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Flavor with flair🍽️Tony’s in Houston adds fun to your fine dining experience

Chris Shepherd sits down with the owner and the executive chef at Tony’s

For more than 55 years, Tony’s has been the place where people don’t just go to eat, they go to dine.

It’s an experience first created by Tony Vallone, whose motto was “You’re only as good as your last meal.” Among his accolades, Vallone was the first Texan inducted into the National Restaurant Association Hall of Fame in 1982.

When he passed away in 2020, his wife Donna took the lead to ensure Vallone’s legacy and restaurant kept going strong.

Watch this episode in the video player above.

You’ll find Donna Vallone most days at the restaurant. Also there, executive chef and partner Kate McLean, who worked and trained under Tony Vallone for several years. She returned to Tony’s in 2022 where she has brought her own flair to the kitchen.

When the lights go out at Tony’s, expect something to be set on fire in dramatic fashion.

In this episode of “Eat Like a Local with Chris Shepherd”, Shepherd sits down with Donna Vallone and Kate McLean to reflect on the past, to celebrate the present, and to share in the delectable food that will carry Tony’s well into the future.

“Eat Like a Local with Chris Shepherd” is your guide to the best food in Houston. Watch new episodes Saturdays at 10 a.m. on KPRC 2.


Tony’s

3755 Richmond Ave. | Houston
Chris Shepherd shares his picks for what to order at Tony's (KPRC/Click2Houston.com)

More “Eat Like a Local” picks featured in this episode

  • Pappas Bros. Steakhouse: 5839 Westheimer Rd. | Houston
  • Brennan’s of Houston: 3300 Smith St. | Houston

Bookmark the Eat Like a Local website, so you can find more restaurants serving up great food near you. We’re adding restaurants to the map every week.

Watch new episodes of “Eat Like a Local with Chris Shepherd” Saturdays at 10 a.m. on KPRC 2.


More “Eat Like a Local” episodes


About the Authors
Dawn Campbell headshot

Sports mom, amateur nature photographer, and regional Emmy award-winning television producer

Field producer by day. Cruise director by night to a busy, foodie, outdoorsy family, which includes two sports loving boys and one craft beer loving husband.