Cafe Annie is one of Houston’s finest restaurants. Gourmet magazine named Cafe Annie one of “America’s Top Tables” in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000, while Food & Wine named it the “Best Restaurant in Houston” in 1999. Zagat rated it the “Top Restaurant in Houston” each year from 2000 to 2003. And Cafe Annie received the DiRoNa Award as one of the Distinguished Restaurants of North America in 1997.
In this Houston Press article, Rob Walsh reports on the life and times of Cafe Annie’s owner and chef, Robert Del Grande, as he turns 50. It’s an interesting update on the originator of the modern “Southwestern cuisine” of Cafe Annie and the “fast-casual” restaurant concept that he originated in the Cafe Express restaurants. The article is an interesting read about yet another of the creative people that makes Houston a special place.