bring high impact beers. Light, dry white wines, are ok. The real secret weapon here is sherry (a classic with brothy soups). No corkage fee. No glassware.
Pizaro's is considered one of the best pizza joints in houston. If we narrow the field to just Neopolitan style pizza, it is the clear frontrunner. Pizza is easy to pair with. Ideally bring whatever beer or wine you want, and find the pizza to match it. Pizaro's pizzas are thin, quickly fired pizzas that highlight the complexity of their high quality ingredients. This means you should strive to pick low to medium flavor impact items. wines in the 12% alcohol range with plenty of acid, or sessionable beer that isn't too hoppy or alcoholic will lead you to victory. These are the opposite of thick, deep dish pizzas. Pick booze that is light on its feet. No corkage fee. Stemware available.
This is definitely a dive, but they make some of the best cooked seafood in the state. Their signature dish of barbequed oysters, Oysters Gilhooley would slay with a well chosen sparkling wine. Just make sure to not be a snoot about whatever you brought. Be grateful they let you bring wine or beer to drink with such stunning food. It's kind of a trek to go out here, so why the hell not take advantage of their underutilized BYOB option? Gulf seafood restaurants are largely flattered by white wine, sparkling wine, and beer. Though there may be one or two dishes that really shine with red wine, this is about white wines with acid. You know how all fried seafood comes with a lemon? That's where the pairing should go- acid. No corkage fee. Glass stemware available.
Corkscrew is one of many worthy Barbeque restaurants in the Houston area. These pairings can readily be applied to other barbeque places. We chose Corkscrew because they enthusiastically endorse BYOB, and their food is good enough to warrant doing just that. Bring out the big guns. Heavy reds. Zinfandel. Shiraz. Malbec. Double IPA. Russian Imperial stout. When you think of alcohol as an alternative to barbeque sauce, you get an idea of how intense the pairing can be. However there are some interesting balanced options. The dark horse pairing here is sparkling dry red lambrusco. No corkage fee. No stemware.
Revival Market is a grocery store in the heights that features produce from local farms, plus meats and cheeses that came from animals that led happier lives than most humans. They have a small café that allows BYOB, and they regularly hosts dinners by their chef de cuisine Adam Dorris. The now serve breakfast every day of the week, and alcohol is great with breakfast. The café serves hearty lunch fare which is good for moderate weight pairings. The dinner series features much more complexity, and we recommend lighter selections like whites, mildly hoppy beer, sparkling wine and such. No corkage fee. Stemware available.
Oxheart is a modern american restaurant that is tasting menu only. It has two 4 course menus and an extended 7 course menu. They offer wine pairings with each menu for an additional charge. Oxheart dishes favor complexity in lieu of intensity. Whites are overwhelmingly the best choice for the food. When choosing reds, the best choice is lighter reds, like PN, Sangiovese, or light Tempranillo. Full bodied wines with significant age perform well. Wheat beer and saison work especially well here. Avoid heavy beers. For white wines, look to high acid, mineral driven options from the old world. $20 corkage fee. Crystal stemware available.
In general, red wines do not flatter Vietnamese food. Lighter reds are encouraged here, like Pinot Noir and Gamay. Ideally though, white wine should be the go-to. German and Austrian white wines work wonders, with or without sugar. Beer is a powerful ally here. Don't be afraid to use hops or wheat beer. Saison is especially useful. Sparkling wine (both white and rose) are ideal. Consult the Pho Binh by night manual for more in depth Pho pairing. Corkage $2 per person. Stemware available.
Café TH is only open for lunch, and only does dinner on Thursday and Friday night. It is one of the most charming places in the city to BYOB, both because of the delicious food, and because of Minh, the owner who is usually the captain of the entire dining room. In general, red wines do not flatter Vietnamese food. Lighter reds are encouraged here, like Pinot Noir and Gamay. German and Austrian wines work wonders, with or without sugar. Beer is a powerful ally here. Don't be afraid to use hops or wheat beer. Saison is especially useful. Sparkling wine (both white and rose) are ideal. Consult the Pho Binh by night manual for more in depth Pho pairing. This covers non-pho dishes.
Luigi's is a good classic pizza place that is vocal about their BYOB option. It has a nice patio, and is a relaxing, unpretentious place to crack open a bottle of something special with a humble pizza. They also have pasta, sandwiches and calzones. Pizza is easy to pair with. Ideally bring whatever beer or wine you want, and find the pizza to match it. Luigi's has pizza that can accommodate any weight of wine or beer. Don't think too hard about it. No corkage fee. Stemware available.
Lucio's is higher end American-Italian food. Lots of good seafood and steakhouse-esque meat preperations. This is a restaurant where you should bring whatever you feel like, and coordinate the food with it. $5 corkage fee. Stemware available.
Light to medium old world wines. A good backdrop for malty beer. You can easily order food to accommodate your wine. No corkage fee. Glassware available.
Underbelly is modern creole, heavily influenced by the vast array of international cusines represented in Houston. Intensity of flavor here is moderate to high, but does have more delicate dishes. The menu regularly rotates. It's hard to draw sweeping conclusion, but the best strategy is to pick something you like, and order food around it. Matthew Pridgen, the wine director, is available to help with this tasty puzzle. $15 corkage fee. Crystal stemware available.
In a tiny little house on Dunlavy, Just Dinner is a classic BYOB restaurant. (This was home base for the Just August project). The food here spans a wide spectrum of flavors and intensities. Order the food to suit your wine or beer. Everything is tasty here. $8 corkage fee. Stemware available.
Paulie's serves classic, hearty Italian fare. Their pastas are made in house daily, and they have a daily special that is always worth your time. There are a wide range of dishes here (with a favor towards richness) so this is the kind of place you can take just about anything, and order food to accomodate the wine. Paulie's already has an affordable Italian wine list. If you're going to go through the trouble of BYOBing there, it would make sense to bring a rare / expensive Italian wine, or a wine from a completely different country altogether. With beer, most basic styles are covered, so unless you're bringing something bizzare, it may not be worth the trouble to bring something readily available. $10 Corkage fee. Crystal stemware available. PSA Wines consulted on list.
Collinas is reliable americanized italian. The atomsphere is refeshingly unpretentious and inviting. You can reliably bring anything to a place like collinas, and order the food to suit the drink. No corkage fee. Stemware available.
This is one of the best Thai restaurants in Houston, and the atomsphere is super laid back. Perhaps one of the greatest places in the city to flatter a bottle of good riesling. Capsaicin levels are high here, which means reds are mostly out of the question. Use hoppy and high carbonation beer. Use whites with residual sugar and or high acid and or bubbles (demi-sec champagne has all 3). No corkage fee. Stemware available.
They have been a valuable BYOB spot for years. Food is diverse, with solid pizzas, and a badass steamed mussel dish that people should be legally required to eat. The food spans a wide spectrum of flavors and intensities, so you can bring pretty much whatever you want and you'll be able to find something that tastes good with it. $7 per bottle corkage. Stemware available.
This is one of the best Indian / Pakistani restaurants in the city. Chef Kaiser is a wizard, and his food is one of the most worthy backdrops for BYOB in Houston. Himalaya's food has both aromatic spice and a great deal of heat from capsaicin. This means that even though stewed tomatoes and red meat are often employed (two common resonant points for red wine), red wine is easily discombobulated. Classic options for this cusine include IPA / Saison / Wheat beer, Sweet wines (Gewurztraminer, riesling, chenin blanc). Sparkling wine performs well. No corkage fee. No stemware.
This is one of the best Sichuan restaurants in Houston. The food is spicy, and prominently features the Sichuan peppercorn which causes a tingly numbing sensation. It is a hurricane of flavor. This cuisine has the narrowest window of pairing opportunity of any Chinese cuisine (because of their namesake peppercorn). Sparkling wine, whites with residual sugar, dry whites, and beer (IPA/Saison/Wheat). Are the reliable options. Most other pairings will be shut down by *the Mala sensation*. $10 corkage fee. Stemware available. PSA-consulted wine list.
Banana Leaf is one of the best Malaysian restaurants in Houston. Malaysian food is heavily influenced by Chinese, Indian, Thai culinary traits. This makes it a fearsome food pairing opponent, but extremely rewarding when done well. Heavy reds do not fare well here. Stick with the bellaire toolkit: High acid whites, with residual sugar, Sparkling wines, California IPA's, Belgian Pale Ales, Wheatbeer. No corkage fee. Stemware at this location only.
This is one of the best Bosnian restaurants in Houston. Since there aren't a lot of Bosnian restaurants in Houston, it might be more flattering and accurate to say Café Pita + is a really good Bosnian restaurant. Mediterranean wines do well here like Greek Xinomavro or Assyrtiko from Santorini. In general, old world reds and whites will carry the day here. Pick utilitarian beers like Saison or Biere de Garde.
One of the most important Vietnamese restaurants in town. Clay pot catfish here is particularly good (and a fun pairing challenge). In general, red wines do not flatter Vietnamese food. Lighter reds are encouraged here, like Pinot Noir and Gamay. German and Austrian wines work wonders, with or without sugar. Beer is a powerful ally here. Don't be afraid to use hops or wheat beer. Saison is especially useful. Sparkling wine (both white and rose) are ideal. Consult the Pho Binh by night manual for more in depth Pho pairing. No corkage fee. Stemware available.
{Photo by: Robb Walsh/Houstonia]
This is considered by many to be some of the best Pho in Houston (if not the country). Their broth is particularly well made, and everything else falls into place. Lots of things to avoid here. Red wines, sparkling wines, and wines with residual sugar all clash with pho. Beer works well, but don’t bring high impact beers. Light, dry white wines, are ok. The real secret weapon here is sherry (a classic with brothy soups). No corkage fee. No glassware.
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Are BYOB guidelines for Mala Sichuan interesting? Read on. [Gary R Wise]:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62086135/Revival01.0.0.jpg)
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