MY FIVE FAVORITE MEALS

Travis McShane, rising star chef at Ostia in Houston, recalls five great ones

Who ordered the flounder? Travis about to get spoiled at Trattoria al Gatto Negro
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Over the last many years Houston has become a food Mecca. I can’t be the only person surprised by that. Houston, with the greatest of respect, does not strike one as an obvious culinary destination, and nor does it get the trendy love that Charleston, or NY, LA, the entire and much mythologized Napa region, or even very excellent Boston get. But Houston food rocks.

 

They have, currently, 26 Michelin starred restaurants, from the nationally renowned Bludorn and Nancy’s Hustle, to the astonishing Truth Barbecue. They should probably have a 27th: Travis McShane’s excellent and locally much loved and authentically Italian Ostia, opened five years ago in the Montrose district of the city. 

 

The restaurant is interestingly configured, with a greenhouse as one of the dining rooms, and outdoor seating for people who can’t get enough of, or don’t notice, Houston’s humidity.

 

 

 

Our hero Travis in situ, in his very big and very neat kitchen at Ostia Jenn Duncan

 

 

Travis was born and reared in Kingwood, Texas. “Food was an important part of our life for sure. Kingwood is not known for its vast amount of high end restaurants, so we cooked a lot at home.” He spent 10 years working under Jonathan Waxman at New York City’s legendary West Village Barbuto, one of the pioneer restaurants in the then crumbling meat market (an area where, at the time, they served more than one kind of meat, if you get my drift). 

 

A perfect night at Ostia is “like the best dinner party you’ve ever been to!” he says. “From young to old, date nights to friend groups and casual business groups all enjoying a lively restaurant together. Room full of laughter and good tunes playing loudly. Wine bottles on all the tables. People sharing food and good times.”

 

Here are his five favorite meals.

 

 

 

1 

 

Trattoria al Gatto Nero — Burano, Italy


No, get TWO more bottles Photo provided by Wonderlust

What we ate: Squash blossoms, clams and mussels, grilled scallops, roasted flounder with tomatoes, olives, and artichoke, polenta with baccalà, and a seafood risotto that’s borderline mythical.


What we drank: Quintarelli Giuseppe Bianco Secco 2016, Pieropan Soave Classico Calvarino 2017, Gini Contrada Salvarenza Soave Classico 2015 (magnum).


Why it matters: You take a 30-minute private boat from Venice, skimming over the Adriatic, before landing in Burano — a riot of color and time-capsule charm. I shared this meal with people who shaped my career and my life, including my culinary mentor (and wedding officiant) Jonathan Waxman. The risotto was unforgettable, but it was the convergence of place, people, and story that made it feel like the center of the universe for one long, perfect lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 

 

Robert’s Western World — Nashville, TN


What we ate: Fried bologna sandwich with chips — white bread, flat-top bologna, Duke’s mayo, lettuce, and tomato.


What we drank: Cold beer.

 

Why it matters: After the Nashville Food & Wine Festival, a buddy — Caleb Followill from Kings of Leon — insisted I try this sandwich. I’d been to Robert’s countless times but had never known its best-kept secret. It’s simplicity at its best, the kind of meal that earns its flavor through context and memory more than technique. It’s honky-tonk soul food with a beer chaser.

 

 

 

3

 

Zuni Café — San Francisco, CA

 

 

 


What we ate: Roast chicken, shoestring fries, Caesar salad, cheeseburger, and simple pastas.


What we drank: Château Peyrassol rosé.


Why it matters: My first real trip to SF as an adult — Jonathan Waxman insisted we go. He wanted to show us how California cuisine sings when it’s simple, soulful, and precise. Zuni is quirky, warm, and feels like a love letter to seasonal cooking. One of my all-time favorite restaurants.

 

 

 

4

 

The River Café — London, UK


What we ate: Tomato-stained spaghetti, shaved artichoke salad, porcini and rocket salad, turbot and clams in white wine Dijon sauce, and the legendary Chocolate Nemesis cake.


What we drank: Plenty of white Burgundy.


Why it matters: Like Zuni, there’s a calm, confident simplicity here. It’s a masterclass in letting ingredients shine. I dined there with Jonathan Waxman and Jeremy King — a legend of the British hospitality world. It shaped how I view restraint and elegance in cooking.

 

 

 

5

 

Da Adolfo — Positano, Italy

 

 

 

 

What we ate: Tuna carpaccio with garlic and capers, grilled shrimp and swordfish, mozzarella grilled on lemon leaves, and spaghetti vongole.

 

What we drank: House white and Amalfi-style sangria with peaches.

 

Why it matters: My wife and I chased this meal down on our honeymoon — literally. It was closed most of our stay, but our concierge worked magic. You hop on a boat with only a red fish painted on the bow, coast around a cliff, and arrive at this barefoot, family-run seaside oasis. There’s no rush, no fuss. Just time, sea, and flavor. We swam, sipped, and savored until the boat returned to take us home. To this day, it’s my favorite dining experience ever — and I’ve got a photo of the place hanging in Ostia’s bathroom to prove it.