Last night at the sold-out Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup and Best Bites Competition at the Reliant Center, Valentino won the restaurant competition in the Appetizer / Entrée category. Veldhuizen Cheese won for the second year in a row in the Desserts / Other category. Their cheeses are excellent.
Valentino took the prize with their Slow Smoked Flank Steak with Fregola and Smokey Tomato Demiglace. It was somewhat like an Italian version of brisket with a brown gravy, or “spicy marinara” as the chefs described it, served on top of pasta couscous. It was quite flavorful, though my beef was a tad dry when I tasted it in the final round of judging. I was judge again at the competition this year. I preferred the even lengthier-named, Braised Singaporean Spice Short Rib Rendang with Steamed Chinese Buns and Peppercorn Seared Ahi Tuna and Sticky Rice from Straits in CityCentre.
There was initially a tie between these two dishes and our panel of judges had a discussion and vote to determine the choice between the two. The judging was properly blind; we had no idea about source of the dishes until after the judging was complete. Several of my fellow judges for the final round – Greg Morago, the Food Editor of the Houston Chronicle, Teresa Byrne-Dodge of My Table, and, I believe, John DeMers, the food writer and radio host, was also in this camp – were strong supporters of what we later learned was the Valentino dish.
As much as I champion Valentino as the best Italian restaurant in the area, I was a dissenting vote. It might have been that I was given a sample that was a little drier and, so, less enjoyable than the others. Or, maybe it was just ironic. Both dishes were very good, though, and the event was, again, a lot of fun.
For a wine lover – with so many top-notch wines to sample and dishes from top restaurants – this event is terrific and getting better each year.
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