A short walk from the Kemah Boardwalk, where the atmosphere can feel more corporate theme park than Gulf Coast getaway, you’ll find a restaurant unlike any other in Texas. Chef David Skinner, a member of the Choctaw tribe, draws from Indigenous foodways across the Americas for nine- to 18-course tasting menus that are equal parts ambitious and theatrical. On one visit, a silken scallop comes glossed in corn butter, bringing land and sea together in a single bite; blue corn tostadas cradle tender quail, its smoky juices brightened by prickly pear. True to Skinner’s “Willy Wonka” reputation, dishes emerge through mist, fire and cedar smoke, including a rabbit roulade tucked beneath a pastry dome carved with Maya symbols. The menu engages with Indigenous traditions through a distinctly modern lens, using techniques and presentation more commonly associated with high-end fine dining. It can be perplexing, but that’s part of the point.
