Underbelly - Houston

The top of the menu at Underbelly reads in part: “We hope you will enjoy Chris Shepherd’s refined take on Houston’s New American Creole Cuisine.” The menu at the Montrose hotspot defines Creole cuisine as “the merging of diverse cultures with local ingredients.” Which means you might find an Italian-Asian combo like Wagyu carpaccio with sesame brittle and pickled nori, or a vegetarian’s dream dish of roasted squash in tahini vinaigrette with boiled-peanut hummus. But there are also straight southern favorites like East Texas “biscuits and gravy” served in a black cast-iron skillet, and you can always get a family-style whole Gulf bycatch fish cooked crispy and served over local vegetable masala.