Houston Restaurant Guide

Since opening in January 2002, Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar, 1985 Welch, has garnered rave reviews for its Texas Provence cuisine from diners and critics alike. Chef and owner John Sheely says Mockingbird is the casual feel place he has always wanted to open, a place where he himself would like to "hang out."

"I always wanted to open a casual place, a place where I would go just to relax, have a glass of wine and enjoy comfort-type food," says the highly touted chef. "I've spent most of my cooking career in high-end restaurants, but Mockingbird has been mulling in my head for a long time, and now it is a reality."

Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar combines Sheely's Texas roots with a style of cooking that he knows well, that of the Riviera, specifically the French Riviera. At Mockingbird, the feel of the menu is "country-French meets American-market." Sheely updates the menus seasonally to take advantage of the ingredients available at the market, as well as to give him the freedom to exercise his creativity.

To complete the dining experience, Mockingbird boasts an award-winning international wine list that is one of the best value lists in town.

Mockingbird's interiors can best be described as "funky gothic." The upscale-yet-casual atmosphere has "gothic" leanings because of the unique light fixtures, which were originally hung in one of Houston's first upscale eateries, Sonny Look's. Bistro style tables and chairs fill the main dining room which is warmed by sunny floor-to-ceiling windows, and stained glass windows are featured in the walls between the main dining room and private wine room.

Mockingbird boasts two areas in which to host private functions of all sizes and descriptions. The private room complete with its own bar and a second level balcony that affords diners a birds-eye view.