Last week I joined @esandler and Chelsea Thomas to discuss the 2026 Michelin Guide in Houston. Fair to say were were equal parts disappointed and baffled with Michelin failing to evolve Houston coverage. I have always thought Michelin needs competition and another tire company should jump in the game. So this is my unofficial Yokohama dining guide for Houston. This may be unnecessarily cruel, because these are good restaurants, but BCN, Le Jardinier and Musaafer should lose their stars. 5 restaurants in my mind should have Michelin stars and do not in the current guide: * Sushi Horiuchui * Camaraderie * Baso * Neo * Theodore Rex I realize Neo is doing renovations, but they should have had a star from day one. So they get a Yokohama tire from me. These omissions in Houston are truly disappointing. I think there are all chefs really pushing their restaurants to do best cooking in Houston, and succeeding, only to be completely missed by Michelin recognition. Sushi Horiuchi is the biggest miss, by a mile. I have always throught Hori was the best itamae in Houston, and needs a smaller setting to do his best work. He did exactly that with Sushi Horiuchi. I had an opportunity to visit Sushi Nakazawa in DC right around the same time and they are very comparable. Take what I say about Camaraderie with a grain of salt - I am a small investor in the restaurant - but Shawn Gawle is a tremendous chef, and has run pastry programs at Quince and Saison while both held 3 Michelin stars. At a time when I thought Saison was the best restaurant in the country. Its not just pedigree. A lot of chefs in Houston would agree Shawn is one of the most gifted chefs we have. Baso has really stepped up in the last year. The menu used to drift into odd choices in the past, but in the last 12 months the cooking has really gotten consistent and editing much stronger. These guys truly deserve it. Theodore Rex is the restaurant I visit at least twice a month and never get bored. The menu is fun and walks the line between a casual dinner with fine dining execution. The menu turned over entirely this year, so if you have not been recently, you are missing out on a new set of classics. Neo may be closed, but its reopening soon. Should have always had a star. Its stupid that it didn't. To get past any confusion: I think Michelin in Texas has been a huge positive and the state should renew the contract for future coverage. The guide coverage is weak and you can tell they are struggling to wrangle a territory the size of Texas, but this happened with every new region for Michelin. Japan guide was a mess. It takes about a decade for ratings to align. But Michelin stars are important. At their best, they drive diners and investment dollars to best cooking. Or they should. Which is why sometimes you have to take stars away. BCN is fine, but the ingredient quality has never been great. This isn't Michelin level cooking. Le Jardinier cooking is safe, inconsistent and it would simply not hold a star in Paris. There are dozens of restaurants like it, executing as a higher level. I love Musaafer, but tries to do too much. The classic dishes are the best and hit high notes close to top Indian restaurants in London. Meats are sometimes under braised and the tasting menu is as expensive as it is sweet. Last year on the podcast I said March isn't there yet on its push for 2 Michelin stars. Its much closer now. Close enough where I would not be surprised if they were promoted, but also skeptical Michelin is covering Houston well enough to notice. So thats my guide. 7 stars, and double the number of Bibs. Because this is a massive, amazing city truly difficult to cover.

This story in NYT on Iran is wild. 1. Hard to overstate how much of a basket case Iran really is. 2. Too early to tell if the decapitation strikes were a success or failure. The body is thrashing, and apparently headless.