Pesca World Seafood Restaurant, Houston

Alberto Alfonzo, the chef and owner of Pesca World Seafood Restaurant, has spent the majority of his 21-year culinary career cooking seafood. His love for underwater edibles stretches to all corners of the world, including Spain, Asia, Peru, the coastal United States, and the Caribbean. “Our dishes are representations of different countries and continents as well as local,” Alfonzo says.

Pesca’s brunch and dinner menus are peppered with international specialties such as grilled red snapper veracruz, valencian black rice, and the chef’s personal favorite, portuguese seafood stew. A trio of turf selections includes New Zealand lamp chops, a center-cut fillet, and roasted pork carnitas. The menu also lists organic and gluten-free options.

Thanks to a special license issued by Dionysus himself, the restaurant offers a wide selection of wines at retail price. Guests can savor a fish and white-wine pairing out on Pesca’s outdoor patio, a romantic spot adorned with palm trees and water fountains.