Don't think of this as a top 10 list. I've written enough of those for a lifetime; you've probably read enough for a lifetime. Instead, please help yourself to a dozen of Houston's best new restaurants of 2017.

They managed to open and shine brightly during a roller-coaster year for the city's restaurant business. Early on, the high-flying Treadsack group imploded, toppling the well-regarded Hunky Dory and Bernadine's. Then came Houston's frenetic Super Bowl moment, with its spate of high-profile, high-pressure openings.

Late spring heralded the city's latest in our recent run of James Beard Best Chef Southwest medalists: Hugo Ortega, whose win followed those of Chris Shepherd (2014) and Justin Yu (2016). In late August, Hurricane Harvey stopped restaurant business nearly cold, followed by a slump - including some big-name closures - from which the industry is still recovering.

TOP 100: Now you can search all 100 of this year's top restaurants by name, neighborhood and cuisine

In the midst of the flooding and misery, food and beverage folks stepped up with relief efforts to help feed a poleaxed populace; and later, when restaurants reopened, to restore a much-needed sense of normalcy.

Through it all, major launches (and a seemingly endless stream of poke shops) just kept coming, right up to the wire of 2018. I've excluded intriguing newcomers such as Nancy's Hustle and Maison Pucha from consideration, simply because their openings came too late in the year for evaluation.

Similarly, I've scooped up a couple of deserving spots that opened in mid-December 2016, too late to be counted in that year's list.

It's worth noting that three of these worthy new spots are in downtown hotels, with another close by. That's an exciting development, considering that our hotel dining scene has been grim and our city center sadly lacking in serious, nonsteakhouse options for years now. Make that decades.

So onward into the New Year. These interesting new restaurants will help it taste great.

1. XOCHI

This Oaxacan restaurant is the jewel in Hugo Ortega's crown, and a dazzling addition to downtown Houston. In a sleek, subtle corner room at the new Marriott Marquis hotel, Ortega and company turn out stirring, complex moles and fragrant house-made masa specialties. They're all based on regional ingredients from the southwestern Mexican state of Oaxaca, just a hop across the border from the chef's family's rancho in Puebla state. It's a labor of love, and it shows in everything from antojitos to head-spinning entrees to meticulous agave-based cocktails, not to mention brother Ruben Ortega's showstopping desserts. Check out the appealing happy-hour menu for a sample. You'll be back. 1777 Walker (inside the Marriott Marquis), 713-400-3330; xochihouston.com

2. AQUI

One can argue in good faith that it's wrong to patronize Paul Qui's restaurant. The Houston native was charged with domestic assault last year in Austin, where he made his name with the Uchi brand and his own restaurants. What cannot be argued is the thrilling fare being produced by Qui's Houston chef de cuisine, Gabriel Medina, who with his work here leaps right into the top tier of Houston talents. Just as impressive are desserts by Common Bond alumna Jillian Bartolome, whose Bibingka dessert of sweet coconut bread with salted duck egg is one of the year's best bites. Ditto for the swirl of tart, savory, herbal notes that make the raw dishes and "perfect bite" small plates sing - from a frisky raw-tuna kinilaw to a suave foie gras torchon sparked with mustard seeds, shiso and pickled pears. The room is svelte and modern. The wine list and cocktails are ace. And the front of the house fairly purrs. 520 Westheimer, 713-360-7834; aquihtx.com

3. ONE FIFTH

Whether it was sending forth awe-inspiring cast-iron steaks sizzled in butter and herbs or Tripa alla Romana so tender and piquant it would make an actual Roman weep, Chris Shepherd's format-swapping restaurant has rocked both its incarnations to date. Housed in the 1920s Montrose church that was home to Mark's, both One Fifth Steak and One Fifth Romance Languages (an ode to the cooking of France, Italy and Spain) delivered big flavors and ingenious ideas in a setting designed for fun. Chef de cuisine Nick Fine, who keeps it all humming along, is one of the breakout stars of the year; and one of the year's finer sights is Shepherd himself behind the cold bar counter and at the wood oven, having a blast. You will, too. 1658 Westheimer, 713-955-1024; onefifthhouston.com

4. KIRAN'S

You know what was fun in 2017? Tasting the way the estimable chef Kiran Verma, one of the city's first proponents of upscale Indian cuisine, has refreshed her repertoire and outlook at her posh new digs in Upper Kirby. Working with talented New Orleans Creole guy Dominick Lee, Verma has introduced playful genre-bending dishes such as shrimp and upma "grits" with pickled okra, or that old warhorse chicken tikka masala reworked as spunky fried chicken in the lightest cloak of spicy red gravy. From zippy street-food items to serious Subcontinental-themed cocktails, the new stuff has polish, soul and humor. Note to vegetarians: The pick-four feast is the stuff of dreams. Even the flatbreads and pappadum have style to spare. And that tart carrot emulsion served with the mirchi pakoras, whole shishito pepper fritters, is so vivid you won't leave a single drop. 2925 Richmond, 713-960-8472; kiranshouston.com

5. MABA PAN-ASIAN DINER

How do I love chef Wayne Nguyen's fast-casual spot in Midtown? Let me count the ways. The prices are insanely affordable for such inventive, accomplished fare. The room radiates a certain spunky, inexpensive chic. And Nguyen's interesting ideas - which blend his Vietnamese immigrant background with the skills he picked up at his wife's family's Chinese restaurants - constitute a joyous expression of 21st-century Houston. The warm wonton salad alone, in its electric fish sauce vinaigrette, cartwheels of jalapeño and shallot done two ways, is a dish I could eat every day. Nine bucks? Believe it. It's all fresh, clean, balanced and original, from Trung Sisters bacon-wrapped shrimp with Thai basil and lemon butter, to an osso buco salad done Szechuan style, braised and chilled to get a faint gelatinous texture that is deeply Vietnamese. This self-taught chef is a huge talent, and one to watch. 510 Gray, Suite D, 832-834-6157; mabahouston.com

6. THEODORE REX

It's not every year that a top-rated, national-caliber chef closes down the restaurant that made him famous. Yet that's what happened when Justin Yu converted five-year-old Oxheart, the tiny tasting-menu spot that was arguably the city's best restaurant, into the more casual bistro Theodore Rex. (It's named for his nephew.) The look is softer, more homespun. The tight menu's a la carte. The vibe is more about hanging out with friends than staying focused on a quietly orchestrated night of theater. Kitchen crew, under the direction of chef de cuisine Jason White, no longer present each dish with a detailed description. Yet taste such low-key pleasures as the addictive tomato toast, or the buttery, comforting rice with butterbeans and threads of greenery, and you'll want to ask how they did it. The ingredients remain intensely seasonal and local. Yu's impeccably layered, earthy sensibility still applies. The offbeat wine list and playlist remain a blast. I'm not as riveted by T Rex as I was by Oxheart, but I am full of curiosity about how this fledgling spot will define itself in 2018. 1302 Nance, 832-830-8592; trexhouston.com

7. RIEL

The delight I take in Ryan Lachaine's Riel springs from its original point of view: the chef brings his Manitoba and Ukrainian heritage to bear on contemporary Gulf Coast ideas and ingredients. Sound like fun? It is, from the supple little cheddar pierogi dumplings that escort a top-flight hanger steak, to a stirring beet borscht crowned with creme fraiche and dill. Royal Red shrimp might come with pickled fennel salad and coriander yogurt on the tightly edited seasonal menu; or head cheese might meet prickly-pear mustard on a soda cracker. A capable bar (try the Borscht Sour with Aquavit), a smart wine list and a couple of lengthy counters for walk-ins make the experience even more entertaining. 1927 Fairview, 832-831-9109; rielhtx.com

8. YAUATCHA

Chinatown boosters may scoff at the prices of this fiercely chic London-based import, but it says something encouraging about the Houston market that there's a place for an elegant take on dim sum. Everything from the immaculate, detailed tea service to the thin-skinned morel dumplings is just so, right down to the startlingly beautiful Franco-Asian desserts. Go for the steamed, baked and pan-fried sections of the menu for maximum joy; the regular cooked items, while capable, are not as enthralling. And do not shy from ordering a cleverly made cocktail or some wine from the interesting list. They make a dim sum session here into a different kind of party. 5045 Westheimer (at the Galleria), 713-357-7588; yauatcha.com/houston

9. OXBOW 7

Imagine the refectory on a generation starship. That's the curious feel of Bryan Caswell's Oxbow 7 in downtown's new Le Meridien hotel, where mid-century silhouettes bump up against a futuristic chandelier that rears from the floor like a mighty tree, and colorful wall murals swirl as a backdrop. Caswell - whose flagship Reef, damaged by Harvey, should reopen in the New Year - says this is the most personal menu he's ever done, and I agree: it has both humor and a big bayou heart. Consider the delightful "East Texas caviar service," a potato-chip dirigible set upon sauce gribiche and interleaved with ghost-pepper-tinged choupique (Louisiana bowfin) eggs, along with thin shavings of hot link. Or brilliant pickled shrimp in a watermelon/fish sauce dressing, to wrap Vietnamese style in Bibb lettuce cups with tart watermelon rind. Or fat little quail stuffed with peppery boudin and glazed with satsuma marmalade. A fascinating wine list by Nate Rose, including plenty of affordable options, is a huge plus. 1121 Walker, 713-487-6137; oxbow7.com

10. LUCIENNE

It's great to see the underrated chef Jose Hernandez back in a French kitchen again, and in a glamorous new downtown hotel to boot. Lucienne, up a grand, sweeping staircase at Hotel Alessandra, boasts a whimsical contemporary look and a menu full of little luxuries. Lamb tartare with quail egg and toast, delivered in its own silvery rack; lobster and fennel bread pudding made voluptuous with beurre blanc; a marvelously thin apple tart with Calvados sauce. Such are the enticements of a modern French menu that can be had in a tasting format (4 courses for $55 and 6 for $75) or a la carte. The wine list's on the conservative side. And good news for hotel guests or impromptu walk-ins: there's a chef's counter up front overlooking the kitchen. 1070 Dallas, 713-242-8555; hotelalessandra-houston.com/lucienne.htm

11. POTENTE

Scintillating pasta dishes are just one of the treats in store for diners at the luxe Potente, Astros owner Jim's Crane's stately pleasure dome next to the ballpark. The Astros' dazzling World Series run gave the modern Italian restaurant a celebratory fizz that has yet to wear off: holiday makers are invited to shoot selfies with the team's golden trophy, which matches the restaurant's dark, glittering décor. Settle back for lots of Old School service, a big-name wine roster, and a frisky menu presented on a light-up tablet. Chef Danny Trace, whose mom is Italian, has made the leap from Brennan's with Louisiana wit intact, which gives his take on Italian real personality. Don't miss his lush truffled cacio-e-pepe-style spaghetti; his agnolotti with sweet potato and crab; or his autumn fettuccine with fall squash, pancetta and pecorino. 1515 Texas, 713-237-1515; potentehouston.com

12. PINKERTON'S BARBECUE

Pinkerton's opened in the middle of last December, and it's a spot deliciously reflective of the city's current barbecue renaissance. Pitmaster Grant Pinkerton has his own distinctive restrained smoke style, along with an appreciation for regional Gulf Coast fare that makes everything from the sides to the cocktails (yes, cocktails!) taste deeply personal. Quality meats and towering sandwiches aren't the half of it here. Late hours supplied by continuous pit shifts are a boon to the supper crowd. So is a suitable wine list compiled by Pinkerton père. Such restaurant comforts are a welcome new wrinkle in our barbecue scene. Pass the duck and sausage jambalaya, please; and do you have that smoked boudin on special? Oh yeah, I'll need a piece of that banana layer cake, too. 1504 Airline, 713-802-2000; pinkertonsbarbecue.com