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Meet the contributor

Adrian Vale

Restaurantor contributor

As a restaurant correspondent for Texas and Louisiana, Adrian Vale covers restaurants in two states, in which the cuisine is strongly associated with location, tradition, and identity. His beats include Texas barbecue, Tex-Mex, Mexican food, Gulf fish and shellfish, Cajun and Creole cuisine, steakhouses, and chef’s restaurants. He doesn’t apply the same criteria to all the restaurants. Smokehouses in Central Texas and Creole restaurant rooms in New Orleans are unique places and should be treated separately.

1 Published guide
From this contributor

Latest guides by Adrian Vale

Browse restaurant guides, dining recommendations, and local food stories researched and written by Adrian Vale.

1 guide

Two States, Very Different Food Traditions

Adrian covers Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, and many other cities of both Texas and Louisiana.

It is important to remember that each of these cities will have different expectations when it comes to the particular restaurant and its menu. Adrian analyzes the culinary traditions of the region, the technique of food preparation, the emphasis on the menu, the reputation of this kind of establishment in the area, and the customer expectations.

What He Pays Attention To

Taste matters, but it’s only part of the picture.

Adrian evaluates consistency, service, prices, value per serving, ambience, past guest experience, specialities, and consistent compliments or criticisms. He also evaluates whether the restaurant recognises the expertise required of it. If the restaurant specialises in barbecued cuisine, then its evaluation cannot be based solely on the sauce.

Firsthand evaluations can provide helpful context, but Restaurantors must be relying heavily on editorial evaluations and public diners’ opinions otherwise.

Adrian’s Standard

Adrian selects the restaurants he thinks are true to their environment and reliable enough to recommend.

The Restaurantor booklets are meant to give answers to the following very practical questions: What is the restaurant good at? Who is the target market? And is it worth visiting instead of one of the many other restaurants around?