A Classic, Revisited

With an assist from a rising-star chef, fine-dining standard-bearer Tony’s gets fresh for fall.

Josh Aguilar
IMG_8411
IMG_8411

On an unusually crisp day, deliverymen pop out of produce trucks, hauling pumpkins up the oak-shaded sidewalk and into the dining room of Tony’s, infusing the iconic restaurant with seasonal warmth. Meanwhile, Tony Vallone himself, dressed as the power player he is, in a fine Italian suit, greets diners. While there’s something routine about this moment — the cusp of each autumn at Tony’s must look something like this tableau today, year after year — what’s happening behind the scenes is modern and exciting.


“Mr. Vallone is always firing on all cylinders,” says Austin Waiter, the tall and good-looking 25-year-old chef de cuisine. While there are decades between them, the duo brings a wealth of knowledge to the proverbial table. Waiter, who began as a Tony’s extern while at the Culinary Institute of America and now finds himself rising quickly in the city’s food world, collaborates with Vallone on everything from sourcing truffles from Alba and mushrooms from The Netherlands to dreaming up new dishes on Tony’s extensive three-, five- and seven-course tasting menus. “We sip ristrettos and throw ideas around on how to keep our dishes memorable. His culinary knowledge is truly amazing and continues to grow.” The cross-generational education seems to go both ways, as, for his part, Vallone has picked up the art of Instagramming pics of Tony’s dishes to a new generation.

This dynamic collaboration has resulted in an inventive new seasonal menu, touting items like the heirloom tomato tonnato, a spinoff of an Italian classic. Traditionally produced by blending cognac, preserved tuna, capers and olive oil, this one also introduces kaffir lime leaves and Calabrian chili. Colorado lamb chops are paired with farro and imported bluefoot mushrooms, and dressed with a sauce made from roasted lamb bones and fresh berries. “As Mr. Vallone says, sauces are the backbone to any great kitchen,” notes Waiter. “We pride ourselves on sauce work.”

And, on any given evening, you may expect the salt-crusted snapper to be ablaze at a table nearby, but what you may not expect is the new flambé foie gras dessert. Waiter throws bourbon on it and lights it on fire, bringing the kitchen’s process into the dining room. This is Tony’s today: harmonious and picture-perfect, just as you’d as expect it to be — but with fun, unexpected flashes.

Food+Travel
Planting a Flag in the Energy Space: One Attorney’s Journey

WITH OIL AND GAS (O&G) companies realizing record profits in 2022, the outlook for the sector in 2023—unlike the broader economy—continues to be cautiously optimistic. For professionals like me, an attorney specializing in the O&G space, this is welcome news.

Keep ReadingShow less

Lynn Wyatt and HM Queen Sofia (photo by Alex Montoya)

HOUSTON GOT THE royal treatment as Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain was the guest of honor at a fabulous black-tie affair at MFAH.

Keep ReadingShow less
Parties

Ming Smith's 'Grace Jones at Cinandre,' 1974, courtesy Ming Smith Studio

“I DON’T TALK about my years,” laughs New York-based photographer Ming Smith, whose “years” are celebrated in Feeling the Future, a survey of her work from the early 1970s to the present at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. The exhibit opens May 26.

Keep ReadingShow less
Art + Entertainment