Scenes from a SAVEUR Supper With Ford Fry

Chef Ford Fry gives us a sneak peak of his new Houston joint, State of Grace

Last night, the SAVEUR Test Kitchen was churning out dishes like queso with wild mushrooms and bacon, heirloom tomatoes with peach and burrata, shrimp toast, and barbecue short rib, all thanks to Atlanta-based chef Ford Fry and his team. Everything was served family-style, starting with the bubbling pot of cheese that we all hovered over and swiped at with pulls of just-made tortillas, washed down with bright, crisp sparkling rosé.

With six Atlanta restaurants under his belt, Fry is branching out—out west—to Houston, where he'll be opening State of Grace this fall. He spoke to us a bit about what goes into naming a restaurant (and namely the structural trends that come and go: "X and Y," "the X"), and finished things out with deep-fried, lemon curd-filled hand pies. A sweet ending to a sweet evening.

The evening started with a queso dip with wild mushrooms and bacon, served with warm, homemade tortillas.

Guests drinking rosé and preparing for the evening feast.

Drew Belline slicing heirloom tomatoes for the salad with peaches, basil, and burrata.

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Everything that’s great about summer—tomatoes, peaches, and basil—combined and topped with burrata.

With vegetables this colorful, how can you not Instagram them?

We love when the SAVEUR test kitchen is filled with smiling guests!

Queso this good is worth a little mess on your fingers.

Chef Ford Fry talking with St. John Frizell of Fort Defiance.

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Editor-in-chief Adam Sachs with executive chef Bobby Matos and Drew Belline welcoming everyone to dinner.

Conference table by day, fancy dining table by night.