It’s hard to imagine a Houston without Tony’s restaurant.
Only a handful of Houston eateries have managed to weather the tumultuous ups and downs of the volatile business of fine dining (and the attendant booms and busts of the city’s energy sector) with such elan. To say nothing of its longevity when today’s fickle foodies hop from one buzzy lily pad to the next with little regard for history, context or permanence. To call Tony a survivor is an understatement. But here we are, with starched linens in our laps, savoring a milestone as delicious as its signature Pasta di Portanova: Tony’s has reached its 60th anniversary.
Throughout this year, Tony’s is strapping on its party shoes to mark six decades as the glamorously unrivaled see-and-be-seen epicenter of Houston fine dining—a distinction that its founder Tony Vallone surely would have relished.
Vallone, who opened Tony’s as a luxe French and Italian restaurant in 1965, passed away in 2020. But his legacy lives on assuredly in the hands of his wife and co-owner Donna Vallone and executive chef/partner Kate McLean. As versatile, in-sync keepers of the flame, they are also masterfully maneuvering the high-wire act of ensuring continuity for the restaurant’s longtime customers while attracting newer, younger moths to the Tony’s flame.
What’s to account for Tony’s astonishing longevity? Vallone and McLean agree that a great deal of Tony’s success stems from a staff that embraces one of Tony Vallone’s favorite sayings: “You’re only as good as your last meal.” Always refining its act, Tony’s is the mannered, well-oiled machine that performs like every service is opening night.
“It comes from an effort on the part of the entire staff to meet expectations we have of ourselves and that our guests have of us,” McLean said. “We don’t rest on our laurels. We look at every service as an opportunity to make this restaurant great.”
Donna Vallone said keeping up with the habits and preferences of the restaurant’s guests not only keeps staff on its toes, but it makes the experience relevant to diners. In simple terms, Tony’s has learned to evolve with the times. “Yes, it’s about evolving,” Donna said. “That was one of his favorite words.”
Evolution is precisely what McLean embraces and enjoys about her job. (She began as the restaurant’s first female executive chef in 2013 through 2017 and returned to the leadership position in 2022). With boundless enthusiasm, she has infused Tony’s menu with energy by reimagining classics and introducing provocative new dishes. But not just requisite caviar dishes, high-end steaks, and pasta marvels. McLean is having fun with specials such as the “Romy and Michele’s Business Woman’s Special (two Tony’s cheeseburgers, fries, and Diet Cokes)—an example of the amusing enticements that will appeal to fun-seeking foodies as well as Tony’s usual lineup of socialites and titans of industry.
January brought a special “Apres-Ski” party for slope-loving snow bunnies, and the Rodeo was met with “Disco Cowboy” parties. The year continues with some tasty amusements:
- Throughout June, Tony’s is featuring a daily offering called “Adult Day Care” with an irresistible bargain for the big kids. Ask for the Adult Day Care special and you’ll get half off any bottle of wine in the inventory (first bottle only; and one bottle per table). The deal applies to any bottle, even the $29,000 Petrus; it’s served with a free snack mix (after all, what’s day care without a little nibble?) On Saturday, June 26, Tony’s will also host a “Roaring 20s” theme night in its San Remo room. Enjoy punch service, dancing, and a best dressed costume contest.
- July brings fireworks. Tony’s indulgent Fourth of July to-go options are available for pickup on July 3. Choose from a wide menu of celebratory dishes to feed a crowd, including lasagna, chicken enchiladas, steaks, shrimp cocktail and a variety of side dishes and desserts. On July 11 and 12, the restaurant hosts a “Mykonos White Out” theme weekend in the San Remo room, featuring music, dancing, food specials, and curated cocktails sponsored by Zephyr Gin.
- Ongoing specials, available throughout the year, center around champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Tony’s will offer a changing lineup of discounted champagne by the bottle and glass (ask your server about the Champagne Campaign). In addition, caviar flights are priced at $100, a hefty price drop from the usual $175.
So what would Tony Vallone have thought of all this good-natured fizzy folderol? “He would have loved it,” Donna said, adding that the “evolution” factor the restaurant embraces keeps Tony’s relevant and au courant.
While it exists for some as an everyday canteen for city swells and for others as a once-in-a-blue-moon special-occasion experience, Tony’s has always managed to be something for everyone: go-for-broke excess or burger and a beer; old school draw and new school cool; glamor showcase and casual conviviality.
So bring on those dessert souffles as high as Texas hair, keep slinging the caviar and popping the Krug. Here’s to another 60 years at Tony’s.
