Located at 3755 Richmond, Tony’s has endured as one of Houston’s finest restaurants. It’s currently celebrating 60 years of business with a month of bubbly celebrations including a 1965-2025 Tony’s Favorites Menu, featuring some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes over the decades, a Spritz Revolution, Champagne Campaign and more meant to capture the attention of longtime regulars and first-time guests alike. 

The Favorites Menu, which is running the whole month of April, includes a lineup of classic dishes made famous by late owner Tony Vallone and now executed by his protégé, executive chef-partner Kate McLean. (Vallone’s widow, Donna Vallone still stops in to greet tables and check on the team.)  The nostalgic dishes include crab-stuffed squash blossom, Périgord black truffles, Escargot-Bone Marrow Livornese (named for the city of Livorno in Tuscany, Italy), Prime Ribeye Fiorentina and veal cannelloni. That last dish is made with shredded veal, béchamel and spinach wrapped in handmade pasta, then topped with more béchamel, basil and a stripe of marinara. One is included per order, but you can double it to make it an entrée (and I implore you to do so!) 

The Champagne Campaign began in February and will continue to be offered indefinitely. The promotion, available at both lunch and dinner, features different Champagnes available by the bottle at half-price and special by-the-glass prices. The current featured Champagne is Champagne Drappier Carte d’Or made from a blend of 80% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Meunier. The grapes are grown on the Kimmeridgian limestone slopes of Urville in the heart of Bar-sur-Aube on the eastern side of the Côte des Bar wine region (which is having a moment right now). Guests can make the experience even more luxurious by adding the campaign’s exclusive Kaviari caviar flights, which includes three for $100 (normally $175) or a flight of four for $175 (normally $250.)

Champagne is served tableside from a rolling trolley decorated with floral topiary by local florist Monica Richards of Mas Flora and includes a pair of rose-colored glasses in order to see things through a different lens (and right now, some of us might really need the rosier view.) 

Since the passing of founder Vallone, McLean has worked hard to maintain what makes Tony’s special while updating certain approaches for a new audience (all while being one of the most charming and down-to-earth personalities in the biz). In a time when local pubs and fast-casual chains charge $16 to $24 for a simple burger or house cocktail, a dining experience at Tony’s harkens to an era when spending your hard-earned cash should merit a memorable occasion. 

“[O]ver the decades, our style has changed while still holding the tenets of fine dining — food, wine and hospitality,” explained McClean. “I must insist we are beyond tableside Caesar salads, soufflé and salt-crusted snappers. We light fish on fire with airborne sparklers now, we write messages on the kitchen window in fire engine red lipstick like ‘Disco Is Not Dead.’ People dance in the middle of the dining room beside their tables when they feel like it. Dancing is important for the soul — and so is dining for that matter. There is a difference between dining and eating.”

Indeed, there’s now a bit of playfulness and exuberant fluidity to attract not only the well-to-do customer but the budding gourmand eager to sip, savor and create a core memory. There are new staples like the Romy and Michele’s Business Woman’s Special — a fantastic pop-culture reference for those of us of a certain age — which features two Tony’s Cheeseburgers, fries and Diet Coke’s for $35, and Instagrammable, caviar-focused delicacies including McLean’s Caviar Potato with a healthy portion of Kaviari French Baeria caviar blanketed over an Idaho potato that has been baked and fried to yield a beautifully crispy skin with a silken interior. (Lose my number if you’re one of those people that flinches at the thought of eating potato skin.)

This is all on top of Tony’s housemade pasta options, premium beef, raw bar, approachable lunch menu and rotating tasting menus, where McLean and her team really get to flex their creative muscles and try fresh ideas. Those items include Vin Santo-marinated Foie Gras Cotton Candy, Miyazaki A5 striploin and torched o-toro with apricot agro dolce and buttery popcorn. Four courses are available for $120 per person, seven courses for $175 and wine pairings can be added for $45 or $74 respectively. All items are available à la carte.

To whet the palate, bar manager Spencer Ellison has been busy rolling out springtime cocktails, including a trio of new lower-ABV drinks such as the refreshing Seaside Spritz built with Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, Bordiga Vermouth Extra Dry, limoncello and green cardamom, Green Thumb’s Delight — described as an herbal party Collins made with basil, lemon, absinthe and Escorial Green Herbal Liqueur — and Front Porch Swinger with Amaro Montenegro, St. George Spirits NOLA Coffee Liqueur and lime. Beyond that, he continues to add new drinks to the menu to keep those thirsty patrons coming back. Happy hour is offered from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday featuring savory bites, wine and glitzy cocktails, with special pricing. Just don’t sleep on Tony’s legendary wine selection, currently curated by wine director Carlos Luján. 

It’s a lot to unpack. But it also means you have options — lots of options. If you want to simplify things with recommendations straight from the source, guest ambassador and bar maven Kennady Cosby suggests diving into the salient caviar program, and notes that “Tony’s offers caviar in more ways than anyone in Texas.” It features four different types from Parisian brand Kaviari, perfect on its own, or tossed on tagliarini tableside in the Pasta di Portonova, luxuriously paired with vodka over an ice block supplement, or as a topping on any of the raw bar delicacies. Didn’t bring your caviar shekels? Fret not. Cosby also suggests the ever-popular Tony’s Cheeseburger with two juicy 44 Farms patties and American cheese stacked on a sesame seed bun with crispy shoestring fries. It comes with a soda for $21 during lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Chef McLean goes a different, equally appetizing route. Her go-to is an order of capellini aglio e olio with a glass of Brunello, or a charred ribeye with a glass of Barolo. Her choices are off-menu, but if you ask nicely, they might be able to whip something up. Just make sure to save room (and about 20 minutes — good things come to those who wait!) for one of pastry chef Samwell Orozco’s famous soufflés. Flavors are rotated and begin with a base of Grand Marnier or chocolate.

Tony’s is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and from 5:30 to 11 p.m. on Saturday. Valet parking is offered for $7. Reservations can be made through the website.

Mario-Sebastian Berry

Mario-Sebastian Berry is a wine and spirits vendor who has been in the hospitality industry since 2002. Currently, he represents Blanco, Texas-based Andalusia Whiskey Co. He holds numerous wine, beer and spirits certifications including Certified Sommelier. Somehow, he also finds time to be Houston Food Finder’s associate editor and social media manager.