I never ate at his restaurant (too pricey for me), but he was a legend and it's a bog loss to the Houston Restaurant community. https://www.chron.com/news/article/Houston-restaurateur-Tony-Vallone-dead-at-75-15556825.php Houston restaurateur Tony Vallone dead at 75 The master of Houston's fine dining scene has died. Tony Vallone passed away on Thursday morning, according to representatives. He was 75. For more than 50 years, Vallone was an integral part of the Houston culinary scene. He was married to his wife, Donna Vallone, for 36 years. “I’ve lost the love of my life and best friend, but I will continue Tony’s legacy,” Donna said in a Thursday release. Alex Brennan, the owner of Brennan’s Houston, said he initially met Vallone in the mid-‘80s, while his mother, Ella Brennan who owned and operated Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, knew Vallone for a half-century. ... Fertitta said Vallone was an inspiration to him. “If there was anyone in the restaurant industry who truly motivated me, it was Tony Vallone," Fertitta told the Chronicle. "(With) every aspect of his business, from culinary to service to hospitality, Tony took it all to a different level. Even in the last 20 years, I would regard Tony Vallone as one of the greatest, true restaurateurs in all of America.”
