Five Places to Visit in Houston

THE NEW YORK TIMES – Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander and his wife, supermodel Kate Upton, are foodies at heart. So what better city to call home than Houston?
From being ranked the Most Charitable City in the country to the Best City for Foodies, once-overlooked Houston has won its fair share of prizes in the last couple of years. But perhaps no prize mattered more to Houstonians than when their Major League Baseball team, the Astros, won the 2017 World Series, thanks in no small part to the seven-time All-Star pitcher and Cy Young Award winner, Justin Verlander. Mr. Verlander, a newcomer to the city, quickly achieved deity status here, which he further cemented when days later he married his girlfriend, often described as one of the most beautiful women in the world, the supermodel Kate Upton. Ms. Upton has rocked the cover of Sports Illustrated (several times), Vanity Fair, Esquire and Vogue to name a few, and starred in movies and music videos along the way.

The couple’s new baby girl, Genevieve, was born in Houston in November, and this March, Mr. Verlander signed a contract with the Astros that will keep them in town through the 2021 season. In other words, the couple (and little Genevieve) are now officially Houstonians.

And one of the first things Houstonians like to talk about is food. This couple is no different. “Kate and I are big foodies,” Mr. Verlander said up front during our interview. On the phone together from their home in Houston, they chatted about their favorite places in the city, and interrupted each other to more accurately describe their favorite dishes in true foodie-couple fashion. (“But does it count as a burger if it’s on an English muffin?” Mr. Verlander asked Ms. Upton at one point.)

“Houston has so much culture,” Ms. Upton said. “It is a really cool city that we didn’t know anything about and now we get to experience.” Here are their five favorite spots.

1. Nancy’s Hustle

Kate: Oh my God. Wow. My friend Bailey McCarthy introduced me to it and it is the best burger I have ever had. They use an English muffin instead of a bun and it really just enhances the flavors. It is so good. Justin is a big burger guy so he didn’t really trust my statement that this is the best burger ever.

Justin: Ha-ha, let me be the judge of that! I like burgers and Kate forced me to go after a day game. So we strolled in after the game and it really is to die for.

Kate: Getting his stamp of approval was really big. He said the burger was in the top 3.
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