Tony’s Celebrates 60 Years
Chef Kate McLean Ringmaster of a Culinary Legend
2025 Marks 60 Years in the Restaurant Business
When one thinks of toast of the town, innovation, and the poetry of dining in Houston, there is one name that comes to mind – Tony’s. The legendary restaurant will break out the champagne and sparklers all of April in celebration of 60 glorious and glamorous years!
Here is a statement from Executive Chef and Partner, Kate McLean:
“Tony’s turns 60 on April 1st, 2025 and we have long been considered a Houston classic. During this tenure and over the decades our style has changed while still holding the tenets of fine dining; food, wine, and hospitality.
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 eating and dining.
We have rebuilt our pasta, caviar, tasting, and cocktail programs. My goodness, try the new house dirty martini—there is nothing dirty about it, it’s briny, vermouth-driven, and may or may not lead to more dancing. At the end of the day, everything we give you must be delicious. Period.
We are not a brand that sits on the years padded beneath us, we are very much a living, breathing, thing. And it is my great opportunity and honor to lead us through this next phase.
To quote Alessandro Michele when interviewed by Vogue on his new role as creative director for the iconic Valentino fashion house, “This is him [Valentino Garavani], with me.” Well, friends, “This is Tony, with me.”
While we intend to celebrate all year long, April 1st kicked off 60 years of being in business and during the month of April in honor of celebrated restaurateur, Tony Vallone, a special menu will feature a stellar line-up of his favorites. Dishes he served to friends, family, socialites, scions of business, world leaders, and United States’ Presidents.
1965-2025 Tony’s Favorites Menu:
- Duck Liver Pâté — Toast Points
• Black Perigord Truffles — Tagliarini, Acquerello Risotto, or Make It Rain on Anything You Want
• Caviar Potato — One Ounce Kaviari Baeri Siberian, Crisp Idaho Exterior, Silken Interior
• Crab Stuffed Squash Blossom — Bianco Sauce
• Prestige Osetra Tagliarini — One Ounce, Orange Zest Crema
• Veal Cannelloni
• Escargot Bone Marrow Livornese — Breadcrumbs
• Spaghetti Amatriciana — Pecorino Toscano
• Prime Ribeye Fiorentina
• Strawberry Cassata Cake
Reflecting on her life with Tony and Tony’s, Vallone’s widow Donna had this to say, “You have to have a degree in “good personality,” said Donna Vallone. “Customers like the staff to be upbeat and interested in them, and able to tell them the specials and if they want something that’s not a special or not on the menu we say, let me check on that and I’ll get back to you. Very simple. We try not to say no. I watched Tony through the years and Tony’s was his jewel, it was his life, you know? He tended to it, like it was a family member. And I think that’s why it thrived and succeeded for so many years. I believe that our staff under the continued leadership of executive chef, Kate McLean has done wonderfully in making fine dining fun.”
His daughter, Lauri Vallone Mazzini remarked on her 27 years working with her father and as the Business Manager said, “I admired him so much as he was a perfectionist and sought excellence in the culinary world. He loved a challenge and consistently educated himself and others on our team.”
Now running at top speed Chef Kate Mc Lean, is the driving force at the perennially, popular Tony’s Restaurant. Here along with Donna Vallone, and long-time team members she harnesses her desire to weave tales by guiding a culinary narrative with ingredients and live-action presentations
that have diners clamoring for more! Her “table-side manner” has grown to include creative, theatrical presentations, some including pyrotechnics, all while maintaining the high standards of her mentor, Tony Vallone.
Today at Tony’s you’ll see a menu lush with house-made pastas and world- class ingredients alongside caviar and tasting menus that provide Kate the palate to paint new dishes that combine her free spirit with Vallone’s diligent detail.
Things to look forward to and things we now place emphasis on, especially in the last three years…
– Avanti Tutta by Travis Hedemann, the mural installed December 2023;
– Live Music began in the middle of the dining room in April 2024: We now feature the talents of Miguel Delabarca, Tianna Hall, and Louie Carrington Jr. Wednesday through Saturday.
-The Champagne Campaign began on February 18, 2025; discounted bottles served with guests receiving rose-colored glasses so they may sip champagne and look at life through rose-colored glasses. A program that is offered day and night and will go on indefinitely.
–Theme weekends: Born in an effort to drive business before storm Enzo this past January, our Après Ski-themed weekend with food and drink specials as well as “best dressed” prizes was well received by guests. Disco Cowboy weekend marked the first weekend of March and the kickoff of the Houston Livestock and Rodeo. We look forward to a Roaring 20’s theme in late Spring and Mykonos White Out in Early Summer, turning our San Remo room into a club buzzing with beats by DJ YO$H.
-The Spritz Revolution and Fresh Shucked Oysters began in March 2025; Seaside Spritz, Front Porch Swinger, Green Thumb’s Delight as well as a rotating selection of Alabama and East Coast oysters and caviar- shellfish towers.
-Punch service will kick off with our Roaring 20’s theme weekend and continue with advanced notice for parties or tables
a whimsical installation featuring six dandelions actively being blown by
the energy at Tony’s to make wishes. The 8 1/2 butterflies (nod to Federico’s
Fellini’s film 8 1/2) symbolize good luck, ephemerality and rebirth. The
dandelions are painted in IKB (International Klein Blue) against a gold leaf
background…inspired by Yves Klein (French artist).
-Spring cocktails are crashing to the forefront of Spring as well with new Bar Director Spencer Ellison, who is reshaping our craft cocktail program entirely; The Ultimate Savory Martinis, All about Rosie, the list goes on
-Fresh Pasta, cooked to order, we use two types of dough semolina through an extruder or 00 flour-based hand cut. Sicilian sea salt seasons our pasta water.
-We carry the best beef in the world whether it’s USDA Prime, USDA Prime Aged or Japanese A5 BMS 11 by the ounce
–Our tasting menu’s rotate, they can be approached as A la carte items as stand or as a four-course or a seven-course (there are 2 surprise courses which makes a four-course a six-course, and a seven-course a nine-course.) With two different tiers of wine tastings to match.
– Our caviar program features four different types of caviar produced by Parisian brand Kaviari; a brand who is exclusive in who they work with. They are a generational brand with sturgeon eggs procured from around the world to be finished and aged in Paris. Our program features five different ways you could enjoy this caviar; how the Russians are known to enjoy “Bread & Butter”, how the French enjoy with buttery blinis “Classic”, tossed on tagliarini tableside “Pasta Portonova, on a petite crisp potato “Caviar Potato”, and with oyster froth “Spring Cup.” Vodka pours and champagne pairings. Caviar flights offered day and night.
–Our Bar menu is offered at all times with happy hour pricing from 4-6, Tuesday-Friday. Enjoy our famous Tony’s Cheeseburger in the bar at 9 p.m. on a Saturday, no problem.
-Our Lunch menu hits all the cravings; Tuna Poke, Tony’s Cheeseburger, Chicken Sandwich, Iberico Pork Milanese, Wyatt Seafood Salad, we even feature a 3-course Greenway Express menu for $35.
For more information visit www.tonyshouston.com
