Houston Food Blog Talk

A belated eureka moment

Dr. Ricky — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:58:00 -0800

Before the Great Western Casa McBardo, there was the Great Eastern Casa McBardo.

And there I did my first trip out to visit and cook over a year ago. We had a spectacular good time in the warmth of the Maryland summer, overlooking tomato plants and blossoming strawberries, preparing a smoked pork shoulder, fresh bread, baby chard and warm mushroom salad, curried tomato soup, even ancho spiced chocolate truffles. But there was one dish that didn't work.

I had this idea of making a savory application for rhubarb. I figured that the tangy herb can be used to flavor a sour fish stew akin to the Filipino sinigang, usually soured with tamarind or unripe guava. Flavorwise, I was able to get it. However, instead of a pink soup I had envisioned, we got this grayish muck that was fortunately served at dusk so people couldn't see it.

What went wrong? Only today did I realize what is going on - the redness in rhubarb is the presence of anthocyanins, water soluble compounds whose colors change with the pH. And when I introduced fish into the equation, the buffering of protein brought the pH to a level where the anthocyanins would be...bluish. Hence, the gray color.

I'll need to re-imagine this dish in the future, where I make a butter and rhubarb sauce to be served atop poached monkfish.

This Week In Deliciousness

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:39:25 -0800

Welcome back to the weekly round-up here at Eating Our Words, where we're now voting Republican, because they're the only ones fascist enough to pass this "Everyone Must Now Put Grape-Nut...

Openings and Closings

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:30:00 -0800

November has been a good month for Houston restaurants so far, with notably few closings. Among them in the past week were two casualties of Spanish cuisine: Tio Pepe (5213 Cedar) in B...

Highland Village Farmers Market Thanksgiving

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:15:00 -0800

For the down-to-earth and/or most ambitious of us, Olde World Farms is offering a limited supply of free range turkeys at the Highland Village Farmers Market this Saturday. It's part...

Upcoming Events

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Although the Saturday tours at the brewery are still on hold for now, you can still get your fix of walking and beer with the Saint Arnold Pub Crawl tonight starting at 6 p.m. As a spe...

Health Department Roundup: Dirty Margarita Edition

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0800

A spotless Tex-Mex restaurant is an eerie sight. Arguably, things like carnitas and cold drinks are served best with a little grit, but this week the Health Department report - more frequent...

Mini Thanksgiving

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:00 -0800

If you don't have to entertain an entire family for Thanksgiving dinner this year but still want to have a feast, here's the recipe for you. This is all you need to make a mini-Thanksgivin...

Divine on the Line: Bottling Saint Arnold's Divine Reserve #9

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Last week, we trekked out to the old Saint Arnold brewery to watch as Phil Dagger and the rest of the line crew bottled the limited-run Divine Reserve #9, which will hit store shelves on Dec...

Burger Friday: Tesar's Modern Steak & Seafood

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:49:31 -0800

Break out the gold stars. I've found what very well may turn out to be my Burger of the Year at Tesar's Modern Steak & Seafood in The Woodlands. Allow me to suggest that if you live in or near...

Bartender Chat: Scott Fix of Maple Leaf Pub

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:18:02 -0800

Hockey fans, look no further. You've found him. The man who will bring you cold beer and snacks during the Stanley Cup playoffs. No, he's not God. He is Scott Fix, the bartender at the Maple...

Recipe: Chef Johann Schuster's Ceviche

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0800

Chef Johann Schuster, of Charivari Restaurant in Midtown, tossed together three bowls of a fine ceviche at last weekend's Houston Peruvian Festival. The keys to a good ceviche, Schuster says...

Thanksgiving Recipe: Cranberry Yogurt Ice Cream

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Whenever I buy fresh cranberries to make cranberry sauce, I end up with too many of them. They aren't cheap, and they usually go to waste in my refrigerator. If you have ever popped ...

Is It Still Thanksgiving Without the Turkey?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:30:00 -0800

Yesterday, we offered up a selection of meatless options for Thanksgiving and those vegetarians in your life. Truth be told, we're perfectly happy not having turkey -- or any meat a...

Catfish at Wunsche Bros. Cafe

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:30:00 -0800

Built in 1902 in Old Town Spring as a hotel and saloon for railroad employees, today Wunsche Bros. Café stands emasculated by its current surroundings but holds strong to its heritage. The ...

$13 at Raia's Italian Market

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0800

Where: Raia's Italian Market, 4500 Washington Avenue, 713-861-1042, www.raiasitalianmarket.com. What $13 gets you: We'd been driving by Raia's Italian Market for a while, always meaning to...

Food Fight: Battle Masala Dosai

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:30:00 -0800

After last week's Battle Grilled Cheese, we received a gentle prod from one of our readers and favorite local food mavens, Dr. Ricky: "I think there need to be more creative choices...

A Tale of Two ... South Indian Restaurants

Dr. Ricky — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:27:00 -0800

In the last week, I had the pleasure of dining at two similar Indian restaurants to help compare them: Madras Pavilion (please try to ignore the sushi roll prominently displayed on their website template) and Udipi Cafe (I'd put a link here for udipicafeusa.com, but apparently, Google diagnosed it as hosting malware). For the people not familiar with the socio-geography of Houston, there are regional rivalries and stereotypes about the city, not unlike the rivalries of Washington DC (inside vs outside the Belt) or Berlin. Houston is defined by the 610 Loop, which is a freeway that encircles a large region including the downtown area. Thus propagates this definition of culture "Inside the Loop (ITL)" or "Outside the Loop (OTL)". A common stereotype pegs people ITL as more affluent and less adventurous (despite the self-described bohemian enclaves there enclosed), while people who frequent OTL are either suburbanites or living in immigrant ghettos.

The choice of these two restaurants, both of which offer South Indian vegetarian food, is as much a contrast of the catering the clientele type as it is how they prepare their dishes. In both locations we ordered far too much food to finish, and the main topic of food comparison will emerge from the pages of the Houston Press Eating Our Words blog. Instead, I'll focus on what was notable at either location.

Our large and raucous group certainly garnered attention at the quiet little Udipi Cafe, both because of our copious appetites and bizarre questions (BYOB? From the traditional vegetarian Hindu perspective, I don't think drinking wine at the table is ever a consideration. This was a double-whammy considering we had a sommelier dining with us). That aside, the food was, for the most part, fantastic. Sambar was spicy and ubiquitous (sadly, texturally identical as well) as glasses of water. Then again, we had to have curries, dosai, pullaus, and, heck, two full on thali dinners. Very few clunkers in this set (I'll count among them this odd yogurt cilantro drink. Probably an acquired taste.). The paneer curry here is perhaps the best implementation of paneer I have ever had. Rather than a crumbly or spongy affair, the paneer had a slightly chewy consistency akin to mozzarella, and the expert spicing worked very well with the texture and flavor of the homemade cheese. Eggplant curry was silky and bombastic, rava masala dosa crisp and crackly, the simple dish of cabbage and lentils sing, as does the impressively puffy (though greasy) battura. Get the chai if you can (the service is a bit spotty, perhaps due to the large group I was in) - it is redolent with cardamom, and thankfully arrives unsweetened for the individual drinker to adjust to taste. Too often chai is served far too sweet for my liking.

In contrast, the ITL Madras Pavilion actually has a wine and beer menu, is a certified kosher restaurant, and staffed by amusing and personable waiters who entertain their often not quite desi clientele (even in malleable crowds) with aplomb. The menu has cleverly designed a set Indian food dinner, which acts as a tour of South Indian cuisine shrouded in Western dining conventions. This includes miniature masala dosai (which is served with an absolutely stellar coconut chutney), some really nice croquettes, and a good selection of curries (saag paneer, korma, and chana dahl), and a really flavorful rice pullaw. It's a beautiful, "safe" meal, which didn't have the wild highs and lows of the OTL Udipi Cafe.

Which is probably just fine for the conservative diners ITL, and the adventurers willing to travel OTL.

Christmas at Central Market

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:30:00 -0800

We had the pleasure of sampling the holiday goods on offer at Central Market this week, both those scattered in festive packaging throughout the store and those behind counters. General Man...

Are we all being played by the music?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:59:00 -0800

So, my husband and I were eating lunch in a well-known restaurant, which I won’t name, when Salt-n-Pepa’s song "Push It" started playing loudly.

Had I been at the gym or even shopping at some clothing store in a mall, I wouldn’t even have noticed, much less minded.

But the highly suggestive song seemed so out of context and just so wrong over a spinach salad at a subtly upscale restaurant during lunch, where a large group of retirees also happened to be dining and admiring the seagulls and ships.

I’m no prude. I like music a lot and I was a Salt-n-Pepa fan back in the day.

But that incident and some previous blog comments about overly loud music in supermarkets got me thinking about how background noise can shape our shopping or dining experiences. It took me a long time to figure this out, but the music isn't for our listening enjoyment.

My mother rarely tolerated loud music when she was grocery shopping. Before she even found a cart, she would politely but firmly ask the manager to lower the volume. She also liked music. But on her own terms, apparently.

She shared the belief of writer Milan Kundera, who said: “People are going deaf because music is played louder and louder, but because they're going deaf, it has to be played louder still.”

But I think stores and restaurants, particularly in this economy, are going to play music louder and louder. That’s because, according to studies, loud music makes us eat more in restaurants, drink more in bars and buy more in stores.

Even if the music makes us want to run out with our hands over our ears, we just shop faster, observers of our behavior say.

“Music volume is negatively correlated with shopping time. However, people in grocery stores playing loud music make just as many purchases despite shopping for a shorter period of time. This indicates that sales per minute are much higher when music is played loudly than with soft background music,” according to this article.

In some stores, the music follows us, changing depending on what department we're in.

So, are we all being played when the music’s on? Must everything we do be accompanied by background noise, like one long music video?

And if you’re forced to listen to music in a public place, what would you prefer it be?

Stone Sublimely Self Righteous Ale

tedo — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:02:00 -0800

Beyond looking for new beers, I'm looking for new beer styles. As many beers as I have tried there are many styles that I've never had before. A recent example is the Eisbock from last week. Part of the reason I love beer is that there are so many different flavors and styles of beer that one would be hard pressed to ever try all styles. It keeps life exciting to try though. This beer something I picked up in Denver back during GABF is one of those new style types, a Black IPA. How can something be a pale ale and black at the same time? I don't know, but I do know its black and has the hops and flavor an IPA so until someone comes up with a better name, we'll go with it.
The Beer: It weighs in at 8.7% and pours a very dark almost black with a thick tan colored head. Notes of hops, grapefruit, lots of grapefruit, rich dark malts. Mouthfeel is full, hops, grapefruit peel, apricots, dark malts, dark rye breads almost like a schwarzbier. Rye bread with marmalade? Yeah that sounds about right. The hops really saturate the tongue like a good Stone beer should. They know their hops and this one isn't different. Good beer that has combined two different flavors that you usually don't see together very well. It gets a B+ from me. Here's what the folks at BA say.

I hate cheesecake. Except when I don't.

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:11:43 -0800

It felt odd, sitting there in the Dessert Gallery and wolfing down a giant slab of pumpkin/white-chocolate cheesecake. I mean, I forswore cheesecake decades ago--can you imagine how many times I've seen it on restaurant menus during my long career...

Stanton's City Bites

tshu — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:47:00 -0800

I would normally consider Stanton's outside the Heights, but hey if Heights Blog considers it part of the Heights, that's good enough for me. A couple of my friends went to Stanton's for the first time and were fairly impressed, so Stanton's has been on my mind today. I originally wrote this review for the Fearless Critics, but it didn't make the cut. I think that's a damn shame, but Stanton's is starting to get the following they deserve. The burger market sure is crowded in Houston, but I truly believe Stanton's serves one of the best burgers in town. Here goes.

Houstonians are used to finding some of the best hamburgers in the dingiest of locales, and Stanton’s certainly qualifies. Stanton’s City Bites occupies a non-descript grocery store in the shadows of downtown Houston. The tattered storefront is reminiscent of a classic New Orleans neighborhood convenience store, complete with a well worn interior and uneven foundation. It’s the kind of place where a handful of dropped marbles would congregate in the front corner. Your instincts may say “stay away,” but if you stick to your guns, you’ll be rewarded with one of the best burgers in this burger crazed city.

Stanton’s cheeseburgers are a tour de force. The meat is fresh ground and (thankfully) cooked to order, although they tend to overcook (order medium rare for a pink medium burger). The hand-formed burger patty is substantial, thick, juicy, and well seasoned. Ordered all the way, the burgers come with a slice of tomato, crisp romaine (not iceburg) lettuce, and fresh sliced red onions. Condiments (for flavor only) include a small swipe of mustard and mayo. As with every great burger, the sum is greater than its individual parts.

Regrettably, the sides don’t live up to the burgers. The French fries are previously frozen, with an unfortunate manufactured crunch on the outside. The tots are a slight improvement, but are still only school cafeteria quality. The onion rings are the class of the sides, which isn’t saying much. Like the burgers, all of the sides are served in to-go Styrofoam containers and will turn soggy if not opened within a few minutes. Drink options are surprisingly good, with various bottled sodas (including Mexican Cokes), teas, and other pedestrian beers. Also present are an assorted selection of questionable 40 ounce beverage options, all individual selections chilled, many available in cases to go.

Run by a hospitable Asian couple, the restaurant does an admirable job of fulfilling orders. While all items are cooked to order, there is usually little wait. Keep in mind that there are no tables to eat inside the store and everything is strictly To-Go. Burgers this good are best enjoyed super-fresh, so we suggest taking your order to a nearby park, or better yet, just go to it in the comfort of your automobile. And remember, take plenty of napkins.

Heartbreaker's vs. Abundant Life

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:18:00 -0800

At least three people have called to report the sign war between Abundant Life Christian Center and Heartbreaker’s Gentlemen’s Club & Restaurant is back on.

Well, maybe a “sign war” is a bit strong. But it’s definitely edgy on the part of Abundant Life.

Abundant Life has had a billboard near Heartbreaker’s, 3200 Interstate 45 S., for 15 years. For years, the sign’s message was: “Jesus Heals the Broken Hearted.” It’s inspired by Luke 4:18.

But the sign disappeared for a year so the church could promote some of its camp meetings on the billboard.

I’m not one to judge what people do in their spare time. But every time I see that sign, I wonder whether it’s ever worked. Did it ever stop someone from entering the strip club? Today, after all these years, I finally called Abundant Life and asked.

Catherine Rudolph, a minister on the staff, said the sign does work. Its message has steered people to services, she said.

“On numerous occasions people have come into the church after they drove by it,” Rudolph said. “They said it made them think.”

But there’s something else about the sign. Some people find it comfortingly amusing and miss it when it isn’t there.

“The billboard isn’t there all the time, but it’s a hoot when it is,” one reader e-mailed to say.

What is it that we like about the sign? Does it say a lot about life in a small town? Do we like the refreshing boldness of the church?

Are you glad the sign is back?

The structure of a meal

Dr. Ricky — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:59:00 -0800

"Is halo-halo a dessert?"

I get asked that every so often. For the uninitiated, halo-halo ("mix-mix) is a Filipino dish consisting of a variety of sweetened items (fruit, beans, flan, halaya - the variations are endless and dependent on the region and season), piled together with crushed or shaved ice and doused with milk. The diner is expected to mix it up into a melange while attempting to sample all the different bits. It's a snow cone on steroids. It's been presented as a dessert on Top Chef. But, really, it is substantial enough to stand for a small meal in some respects. Then again, there's a whole array of dishes - kakanin - which aren't meant to be eaten during the big meals of the day, but are rather pamatid gutom ("bridges across hunger").

I think the concept of the Western meal and meal components is at times too restricting. The convention of three meals, with the requisite sub-meal breakdown of courses, is as more ritual than natural, and yet much of the vocabulary in discussing food forces us to classify things to fall into these categories, even though it's a false requirement. Much of the world does not eat in these monolithic patterns, where a large hunk of protein serves as a central focus. The Chinese dimsum is a leisurely series of small plates, dining in Malaysian kopitiams, even the drinking focused Spanish tapas and Filipino pulutan extend dining to less formalized affairs.

The concept of eating more frequently in smaller quantities results in more modulated blood sugar levels, and thus, obviate the "starvation" response come meal times. Some debate points to these spikes in insulin/glucagon as one of the key elements in the obesity epidemic. But, really, what enforces these patterns are cultural in nature; meals are mostly points of social interaction more than individual sustenance. While much of focus of the angst of the anti-industrial food complex has been the nature and source of food for Americans, they don't pay as much notice to the social mores that enable these dining habits.

Take the idea of the individually plated meal. Turns out that people don't so much eat to satiety but rather eat to finish a portion. There's an excellent experiment in this when someone is given a bowl that slowly refills itself with soup, the person eating it is unaware how much food they have actually consumed. Family-style "shared" plates encourage people to choose only a portion which they can finish, rather than trying to finish what is put in front of them. Moreover, it's a source of social interaction - the family-style sharing of food is a central focus of social acceptance in many Asian cultures. When I bring someone to an authentic Chinese or Vietnamese restaurant who then orders something, and "hoards" it as if eating a hamburger rather than sharing it with the rest of table, this usually results in a bit of uneasiness. Likewise, a Chinese person will offer a half eaten sandwich during a work lunch to anyone who isn't eating yet - resulting in some uneasiness in the opposite direction.

Quick Hits: Tuesday Edition

tedo — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:53:00 -0800

It's been a while since I've had time to post much other than periodic beer notes on the blog. For whatever reason things are pretty slow here in the beer world, but I do have some news bits to share.
- Dec 1st, Dec 1st, Dec 1st, mark it down on your calender. The amazingly awesome (more on that in a bit) Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #9 Imperial Pumpkin Stout is released! If you don't want to mark it down on your calendar it is marked on mine on the right hand side of the page.

- Speaking of DR#9, the lucky people at Houston Press have actually had the chance to have some. All I have to say, is a Pumpkin in every keg.

- Many of us in our younger years went off every summer to camp. I doubt any of us went to the camp described by Houston Chronicle's Ronnie Crocker, yes that's right ladies and gentlemen, Beer Camp.

Adventuring Out: Dim Sum

Ruthie Johnson — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:17:00 -0800

Foodventures with our YES Prep student have continued and are more popular than ever! I’ve actually switched to a World Literature curriculum this year -- not only because it’s closer to my heart, but also because it ties to well to introducing food in the classroom.

Laugh it up. I’m not joking.

This past Sunday we took nine confident and capable sophomores to try dim sum for the first time at Ocean Palace. Since we’re reading The Joy Luck Club in class, we’ve had a cultural amuse bouche, and several students were ready for a true main course. Excited were they to show up at school -- on a Sunday -- to meet up with their teachers for a trip to Houston’s Chinatown.

Upon arrival, we told them, “No sodas today!!” [with a fist shake] and they shrugged, “OK.” And then we told them, “You have to try everything!!” [with a fist shake] and they said, “No problem.” We were shocked at how easily they slipped on their adventure caps, trusting us to steer them right.

Our amazing Algebra II teacher is originally from Hong Kong, and giggles broke out when she spoke to our servers in Cantonese. Then, a quick lesson on chopsticks before digging in... Hi-YA! Dishes piled up under the watchful intrigue of the kiddos. They loved the shrimp dumplings, pork buns, and daikon radish cakes. They connected the spongy tripe to meaty menudo. They took turns filling each other’s cups of tea. They each tried a saucy chicken foot. And they fought over the last sugary coconut treat. 100% awesome.

Each student walked away just a little wiser in the ways of the world -- and I walked away contented by teenagers who show a genuine curiosity about our global community. It is a wonder to watch how food can teach, create, unite. The day turned out serene, fast, formidable, and exciting-to-the-max. If only all my school weeks could begin with such varied grace.

The three wasabis of Kata Robata

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:11:51 -0800

Skim down to the bottom of the sushi list at Kata Robata--the excellent new Japanese restaurant I reviewed last week--and you'll see the entry "Fresh Wasabi, $7." Order it. It's an investment that will enliven your entire meal. And if...

Cookstr

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:16:00 -0800

Well, It's up. For more on me--greedy--check different parts of the web site Bkafka.com

Flavors in a cube

Dr. Ricky — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:15:00 -0800

These boxes of flavoring cubes go beyond the usual boullion to entice
people to forgo chopping onions and other primary flavoring notes.
It's sofrito in a cube. Of course, the primary ingredients are still
salt and MSG.

De Proef Van Twee

tedo — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:09:00 -0800

Now I've had a lot of experience with this brewery from Belgium, and I am a huge fan of their colloboration beers with America breweries. The first one I had was their partnership with Tomme Arthur, the second with Jason Perkins of Allagash. Well the good news, they have another colloboration beer out, this time with Bell's brewing out of Michigan. This one is an interesting beer, made with multiple yeasts, New Zealand Hops (Nelson Seuvin) and Michigan Cherries.
The Beer: This one weighs in at 7.5% and pours a rich dark brown with at thick tan colored head. Fruity and funky on the nose, notes of plum, grape, banana, horse blanket, yeasts. The mouthful is full and thick. Tangy from the brett that has been injected into the beer. Mild tartness, chocolatey, mild coffee, plums, gooseberries. All these many different flavors meld together incredibly well and leads to a smooth finish. My initial impression of the beer is a tart, tangyness and funk from the yeast then the dark rich fruits from the malts take over, before leading to a light fruitiness from the hops. It almost reminds me of a tart chocolate yogurt if that makes any sense. This one gets an A- from me. Here's what the folks at BA think.

Novel Ingredient: Latik

Dr. Ricky — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:42:00 -0800

I've been thinking about ingredients that I have encountered before that seem unusual to others, and I hope to write about them once in a while. One is an absolutely delicious item called latik. I know it is found in Filipino cooking, but I really haven't encountered it in any other cuisine.

Coconut oil is made from pressed coconut milk by heating slowly it until it "breaks" - that is, as the water evaporates, the protein encapsulated lipid coalesces and forms the oil. The result of this is that the proteins and sugars clump together, and cook in the heat, forming this brown crumbly stuff that is sweet and full of Maillard reaction goodness. It's coconut oil cracklings, and is used to top any number of sweets and snacks in the Philippines. I daresay it is perhaps a bit more prized than the oil itself.

I should think latik ice cream would be an outrageous treat, as well as a sprinkling of it on top of a panna cotta.

Black Friday early and often

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:15:00 -0800

Last year, when the chilling news broke that a Walmart employee was trampled by shoppers in a race for marked-down merchandise, it affirmed my fear of frenzied crowds.

Call me boring, but I would rather pay more than deal with big crowds.

But I do like a good sale. And I do like the fun of holiday shopping. So, I'm happy to report that Black Friday, the blockbuster shopping day right after Thanksgiving, is changing. It might even be a fading tradition.

Last month, Sears said it would offer Black Friday deals early. Such a strategy would produce a steady stream of shoppers instead of crushing crowds on a single day.

Then, this week, Walmart, largely because of the trampling death last year, said it had changed its policy and would no longer require people to camp out before it opened its doors for Black Friday sales.

For some, Black Friday shopping is as much a post-Thanksgiving traditionas leftover turkey sandwiches.

Are you one of those shoppers who likes a little adrenalin rush? Is Black Friday shopping a family tradition? Or do you prefer calm, peaceful holiday shopping?

How will you approach Black Friday? And tell us what lengths you've gone for a good deal.

Milk and Microbes Redux

Dr. Ricky — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:09:00 -0800

Well, this is about as no-nonsense as it gets.

From the website How Stuff Works: Is Raw Milk better for you?

It's not a long article, but it's well linked. And simply put - no evidence for it. And lots of evidence that it can harm you.

Burger Friday: Perry & Sons Market & Grille

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:20:24 -0800

Until one happy day last week, I always associated the unassuming little Perry & Sons Market & Grille with pork chops. Mighty pork chops, slow-smoked and swoon-worthy, to be snapped up for a bargain $8.99 as a Wednesday special, then...

Cookstr.com

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:53:00 -0800

I'm very pleased that I will be featured by them on November 16th.

Mikkeller Big Worse

tedo — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:38:00 -0800

We've been introduced to the greatness of the nomadic gypsy brewery Mikkeller with their tremendous Breakfast stout not to long ago. While that beer was not available in Texas, this one is. Big Worse is their Barleywine style beer and its brewed at the De Proef brewery in Belgium.
The Beer:b This one weighs in at 12.0% so you know this one is going to be a sipper. It pours a hazy chestnut brown with a thick taupe colored head. The nose is malty, dried fruit, figs, earthyness, toffee. The mouth is silky with very little carbonation. Rich dark fruits, sherry like qualities. Notes of figs, prunes, raisins, toffee. Incredibly its pretty easy drinking hiding its high alcohol, but its richness keeps it being a sipper. Some hop bitterness at the finish, not as much as an American Barleywine, but more than an English version, somewhere in the middle. It gives it a nice punch of bitterness against the richness of the malts. As it warms, you get some spiceyness, bourbon like qualities. Simply an amazing beer. This one gets a strong A from me. Here's what the folks at BA had to say.

Shoulda coulda?

Dr. Ricky — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:04:00 -0800

I was pondering that perhaps we did things wrong when we butterflied the pig for the pig roast earlier this year at the Great Western Casa McBardo. The problem with the way we did it (and mostly because of the way the dressed pig was prepared) is that the belly lost its integrity. What we needed to do better is to get a pig that was spatchcocked:

Not that I know any butchers that will spatchcock a pig.

Reaper Ale Sleighor

tedo — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:31:00 -0800

The ever growing list of new brewer's coming into Texas welcomes Reaper Ale Brewing out of Southern California. With a name like Reaper you can guess the theme of their beers. Cool website as well. Honestly I don't know much about their beers, or at least didn't before seeing this beer on the shelves of my local Spec's. But then again I can't turn down a Double IPA. As stated this is their DIPA, weighing in at 105 IBU's, finished with Centennial Hops, and dry hopped with Centennial, Chinook and Columbus.
The Beer: This DIPA weighs at 9.1% abv and pours a cloudy orangish color with a good dense head of off white foam. The nose is hoppy, boy is it ever. Grapefruit, jam, yeasts, toasty malts. The mouthfeel is medium to light body, but tongue coating hoppy. Grapefruit, biscuits, jammy. Good flavor all around, but not much intensity of flavor. Notes of white pepper biscuits grows as the beer warms. Notes of copper and just a bit of alcohol on the finish. A good beer, that I wish had just a little something more to offer. This one gets a B- from me. Here's what the folks at BA think.

Green beans and boar

Dr. Ricky — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:36:00 -0800

That's a wild boar sausage and green bean fritatta.

Blog on hold / Thai Curry did me in

anonymouseater — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:52:00 -0800

"I'm writing a book.

I've got the page numbers done."

-Steven Wright

This blog is going on hiatus for a while. I am suffering from a dreadful mental condition.

Writer's block

I write for a living. My law practice is writing. I teach a class on writing. I even am writing a book, which I have to finish by January.

So it makes no sense that I have writer's block. But I do.

A few weeks ago, I promised that my next post would be about Thai curry. I haven't been able to write that post -- or any post. For some reason, I lost all inspiration to write about food.

First Try: Asia Market

After starting a curry series, I knew I had to write about Thai curries. They are my favorite curry. But they also don't quite fit our concept of curry. Surely there would be much to write.

I sought inspiration in Asia Market's wonderful red curry, Kang Dang.

I planned to argue that Thai curry is not what we think of as curry. It is not a mix of dry spices. (Massamun is the exception). Instead, Thai curries are a mix of hot peppers, coconut milk, onion, kafir leaf, galangal or ginger, and other garden (or jungle) ingredients.

Thai curries are usually about the balance of the sweet creaminess of coconut milk and the heat of the peppers. They are not curries as in an earthy blend of spices, like an Indian or Pakistani curry.

Beyond that, I could not think of anything interesting to say. What to do? Maybe eat more curry?

Second Try: Vieng Thai

A curry on the menu at Vieng Thai caught my eye. Gang Pa is a "country-style red curry without coconut milk." I wondered, without coconut milk, would it still be Thai curry?

This dish was more like a spicy pepper soup. It lacked the sweet/spicy/sour balance of most Thai dishes. It was just spicy and sour, like a really peppery bowl of Tom Yum. Apart from the peppers, I couldn't decide what made it a curry.

So what is curry? Heck, I have no idea now. The word curry doesn't make any sense.

Is it a mix of spices? Not if you include Thai curry. Is it a hot and spicy sauce? Not if you include Japanese and French curries, which have little heat at all. Is it a thick Asian sauce? Not if you include Gang Pa, which has the consistency of a thin soup.

Worse, curry is a fascinating food. You could write a book about curry. But I can't. I seem to have lost the ability to say anything interesting about food at all.

Why a hiatus?

A few months ago on Technology Bytes, Jay Lee criticized Houston food bloggers. He asked what expertise they have to write about food. Is it because they eat? We all eat, Jay argued -- in his snarky way. So is everyone qualified to write a food blog?

I have no qualifications other than the fact that I think a lot about food and culture. [If I have something interesting to say, then I'm qualified.] But when I don't have anything interesting to say, Jay is right. There is no reason to write a blog.

The new restaurants are not inspiring . . . yet

Perhaps I will find inspiration in all the restaurants opening this fall. But probably not.

Straits is a good attempt at upscale Malaysian. But honestly I don't have much interesting to say about it that I haven't said about the more interesting, and cheaper Banana Leaf.

Haven might be worth a post or two - if it ever opens.

And Stella Solla is at least giving us a lot of gossip. But I don't write much gossip.

The other 10 or so high-profile restaurants opening this fall sound pretty dull, pretty mainstream.

New steak restaurants? Yawn. A seafood restaurant inspired by Boston's Legal Seafood? Yawn. A gastropub serving short ribs? Yawn. Italian restaurants by chefs or restauarantuers who peaked in 1990?

I could go on. The crop of new restaurants two years ago was fantastic, perhaps the best Houston has ever had.

This year, the bad economy means retreading, going with the safe bet, simple foods. I understand. I watch Gordon Ramsay. But I'm not inspired.

So for the next several months I am going to go to Disney World (Tim Keating is at Flying Fish), write my book (not about food), and practice law. Maybe the New Year will bring me some sort of inspiration.

Maybe we can talk more then.

Bye.

Five Guys fries its way into county

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:07:00 -0800

Are high-fives in order? I'm only asking because Five Guys Burgers and Fries is planning an eatery in League City's Victory Lakes Town Center, reports NewQuest Properties, the shopping center's developer.

Weren't we all just talking about Five Guys in this blog a few weeks ago? Some readers were wishing a Five Guys would open in the county.

The Arlington, Va.-based chain is planning a big push in the Houston area. The chain, which started in 1986, began turning up the heat on the local burger scene with plans to open in Nassau Bay Town Square, a 31-acre development at the intersection of NASA Parkway and Saturn Lane.

Five Guys, which boasts nearly 400 restaurants in 25 states, is best known for juicy burgers with unlimited toppings. But foodies also rave about the hot dog.

Is it made from real beaver?

Dr. Ricky — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:41:00 -0800

I have a burger buddy. We go out periodically for a burger - part of my personal quest to get over my general apathy for the burger. But we do have some great burgers in this city, and this week, we paid a visit to Beaver's for a Beaver burger. At $9, it's one of the pricier burgers we have sampled, and I was a little disappointed that it wasn't made from beaver meat (just kidding).

What the burger itself was made of is a proprietary mixture of beef, brisket and bacon - the killer Bs. And it makes for a killer burger. Juicy, flavorful, unctuous and unabashedly sinful, the burger, bread and cheese make for a gigglingly good sandwich. The problem comes in from the haphazard selection of sides that come with it. The thickly cut slab of tomato was mealy, and the novelty pickles don't seem to fit in. My companion frowned in distaste over the pickled cauliflower, and asked why can't she have some regular cucumber pickles. The pickles were like annoying scene stealers trying to distract from the good stuff. Moreover, there seems to be some kind of opposition to fries. You can get chips - not in the British sense - American style potato chips which were oddly tasteless.

Fortunately, you can swap them out for a serving of macaroni and cheese, and we recommend that highly. It's a very good casserole.

But through in slabs of bacon on a bacon suffused patty, and we learned to forgive the misdirections, and ordered the Beaver balls. Again, not made from beaver (thank heavens). They are deep fried crusted brownie balls. Served with some very good vanilla ice cream, and some powdered peanut butter (that my dining companion literally snorted...it's dangerous stuff). The dessert is definitely indulgent, and my main complaint is that there wasn't enough of the ice cream.

And my companion wanted more peanut butter.

Deck the City

Ruthie Johnson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:14:00 -0800

It is *splendid* outside right now. Absolutely splendid.

Yes, the weather’s nice and the livin’s easy. So where do you dine to take advantage of this fleeting joy? The problem is, no matter how nice the temp gets, “outdoor dining” here often means you’re sitting in a glorified parking lot. Never fear, gentle eaters! Here are a few selections to take your mind off Concrete City. Next stop, Niceville.

If it’s a burger you seek, head to Beck’s Prime on Augusta for a two-hander and one of the best milkshakes in town. Get yer grub on while you cool your jets under the shade of Houston’s largest tree, a great-granddaddy live oak. Little Big’s provides another option, and if you sit with your back to Montrose, you can *just* make out the downtown skyline among the Phone Pole Wasteland.

The Black Lab on Montrose gives you the unique opportunity to sample Houston’s finest cheese soup while you play a lifesize game of chess on the hedged-in front patio. Or get your Tex-Mex fix under the lighted palms on the back patio at El Pueblito. [Sigh!]

For something a little nicer, try the aptly named Treehouse on the Discovery Green; it’s American food and cocktails galore, elevated high(ish) into the downtown skyline. A true Houston jackpot is the Backstreet Café. If the food there weren’t so darn good, I’d attribute its 20-year success to the legendary garden deck. Or grab a date and take a strip mall hiatus at the Daily Review or Tiny Boxwood’s, which offer serene garden havens where you can wine, dine, recline, and refine. Hoo-ahhhh.

There’s plenty of beauty to be found in Houston’s madness -- Bodegas in the Museum District, Petrol Station in Oak Forest, Giacomo’s in River Oaks. Just keep your eyes peeled and your mind open. Any outdoor treasures I missed?

Midtown Mexican Madness

Jodie Eisenhardt — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:49:00 -0800

I seem to be on some kind of “chain binge” of late, which is (a) not like me and (b) helping me discover some great chow.

The most recent example of this would be at the new Ruby Tequila’s in Midtown (there’s another location in the Willowbrook area). This place is huge and it’s jumpin’ - especially for the “Wednesday Madness Menu” including $.99 draft beer, $1.99 margaritas and $11.99 fajitas along with plenty of other menu items discounted every Wednesday. It’s definitely a party with live music and lots of happy people (must be the drink specials!).

You’d almost worry that service would be slow or that your food might take forever but this is not the case. Speaking with the manager who stopped by to check on us, I learned that Ruby's prides itself on a super-quick turnaround even for large parties) which are all freshly prepared in the super-huge kitchen.

Everything is made on premise and this is a good thing, especially when it comes to the fab guacamole made tableside with your choice of ingredients AND your choice of “mash” (chunky, smooth or anywhere in between). That little amenity made me very happy and then I learned about the little squeeze o’ orange they offer up at the end which gives the guac a really nice bright shot of flavor. I was getting really happy! Another appetizer much enjoyed was the Queso Inferno with taco meat – cheesy, spicy, meaty with fresh, hot chips … mmmm.

So far, everything I’ve tried has been excellent (yes, I’ve been more than once now) including the beef fajitas which have big beefy flavor – not overly seasoned or “limey”. Just great quality fresh angus beef with a nice sear along with gorgeous house-made tortillas. I’ve also enjoyed some mains that are more “interior Mexican” style than Tex-Mex like the stellar Tacos de Res – soft corn tortillas stuffed with slow-cooked shredded brisket, served with a side rich, smoky bbq sauce. The Tacos de Comal have either “guajillo” beef tenderloin or chicken on the same soft corn tortillas. The guajillo pepper is rich, smoky and complex but not fiery hot and I appreciate that since sometimes heat can overrule everything else. This works especially well with the tender beef. Note the interesting side-dish option of “chile smashed potatoes” which are creamy, spicy and somehow work really well w/ the mains in spite of what you might think when you first read the words “smashed potatoes” on the menu.

In fact, the menu is huge with combination plates and things you’d expect plus a number of interesting-sounding items on the “grill section” including fish options and some pork chops with an ancho-chili glaze I look forward to trying. I have sampled the “St. Louis-style” pork ribs which were fall-off-the-bone tender and served w/ the spicy bbq sauce. Not exactly what you’d expect at a Mexican food place but why the hell not as long as they’re good and these certainly are delish.

I almost forgot to mention the vast margarita aspect of the menu. I am no connoisseur of margaritas because I really hate being hungover ...but I’m just sayin’ … there are LOTS of options including the “Dos Rita” which is a frozen margarita with an upside down bottle of Dos XX Amber in it. You’ll have to let me know how that one is. Oh and its only $4.99 on Wednesdays :)

Is this a good place to retire?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:27:00 -0800

The Los Angeles Times had an interesting article about Texas becoming a hot spot for retirees as Florida loses its appeal for many.

One of the retirees interviewed for the story lives in Galveston. The pros of living in Galveston are its relative affordability and access to the University of Texas Medical Branch, according to the woman interviewed in the article. The downside includes not-so-great transportation and lack of social services.

Real-estate market observers have been predicting baby boomers would in coming years flock to the Texas Coast, which would drive more development. That was before Hurricane Ike and the recession.

But catastrophic storms don't come around often and recessions don't last. Do you think retirees will boost the real estate market on the island and around the county? Is the Texas Coast a good place to retire? What do you think are the pros and cons?

Kulmbacher Eisbock

tedo — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:43:00 -0800

Its always nice to try new beers and living in Texas of late we are getting more opportunity than ever before to try new beers. Most of these beers are from American craft brewers but every once in a while we get a new import beer, this is one of those cases. However before getting into my review let's do an introduction to what is an Eisbock?
Beer Style: An Eisbock is one of the more unusual style of beers that Germany makes, and it has an interesting story to its discovery. Back in the 1800's a Bavarian barkeep (or some stories put it as his young assistant) left a keg of bock beer outside. It being a cold winter night, the beer was partially frozen. Depending on what story you hear, it was the last keg that the barkeep had and it was reluctantly used or the barkeep forced his young apprentice to drink what he thought was spoiled beer. Luckily for all of us it wasn't. What it was, was a syrupy concentrated beer, the water frozen, the alcohol remained concentrated throughout the rest of the beer. The German's named this new beer eisbock, more than likely a play on the other German speciality eiswine.
According to the BJCP the beer should have an aroma of rich intense malt and some alcohol presence. Its usually a deep rich copper to dark brown, very low carbonation and a full bodied mouthfeel. The flavor is of dark fruits, plums, prunes and grapes. There will be some alcohol presence in the flavor that should help balance the over all sweetness of the beer. Recognized to be a great digestif beer.
The Beer: The beer weighs in at a potent 9.2% and pours a very dark brown almost black with ruby highlights. Good sized tan colored head. The nose is malty, malty, malty, figs, plums, and just a mild bit of alcohol. The mouthfeel is thick, tongue coating, silky, no carbonation. Notes of figs and dried dark fruit. Coffee flavors, but not the burnt beans of a stout. Smooth and sweet, but not cloyingly so. Balanced by a mild burn of alcohol. A sipper for sure, a bit syrupy, but a wonderful dessert beer or just an after dinner drink with maybe a cigar. This I like, and must search out more of the style. This one gets an A- from me. Here's what the folks at BA had to sa y.

Caswell shuffles his chefs at Stella Sola

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:06:24 -0800

There's been so much advance buzz about chef Bryan Caswell's new Stella Sola, the Texas-Tuscan project still taking shape inside the former Bedford digs, that it comes as a shock to hear that Caswell shuffled his chefs just days into...

Inspired by Accident

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:26:00 -0800

The accidents in this case were the happy one of a visit from a loved friend. The difficult one was his being a vegan and I with just odds and ends in the house. I had beautiful turnips from the farmers' market, but no plan for cooking them. The goddess of cooks must have been feeling friendly. I got a really good recipe out of my stab. Look for it next week in the recipe section of barbara kafka. The other success was a new seasoning of chard. It goes with the leaves. Keep the stalks for another time. If the leaves are large tear them in two, otherwise, use whole. I stir fried them in a little olive oil--they shrink to nothing. They looked good, but somehow were a little flat. I had some candied ginger sitting on the counter. I hopped enough to make three tablespoons this was enough chard to fee four. I add the ginger to the stir fry and cooked a little longer. Very good. This was enough ginger for four ample portions.

A pair of Brooklyn Beers

tedo — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:25:00 -0800

If you've ever talked to me you know that I am a fan of brewer Garret Oliver, and his book Brewmasters Table made a huge impact on me and how I look at beer and food. Well a couple of weeks ago he was in Houston for the homebrewer's competition The Dixie Cup. As part of his visit he also did a tasting at our local Central Market and it was there that I got to spend some time talking to him. He's an extremely generous guy with his time and comes off completely genuine in his excitement of beer. It was also fun to get to talk to him about his beers and find out whats coming next. Good news: Monster Ale is coming and coming soon to Texas, we also may get some of the rarer beers as well that will be draft only. After talking beer with Mr. Oliver I just had to pick up some of his brews to drink at home. Unfortunately due to a work trip to Canada and a week of being sick its taken me this long to post on those beers.
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout: Now I tried this on draft at Flying Saucers Anniversary party, but it was nice to be able to sit down in a quiet place and really enjoy the beer. This weighs in at 10.0% and pours a dark pitch black with a thick tan colored head. Notes of chocolate, espresso, coffee, malts. The mouthfeel is creamy and lush. Dusted coco nibs, espresso and chocolate, some citrusy acidity notes. Damn Ice Cream would go wonderfully well with this. Great beer that gets an A- from me.
Local 2: The second brew in Brooklyns Local series. The first was a Belgian Golden ale, this one is a strong dark ale made with local New York honey. It weighs in at 9.0% and pours a dark rich brown with a thick dense head of taupe colored foam. The nose has some notes of honey, sweet malts and fruity esters. The mouthfeel is very effervescent, notes of honey, malts, sweet dried dark fruits. Very sweet up front, before finishing startlingly dry, much like a Brut Champagne. Notes of candied sugar mix with the richness of the dark fruits. An amazing food beer that would go with everything from grilled veggies to frites (which is what I had it with). This one again gets an A- from me.
Two great beers from Brooklyn Brewery.

That Gringo's rumor

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:54:00 -0800

Thursday I buzzed the rumor that Gringo's Mexican Kitchen, a popular eatery in Texas City, was planning a site in League City.

But officials in Gringo's La Porte corporate offices said there aren't any such plans in the works.

"Unfortunately, there is not any immediate truth to that," spokeswoman Heather McKeon said.

"We are always scoping out new locations, but have no immediate plans for League City."

Are you disappointed?

Immigrant to Grocery Row

Dr. Ricky — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:16:00 -0800

The area bordering I-10, Bunker Hill and Blalock is now Grocery Row - never mind the presence of the large mega mall near by, in this area, we have the huge HEB grocery, a Costco, the Korean supermart Super H-Mart, and now (grand opening today) , 99 Ranch market. The newest addition is ubiquitous chain in California, but this outpost is the first incursion in to the Texas market. They're not entering an easy situation - Houston already has its share of mega-Asian markets, ranging from Viet Hoa, to Hong Kong City Mall, and any number of additional markets around, mostly centered in the Southwest Bellaire region. And they all carry mostly the same goods, in roughly the same price range, so differentiating from each other will be difficult. The Sino-centric 99 Ranch is opening in an area at the moment served only by the Korean-centric markets, so they'll manage to distinguish themselves in this region. I paid a visit to them prior to their grand opening, when construction is still afoot in some small corners, and tenants are still sought for the small accessory store spaces in the building.

I happened to be parked next this spectacularly considerate (not) driver of a sports car.

So, how was it? On first blush, 99 Ranch compares well with other Asian supermarkets here - prices are comparable, produce is fresh (I couldn't help but pick up some really cheap fuyu persimmons), although some are prepackaged in plastic bags (ie, greens). Speaking of packaging, they're really overboard with the packaging here. I got things that were wrapped, wrapped again, and then bagged. Could just be the pre-opening jitters.

So, what is different? First, there is a more concerted effort to appeal to the Texan mainstream. Staffers are in all ethnic stripes, from Hispanic to Indian to the Caucasian lady manning the buffet line (more on that later). And they're all working extra hard to make a good impression this early in the game. A necessary consequence is the effort to communicate in English, even if the customer appears to understand Chinese or Vietnamese. In another nod to the neighborhood which can be cash averse, credit card terminals are everywhere, and unlike in the Bellaire shops, they don't request (require) a minimum to charge.

Unlike the other Sino-centric shops in town, they have a dedicated Indian Foods section. Not just an aisle, but a separate alcove complete with freezer section and displays.

But what will bring me back here would be things that I can only locate in this store. And that will come from the prepared foods that they sell here. Despite the appeal to American mainstream sensibilities (ie, labeling pictures of zongzi with "Chinese Tamales"), the air of authenticity shines in the food court. I found a counter selling Sichuan style cold snacks and pickles. The dimsum counter sells various dumplings and snacks appealing to the Chinese tastes - I picked up a sizeable bowl of beef noodle soup for $3.

The takeaway buffet line is an interesting concept. You get either a small ($3.50) or a large container ($5), go through the steam table, and pile on whatever you want. As long as the container still closes, that's the price you pay. Dishes on the steam table are not the usual sorry state of fried crap found in "Chinese" buffets around town. This small unapologetic table carried bitter melon stir fried with beef, and whole small fish (head still attached, yes), and mushroom and tofu stew. Turnover appeared brisk.

Over on the sushi counter (yes, a sushi counter - they did carry sashimi grade fish here), I spotted maki made with purple rice. Hmm...I didn't think that stuff made for good sushi. But the presentation was eye-catching.

The bakery, though, called Desir, is probably the mini-store I'll come back here for. For one thing, most of the loaves of bread are packaged without the "end cap" crusty slices...and all those endcap slices are packed together and sold for cheap. A very practical solution, no unexpected in Chinese immigrant sentiments. The bread here is of the fine textured sort favored in Asia, not quite that crusty, although I did find a walnut "bagel" - which didn't have the same chewiness as a regular bagel. I saw bags of pan de sal as a nod to Filipino clientele, but didn't have a chance to sample them.

Pasteis de belen - I picked up and tried this properly labeled "Portuguese egg tart". Unlike the flat, yellow tarts common in dimsum houses, these tarts are sunken in the middle and browned, indicated a rapid, high heat baking. But creamy on the inside, not too sweet, with a nice flaky crust.

Pork sung and radish pinwheels. Another innovative thing I tried are these pinwheels made from the same steamed dough as mantou, but rolled around pickled radish, and flaked dried pork. Sweet, savory, and texturally a riot.

I also tried this "teriyaki bun" - those things that look like wood shavings are shaved dried bonito (often used to make Japanese dashi). The teriyaki glazed bun is baked around...a fish ball. Probably made from pollock.

An intriguing store, worthy of additional visits.

A5 Kobe Beef at Vic & Anthony's

Houston Foodie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:13:00 -0800

Kobe beef probably isn't what you think it is. The term "Kobe beef" gets thrown around alot — you see it on some high-end steak house menus in Houston, and more ubiquitously on burger joint menus as a "Kobe burger."

A tale of two tenderloins: USDA Prime (left), A5 Kobe (right)

There's a certain mystique about Kobe beef, vaguely associated with fat, docile cows from Japan that get massaged with sake and force-fed beer through a tube. Though it's sometimes hard to separate hype from reality — the steak from the sizzle if you will — one thing's for sure: real Kobe beef is very hard to come by.

Carlos Rodriguez knows this. He's the Concept Chef (i.e. head honcho) at Vic & Anthony's in downtown Houston. He's spent the last three years trying to source the real Kobe beef to serve here in Houston. Problem is, what limited supply there is gets shipped to cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Las Vegas. Recently, he was able to work through a broker in New Jersey to have the Kobe beef shipped directly from Japan. This past Friday he started serving a five ounce tenderloin of real Kobe beef for an admittedly eye-popping $130.

all kinds of vegetarian from a can

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:51:44 -0800

This dish can be made all kinds of better with the addition of pork. But should you not happen to have pork in the fridge, it is just as good as is, and best of all, the ingredients keep indefinitely thank you gods of canning. It happened to be one of my very favorite Szechuan dishes as a kid, and my mom made it faithfully every time I came home to visit. I don’t make it much at home as the flavors are a bit pungent, but your family may be more friendly to it than mine! The beauty of this dish is its simplicity (not just the can factor) – the flavors are very basic and can be easily adjusted to taste. There are three main components:

First, you take a can of Radish Chinois:

You will find this in a Chinese grocery store. It says it is a Chinese radish, which, if you Google it, will probably only turn up daikon, but I am fairly sure it is a pickled Chinese mustard green. This is fairly salty and spicy. When it comes out of the can it looks like this:

Slice the radishes thinly into matchsticks.

Similarly, get yourself a can of bamboo. Being Taiwanese, I am partial to the Wei Chuan brand:

As an added bonus, you can buy this already cut into matchsticks! It’s not cheating, I promise. Drain all the liquid from the bamboo and slice (if necessary) similar to the pickled Chinese radish. This is your slightly bitter but mostly neutral component.

The last ingredient is some string beans pickled in brine. This ingredient is the only ingredient not canned. It is, however, vacuum packed, and as such, lasts indefinitely in your fridge. These brined string beans are severely salty. I would recommend soaking them and rinsing well before cooking with them.

The string beans come out looking like a tangled, Medusa like web of greens. Simply slice them into segments roughly as long as your matchsticks and you’re good to go!

Mince some garlic and brown in some hot vegetable oil.

Add all three chopped ingredients to taste (pickled+spicy/bitter/salty). Stir fry until hot and cooked through – just a few minutes. If you’re doing pork, thinly slice the pork and dredge it in a little cooking wine and cornstarch before stir frying it, for texture. Stir fry it first, then set it aside. Add it at the last minute.

Serve hot with lots of jasmine rice!

New Menu Items for Fall at Shade ...

Jodie Eisenhardt — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:01:00 -0800

I don’t go to Shade often enough. One of the city’s best restaurants is just a few blocks away and while I pop in for lunch fairly often, I definitely don’t go often enough for dinner.

I had a fabulous meal there this week amongst the new Fall menu items (not yet listed on their website). The Pan Seared Duck Breast and Leg Confit over sweet corn-poblano pudding, braised collard greens and ancho red wine reduction was a revelation. The duck was cooked perfectly (and I love that they use more than just the breast).It had a gorgeous sear and depth of flavor that was perfectly complimented by the ancho red wine reduction as well as the collards. The corn-poblano pudding was moist and delicious. I was also reminded of the stellar breads Shade bakes on premise and I plan to return soon for more of the fall menu, including a “buttermilk fried rabbit loin” … mmmm.

I’m now even more excited about Claire Smith’s new venture, “Canopy” scheduled to open at the end of November on Montrose for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week! See the post on Cleverley’s blogtoday.

Offal Obsession

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:11:00 -0800

I return to my last blogs with my usual tenacity. You must tell me if I am talking to myself--a bad sign.
Offal, innards and their many varieties interest me because I like to eat them and have enjoyed them as parts of many regional dishes.Although often to food of the poor, they are also the signature dishes of the foods of many countries. I did mention kidneys, sweetbreads, tongue and others; but a appalled to notice that I left out tripe needed for the New Year's celebration food in Mexico, menudo, and compound dishes such as head cheese (tete de Veau) and haggis. I cannot claim to be equally fond of all of them; but it is impossible to know the cooking of their traditional countries such as the many sausages made with these organ meats or the mixed grills such as kokoretsu.
Now, what do you think? what interests you?

English Innards

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:47:00 -0800

I thank Paul Levy for his excellent comment-contribution. Do see my comment. Getting positively Talmudic.

Genius!

Dr. Ricky — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:25:00 -0800

I encountered these in a party I recently attended. Ever been in a party, and whether in a state of inebriation or not, you can't remember which cup you were using? No problem, you end up getting another cup...and another one...and another one. Pretty soon, the host has to clean up after all these phantom half cups of beer or what not lying around. Never mind the environmental impact. Some party hosts try to get guests to label their cups, but who could be bothered? And not to mention the pen always gets lost.

Well, these cups come with a scratch-off side that lets you personalize your cup simply by scratching out a distinctive pattern on the side. You don't need a pen, a key, or heck, a fingernail will suffice. And should cut down the wastage.

Of course, now you can *really* target that sleeping pill to the right cup...

Mystery of the Pan de Muertos

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:45:38 -0800

Something's puzzling me. On Halloween day I went for a late breakfast at Taqueria del Sol, near my neighborhood on the East End. A panaderia adjoins the dining room, and as I left--passing a paunchy gentleman dressed as a bumblebee--I...

Murdoch's Pier makes quiet return

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:42:00 -0800

Some readers e-mailed to report the return of Murdoch’s Pier, a landmark Seawall business smashed to bits by Hurricane Ike a little more than a year ago. It’s a big deal. I know. The shop on a pier over the Gulf of Mexico made international news when Hurricane Ike left nothing of it but a gutted shell.

Some readers were astonished the paper would snub such an event. The rebuilding of such an iconic island establishment has been an uplifting symbol of island recovery. Its return snuck up on me. And in my defense, I was on vacation. And, Jim Little, whose family owns the world famous souvenir shop, was going for a soft opening, he said. So no, I wasn't snubbing Murdoch's. I promise.

Little and family plan a bigger to-do when the shop, which started in the 1800s renting bathing suits and showers to visitors, makes a complete return.

The east side of the building, where Murdoch’s sells gifts, T-shirts, lamps and other popular island merchandise, is renovated and open. The west side of the building, where Murdoch’s serves snacks and beverages, likely will open before Thanksgiving, which is Nov. 26, Little said.

Murdoch's is working to sort out a phone problem and I plan to follow up with Little in a few days to see whether he has it resolved. But the shop is welcoming customers. Stay tuned. And meanwhile, share some Murdoch memories.

Squeamishness

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:09:00 -0800

There was a time when beef tongue, veal tongue, lamb kidneys and sweetbreads were eaten and frequently found on menus, often as treats. They seem to have disappeared from home cooking. I am going to try to bring them back. They are low in fat, high in protein and often delicious. Most of us seem to eat chicken or calve's liver without a qualm; but other meats that proclaim their anatomical origins give many of us the shivers. It's a pity since they add variety to the menu. They are harder to get than they used to be as they are often frozen in bulk or cryovacked in large amounts. Pestering butchers is worth doing not only for ourselves, but also for those who might relish these delicacies.

Flying Saucer Pie Company

tshu — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:37:00 -0800

I must confess: I'm a pie guy. I love cake too, but if I had to choose, it would totally be pie. True, bad pie is an abomination (if you've ever had a crappy apple pie from a grocery store, you know what I'm talking about), but unlike bad cake, bad pie can sometimes be saved. I once resurrected a crappy pecan pie from Kroger by taking a slice and slapping it upside down on a hot cast iron skillet a la Camellia Grill (even better with vanilla ice cream). Cake tends to get churched up in all sorts of whacky, crazy dessert lists, but pie always reminds me of the holidays.

If your preference for pie leans more towards the Good Housekeeping Illustrated vs the French Laundry cookbook, then the Flying Saucer Pie Company is for you. Fruit pies are thickened with cornstarch and cream pies are layered with an inch of whipped topping. These are the pies your mother and grandmother would make if she still made pies. All pies are supported by a uniform crust with a great crumbly texture, and just a hint of salt.

In November, any discussion about Flying Saucer absolutely must include the madhouse that is the few days before Thanksgiving. For those who haven't experienced it firsthand, think mad dash to Space Mountain when Disney World opens its gates. The line inevitably winds down Crosstimbers, and nerves begin to show. Last Thanksgiving, I watched a view of the line from the local news helicopter and laughed at the play by play tweets from those in the trenches.

A few words of advice from my wife, who has experienced the line every year from the last decade: DON'T attempt to cut the line or fistfights will occur. DO wear warm clothes if the temps drop. DON'T wait for an hour plus and buy one pie. That's just stupid talk. Best to draw straws and have one person buy for your group of friends/family. DON'T have your heart set on one kind of pie. Have a backup plan in case the pie(s) you want sell out. It will happen, so be prepared. DO bring your patience.

Details
436 W. Crosstimbers
Monday, November 23 7:00am to 7:00pm
Tuesday, November 24 7:00am to 7:00pm
Wednesday, November 25 7:00am to 5:00pm

First taste of Vallone's Ciao Bello

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:48:47 -0800

How convenient that Ciao Bello, the casual Italian spot just opened by the legendary Tony Vallone and his son Jeff, already looked like a semi-swanky Italian restaurant. Alison CookThe dining room at Ciao Bello. Before it was Jimmy Wilson's--the very...

Food in disguise

Dr. Ricky — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:59:00 -0700

Happy Halloween, everyone! Okay, never mind the usual celebration of death and the macabre, Halloween has morphed into one about costumes and disguise. I mean, really, how does dressing up as the Octomom count as a scary costume? :) I kid, I kid.

There's a lot of the "traditional" foods which tend to be high in sugar and whimsy. But really, shouldn't we just extend it to foods dressing up. For example, at San San...

where vegetables dress up as meat! I passed up on the array of smoked vegetarian "duck" and vegan sausages, and settled on a large tub of "Nutrition Congee"

Despite the pallid gray color, the porridge is chock full of nuts and beans, and is quite savory, with ample umami from the use of dried mushrooms. The dried tofu, gluten blocks, and other ingredients supply a nice textural contrast. I'd try this in place of your usual microwave oatmeal some morning.

With a side of bacon.

Burger Friday: Cheeburger Cheeburger

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:59:45 -0700

"Welcome to the most creative and fun restaurant on Earth!" trumpets the menu at Cheeburger Cheeburger in Vintage Park mall. The lone Houston outpost of the Florida-based chain wants you to "invent your own taste!", see, so you had better...

Curry part 2 - Japanese curry

anonymouseater — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:23:00 -0700

It may be a lowly, fast-food dish in Japan, often prepared from a sauce mix. Yet Japanese curry is one of my favorite Japanese dishes -- and one of my favorite curries.

Its personality differs from the curries of India, Pakistan, and Malaysia. The best version I have found is at Kubo's Cafe in the Bellaire Chinatown.

Is it curry or is it roux?

The word "curry" is confusing. In Japan, there is a distinction between curry sauce and roux. The roux is the base and is often as simple as curry powder and flour cooked in oil. The roux is then used to make a curry sauce which includes other, chunkier, ingredients like meat or potatoes.

Yet every version of Japanese "curry rice" that I ordered in the U.S. serves only the roux. Other ingredients -- rice, pickled vegetables and someimes a side protein -- are served on the side. At Kubo's, you can order just curry rice, or curry sauce with beef, chicken, pork katsu, or shrimp tempura.

Curry with Japanese personality

Curry came to the Japanese via the Europeans, not from India. So you might look at Japanese curry as a dumbed-down, milder version of an Indian curry that appeals to an audience afraid of too much spice.

But that is not how I look at it. Sure, the personality of Japanese curry couldn't be more different from the Malaysian dry curry I described in part 1. But the personality seems inherently Japanese.

The texture is smooth and delicate, almost creamy. There are no lumps. The roux is, more than anything else, consistent.

The flavors are beefy, mustardy, and slightly spicy. Yet no one flavor stands out. And every bite tastes exactly the same.

The flavor is unified, and distinctive. If you did a blindfolded tasting of curries from 10 countries, the Japanese version would be easy to identify.

This curry makes sense in light of the Japanese aesthetic, which values simplicity and an almost obsessive pursuit of perfection.

Why do I like it so much?

I should prefer the intense spice, variety, and earthy grittiness of the Malaysian curry. But something about Japanese curry is more comforting, almost addictive.

Perhaps it is the texture, almost exactly like my East Texan grandmother's cream gravy. But it also has something to do with that distinctive Japanese curry flavor.

Unfortunately, Japanese curry rice has been hard to find in Houston. Most Japanese restaurants don't serve it -- since it isn't sushi. I became addicted to it 18 years ago in Boston, and have had a hard time finding it here ever since. Fortunately, Kubo's Cafe now serves 6 varieties, all with that same roux.

If you like some heat, like I do, make sure you get one of the small red tubes containing Japanese crushed pepper. Ten or so dashes of pepper it just as hot as a curry from India or Pakistan.

And nothing beats a spicy, smooth gravy.

Next: Thai Curry

Halloween Quiz

anonymouseater — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:54:00 -0700

I'll get back to curry later today.

For now, try this Halloween quiz: Can you guess what this dish is and what Houston restaurant was fearless enough to serve it last weekend?

When I was in 5th grade, my school had a haunted house. My job was to prepare foods, like cold spaghetti in ketchup, that felt gross. Guests would stick their hands in a hole in a box and feel the foods. Of course, the guests were told that they were feeling something's (or someone's) cold organs.

Is this dish the same sort of imitation? Or is it the real deal?

(Hint: this dish was awfully tasty.)

UPDATE: The dish, served by the folks at Feast, was "cold pigs brains on toast with green sauce."

It had a very mild liver-like flavor. The texture was glorious -- soft, moist, fluffy, almost gelatinous. It reminded me of a delicate, pate mousse.

Of course, it looked exactly like brains -- which may explain why my wife placed a bite in her mouth, but simply could not swallow it.

She missed out.

You can eat that

Dr. Ricky — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

I once watched an episode of Morgan Spurlock's "30 Days", where his then girlfriend complained about how tight their food budget was, at the same time cutting up some broccoli florets, and throwing the stems away. I was horrified by the hypocrisy - broccoli stems are definitely quite edible, and in fact, perhaps more versatile than the florets themselves.

Which lead me to thinking about all those edible things that most Americans throw away. The wastefulness is appalling sometimes. I'm not even talking about the delicious animal parts like fish heads and beef tongue. For example: the rind on brie is quite edible. Some may even say it's an important part of the brie eating experience (as it is a part of the mold that is responsible for brie's distinctive flavor and character). Cauliflower leaves are quite edible, so just chop up the whole head, and cook away. At least potato skins have made their way into regular restaurant items (albeit loaded with sufficient fat to mask it's prior discard status :).

As we enter the season for the hard winter squashes - here's a tip I learned from Nigella Lawson - you don't have to peel butternut squash. I noticed that this seems to be the case for just about most winter squashes - acorn, butternut, kabocha - when baked, the peel can be eaten. Easier - and adds to your fiber.

Top Chef travesties: the season so far

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:11:06 -0700

[Guest blogger Melissa Cook returns from her self-imposed exile to comment on the Top Chef season so far. She reports from her perch in Monkton Ridge, Vermont, where all the dogs are exceptional and all the hay bales are good-looking.]...

Curry part 1 - dry Malaysian curry

anonymouseater — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:22:00 -0700

Thinking about curries

This is the time of year for spices. In summer, I avoid spice. It overpowers the garden flavors of summer vegetables and fresh herbs.

But when the weather starts to get cold, I hit the spice cabinet.

Last weekend, I did my annual spice cleaning and replacement. I noticed some spices that I had used very little -- fenugreek, turmeric, coriander. Those spices started me thinking about curry.

As much as I love curries, the word curry is troubling. It raises a lot of questions:

What is curry? Is it a blend of spices (or is that masala)? Or is it just a word for certain Asian sauces? If so, what is common to curry?

Is the word just a Western oversimplification of flavors we don't quite understand? Or is there really a category of food that is rightfully called curry?

I don't know the answers -- at least not yet. But I am going to try to find out.

Malaysian dry curry

Perhaps the best place to start thinking about curry is Malaysia.

Malaysian dry curries strike me as the essence of curry. The gritty curry you get on beef rendang looks like coarse spices resting in a small amount of oil. The flavor is full of intense spices, but not particularly hot spices. Malaysian curry tastes primitive; it tastes of-the-earth.

But the reality is a little more complicated than that.

At Banana Leaf in the Bellaire Chinatown, I ordered Banana Leaf Curry Chicken. The plate consists of hacked up chunks of bone-in, dark meat with a rendang-like sauce.

It is a dish that makes you focus on spice flavors. At one moment, the flavor is cardamom. Then ginger and garlic. And more than anything else, I taste the earthiness of cumin.

This curry looks like a simple mix of spices cooked in in oil. But it is more complex. The base is coconut meat -- an ingredient whose flavor I don't detect in the final sauce. But coconut meat may explain the gritty texture.

It also is not a simple dish. Malaysian curries are often cooked for a long time, sometimes hours.

The curry's personality

My theory is that every curry has a personality. Sometimes the personality reflects the culture. Sometimes it may not.

The personality of dry Malaysian curry is deceptively simple, basic, and masculine. Its texture is oily, gritty, primative. It changes from bite-to-bite as different spices step forward to assert themselves. Yet it is not a curry that allows any other flavor to dominate the raw earthiness of the spices. There is no sweet coconut here, no peppery heat -- just spice.

This is a curry that demands one thing: "The spice must flow."

Next: Japanese curry

In Season: King crab pappardelle at Vic & Anthony's

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:05:51 -0700

For another week or so, while Vic & Anthony's chef Carlos Rodriguez is getting fresh, never-frozen king crab from Jim Gossen at Louisiana Foods, the restaurant's startlingly good crab pappardelle dish is particularly worth ordering. Alison CookPappardelle with fresh king...

Milk and Microbes Part 2: A change of tone

Dr. Ricky — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:21:00 -0700

The earlier portion of this two part blog post is linked here.

Morgan Weber of The Orchard Chronicles contacted me about the part 1 of these connected blog posts, and was both civil and gracious. I admit that the initial tone I had set may appear somewhat adversarial, but my intent, as always, is simply to educate and inform. Morgan has taken down the posting about the "Campaign for Real Milk" down to edit it. I commend him for it. I hope I can help in its clarification.

5. Who was Weston A. Price?

One of the statements in the original "Campaign" article was an attribution that milk "has an unbelievable immune system". Paraphrasing, the idea is that when gallons of raw milk are injected with high amounts of Salmonella, "Staph Aureas", E. coli O157 : H7 and other pathogens, and allowed to sit for a while, the pathogens eventually died off, proof that the raw milk rejects potentially deadly bacteria. This work was credited to researchers from the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Who was Weston A. Price, anyway? And what is the deal with this foundation? Is it a research institution?

Weston A. Price was a dentist who lived in the turn of the 20th century who espoused a belief that sugar not only cause tooth decay, but social and moral decay as well. These conclusions were and are controversial, in part due to some flaws in his design. The Foundation was set up to archive and propagate these beliefs, that a return to an aboriginal diet is better for humanity. Near as I can tell, the Foundation does not conduct or fund any scientific research, rather is built more on activism and lobbying. The quarterly journal they publish isn't peer reviewed nor necessarily recognized as a scientific resource.

Nonetheless, I think the interpretations about the "immune system" in milk likely come from an article written in the Foundation's journal by one Ted Beals, a retired pathologist who is a member of the Michigan Fresh Unprocessed Whole Milk Workgroup called "A Campaign for Real Milk", that is mostly a critique of the article "Does raw milk kill pathogens?" presented by Amanda Rose at the American Veterinary Medical Association conference in 2009. Rose's paper concludes that whatever pathogen killing properties raw milk has is so low as to be unreliable.

Beals' article proceeds to nitpick Rose's article citation by citation, which can be rather tedious, but I'll highlight just one example:

In another cited paper, researchers Massa, Goffredo, Altieri and Natola inoculated seven different strains of E. coli O157:H7 into fresh unprocessed whole milk to determine their fate after days of storage (Letters in Applied Microbiology 28(1):89-92). Like Doyle and Roman, they spiked the milk with extraordinarily high numbers of each pathogen (1,000,000 per ml — Doyle and Roman used 10,000,000 per ml). Even with these huge numbers of pathogens, the E. coli O157:H7 strains failed to grow and died off gradually. Actually, the purpose of this research was not to determine whether the pathogens were being killed, but whether it was acceptable to store milk at 8°C ( 46°F) rather than the standard 5° C (41° F). The authors conclude that the colder temperature should be used as the standard. tive inhibition properties of fresh raw milk. [italics mine]

Here is an excerpt from the abstract from the original Massa et al paper:

...There was essentially no change in the viable population of three EHEC strains for up to 14 d. The remaining four strains showed an increase in population from ³2 log to 3 log cfu ml−1 in a time period of between 9 and 17 d. The results indicate good survival or even multiplication of E. coli O157 : H7 in raw milk when stored at 8 °C and reafﬁrm the need for pasteurization and holding the milk at >=5 °C. [italics mine]

Note how the exact opposite conclusion is derived by Beals. This type of argument, where looking for incompleteness in the scientific evidence as proof of the counterargument is a logical fallacy commonly employed by creationists and other pseudoscientific movements. By invoking scientific terms and papers, they ride upon the credibility of scientists but really deploy a different message altogether. Of course, writing is also more entertaining when there is a duality to be presented.

Back to pasteurization and raw milk. Cornell University has put together a website that links together many resources behind the science and technology of modern milk production. Fact is, prior to pasteurization, 25% of all food and water borne illnesses can be traced to milk. The implementation of pasteurization has dropped that rate to less than 1%. The antimicrobial compound lactoferrin is naturally found in milk, but is very dilute. But here's the important fact: it is not affected by pasteurization.

In many cases, people will want to consume raw milk regardless of the scientific evidence. The evidence for any health benefits from raw milk is tenuous at best, and the potential public health problems are a proven historical fact, but I also happen to think that individuals have a right to decide what to do with their lives so long as they don't harm someone else in the process. So, go into it with open eyes: consuming unpasteurized milk is a risky activity. Like unprotected sex, or Russian roulette, or skydiving. And people undertake those risks, anyway. Just don't delude yourself (or others) about it.

Thanks for reading.

Vegan Dining to the Max

Ruthie Johnson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:34:00 -0700

There are four reasons why I could never be vegan, and their names are Red Hawk, Milk in My Coffee, Butter, and Macaroni and Cheese... Pleased to meet you. I do, however, hold a healthy respect for anyone with willpower enough to strike these demonic joys from their lives. I couldn’t do it, for sanity’s sake, yet I envy their healthy digestion :)

I attended last night’s vegan dinner at Beaver’s to satisfy a long-standing curiosity. My concept of vegan foods had been the nasty-looking bulgur and oat cakes wrapped in plastic next to the cash register at coffee shops in San Francisco and Austin. Is that all there is to it? I was dying to see what some of Houston’s most celebrated chefs could do with the genre.

And I was not disappointed. I left the festively *rad* evening 100% stuffed and begging host Jonathan Jones to please have a similar dinner in the spring when we have entirely new crop of vegetables to choose from. Yup, my first meatless, cheese-free, all-vegan, no-butter experience was just that good. Here’s a rundown in case you’d like to satisfy your curiosity, too.

Amuse: Fantastically rich Forest mushroom shooter with soy; could have been my favorite dish... (David Coffman, Benjy’s)

1) Delicious Brussels sprouts with chestnut pesto (Monica Pope, t’afia)

2) A lightly-dressed Persimmon and radish salad, red Cerignola and green Castelvetrano olives, and arugula (Monica Pope, t’afia)

3) Creamy-without-cream roasted red pepper and garlic hummus with house-made crackers (Russell Kirkham, Beaver’s)

4) Fall-tastic pumpkin-cushaw squash and ginger risotto with smoked corn (Russell Kirkham, Beaver’s)

5) Heirloom grits cooked in corn juice (giving the dish an incredible enhanced flavor), corn ricotta, and salsify, and cooked in the style of bacon (Randy Rucker, Tenacity Supper Club)

Intermezzo: Carbonated grapes, orange ice, celery root soy bubbles (David Coffman, Benjy’s)

6) Another candidate for my favorite dish: Salt-cured smoked tofu, sloppy BBQ with wild mushrooms, crispy garlic, sweet potato vine (Jonathan Jones, Beaver’s)

7) Interpreted Fall colors of New England as described by Alison Cook: potato risotto under foam (Randy Rucker, Tenacity Supper Club)

8) Abalone mushroom “lasagna,” smoked turnip “cheese,” Texas eggplant bolognese; wins the award for most creative (Jonathan Jones, Beaver’s)

9) Savory with sweet: Roasted pear tart with mushroom iced tea (Plinio Sandalio, Textile)

10) Decadent sweet potato beignets (Plinio Sandalio, Textile)

11 and 12) Autumn cake with candied carrots and pistachio (not pictured) and an amazing I-don’t-miss-butter-at-all “Hostess Cupcake” with vegan buttercream (Jody Stevens, Jodycakes)

to-mah-to to-may-to

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:19:50 -0700

Ok! So I know my last two posts have been on how fall-like the weather is here and how lovely it is for stews and soups and so forth. I’m going to throw everyone for a loop here, but I do live in Texas, where it can be 60 and gorgeous one day, blazing and 90 the next. So here’s a delicious, fresh and simple cherry tomato recipe for those of you lucky enough to be still getting beautiful cherry tomatoes. I made chicken escoffier (according to Alice Waters) which involved chicken, bread crumbs, and… butter. A quick fridge survey turned up some shallots and tomatoes, a trip to the garden for rosemary and wham bam thank you ma’m, dinner is served:

summery cherry tomatoes

Chop a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and heat in a skillet with butter. Slice 3-4 shallots thin and saute until brown and crispy. Working quickly, place halved cherry tomatoes cut side down over the hot shallots in the skillet and char on their cut sides. Let sit for a couple minutes, then stir, remove from heat and serve. This quick method of cooking ensures the tomatoes remain juicy, plump and fresh tasting while still getting a bit soft from the heat.

Loves Me Some Chicken and Waffles

Ruthie Johnson — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:49:00 -0700

Without a doubt, chicken-and-waffles is one of the best inventions to come out of the 1800’s, right alongside the light bulb, the telephone, and industrialization. Seriously. More recently, this historically soulful concoction has found a little cubbyhole in my heart that I never knew existed. And while I generally don’t love mixing savory with sweet, I’ve developed a shameful lust for C-n-W that demands to be fed.

To that end, I’ve been making my way around town in hopes of locating the very best iteration. Fried Chicken? Awesome. Waffles? Awesome. Fried chicken and waffles together? Triple awesome.

It may sound obvious, but chicken-and-waffles is essentially two dishes cooked separately, then smashed together. What I’ve learned is that most restaurants place *great* emphasis on one half, while completely disregarding the other. For shame! Research below.

The Breakfast Klub
This place is firstly famous for its Wings and Waffles dish, and indeed the chefs here crank out batch after batch after batch, breakfast and lunch, Monday through Saturday. In terms of experience, no one beats these guys. As expected, the chicken here is 100% incredible, but they have *got* to do something about their chewy, reheated, Eggo-like waffles which do this dish a severe injustice.

Max’s Wine Dive
The Sunday brunch menu is where you’ll find Max’s Wing Cakes, an enormous plate of beautifully seasoned fried chicken waaaangs served over pancakes. Not surprisingly, the chicken here is great -- golden, spicy, and without grease oozing out everywhere. But the pancakes are just average. Also? They’re not waffles. And honestly? It seems semi-wrong to eat soul food in a wine bar. Just sayin’.

Dry Creek
Dry Creek’s brunch menu features crispy wings over Grandma’s Waffle. This was, by far, the best waffle of the lot -- airy, thick, and golden -- but the fried chicken was an overly-breaded salty pool of grease. Yikes! If we could only get the waffle peeps here to meet the chicken peeps at The Breakfast Klub, we’d be in Wings ‘n Waffle heaven. Only I don’t think that’s happening this century. Poochie.

Lola
This new Heights diner serves chicken-and-waffles all day. I went in with low expectations (Lola is new, after all), and was pleasantly surprised by the gold-medal goodness. The fruit-laden waffle is nicely crisp and the chicken is expertly breaded, then fried without a mess of excess grease. While the waffle, itself, is a bit chewy, this dish is great. Theo didn’t like his, but I truly enjoyed mine.

Sparkle’s
Sparkle’s hamburger joint has exactly the ambiance you seek for chicken-and-waffles. It’s a run-down shack on a run-down corner south of downtown. Perhaps my expectations were a little too high when I laid eyes on the place because I was severely disappointed with the food. The chicken was *beyond* salty and the waffle, tough. They are not afraid of the butter (as noted in the picture below), but even that godly substance couldn’t jack the love.

Despite their ups-and-downs, I’ve enjoyed most iterations of the dish, at least to some extent. However, I definitely haven’t found the golden standard. Any suggestions?

The hot beverage triumvirate

Dr. Ricky — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:19:00 -0700

This week, Tara Dooley wrote an excellent article describing the new higher end coffee scene in Houston. I spoke to many who seem to think that the epitome of good coffee is found in overpriced green adorned coffee cups, and aren't even aware of the artisan nature of some baristas - in contrast to the coffee worshiping culture of the Pacific Northwest.

That said, we also have at least three different teahouses in Houston, staffed and run by people as passionate about tea as the baristas so mentioned in the article, yet I have not seen too many mainstream articles written about them. Tea offers an even wider range of flavors and ritual, yet plays second fiddle to the coffee mainstream. Put on your conspiracy hats, I'll seed the rumor mill - maybe it's because the teahouses are run by women, whereas baristas tend to be male. I have no basis behind that speculation. I'll admit to having some distaste for coffee, while liking some teas and tisanes.

But much as I (and some others) may grouse about how tea is treated in the coffee dominated world, that pales in comparison to the sheer neglect hot chocolate or cocoa gets treated in America. Culturally considered a seasonal drink for cold weather (never mind that the same people will quaff boiling coffee even in the peak of summer), hot chocolate is seen mostly as vehicle to deliver milk. Most places fall back on industrial mockolate syrup as sufficient for making the beverage, as if simply an excuse to say that they have something for the ones with a sweet tooth. In fact, most commercially prepared hot chocolate barely uses chocolate at all! Chocolate, of course, carries equal complexity and variety to coffee, in sourcing, ingredients and preparation. Try a Jacques Torres Wicked Hot Chocolate, prepared the right way, and you can taste the true potential in the beverage beyond simply appealing to the kiddie sweet tooth.

bivalve throwdown

neverfull — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:01:00 -0700

i've stuffed you with fried chicken and then pork belly until you couldn't move anymore. next up is OYSTERS! the 3rd in the series of houston chowhounds chef throwdowns is coined the bivalve throwdown or #BVTD on twitter.

bryan caswell and bill floyd from REEF are graciously hosting this shindig on Sun, Nov 8th from 4-9ish PM.

BVTD chefs will be required to prepare 2 oyster dishes for the judges in this competition: 1 raw and 1 cooked. chefs will be able to choose from several varieties of live gulf oysters in the shell and freshly shucked oysters. all oysters will be provided for the competition, chefs will only need to bring their other ingredients. to compete, chefs must register by tue, 10/27. the final chef line-up will be announced on Mon, 11/1, so check back soon.

the amateur chef potluck competition will be battle gumbo. 10 houston chowhounds will be competing for bragging rights in this contest that the home cooks take equally seriously.

the event promises to be bigger and more impressive than the last. expect a shucking contest, several raw oyster bars with live shuckers, and -- as always -- a massive spread of gastrodelights.

as always, a wild card judge will also be chosen for the panel of judges. if you would like to be considered, please submit a short essay on "why you should be a BVTD judge" to imneverfull@gmail.com by 10/31.

to purchase tickets, click here.
for official event details and competition guidelines, click here.

big thanks to the event sponsors, REEF, louisiana foods, and saint arnold.

shanks a lot!

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:01:02 -0700

I was going to make chicken last week but at the meat counter found myself engaged in an epic inner struggle. The sudden onset of fall drew me inexorably toward beef shanks – lovely, meaty, please-braise-me food that results in rich drinkable broth and bones for the dogs. Please, no hate comments, I am a responsible dog owner.

After 15 minutes of debate, (did I draw stares? probably) I did buy the shanks and ended up making this lovely recipe. Please do yourself the favor of serving it with something which soaks up sauce – bread, or mashed potatoes. The corn cake was pretty, but came from a healthy cook book, and therefore was also somewhat flavorless. (In the process I discovered possibly the most USELESS CORNBREAD RECIPE EVER which will also not be reprinted here).

Garlic Braised Beef Shanks

from epicurious

This recipe will fill your home with the most amazing aromas. Enjoy!

Salt and pepper 2 beef shanks and brown all over in a hot skillet. Place in a dutch oven and surround with 1 head of garlic, peeled if you wish, 1 bay leaf, 3 roughly chopped celery ribs, and 4 sprigs of fresh thyme. Braise in a 350 degree oven for 2-3 hours – until the meat falls off the bone.

Remove meat from broth; strain broth. Skim, and reduce as necessary to form a rich sauce.

Milk and Microbes Part 1

Dr. Ricky — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

I've noticed a rise recently in debates and articles exhorting the benefits of consuming unpasteurized or "raw" milk, some from the perspective of flavor, but most alleging nutritive and immunological benefits. There are some merits to these arguments - aged cheeses prepared from raw milk has a different character than those prepared from pasteurized milk, and as a fermented product, the point of initial pasteurization is mostly moot. Moreover, the draconian enforcement of pasteurization laws, initially meant to protect the public health, is stepping into the territory of small farmers transacting with private consumers - people who are aware of the risks, and are consenting to undertake them. It's not wise, but the debate there is about government stepping into areas between consenting adults.

I do, however, take issue where scientific merit is taken, and twisted in the name of propaganda for the raw milk movement. Take for example, this recent blog posting from a Orchard Chronicles about a "Campaign for Raw Milk", despite a noble intent to espouse healthier living, is rife with scientific inaccuracies. I'll try to clear up a few of them:

1. rBST is not a fake hormone. It is, in fact, molecularly identical to the bovine somatotropin. The recombinant part simply means that it used recombinant DNA technology to mass produce it so it can be cheaply made. I reserve judgment on whether or not rBST treatment of cows for
improved milk production is wise.

2. Modern farmers do use prophylactic antibiotics to ward off early infections, but it does not "disinfect" milk, nor keep it from being contaminated. The issue with heavy use of antibiotics center more along accelerating the evolution of antibiotic resistance through horizontal gene transfer among bacteria - and raw milk consumption has nothing to do with that.

3. Phosphate in milk is not destroyed by the transient heating involved with pasteurization. In fact, the presence of free phosphate is deleterious to retention of calcium, as the formation of calcium phosphate as an insoluble salt happens, and it precipitates out. The papers citing problems with this involve heat labile compounds in milk that keep phosphate away from calcium to prevent this precipitation. And not because humans can't absorb the calcium (after all, the acid environment in the stomach will release free calcium from the salt), rather, it's because the salting out can clog up harvesting and processing tubes.

Mind you, the papers being cited here are published in the 1920s and 1930s - I have found no more recent publications backing them up, and pasteurization practices have changed since. Also, in many of these early milk nutrition studies that involve mouse models, the assumption in the experiment is that milk is the sole nutritive source. Most studies indicate that nutritive loss during pasteurization is at most minor (mostly to heat labile vitamins) that are easily made up in a varied human diet.

4. Perhaps the most problematic issue in this posting is the poor understanding of microbiological terms, and a direct misinterpretation of the sources behind them.

4a. Coliform is a generic term referring to the shape of bacteria - in this case, short rod shaped cells. Coliform bacteria are both benign, and pathogenic, and I have found no peer reviewed published evidence of "cultured coliforms" being used to treat Staphylococcus infections. In fact, since 15% of human fecal bacteria are coliform, water and food safety assays look for a coliform count as a rough measure of fecal contamination.

4b. Milk as it emerges from the teat is sterile - all bacteria found in it are present by way of contamination. The problem with contamination is that it is difficult to control, either in kind or amount, which is the problem with distinguishing between so called beneficial or pathogenic bacteria. But there is no argument that before pasteurization, milk borne diseases were a major public health hazard.

4c. Lactose is the primary sugar (disaccharide) in milk. Human infants produce the enzyme lactase in the intestinal lining to digest milk, but as most mammals mature, they lose this enzyme. Some humans, however, by quirk of evolution, retain lactase to adulthood, while others do not. The inability to digest lactose unassisted is thus diagnosed as lactose intolerance - even though it's really the ability to digest lactose that is the odd thing out. But it is a beautiful example of how natural selection acting on variations in the species results in propagation of traits (in this case, the incorporation of harvested milk as an adult food source).

4d. Lactobacilli are a general term for spore forming bacteria that can use lactose as a primary carbon source, and converting it to lactic acid. They are important in fermentation of things from kimchi to sourdough, but in this case - fermented milk products like yogurt and cheese. They do not assist humans in digesting fresh milk. When you convert milk to these other milk products, then yes, their actions will cause the lactose content to drop (but the acidity to rise). Fresh milk does not have appreciable levels of benign lactobacilli to have an impact on lactose digestion. Milk can be treated with lactase early on to produce lactose-free milk. But to hold it that long, pasteurization is advisable.

---> to be continued --->...Who was Weston A. Price?

Torta Quest: Taqueria del Sol

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:38:21 -0700

I've been on a torta jag ever since my welcome-home Torta de Tinga at 100% Taquito last week. I've already managed to find a new favorite at the sun-yellow Taqueria del Sol on Park Place at the Gulf Freeway. This...

The Big Salumi

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:25:42 -0700

I wrote this on my way to Seasalter several weeks ago and finally had a chance to finish the post. More on the Sportsman later.

Last day in Europe ends with a day trip to The Sportsman, giving me a quiet hour on the train. I’ve been looking forward to the Sportsman the entire trip and it’s a perfect way to end my visit to Europe. First week in Paris and Copenhagen was a whirlwind of great (and sometimes unexpected) dining experiences. Second week in Amsterdam and London was all work and no play, other than a mandatory visit to St John, but the Sportsman has all the elements of what I seem to enjoy most these days. No restaurant empires, iconic chefs, posh dining rooms outfitted with caviar carts and lobster presses; only a chef with a vision (yes, I think that sort of thing is sometimes important) who still cooks in his kitchen, carefully chosen ingredients and a food cooked without compromise. Sounds improbable, but these places exist and I hope the Sportsman is one. (more on that later)

Road to Seasalter, UK.

As much as I enjoy traveling, I always look forward to coming back home and not only because I am hopelessly addicted to Tex-Mex and the incredible range of food found in Houston. What I’ve found lately is that there is also a young crop of chefs who show enormous promise and may shape what we eat in Houston for years to come. I’ve written about a few in the past, but failed to note Justin Basye, lately of Voice and now of Stella Sola, a new Texan/Tuscan (?!) restaurant yet to be opened by Bryan Caswell and Jason Gould.

If there is one thing that the Tenacity dinners have taught me is that the executive chef isn’t always the only (or even most) talented guy in the kitchen. The supporting cast are incredibly passionate about food and have a voice of their own, which always takes a back seat to almost everything else - restaurant concept, cost constraints, access to tools and the need to execute someone else’s food, rather than create your own. I’ve only had Justin’s food once, but he seems like one of these guys.

Justin’s pig centric Tenacity dinner last year was one of my favorite meals of the year. The food was clearly influenced by the kitchens he has passed through. There are the bold Louisiana flavors of Restaurant August, clean precision of Voice and modern technique of Laidback Manor, but the dishes he presented that night were unique in being able to isolate a single flavor and pull it into the foreground. Most tellingly, the dinner had a well defined arc, something rarely found in even established restaurants with very experienced chefs.

Justin and his stellar cured meats are a great fit for Stella Sola. Most important, our chances of one day seeing him in a kitchen of his own have just improved.

Speaking of Voice, my tasting from the spring menu was outstanding. Even though Justin is leaving the kitchen, Michael Kramer remains one of the best chefs in Houston and delivers great food on the nightly basis. Other than the Mad Hatter chairs that feel like torture devices, it’s a great experience.

Top Chef Houston Ok, so Top Chef really isn’t coming to Houston, although...
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Deschuttes Mirror Mirror

tedo — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:41:00 -0700

If you know this blog you know that I am a huge fan of barleywines and I am always on the look out for new ones to try. That includes looking for them when I am out traveling, which is how I came across this one, picked up while I was in Denver for the latest GABF. This barleywine is a souped up version of Deschuttes popular Mirror Pond ale. Also 35% of the beer is aged in oak barrels.
The Beer: This one weighs in at a hefty 11% and pours a brownish amber, almost red color with a thick tannish head. The nose is hoppy and very malty, almost syrupy. There are notes of oak, dark bread, vanilla, caramel. The mouth is thick and chewy. Citrusy hops, marmalade, apricot nectar, oak, vanilla, and caramel are all there in various declious quantities. As it warms it becomes an even more complex sipper with an almost bourbon or sherry like quality to it. Shockingly very little alcohol in this beer. Notes of oak help balance the swtrong flavors of malt and hops in this inbcredible beer. This is surely one of my favorites and gets a strong A from me.

From one capital to another

Dr. Ricky — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:20:00 -0700

We used to have a rapidly expanding Malaysian restaurant scene in Houston. "Used to" being the operative words - late last year, many of the emergent restaurants just as rapidly shuttered. Now, arisen at the same spot as the restaurant Kuala Lumpur is another restaurant named after a capital: Managua (7818 Bellaire Blvd).

Managua is the capital of Nicaragua, but I am a little unfamiliar with the cuisine of Nicaragua. I resolved to try the place out - stopped by one night to peruse the menu and order something. Inside, the place looks like someone's home; that hasn't changed much from the days of K.L. The place is also cash only (good thing I brought cash), and the ultimate caveat - no one speaks much English. I took that as both good and bad sign - in this neighborhood so close to "new" Chinatown, I'm surprised that they expected and were getting a predominantly Hispanic clientele, at the same time promising some authenticity to the experience.

I found Nicaraguan food clearly a variant of the Cuban/Mexican/Caribbean bent. For example, gallopinto, as it turns out, is simply rice and beans, aka Hoppin' John. Except in the choice of bean - Cubans choose black beans, and call the mixture "Moros y Cristianos". Gallopinto's use of red beans result in a mottling that is reminiscent of certain rooster breeds. I found the pickle vegetables (curtido) tangy and refreshing against expertly fried plantains. And the beef tongue in "special" sauce was tender, flavorful, and sat amidst mushrooms and carrots. Nicaraguan cuisine is supposedly proud of their fresh juices and concoctions, so I ordered some pinolillo, which turns out to be a traditional drink of cornmeal and cacao. Fortunately, sweetened, and served on ice. It was mostly quite sweet, with the cornmeal jutting in occasional gritty sip. It was drinkable, but not notable.

All told, I had a good introduction to the cuisine, although I fear I have yet to sample the dishes that convey the Nicaraguan identity. A good reason for a repeat visit, no?

tiradito

anonymouseater — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:23:00 -0700

popping up everywhere

I had never heard of tiradito before summer 2008. Randy Rucker had returned from Peru and served this tilefish tiradito with lemon verbena, fennel blossoms, and kimchee consomme.

Since then, tiraditos have been popping up on menus around Texas. At Reef, Bryan Caswell has made famous this tiradito of sea bream with blackfin tuna bacon, green apple, and avocado:

In Dallas last week, Stephan Pyles's menu offered three tiraditos, including these two: scallop and Spanish mackerel.

Several Dallas restaurants now serve tiradito. That makes sense. Dallas has one of the many outposts of Nobu. And Nobu has a lot to do with the history of tiradito in America.

what is it?

Tiradito is a Peruvian raw seafood preparation that lies somewhere in between South American ceviche, Italian crudo, and Japanese sashimi.

Typically, the fish is sliced thinly and marinated with lime juice, sometimes ginger, and sometimes hot pepper. Unlike ceviche, it does not use onions. Compared to ceviche, the flavor is delicate, and doesn't overwhelm the fish.

a little background

Tiradito is relatively new. Although the Peruvians traditionally had access to fantastic seafood, they did not like it and rarely ate it. Only in the last half century has any seafood, much less raw seafood, starting appearing on Peruvian menus.

In the early 1970s, Nobu Matsuhisa left his sushi apprenticeship in Japan to help run a sushi restaurant in Peru catering to Japanese immigrants.

It was Nobu who helped popularize the tiradito. And it was Nobu who introduced it to the U.S. when he started opening restaurants here. Ever had that popular dish of yellowtail sashimi with citrus and japalapeno? You can thank Nobu and his brief Peruvian interlude for it.

Unlike most of the U.S., Houston's connection with tiradito is not through Nobu, but direct from Peru. A few years ago, Michael Cordua took some young chefs, including Rucker, to Peru to learn about Peruvian cuisine. Those chefs returned with a lot of ideas about tiradito.

styles

There is not much of a tiradito orthodoxy. So you see a wide range of styles.

The Stephan Pyles's tiraditos were minimalist. The fish was treated delicately, with only a hint of other flavors. It worked, especially with the scallop.

In contrast, Rucker and Caswell's tiraditos are more complex, and perhaps slightly more interesting. In their dishes, the marinated fish is only a component, combined with other ingredinets and flavors.

Like ceviche, most tiraditos highlight raw fish with citrus. But unlike so much ceviche, a tiradito preparation does not use too much onion or sauce to cover up the fish. Tiradito preparation is better than ceviche, and is an interesting Latin alternative to crudo and sashimi.

leche de tigre

At least one other idea Randy Rucker brought back from Peru was leche de tigre. Not for the faint of heart, leche de tigre is the juice byproduct from making a tiradito or ceviche.

Leche de tigre is citrusy, fishy, and spicy. It is rumored to be a good cure for hangover, as well as a boost to, um, potency. It is the kind of drink that will grow hair on your chest. I wish more of these Texas chefs serving Peruvian raw fish also would serve us a shot of this wonderful juice.

Breakfast at Lola (preview)

tshu — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:28:00 -0700

I normally don't post anything about a restaurant until it's been open for a few months, but Lola has been getting a lot of publicity recently, so why not? Consider this posting more of a one visit observation. There's been a lot of chatter over the world wide interwebs about Lola, you would think it's the most significant restaurant to open in the Heights in the last year. I won't quite go that far, but consider this: its shtick is the woefully under-represented mid-tier food market and it's smack dab right in the middle of the Heights. None of this Washington Ave nonsense. 11th and Yale: doesn't get much more definitively "Heights" than that.

The wife and I visited for breakfast last Sunday. I ordered the chicken and waffles and my wife ordered the skillet (chicken fried steak and eggs). Order at the register, pay, receive your drink cup and number on a stick and go grab a table. In a few minutes, your food is delivered to your table for consumption. Much has been made over the prices and how this doesn't jive with the counter service model. Didn't bother me. Coffee was decent, and juices looked fresh squeezed.

We experience some highs and lows. First, the chicken and waffles were a huge disappointment. The chicken (breaded and fried boneless chicken breast) was incredibly salty and inedible, although incredibly juicy (no small accomplishment with white meat). The waffle itself was soggy and depressing as it lacked a crunchy exterior. Included extras (bacon and fruit) were actually quite good.

While the chicken and waffles were left half eaten, the chicken fried steak is probably the best in the Heights area at that price point. Think about that for a minute: Barbecue Inn, Triple A, Hickory Hollow. I know it's a bold statement, but they're all inferior. Included cheese grits and eggs were nothing special, so I'm thinking the dinner serving of the CFS is where it's at. Both the breading on the CFS and chicken looked eerily similar, so I'm a little perplexed how the results could be so different.

All in all, I think Lola shows promise (lots of people appeared to be enjoying the pancakes; anyone have them?). We look forward to eating here again in the future and hope the mentioned execution problems get rectified. Remember folks, it's still a young pup.

Details
1102 Yale St.

Hall of Fame chocolates from Puccini Bomboni in Amsterdam

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:32:47 -0700

I've been wallowing in chocolate this week. Friends of mine returned from Amsterdam bearing a box of candies from Puccini Bomboni, the famous handcrafted-chocolates shop on the Staalstraat, just beyond the Red Light district. Lordy lord, these bonbons are something...

What the World Eats

Dr. Ricky — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:09:00 -0700

Time Magazine and CNN published a series of photoessays available on the web that illustrates what people around the world eat. In the first two segments, they focus on what a family buys in a week, and how much it costs them.

What the World Eats, Part I,

What the World Eats, Part II,

The third part, however, looks at the different places where people buy their food. I didn't know that one could get narwhal meat.

What the World Eats, Part III

Fat Baby Fave: Mac & Cheese

Fat Baby — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:41:00 -0700

Three stars and the sun

Dr. Ricky — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0700

In the aftermath of the weather related calamities visited upon the Philippines a couple of weeks ago, a local Filipino American group called the BahalaNa Tribe organized an Adobo Hoedown on October 18th. Although ostensibly a cook-off featuring the vinegar/garlic scented national dish of the Philippines, what actually emerged was a festival of music, cuisine, karaoke, martial arts, graphic design - a veritable circus in celebration of Filipiniana housed at the mixed arts space Diverse Works.

Plenty of food was to be had. Ranging from traditional plate lunch style servings, to Filipino baked goods, more American bake sale items like pecan tarts, and of course, the actual sampling of various versions of adobo prepared by cooks of earnest and professional caliber. The adobo versions prepared ranged from traditional to avante garde. Jonathan Jones of Beaver's wore his fondness of the Filipino culture proudly, decorating his table with photographs of his trip to Banaue and beyond, and preparing a smokey grilled stew. Other entrants included wet preparations, dry ones, spicy ones - but the pickled papaya was a real stunner, complimenting the rice and adobo rather well.

Of course, one cannot forget the notable Plinio Sandalio and his adobo ice cream (red striped hair to the left). I must admit, Plinio captured the adobo flavor in the ice cream, although the responses from the unprepared was generally comical. On the same station here are the Tuscany Coffee pair, David and Ecky, presenting a collaboration with Randy Rucker on iced coffee with ube.

In the end, though, it was about the people, and the good cause that this supported. The Bahala Tribe did a great job assembling this affair, which I unfortunately had to leave before the event closed. So, I don't know who actually won this handcrafted trophy. Anyone?

Kwik Kale

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:13:00 -0700

Sometimes there are simple answers to time-consuming problems.
I had a field full of kale and I went at it my uual way.After washing it and removing the thick stems, I lined up the leaves and cut them across into thin strips. I cooked them in two tablespoons of olive oil, tossing frequently. It took quite a long time and some extra water to get soft.Ten cups cooked gave me 4 cups in a food processor.
Epifanay: Four and a half cups raw finely chopped, raw, in a food processor--batches--cooked in two tablespoons oil for forty-five minutes produced 3 cups of equivalent kale with better color and much less work; ideal for soup or creamed.

Book Review: Hops and Glory by Pete Brown

tedo — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:47:00 -0700

Everytime I am at a bookstore I was always head to the food and beverage section hoping to find some new book on beer. Some day's I'm lucky others I'm not. And sometimes the best books aren't even at a bookstore. For instance this one I was able to pick up at GABF as its not available in the US at this time. The book is written by British Beer writer (and British Guild of Beer Writer award winner) Pete Brown. It also happens to be one of the best books I've read in a long long time. The gist of the story is that Mr. Brown wants to re-create the journey that the original India Pale Ale's traveled from England to India, but the book is so much more than that.
I think most craft beer lovers are familiar with the story: The British Empire having settled India had a desire for good old British Beer, however by the time the beer arrived it had soured beyond drinkability. Enterprising brewers in London created a highly hopped beer and with the hops acting as a preservative, made the journey intact and was drank in large quantities by the British in India. As with most things this is only part of the story and even that is not the whole truth. Pete Brown's rather large novel takes us on two parallel journeys that help us discover the true story of India Pale Ale, a story that all of us Hopheads should read and enjoy. The book switches from Pete's struggle to recreate the journey (who knew how hard it is to book sea travel?) to the history of the British in India. It is this second story that makes this book much more than just one about beer. This book would do well on any History buff's book shelf and is it takes an unbiased extremely critical look at the British and the East India Company in particular. The corruption and death that they brought to India is quite eye opening and there in the middle of it all is one of the drinks that we love.
As with Pete Brown's other books, one of the fun things in Hops and Glory is the debunking of many myths, from how IPA got started to how it made its way back to the British Pub's (no there was no ship wreck). Its also a very humerus book due to Mr. Brown's self deprecating style of writing. Yes its a thick historical look at the creating of a beer and sociopolitical culture of India in the 1800's, but its also funny, enlightening and well written. I highly recommend this book to any history buff and any lover of craft beer.

While this book is not currently on sale in bookstores in the US there are a few places you can try to buy the book:
UK Amazon
The Book Depository
Abe Books

Hugo's--and Houston's--Day of the Dead festivities

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:16:41 -0700

During my years in Houston, local businesses and even restaurants (notably Hugo's) have begun celebrating Day of the Dead as a matter of course, not a gee-whiz novelty. I love the fact that the Mexican observance of All Saints and...

Reef photos

anonymouseater — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:36:00 -0700

I signed up for the food photography course when I learned it would be at Reef.

I'm no photographer. But I couldn't miss the chance to shoot a few dishes at Reef during the day. At night, Reef may be Houston's worst restaurant for photos. Something about the lighting blurs every shot.

Yet in the afternoon, with lots of natural light, Reef makes photos easy, even for a point-and-click novice like me.

So here are some of Brian Caswell's greatest hits -- plus the man in the orange cap himself.

Boulevard Beers and NFL Football

tedo — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:47:00 -0700

Sunday is a perfect day when I can sit in front of the TV watch some football and drink great craft beer. This week since my team had a bye week I was able to watch a lot of teams I don't normally see. But enough about Football, the real treat was to sit down with two of the newest beers in Boulevard's Smokestack Series. With the new releases Boulevard brings us a Dopplebock and a Saison fermented with Brett.
Seeyoulator Dopplebock: A dopplebock aged on cedar this beer weighs in at 8.5% and pours an amber orange color with a thin slightly off white head. The nose is malty, nutty, bready, caramel, honey and spice. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and a bit chewy. Malty, yeasty, bready, caramel, spicey, notes of pepper. There are biscuity notes with a bit of honey on it, the cedar is there, but its more of sense of cedar versus a taste. Its very sweet, overly so up front, but it finishes with a competing dryness the helps to offset some of the sweetness. There is also some boozy notes. This is probably my least favorite of the Smokestack Series that I have had. This gets a B- from me. BA folks like it a little more than me.
Saison Brett: This beer started with the Saison I reviewed a whle ago and ended up as a dry hopped bottle conditioned with brett Saison. Sounds good to me. The beer weighs in at8.5% and pours a pale gold straw color with a thick dense bright white head of foam. Very aromatic beer, notes of lemon, yeast, pepper, honey, and hay. The mouthfeel is full and effervescent, hints of citrus fruits, white pepper, honey suckle, flowers, a touch of hay, and some good hop flavor in the finish. No alcohol flavor and finishes pretty dry. A wonderful food beer that I would serve with all sorts of salads, and grilled fish. This one gets an A from me. The folks at BA like it as well.

A Call for Entries: Notable Heights Burgers

tshu — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:50:00 -0700

I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.
-Wimpy

I was in Las Vegas for a conference last week and had dinner one night at Burger Bar at the Mandalay Bay Casino. For those not familiar, Burger Bar serves a large variety of burgers, many obscenely expensive (there is a Kobe burger with foie gras on the menu for $60; only in Vegas!). Burger Bar is a favorite of mine for its beer selection; however, the burgers are pretty good. We ordered the American Classic (cheese and bacon), medium please. On the plus side, the burger was cooked a perfect medium, with a pink center. On the minus side, the fries were pretty terrible and there was no mayo on the bun or in the condiment trays on the bar, although they did eventually bring some when we asked.

Here in Houston, we are both blessed and cursed on the burger front. Blessed, because we have a ton of quality burger shops who understand how we like it. "All the way" means what we all expect. Cursed, because the number of places that will cook a burger to order is the rare exception rather than the rule (no pun intended).

A Hamburger Today has come up with a much more extensive categorization for burger styles, but for simplicity sake, I've come up with two categories: thin and thick. Note to all burger shops, if you serve a big thick burger and either refuse or just plain fail to serve it under well done, you're really screwing up.

I also judge a burger place by its container (the bun, extra points for a slight griddle crunch) and its fries. The french fried potato... why is it so hard to get a good burger AND fries? Consider this list: Lankford, Christians, and Hubcap. All serve crappy fries. Why? Why?!?!

I know there are some great burgers out there in the Heights. What are your favorites? Pros and cons? There are quite a few great burger spots just north of 610, so I'm adding that area to the discussion, but let's keep it somewhat close (note the gradient).

I'll start. Stanton's. Pros: Great hand formed burger, bun, and condiments. One of Houston's best. Cons: was cooked past requested medium rare and the fries are awful.

mmm ... Carnitas

Jodie Eisenhardt — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:22:00 -0700

I love a new obsession. It’s so fun to get excited about something as seemingly insignificant as a taco but hey, that’s “meaning of life” material for someone like me.

When Freebirds first came into the Houston market, I think I ate there just once soon after they opened. All I can remember is that I didn’t do the “huge burrito” thing and the tacos came in an order of three and maybe even only as a meal in addition to that (like w/ beans and rice) and this was just too much food for me. Maybe I didn’t work hard enough to understand or maybe things have changed but the bottom line is that I’ve been missing out on some truly fresh-tasting and delicious food.

I’m grateful for any quick, reasonably-priced delicious option – especially for lunch, since I work from home in the Heights. I used to frequent Mission Burrito on Durham for their tacos but frankly, things have deteriorated in recent years. Consistency has become an issue and I just can’t get as excited about going as I used to. Enter Freebirds as a new option. I had to go to Target anyway so I figured what the heck.

Can you say carnitas?! Have mercy. There is something potentially fabulous about even the notion of slow-roasted pork and Freebird’s carnitas do not disappoint. I decided to try the carnitas in the form of a burrito since they come in 4 sizes now including the petite “hybrid” version. After choosing my tortilla (I went with cayenne but it wasn’t overly spicy at all), I choose from the huge assortment of ingredients heading down the assembly line. Highlights included choices of cheese (including queso fresco), a gorgeous roasted corn salsa, fresh slices of avocado, especially yummy black beans and a bright “mild tomatillo” sauce (one of seven sauce choices). I couldn’t wait to dive in.

I enjoyed the burrito so much I returned for dinner the same day (yes, I’m weird like that when I take a liking to something). I brought the bf and we went for the taco special (3 tacos and a drink for $4.99). For tacos, the decisions begin with corn or flour tortilla or crispy shell. Tough decision but I went with the corn tortilla and while I really wanted to try the delicious-looking grass-fed beef, I had to have more of the carnitas. I was thrilled to discover the same toppings are available for the tacos as for the burritos … more of the grilled corn salsa and queso fresco, cilantro and the tomatillo sauce (I promise, I really will add variety as I move forward with this relationsihp). We also got a side order of chips and salsa as well as a side of queso. Wow. The tacos rocked but maybe even more impressive were the chips (fresh and hot) and the salsa … fresh, tomato-based … I suspect roasted tomatoes with plenty of cilantro and just enough heat. I appreciated the texture which is like a thick puree vs. too chunky or too thin. Good salsa is a thing of beauty. And then there’s the queso! Some of the best in town, the pale yellow queso (made from pepper jack cheese) is sublime with the hot chips.

I don’t know when we’ve been so happy for so little $$ and what I really love is that they source local ingredients whenever possible and that they actually prepare everything on premise. This means 5 hours before they open, those carnitas are in the works (after marinating for 24 hours) along with all of the prep that goes into everything they are actually cooking for the day. I really like the idea of that and I’m pretty sure that’s why things taste so fresh and good. It’s the little things that make a big difference, after all. And people seem genuinely happy to work there within the fun/funky atmosphere w/ the foil sculptures displayed along the wall. I can’t find a negative thing about the place with the possible exception of a Pepsi fountain instead of coke (but they do have Dr. Pepper AND Diet Dr. Pepper even).

While I regret not eating at Freebirds until now, I’m pretty sure I will make up for it moving forward. After all, I am now earning points via my “Freebirds Fanatic”card!

One other thing

Dr. Ricky — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:49:00 -0700

Happy Diwali, everyone.

Share a sweet. I know a green tea cream puff isn't traditional Indian, but it's the spirit that counts, right?

Restaurants go, restaurants come

Dr. Ricky — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:55:00 -0700

And sometimes, they are interesting.

In the spot of Kuala Lumpur, one of the once thriving Malaysian restaurants of Houston, a new restaurant has established itself - Managua. I don't think I have had Nicaraguan food before, and this may be worth exploring.

Speaking of capital cities - how a place named Cafe Beirut? It's wonderful that there is a proliferation of new ethnic cuisines, as it emerges from the life cycle of cuisine adaptation here in America. Ms. Horn's essay is wonderfully succinct:

...
When a group first attains critical mass in America, its restaurants are mostly for its own members. Later, as these groups gain confidence, they begin selling their more accessible foods to a general public craving cheap exotic eats. These dishes then mutate into American form, a la chow mein, and the group's American-born children typically spurn these foods as they try to assimilate. Around the third or fourth generation, the descendants of immigrants are secure enough in their American credentials to explore their "roots." Shortly thereafter, food nostalgia sets in, and the quest for the "authentic" begins.

Odell's Bourbon Barrel Stout

tedo — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:10:00 -0700

Yet another beer that I picked up in Denver while there for the GABF. This one comes from a local brewery. Odell's is based out of Fort Collins and has been around since 1989. While their beers haven't always been cutting edge or even the most inspired, I've always liked them because their flagship beer was called 90 Shilling and is a Scottish Ale. There aren't many breweries that have that as their flagship. Over the years they've expanded their lines and are doing more things that push the envelop. At GABF I tasted a couple of brett beers by them that were wonderful, and they also have a woodcut series of beers that are rare and hard to find brews. This one of course is a barrel aged beer and while it seems that everyone is doing it, I am continually pleased to see even more breweries do this as I love the flavor that barrel aging imparts on a beer.
The Beer:b This imperial stout weighs in at 10.5% and pours a pitch black with a thick cafe colored head, it pours syrupy. Nose is vanilla, oak, bourbon, coffee. Mouthfeel is chewy, creamy, luscious, milky and all the other adjectives. There are notes of vanilla, and bourbon, chocolate, coffee, coco nibs. There is some woodyness to the taste as well. Its a sipper for sure, but still relatively easy drinking. We paired it with some Bourbon Chocolate pudding (made with Colorado's own Stranahan's Whiskey). It was a rich pairing to be sure, but they played off of eachother and intensified the flavors. A fun dessert. This beer gets an A- from me. Here's what the folks at BA think.

First taste of Valentino at the Derek

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:50:44 -0700

The Vin Bar portion of Valentino Houston's double-barreled concept in the Hotel Derek had been open for three weeks when I checked it out the other night. I had been looking forward to the touted raw bar, which a press...

The Shame of Our Schools

Ruthie Johnson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:31:00 -0700

You might already know that I teach 10th grade English at a rigorous, low-income charter school called YES Prep. What you might not know is that more than 80% of our students qualify for free and reduced meals -- and what you almost assuredly do not know is what “free and reduced lunch” looks like.

Well, here you go. It looks like this.

Students qualify for free and reduced lunch, of course, because their families cannot always afford to pay for or provide regular meals. Oftentimes this lunch is the only meal of substance a child receives in a day. And when that “substance” consists of an off-color hot dog plus a few tarnished pieces of canned pineapple –- or about 350 calories total –- we’ve got a problem. It’s called Hollow-Eyed, Malaisical, I-Have-No-Energy-to-Pay-Attention disease. [Sigh.]

This problem is not new. Plenty of people are loud about the fact that school lunches absolutely blow. Chef Ann Cooper, the Renegade Lunch Lady, is one of them. A few weeks ago, Cooper came to town to tout the School Lunch Revolution, an idea she successfully implemented in Berkeley, CA. This plan seeks to make lunches healthier and more substantial, yet still tasty: Whole wheat crust and veggies on pizza, roasted potatoes instead of French fries, baked chicken instead of mystery meat. In short, her idea looks like this meal, sponsored by Whole Foods and served to us at the info session.

Chef Cooper has even put some numbers behind her idea: She says that 25% of our country’s healthcare spend goes to obesity/diabetes (that’s $260 billion of $1 trillion). And her solution is simple: We currently spent $8.5 billion on school lunches, and we need to up that number to... $14 billion.

I’m sorry, what?

It’s a great idea in theory: We can pay for better, healthier food now, or we can pay even more for fancy-pants healthcare treatments later. And where do we get all this unaccounted-for money? Easy, she says -- We need $1 more per student per day, so quit funding money-suck initiatives like Cash for Clunkers and the Iraq War.

The simplicity is *almost* refreshing -- yet also completely infuriating.

There’s no one out there that’s opposed to serving healthier, more substantial lunches in schools. But the question remains: If you had $5 billion to spend on education, would you put it towards food?

Consider the alternative.

Le Grand Comptoir, a stylish wine bar, comes to Houston Intercontinental Airport

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:29:05 -0700

Trudging down the endless halls of Terminal C at Houston's Intercontinental Airport the other day, I stopped dead in amazement at the sight of Le Grand Comptoir, a sleek wine bar and restaurant that hadn't been there the last time...

Ska Decadent IPA

tedo — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:33:00 -0700

Another beer from Ska Brewing, except this one isn't yet available in the Houston market. I picked this up while in Denver for GABF. This is Ska Brewing's Double IPA, comes in a big format bottle with the now familiar comic grafics and capped with a red wax seal.
The Beer: This one weighs in at 10.0% and pours a reddish amber color with a thick taupe colored head. The nose is hops, earthy spice, caramel, biscuity. The mouthfeel is creamy and bitter grapefruit peel, earthy spiciness, white pepper, biscuity, syrupy, tongue coating hoppy resins. In the mid palate there is this smoothness with slightly sweet caramel that evens out the intense hops. Very well done DIPA, with intense amounts of citrus and pine needles, biscuity marmalade, pale malts, and sweet caramel create a wonderful experience. This one gets a B+ from me. The folks at BA like it as well.

Pumpkins at Canino's...

Ruthie Johnson — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:51:00 -0700

Are just .25/pound! And man, are they gorgeous.

Every time I go to Canino’s I kick myself for not going more often.

Bemused

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:50:37 -0700

Alternate title: Things Which I Have Done Lately For Which I Am Receiving A Baffling Amount Of Attention

Thing The First: Written an article about Anvil Bar & Refuge’s 100 List — a list of 100 cocktails everyone should try at least once — that landed on the front page of FARK.com and received more pageviews than the infamous pizza vending machine post here at she eats., as well as garnering an impressive 55 mostly angry comments at the Press and 77 comments over at FARK.

Thing The Second: Written an article about a bourbon and bacon cocktail at a recent Manhattan contest that I judged, which also hit the front page of FARK and made me briefly consider why I am always chosen for the booze assignments before deciding that I should stop silently complaining to myself. Comment of which I am particularly proud:

The author kept referring to bourbon as an American whiskey. It is a Kentucky whiskey. Period. They don’t make bourbon in Tenn. or Candada or Ireland or Scotland…it’s made in Kentucky with at least 51% corn and pure limestone water. I should know, the Bourbon Trail is twenty miles away.

OH MY GOD SHUT THE FUCK UP.

(Sorry. You know it’s bad when you start begrudging your commenters…)

Thing The Third: You know…it’s just another FARK thing…and it’s not even about food…and it’s frankly inappropriate for younger and/or delicate audiences, so maybe I’ll just let some intrepid reader do some digging and find it.

Thing The Fourth: Quit Twitter. I didn’t realize this was going to be such a big deal until all the comments and emails and DMs and Facebook messages started pouring in. And then the Houston Chronicle picked it up. Seriously…I listen to Kyrie O’Connor all the time when she’s on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me on NPR on Saturday mornings. And now she’s writing about me?

I really do appreciate all the kind words. It’s very nice knowing that my random, snarky, occasionally TMI Tweets brighten peoples’ days. And I say that with no sarcasm intended. But…when it’s even extremely minor news that someone — like myself or like a celebrity (Miz Miley Cyrus) — stops Tweeting, doesn’t that just underscore and reinforce the points I made yesterday?

Moonshine in the Afternoon

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:28:37 -0700

Ruby Slipper Martini with ruby red grapefruit juice and champagne at Moonshine

I’ve made a few recent weekend trips to Austin — for work both times — but managed to have a little fun on the side while I was there. This most recent trip to the Hill Country was for the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) and just to answer any questions you may have, let me just say this: I saw exactly one band over the course of three days, subsisted on nacho cheese Doritos and Red Bull in the media area and worked for a good portion of the weekend with my laptop in a clear plastic garbage bag to protect it from the torrential rain.

The highlight of that particular weekend was getting fresh carnitas tacos (with pickled habanero peppers!) and elotes slathered with mayonnaise and parmesan cheese delivered to the tent courtesy of an Austin taco restaurant whose name I shamefully can’t remember (I think I was distracted by fighting for the last plug on the lone power strip so my laptop didn’t die). And after the last band played on Sunday night, Groovehouse and I packed our gear, hiked out of Zilker Park and back to our car, where we promptly deposited a heavy load of cameras, lenses, batteries, docking stations, laptops, iPhones, power chargers and all manner of 21st century detritus before walking to Shady Grove for a late dinner.

It was far from the best meal I’ve ever had, but we both dove headfirst into our veggie burgers and salads, clinging desperately to the promise of roughage cleaning out our systems from the trash we’d shoved into it all weekend. I reflected later on the poor quality of my Thai noodle salad and how eagerly I devoured it, thinking that I should never, ever, ever review food when famished.

The trip to Austin before the three-day endurance sport that was ACL was decidedly more relaxed, however. I was in town at the request of Robb Walsh, serving as a preliminary judge for the 19th annual Austin Hot Sauce Festival. I chronicled my misadventures on Sunday in a recent post on the Houston Press, if you care to read about how sick I got somewhere around sampling my 200th salsa. The highlight of that trip was a meal at Moonshine, the pictures from which are below.

And they still look pretty damn delicious, if I do say so myself.

Moonshine's famous corndog-battered shrimp with blueberry honey mustard

Moonshine bills itself as “a return to great American cooking.” And I think they accomplish this quite well, without a lot of the fuss or pretense you’d expect from such a rootsy concept — especially in Austin. Located in an old 19th century saloon that’s part of the famous Waterloo Compound (a group of the city’s oldest commercial buildings) along Red River in downtown Austin, Moonshine feels as if it’s been there forever, blending into the cityscape and acting like a cool, comforting respite from the painfully trendy atmosphere that permeates Austin.

I’ll let the rest of the meal speak for itself.

Chicken-fried steak with chipotle cream gravy

This was a gem of a CFS — with a thick, crispy crust and tender interior — and the gravy had a very nice smoky kick to it, but I could have done without the marinara-smothered polenta on the side. I lamented this little cake of polenta later on, hating that restaurants often can’t think of anything better to do with it than slap tomato sauce on top. If this had been cooked in the style of, say, savory cheese grits…can you imagine how this entire plate would have hummed?

Pecan-crusted catfish with crawfish tails in brown butter

Again, an amazing main course and a rather uninspired side. Macaroni and cheese is one of those dishes that’s so elegantly perfect in its simplicity, it’s such a letdown when even one aspect is off. It’s mac ‘n’ cheese — not brain surgery. There needed to be a lot more cream and cheese here. That aside, the catfish in brown butter was — and I don’t say this lightly — the single best fish I have ever eaten. Anywhere. Ever. It’s been nearly a month and I still dream about how this dish tasted. The brown butter was just lightly spiked with a whisper of Cholula, soaking eagerly into the nutty crust around the firm fish. Unbelievable. I want to eat this every single day. Gah.

Red velvet cake

What’s a good Southern meal without red velvet cake to finish it off? We came so close to ordering the apple pie with maple ice cream, but will save that for next time. The layers of crimson-colored chocolate sandwiched between thick cream cheese frosting were nearly as good as my mother’s red velvet cake — and that’s saying a lot.

Clearly, we saved room for dessert

I’m looking forward to taking another weekend trip to Austin soon — and this time just to relax. And you can be damned sure you’ll find me sitting happily in the cozy dining room at Moonshine one night, as if I was returning home.

A quick cake

Dr. Ricky — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:17:00 -0700

Ah, the last of the summer peaches are fading from the markets. But back when they were abundant and cheap, I made this cake several times this summer, and it capped our tripartite dessert for the pig roast at the Great Western Casa McBardo. Along with the chai ice cream, we grilled some fresh ripe while freestone peaches. And this peach "cake". Or is it a clafouti?

Basically, you toss the peaches (and the occassional plum... or any handy fruit) with some cornstarch (or flour) and sugar, and layer onto a buttered baking dish.

I mixed up a quick batter (slightly thicker than pancake batter) flavored with vanilla, and poured it over the top, dotted with butter, before baking in a hot oven. Resulting thing was devoured so quickly we don't have photographs.

But word has it that memories of the peach upon peach upon chai combination still ring on months later.

Schneider Aventinus

tedo — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:38:00 -0700

The Aventinus is Schneiders Weizenbock, which basically translates to a dunkel-weizen (dark wheat) brewed to doppelbock strength. This is traditionally a dark and rich, made with at least 50% wheat (some contain up to 70%) with very little hops. Its also a relatively new style of beer beer, the first Weizenbock was commercially available in 1907. That first one is what you hold in your hands Schnieder and Sons Aventinus.
The Beer: This Weizenbock weighs in at 8.2% and pours a rich deep brown with a taupe colored thick head of foam. Nose is bananas, cloves, chocolate malt, vanilla, and a slight sourness that tingles the nose. The mouthfeel is thick and chewy, lots of banana and cloves up front, subsiding into chocolate, rich malts, plum flavors. An incredible chewy beer that reminds of chocolate covered bananas and spice. Smooth beer, very smooth. This is a classic and its an amazing one at that. Gets an A- from me. Here's what the folks at BA have to say.

Two Months

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:00:36 -0700

I brought you a slice of red velvet cake as a peace offering...

It’s been over two months since I posted here. A lot can happen in two months.

In two months, you can find yourself living in a completely different part of the city, in a rambling old house from the 1920s, devoid of husband or dogs or cat. In two months, you can ultimately find happiness and some measure of comfort in something incredibly painful. In two months, you can turn a hobby in to a more-than-full-time job and find yourself resenting what you used to love. In two months, you can reinvent yourself.

Over the past two months, I’ve been heavily active on Twitter. Who hasn’t…? But I’ve found myself increasingly disillusioned not only with the ephemeral nature of Twitter — the fleeting attention spans, the condensed and often thoughtless coughing up of little blood spatters of information or thoughts or ideas — but with the inelegance of Twitter itself. Twitter is a spasm, a knee jerk, a poorly played game of Telephone.

That’s not to say it’s all terrible. Twitter can be useful. And entertaining. And engaging (perhaps too much at times). But I don’t like what it’s done to me or the people around me. We’ve found ourselves endlessly checking our Twitter apps on our iPhones at dinner, ignoring conversations with others to scroll through the timeline, thinking of TwitPic’ing something the instant we see it or instantly relaying inane, overheard discussions as OH’s. There is no time to process — only to Tweet. We’ve found ourselves alternately obsessed with ourselves and with people we don’t even know, ignoring our real lives in the process. There is no time to live — only to navelgaze.

I’m guilty of all of this. And I don’t want to be that person anymore. Of course, I can’t get off of Twitter entirely. It’s a large part of my job to be plugged into Twitter at all times as the @HoustonPress. But I’m more or less abandoning @she_eats for now. It’s become too much to keep up with and the intensely private person that I am (truly, although no one really seems to believe this) is exhausted and frightened by people thinking they know me just because they follow me on Twitter. We are more than our Twitter profiles, people.

So for those reasons and many others, it’s back to blogging for me. Equally narcissistic? Perhaps. But that’s not why I got into this game in the first place. I love it here — the words flowing from my fingers to the keys to the peaceful white void of the screen with no 140 character limits or constant need to entertain or be entertained. I feel comfortable here. There is more even footing here. There is more space to explain, to engage, to be useful — all the things that I initially thought Twitter would be better for — but with far more thought and effort put into it.

So with that… I’m off Twitter. And back here (and always at the Press, of course). Hope to see you around…

An (unholy?) delicious collaboration

Dr. Ricky — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0700

The flavor profile for this is Vietnamese but I think this may be a distinctly American if not houstonian creation. From Parisian Bakery III, I find the rare waffle taco. The shell is a waffle made with coconut and scented with pandanus, and stuffed with black glutinous rice and sweet white bean paste.

Unique and delicious.

Real Ale Coffee Porter

tedo — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:45:00 -0700

Real Ale out of Blanco, Texas is one of favorite Texas breweries. My only complaint has always been that they don't bottle enough of their beer's. They really shine in their seasonal's and for the most part those have always been draft only. Well no longer. As reported just a few weeks ago Real Ale has started to bottle their seasonal's, the first being their very popular Coffee Porter. A porter made with coffee roasted by Houston own's Katz Coffee. Made with Organic fair trade coffee and organic barley. Sounds good enough, and I know it tastes great on draft, but how does it taste from the bottle?
The Beer: This one weighs in at 5.6% and pours a dark rich black with bright red streaks when held up to the light. Capped by a foamy slightly off white head. The head quickly dissipates leaving a thin film behind. The nose is roasted malts, chocolatey, burnt roasted coffee beans. The beer provides a medium mouthfeel, smooth almost milky up front. Flowing into bitter chocolate and darkly roasted coffee beans. A tartness underlies the roasted coffee notes. Easy drinking, with a good mix of malts and coffee, with just a tinge of earthy hops. Very nice. Gets a B+ from me. The folks at BA like it as well.

Ciao Bello

Ruthie Johnson — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:28:00 -0700

Tony Vallone hasn’t gone out of his way to promote his new restaurant, Ciao Bello, yet it’s near-packed early on a Wednesday night. Sheesh. Given the stature of the Vallone name around town, this is not a big shock. Also not surprising is that Ciao Bello is another gold star on his already dazzling resume.

Walking in you’ll notice that the place is a near replica of the restaurant’s previous iteration, complete with high ceilings, beautiful bar, and a window into the kitchen. It’s a nice enough space, but prepare to get a little cozy -- the dining room is so crammed with tables, so you’ll need to think thin if nature calls.

Once your food arrives, though, you’ll immediately forget about the vociferous neighbors only a forearm’s length away. The caprese salad is standard at best, so start with one of the more creative options... Like the antipasti, a gorgeous selection of stuffed mushrooms, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, eggplant, salami, and more, each tastier than the last, perfect for sharing.

The much-touted osso bucco ravioli meets its delicious expectations. Tender, disintegrate-in-your-mouth strings of buttery osso bucco hide inside a glorious pasta pillowcase, topped with a rich and meaty sauce. Totally dreamy. The Chicken al Matonne, too, is a win -- a lemony poisson, seared, pressed flat, and cooked under a brick. Moist and satisfying from the first bite to the last.

Finally, save room for the Zeppole Zia Maria, warm, beignet-like doughnuts topped with powdered sugar and served with a side of pastry cream. These puppies top a crazy-enticing list of meal-enders.

Ciao Bello is touted as a casual Italian place. And that’s true in the sense that you can leave your tux at home. But when the median pasta costs $17, I’d say you’ve moved right on into the upscale. However, the food is outstanding and the service supreme. So as long as you don’t expect to get outta there for less than two or three Jacksons, you’ll come out seeing stars.

Ciao Bello - 5161 San Felipe (at Sage)

Finally ripe

Dr. Ricky — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:53:00 -0700

The persimmons are enormous this year. Now ripening beautifully.

-

Machines and Forms

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:53:00 -0700

I may go back to using a quill and dipping it in ink made from mushrooms. The new inventions that are supposed to have made life easier just seem to complicate it.
Give me my knife, my wok and a little food and leave me alone. Something will pop into my head. Recently, I have been working on innards and having good results, I know most people recoil in horror; but my most recent recipes seem to please as tce food gets eaten all up.Poll: Yuck or More?

Machine frustration

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:52:00 -0700

I love controls

Dr. Ricky — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:32:00 -0700

I think I've seen this before in a science fair experiment, but certainly not as well documented as this blog posting on finding (and defining) the perfectly boiled egg. I must note, however, despite the careful explanation that incorporates understanding the chemistry of heat denaturation of protein, many of the commenters still pooh-pooh science in favor of old traditions "that have always worked".

*sigh*

The Session Round up and Announcement

tedo — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:58:00 -0700

Yes I know I know I missed out on the last Session. I was looking forward to it, but work and personal life interfered and I didn't have time to post anything. Fear not though, the hosts Girl Likes Beer has posted the round up. Looks like it was a fun session with 19 different bloggers participating.
With the passing of one session, comes the announcement of the next one. This month's virtual beer tasting is being hosted by Andy Crouch at I'll have a beer. The theme? Well not sure I really understand it so I'll let the author do the talking:

For better or worse, in everyday situations beer comes with a label. This label very really ‘frames’ the beer inside. The fact that the beer comes commercially-produced signals the presence of investment (if not skill). A style name or tasting notes indicates the general characteristics to expect. If you know the brewery the beer is framed with your past experiences. Even the label art will affect your expectations for the beer.

What role does this framing play in beer tasting, especially for ‘professional evaluators’? Relate an amusing or optimistic anecdote about introducing someone to strange beer. Comment on the role a label plays in framing a beer or share a label-approval related story. I have not done much blind tasting, and I would be intrigued to hear about this ‘frameless’ evaluation of beer.
And drink a beer. Ideally drink something that you don’t think you will like. Try to pick out what it is about that brew that other people enjoy (make sure to properly frame the beer!).

Now this theme seems pretty interesting, but its also extremely frustrating. To join a rant that Alan over at Good Beer Blog had a few months back, wheres the beer theme's? Why can't the them just be beer? Why can't we discuss great Porter's, Stout's, Sour's, Oak Aged, beers from California, Beers from Belgium, etc. Why not make a beer or beer type the focus instead of just an appendix of the session? I support the session, but I want it to be something that focus's on beer and it seems that it meanders all over the place and rarely is the session's focus on the beer itself but instead some sort of background event. Will I participate this month? I'll sure try, my frame for the theme? Not sure yet. Come back on November 6th to find out.

Texas Hill Country Beer

tedo — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:45:00 -0700

Its been a few days since my last post, but trust me there was a reason. This past Tuesday was my wife and mine's second anniversary. To celebrate I surprised her with a 5 day get away up in the Texas Hill Country, just outside of Fredericksburg to be exact. We've always wanted to spend some time up there and decided this was the perfect chance to do it. The bad news is the weather was horrible, but that didn't stop us from having a great time. Most folks think of the Texas Hill Country as our state's version of Napa, wine, wine everywhere. And for the most part it is, we found some good Texas wine actually. But just like Napa there are some places to get good beer. First off is Blanco's Real Ale which we of course get here in Houston. Didn't make it to the brewery there, but almost every place in the hill country, from the smallest to the biggest had something on tap. I got to try their Octoberfest for the first time in this small wine store that had 5 beers on tap. A delicious slightly sweet caramelly beer that may just may be my favorite Octoberfest I've had so far this year.
When talking about beer in the Texas Hill Country and you are staying in Fredericksburg you have to stop by the award winning Fredericksburg Brewing Co. Located on Main St its a brew pub specializing in German food (doesn't everything in Fredericksburg) along with the usual burgers, sandwiches and salads). They have 6 beers on tap, with a Porter, Red and Pale Ale being their standard beers and 2 to 3 rotating taps. When we were there they had their Octoberfest, Hopnoxious IPA, and a Mexican Lager (Can you guess which one I went for?).
If you guess Hopnoxious you would be correct. An amazingly hoppy beer weighing in at 7.4% and 100 IBU's this was one fine hoptastic beer. A coppery brown ale with good malt balance that was quickly dominated by an over abundance of hops. Quite a good beer.
We also sampled a couple of other ones:
Peace Pipe Pale Ale - A fine fine Pale Ale, with great hop character and balance.
Mexican Lager - Surprisingly good, clean crisp, with a slightly sweet cereal grain finish
Octoberfest - A very good Octoberfest beer that had some surprising hop bitterness to contrast the malty caramel sweetness typical of the style.

Overall Fredericksburg Brewing Co is definitely something to make your way to as they have a very solid line up of beers and are starting to try some new things. The Hill country while known for its wines doesn't ignore good beer. As stated earlier most every place has good Texas beer on tap or by the bottle. Lots of support of Blanco Real Ale. As much as local breweries support the community (see all the great community service Saint Arnold does) its nice to see the community business support a brewery as strongly as the Hill country does.

innards

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:32:00 -0700

The mere word is enough to make many people shudder; but I refuse to be intimidated. I have been developing new recipes and I am pleased to say they are smashing.
What can I do other than offering a winning lottery ticket to get people to be a little more adventurous?

Innards

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:31:00 -0700

Giacomo’s Ristorante

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:18:31 -0700

July 31, 2009 | For dinner, I made Jen wait with me to eat at Giacomo’s Ristorante (yelp), which didn’t take reservations! I’d heard a ton of good things about it so I was willing to wait. We had a comedy show to go to later that night so we went early just in case. I started with a glass of red wine (house, I think?) while we deliberated over the menu written out by hand on the wall.

See? Long line outside. We were out there for an hour? I can’t remember now, but it felt like a long time. Especially since it drizzling. Jen and I shared an umbrella, balancing it on our heads when we got tired of holding it up. The place wasn’t big and there was a big party (of Asians, of course) in front of us.

We ordered the fried calamari (small, $7) for appetizer, having read a lot of good reviews.

It was just as everyone claimed– perfectly fried and very yummy! I couldn’t resist ordering the lobster ravioli ($16) served with diced tomatoes in a garlic cream sauce, while Jennifer ordered the ziti with chicken and shrimp ($15), which came in a pesto cream sauce.

These two dishes may not look like much, but omg it was SOO filling. It was tough– I was really full but it was just too good to waste!! I definitely preferred my lobster ravioli over Jen’s chicken and shrimp ziti, but come on, it’s lobster!

I can see why this place is so popular. Good Italian food and good service for a fairly reasonable price! For those of you interested in visiting, it’s CASH ONLY, no reservations, and no desserts! There were a lot of people waiting outside, so we didn’t linger too long once we were done with our food.

Sel de la Terre

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:55:54 -0700

July 31, 2009 | Jen and I picked a somewhat random restaurant for lunch, Sel de la Terre. Turned out to be a pretty cool place. We ordered the Express Lunch ($14) plus the Dessert ($5). Our first was a plate with chorizo croquettes, shishito pepers, sheep milk yogurt, and truffle pecorino.

The main was a duck confit risotto, Apple Street Farms summer squash, apricots, and duck jus. I rather liked this one although I think risotto is kinda boring and if I were to come back, I’d probably try something more exciting.

We also ordered a truffled risotto with Piave vecchio, asparagus, spring herbs and preserved lemon with English pea broth ($15). Jennifer liked this one more but I thought it was a little mushy.

For dessert, we had spice cake, peach chutney icecream, and pomegranate reduction. Mm, this one was good!

The food overall was good, but it wasn’t awesome, especially for the price. The place looked really nice though, nice atmosphere. Anyway, I was still sick at this point in time, so it’s also possible that my taste buds were off or something.

Mai’s Restaurant

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:03:22 -0700

July 26, 2009 | Went to Mai’s and ordered the bo luc lac, also known as “shaking beef”, having read that it was good on yelp.

It was served with rice and came with a dipping sauce. The beef was medium-rare, leaning towards the rare on the inside. So if you’re scared meat that isn’t cooked all the way through, then this isn’t for you! I, however, loved it! It was very tasty and I’d definitely order it again. Plus, it’s great when you can reheat the meat without it becoming overdone.

Ziggy’s Healthy Grill

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:56:09 -0700

July 25, 2009 | After a trip to the circus, we stopped at Ziggy’s Healthy Grill for some healthy grub. I ordered a buffalo burger with avocado and mushrooms.

It was decent burger though I’ve never been crazy for wheat buns. Oh well, healthy, right? Obviously, it wasn’t dripping with grease like my usual burgers. =P

I’d definitely go back (again) to try some other menu items.

Lola in the Heights

Ruthie Johnson — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:06:00 -0700

The Heights may be ablaze with a local arsonist, but one new restaurant has also sparked interest: Lola, the diner-style new offering from Ken Bridge of Dragon Bowl and Pink’s Pizza fame. Housed in a remodeled building at the corner of 11th and Yale, Lola meets the mid-range restaurant need for an area dominated by low-end taco shops and high-end eateries.

Upon entering, you’ll notice first that the interior of the building lacks cohesion. Like, really. A beautifully shellacked traditional wooden counter immediately draws the eye, which is then *blinded* by the surrounding fluorescent walls. When your head spins, you’ll be smacked by the industrial open metals of the front wall. It is as if Cyndi Lauper, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the father from “A Christmas Story” were unable to decide which style to use, so they compromised and each took a third. True, it’s a nice conversation piece, but it also left me wondering if the restaurant’s interior was actually completed.

The menu is similarly disjointed -- but it’s less noticeable. Breakfast items, served all day, are anchored by egg dishes (like the ubiquitous Huevos Rancheros) and a Chicken-n-Waffles plate that puts the Breakfast Klub to shame. The fruit-laden waffle is golden crisp and the chicken is expertly breaded, then fried without a mess of excess grease. The Day-After-Thanksgiving sammich falls way short, though; the turkey, stuffing, and flavorless gravy each miss the mark, leaving bites bland and mushy. But do not pass up the near-perfect French fries. Dinner items are a hodgepodge: salmon, meatloaf, and the like.

I’ve heard the gripes about the pricing, and indeed it is high for diner-style food. However, Lola is no greasy spoon. Chefs use quality ingredients and portions are huge. And it’s early, yet. I have no doubt that the menu and prices will improve with time.

In short, Lola will succeed because there are enough people that want it to. Ken Bridge has the experience and know-how to run a successful restaurant, and local Heights patrons are happy to have a novel and decently-priced addition in the ‘hood. So even though I’m not enamored of the place as is, it has the potential to become a regular stop. And that, my friends, is upside.

Lola - 1102 Yale (at 11th)

The Day That Cocktails Really Caught My Eye

Food Princess — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 02:24:00 -0700

Please note that I plan to be writing for a Houston on-line publication shortly. Quite frankly I was embarrassed that while I have been actively twittering my dining experiences, I had not written in this blog since traveling this summer. I choose to write about Anvil as my bridge article because there is so much similarity between my experiences at Anvil and those traveling.

The other day someone asked me what my passion about food and travel have in common. I would say it is simply this; I enjoy history, tradition, architecture, innovation, beauty, and being around people who enjoy it. There is no food or drink establishment in Houston that captures these feelings more than Anvil.

A visit to Anvil can be a place one where you go to meet friends or a chance to leave the outside world behind and be transformed. When I walk in Anvil, I want to be wearing my little black dress, pearls, gloves, high heals, and a pill box hat. I love sitting at the bar and sipping my drink out of the antique cocktail glasses, watching the bartenders mix the various libations, gazing around the room at the other patrons, and giggling with my friends.

Do you know that they serve over 100 different types of cocktails?

Anvil does it with such flair that one feels transported back in time to another place. For me, it is a little bar in a hotel in Lucerne, Switzerland. The drink was a Brandy Alexander and my mother told me that this was a drink a girl could order and say to her date she could only drink one because it was so rich. I loved the taste of the drink, the twilight colored light in the bar and the beautiful glass. It is a drink I will never forget.

For me a cocktail is about the total experience, the taste and everything that surrounds it.

Currently, I would identify myself as a martini drinker. In retrospect, that became my drink of choice because I enjoyed the total experience, that of watching the preparation and then sipping my drink out of long steam glasses with a wide mouth. Drinking out of martini glasses enables me to elegantly raise the drink to lips, fill my nostrils with a large bouquet of the citrus (if it is made with a lime), then tip the glass back and fill my mouth with a refreshing cool liquid.

Therefore it is not surprising that I keep on returning to Anvil. When I order a cocktail there, each drink has a history, is crafted by knowledgeable bartenders, and served in vintage stemware.

Anvil’s New Cocktail Menu

On Thursday Anvil unveiled their new fall cocktail menu. Arriving close to opening time, I was greeted by several of my friends in the food industry, including one of the newest foodie power couples: Ecky Prabanto and David Buehrer co-owners and baristas at Tuscany Coffee in Greenway Plaza Randy Rucker of Tenacity as well as other associated local personalities.

I got a chance to take a sip of several of the new cocktails that my friends were busy sampling, it was the Pliny's Tonic that blew me away. I ordered the drink. Bobby Heugel the chief mastermind behind Anvil told me the cocktail is named after the first century philosopher and naturalist, Pliny the Elder who wrote about medicinal uses for cucumbers. The blueprint: gin, lime juice, turbinado syrup, cucumber slices, mint leaves and tincture of habanero/serrano/thai chile or a complex journey in one glass. At first sip the drink tastes sweet, then it tastes tart, and finishes spicy. I was falling in love and it was just a cocktail.

The other cocktail I enjoyed last Thursday was the Balmoral, named after Queen Victoria’s Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The Balmoral at Anvil is a mixture of Old Town Gin, Dolin Blanco Vermouth, and lavender-vanilla bitters. The drink was on the sweeter side and for those of you who like a boozy tasting drink without any tartness (no citrus), this is one for you to try.

On the Food Side

There are several cheese and charcuterie options, I have not tasted their newer choices.

Thursday I had a few nibbles of the Campari popcorn (made with sea salt, olive oil and dehydrated Campari) which was tasty. They have also added sweet potato beignets made by Plinio Sandalio, whose far from pedestrian dessert creations can be tasted at Textile in the Heights. Bobby tells me there are more food choices to come.

For now, I frequently head over for a couple of quick burgers and fries at Little Bigs on Montrose on the way home.

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast

tedo — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:49:00 -0700

Besides going to GABF, one of the nice things about visiting Denver is the opportunity to pick up beers that we don't get here in Texas. Lucky for us we get a lot of Colorado beers here, but there are others from around the country and around the world that Denver has that we don't. So whenever I go into a liquor store in Denver I'm always on the look out for new brews. I was excited when I saw this brew on the shelves. Yes we do get Mikkeller beers here (finally) but not this one, so I eagerly picked it up and the other day my wife and I sat down to try it out. Before my notes though a few words on the brewery itself.
The Brewery: Mikkeller started in 2006 by two Danish Homebrewer's. In 2007 one left and now Mikkel Borg is the sole brewer. One of the more interesting things about this Danish brewery is that they don't have a brewery per se. Instead they travel all over the world and brew their beers at other brewery's. Some of the brewery's they have brewed at include De Proef in Belgium, Brewdog from Scotland, Three Floyds from Indiana, Nogne from Norway, and Gourmetbryggeriet in Denmark. The ones Texas gets are brewed at De Proef brewery, this one in particular was brewed at Nogne.
The Beer: This brew is a strong stout made with oats and coffee and weighs in at 7.5%. The beer pours a pitch jet black with a dense head of caramel colored foam that grabs the sides of the glass. The nose is oaty, coffee, licorice, chocolate, raisins, figs, coco. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy notes of coffee and cereal, espresso, grainy mouthfeel. Citrusy notes, almost slightly lemony. Bitter and rich, multi-layered, vanilla notes, dark dried fruits. An outstanding beer and great introduction to this brewery can't wait to pick up the ones we have here. This one gets an A- from me. Here's what the folks at BA had to say.

Foam at Catalina Coffee

anonymouseater — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:13:00 -0700

More outstanding cappuccino foam

Waldo's foam impressed me with it unruly, cotton-candy texture.

Catalina Coffee's impresses with a different style of foam -- tightly focused and dense, with artistic patterns.

The whole operation at Catalina Coffee on Washington Ave. is a little more serious, a little more sophisticated than Waldo's counter-culture aesthetic. Catalina's counter even features baked goods and a CD on display -- just like you-know-who.

But like Waldo's, Catalina isn't Starbucks. The baristas are artists -- and individuals.

Will it be art?

Catalina's web page shows foam in the pattern of a heart. As you can see from the 1st photo, this morning, I got a leaf. Two days ago, there was no pattern other than a carefully constructed cylinder topped with a perfectly flat plateau.

If I go to Catalina often enough, will I get the same pattern twice? Or is every drink an individualized creation?

Sure, visual patterns don't change the flavor. But they can make the coffee better. Drinking is a visual experience too.

Why independent coffee houses matter

We shouldn't hate corporate coffee. American coffee is far better after Starbucks than it was before. Even McDonald's now serves decent coffee drinks.

But every Starbucks cappuccino is essentially the same. As is every McDonald's cappuccino. They are assembly-line product that customers value for consistency.

Wildly different, a cappuccino at Catalina or Waldo's is going to be the creation of an individual. It probably will taste a little better. Its beauty may even approach art.

And it almost certainly will be more . . . human.

Saute without flour

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:59:00 -0700

In recent attempts to saute foods that are usually dredged with flour without dredging, I have had some victories. The best has been skinning the chicken and then sauteing it in a small amount of olive or other vegetable oil. Skinning the chicken is easy--even easier if you can get the butcher to joint it and remove the skin. Otherwise, stick a fingernail under the skin and then the whole finger. Wiggle and slide it around and then pull the skin off. An added advantage is the reduction in calories and skimming.
Keep the neck, wing tips and giblets--not livers--for stock. Ruthlessly collect the bones whose meat has served as food and any carcass and simmer for six to eight hours. When sieved, there should be about a quart of stock. Freeze if not using immediately. It will take about eight minutes to defrost in a microwave oven.

Fearless Critic Houston Restaurant Guide 2010

tshu — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:13:00 -0700

The newest edition of the Fearless Critic Houston Restaurant Guide is now available for purchase. The new edition is the first to employ a Council, a group of local foodies and bloggers who assist with rating and reviewing all the restaurants this wonderful city has to offer. In full disclosure, I was a participating council member. Shhh…

New Heights restaurants include Carter & Cooley, Chicago Italian Beef, Chilosos Taco House, Jazzie Café, Pink’s Pizza, Taquería Tacambaro, Vietnam Restaurant, and others that are oh so close to The Heights.

Available at your local bookstore, or from Amazon.com for only $10.85. Cheaper than the chalupas at El Tiempo, and less calories too!

Houston's Fearless Critics

Ruthie Johnson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:22:00 -0700

Good news -- The updated version of Houston’s best restaurant guide hits the shelves tomorrow! That’s right: The Fearless Critic is back with even more outlandish, outrageous, and hilariously rad reviews. Since the last guide was published two years ago, Houston has gained and lost restaurants with only slightly more grace than a Hollywood starlet. Here’s your chance to find out which ones are worth the effort, and which are already on the road to the glue factory.

Houston was The Fearless Critic’s test market to create an undercover council of local food writers and bloggers, and I had the distinct honor to be included in the mix. We ranted and raved, argued and ate our way through just about every restaurant in town. And I do mean argued; at one point we jammed the WWW by throwing out 200+ emails per day, all in the name of declaring a best burger. Our spats resulted in a straight-forward, no-holds-barred, kick-in-the-pants restaurant guide that offers a “brutally honest” picture of Houston’s culinary landscape.

And yes, we did give one burger the coveted blue ribbon -- but I could never deprive you of the chance to devour this *exceptional* piece of contemporary literature by teeing up the answer on a little old blog. The only shortcut on the path to gastronomic excellence is to buy the book yourself. Sorry :)

Beaver's: A Love Story

tshu — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:22:00 -0700

When Beaver’s opened two years ago, I must admit that I was less than impressed. I found the quasi-Carolina barbecue style to be frustratingly inconsistent, expensive, and downright un-Texan with their paltry portion sizes. I know several Carolina apologists who praise the power of the pig and dismiss brisket and everything cow-related as not “real” barbecue. Fine. I can accept regional differences with barbecue, but if you’re going to come into Texas touting a different style, you better bring your A game. Unfortunately, the barbecue didn’t live up to Texas standards. I prefer my ribs to have some chew to them, as opposed to the obviously boiled and crumbly fall-apart versions served at most family friendly chains (you know who I’m talking about). The ribs at Beaver’s had the same mealy texture, although admittedly the smoke flavor was always pretty good. My favorite item on the menu was the burger, but it was hard for me to get really excited. Your best item is a burger? Really?

Things started to change once J.J. took control of the kitchen. The sweet potato fries and cheese dip were immediately dumped, and for good reason. Lunchtime specials (called a Beaver Box) started to include some stellar dishes, including Wednesday’s remarkable fried chicken. All Beaver Boxes are served with a salad to start and a truly extraordinary slice of pecan pie (not too sweet); all together, it’s one of Houston’s best bargains at $12. Sandwiches got a makeover as well. A ho-hum sounding pit boss chickwich gets transformed into awe-inspiring man food: shredded and sauced chicken is topped with a fried egg, onion strings and slaw, all held together with a steak knife (no toothpick would be able to do the job).

The most recent menu additions have elevated Beaver’s to another level. JJ’s epic CFNYS is my new favorite menu item: served stacked on a bed of bitter greens and sweet potato puree, this CFS does Texas proud. The concept is pure genius: take a previously highfalutin cut of cow (avec New York marketing credentials) and chicken fry its ass. Some of my friends have nitpicked over the greens or the vertical presentation, but I think it’s perfect the way it is. Beaver’s is no holds barred Texas food, and the CFS is probably the best example of this philosophy. And that barbecue I was bashing before? It’s better, too. The sampler includes some pretty stellar sausage, pork ribs and brisket that even a Texas barbecue fan could appreciate. Best of all are the beef ribs, which have a fantastic smoke flavor and great texture.

Bacon and Egg Biscuit, available for brunch. Photo courtesy of Houston Foodie (used with permission; view blog)

A week and half ago, my wife and I found ourselves at Beaver’s for the end of the UT/Tech game. To my left sat three UT fans, sipping Bud Lights. To my right sat two couples drinking British brews, eating dinner and getting ready for a night out on Washington. My wife and I shared an order of wings and two cocktails.

“What’s THAT?” said the UT fan to my left, pointing out my Sazerac, with a lemon twist garnish.

“A Sazerac! It’s a classic cocktail from New Orleans.” I replied.

“Oh…. Cool!” he said, and turned to watch the end of the game.

Sidecar and Sazerac

The fact that three completely different groups of people can get their food and drink on and be totally at ease is why I love Beaver’s. There may be better restaurants in Houston, but Beaver’s is my favorite.

Details
2310 Decatur Street
713.864.2328

Fearless Critic - 2010 Edition!

Jodie Eisenhardt — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:12:00 -0700

Get'em while they're hot! Yes, I'm shamelessly promoting the new edition because I was a contributing writer/critic for it and we worked really hard on it! I have no idea why the image looks blue ... its not blue ...
I'm proud to be a part of the "council" here in Houston ... a fact that I've kept pretty much to myself up until this point. Lots of intense discussion and debate went into this baby and I think people will really enjoy it and be inspired to take advantage of the extremely diverse dining scene we enjoy in Houston. You can also check out www.fearlesscritic.com for a searchable database for Houston where we will be submitting updated reviews on an ongoing basis. The book is available at Whole Foods, New Living, bookstores and on Amazon, of course.

GABF 2009

tedo — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:46:00 -0700

I'm back in Houston from my whirlwind trip to Denver to attend the Great American Beer Festival. It was an incredible few days capped by my attendance at the Saturday Session of the GABF where I got to see some Texas winners (more on that later). It wasn't all GABF attendance though.
On Thursday lunch was at the famous Wynkoop, the first Denver brew pub where I paired good solid food with a very smooth and delicious ESB on cask. This ale was an incredibly drinkable session beer that was absolutely spot on as an English ale and was made even better on cask. After Lunch I headed over to the Great Divide Brewery for their Open House. It seemed like every brewery in Texas was there. Ran into folks from (512), Indpendence and Saint Arnold's. Even met Phillip Kaufamn maker of the latest Divine Reserve. While there I was able to try GD's Esspresso Oak Aged Yeti. All I can say is simpley amazing. I wish that Texas had gotten this beer in addition to the Chocoalte Oak Aged Yeti. The beer had it all, notes of vanilla, oak, bourbon, smooth silky espresso, some burnt malt notes and yet it was smooth, very smooth.
Friday saw me head out of Denver up to Boulder where my wife and I had lunch at Boulder Brewing. Again I tried their English Pale ale Cold Hop on Cask. Again it was a great interpretation of a British cask ale. A wonderfully tasty session beer. I also went by Twisted Pine's brewery and had a sampler of their beers. The standouts was their Espresso Stout and their Bourbon Barrel Red Ale. Initially the Red was too bourbon-y but as it warmed it got much better. Its a sipping beer to be sure but still a delicious ale.
Saturday of course was the day for me. The Saturday Session. Got there at 11:30, the doors opened at 12:30 and the line was already long. The hour went by fast and as the doors opened we were greeted by the sounds of Bag pipes playing. We grabbed our sampler glass and headed inside. I tried as many beers as I could from all over the country. Yes even some from Texas. I had the tasty Pecan Porter from (512) (oh when will it be in Houston?) to Freetail's La Muerta. Of course I had the beer's I've been dying to try, Russian River's Pliny the Elder, Lost Abbey's Cuvve de Tomme, Troeg's Nugget Nectar to just name a few. I tried to hit as many as I could and still keep my sanity (others will be the judge of whether or not I succeeded). When ever I come to GABF I like to look at the trends, what seems to be the big style of beer. Yes there are tons and tons of IPA's and DIPA's. but whats the up and coming? I can say this for sure, Oak aged beers are not going anywhere as I saw more of those this year than ever it seems. What else? The use of Brett in beers seems to be sticking around and I can't say I'm sad about that. Also and maybe it was jut me, but there were more Rye ales and lager's than ever before. It's these things that get me excited about GABF. Seeing how American brewer's are branching out, not everything is just hops hops and more hops (oh yes thankfully they are still around and as amazing as ever) but brewers are continuously branching out trying new things and in some cases things from decades past and putting modern spins on them. The other thing I love about GABF is meeting folks and we got to meet a ton of people many from Texas. Us Texans are passionate about good beer and I can't tell you how many home brewer's I met. My plans are to get in touch with some of them and watch them do what they do so well.

In finishing as promised a little more on the Texas Winners. Texas ended up with 2 golds and 2 silvers (these from the same brewery):

Saint Arnold Brewing Co. Saint Arnold Summer Pils TX Gold Munich Style Helles
The Covey Restaurant & Brewery Weizenbock TX Silver German-Style Wheat Ale
The Covey Restaurant & Brewery "100" TX Silver Belgian Style Strong Specialty Ale
Uncle Billy's Brew & Que Hell In Keller TX Gold Kellerbier/Zwickelbier

Congrats to Saint Arnold's, Uncle Billy's and The Covey. Keep making great beer.
Here is the complete list of winners.

Voice (Hotel Icon)

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:07:02 -0700

July 22, 2009 | Marc and I went to Voice at Hotel Icon for the Yelp Eats! special– $25 for a 3-course meal!! How could we pass it up? We met up with a dozen or so Houston Chowhounds for our highly anticipated dinner.

I had already heard about the menu items for Yelp Eats! and thus, had my choices planned out ahead of time:

Appetizer: Mushroom Soup “Cappuccino” with truffle foam, porcini powder
Entree: Grilled Flatiron Steak with yukon potatoe puree, crimini mushrooms, cracked pepper sauce
Dessert: Peanut Butter Crunch Bar peanut butter powder, chocolate sorbet

All for $25!! Of course, the table also ordered wine, so I had a glass or two of red wine. Before we got our food, we started with the complimentary bread and their three dipping sauces– I forget exactly what they were, I remember there was butter, one made out of olives, and something else…anyone remember?

After waiting awhile, our appetizers finally came out! Both Marc and I ordered the mushroom soup “cappuccino”.

First, the visual aspect of the soup. It REALLY looked like a cappuccino. The foam on top really did the trick! On my first spoonful, I could taste the truffle foam and the richness of the mushroom soup. I rather enjoyed it although I think I actually would have preferred a smaller portion! I don’t think Marc finished his soup.

And soon after, the main entree was served.

As usual, I ordered my flatiron steak medium rare. I was very pleased to see that the inside of my steak was pink/red– I really hate getting overdone steak!! And the steak was delicious! I just love mash potatoes (or in this case, potato puree, hehe) with my steak too. They just compliment each other very well. Just everything on my plate mixed well together! I only ate half of mine, saving room for dessert!

I almost forgot– we split an order of the famous truffle fries that I’ve heard so much of!

I have to be honest– the fries were good, but I really don’t understand all the fuss there’s been lately over truffles. Oh well, at least I can say I tried them, haha.

For dessert, Marc ordered the creme brulee (on my request, haha), while I ordered the peanut butter crunch– how could I resist?? I love peanut butter!

The desserts did not disappoint! The peanut butter crunch, though, was EXTREMELY sweet and heavy, and being lactose-intolerant, made me more nervous with each bite, haha. There was only so much I could eat, especially after the appetizer and entree! Marc’s creme brulee was just right. Marc commented that the blueberries on top were the best ones he’s ever had!

I would say the meal was a total success!! I definitely would consider going back to Voice for a special occasion. =)

Click here to see the pictures in flickr!

The Oasis

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:56:45 -0700

July 19, 2009 | The morning after going out for Bill’s Birthday, a small group of us had brunch at The Oasis, overlooking Lake Travis! Interesting bit– the Oasis opened in 1982 although there was a fire a few years ago that resulted in an expansion of the place. The Oasis isn’t known so much for having the best food in Austin, but rather, the best view. Although the water levels were low, the view was still very enjoyable and the weather was perfect as we sat in the shade.

I ended up ordering the Crawfish Crab Benedict, toasted English muffins topped with spicy crawfish crab cakes and poached eggs, drizzled with hollandaise sauce and served with brunch potatoes.

It was surprisingly satisfying! I didn’t care much for the brunch potatoes, not with the benedict on the same plate! The fruit was a nice addition too. It was a great way to end our Austin trip!!

Perry’s Steakhouse

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:47:12 -0700

July 18, 2009 | As I mentioned in the last entry, we had a birthday dinner to attend after the BBQ lunch for Bill’s birthday. For this occasion, we got dressed up and took a taxi to Perry’s Steakhouse. I’d never been before and didn’t know what to expect, but I was impressed as we were lead to a private room that had previously been a bank vault. Cool, huh?

We started with drinks as we waited for the rest of the party to arrive. I had some sort of sweet martini, can’t really remember what exactly. In any case, Marc and I decided to share a Beef Steak Tomato and Vidalia Onion Salad ($8.95), and a 12oz. Filet Perry Topped with Colossal Lump Crabmeat and herb garlic butter, with steamed asparagus ($42.95).

The steak might not look like much (both images are just my half), but by the time I got through with the salad, I had just enough room in my stomach to finish the main entree! It ended up being just the right amount!

I also got a bite of Linda’s lobster– that is, her second one, haha. Her first one ended up on the floor (gasp!) but they were nice enough to give her a second one out of the shell!

Beautiful, isn’t it? =) I also got to try Bill’s birthday dessert! It was a combo of creme brulee, rich chocolate piece, and something else that I can’t remember, haha. That creme brulee was delicious though!!

The price was reasonable for the occasion and food, though I probably won’t be returning any time too soon since it’s still fairly expensive. I think the coolest part of the dinner was still the part about being in a vault!

Iron Works BBQ

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:26:52 -0700

July 18, 2009 | Four of us took a trip to Austin for a friend’s birthday, where we met up with my best friend Monica, who took a bus down from Dallas! We took this opportunity to visit one of Marc’s favorite BBQ places, Iron Works BBQ in downtown Austin. Marc, Monica, and I shared some beef , beef ribs (which are often hard to find), and cole slaw! The beef ribs were HUGE. Seriously. I think each rib was roughly 1lb each or something, so we got 3, haha.

I enjoyed the food though I can’t recall if the cole slaw was good or not! We were very stuffed by the end of the meal. Normally, I would have taken home leftovers, but we were staying at a hotel and going to a birthday dinner that night, so there probably wouldn’t be an opportunity to eat the leftovers.

It was a great meal, but next time I’m in Austin, I’d like to detour through Lockhart and try some of their famous BBQ!

Christian’s Totem/Tailgate

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:14:22 -0700

July 10, 2009 | Marc and I finally ventured out of Midtown (haha) and went to Christian’s Totem/Tailgate (yelp) on Washington Ave.

Christian’s Totem is a small, unassuming joint located next to a Denny’s– the parking lot is small and we intiially missed the entrance. It wasn’t easy looping back around to get in due to it’s proximity to the highway intersection! But it was definitely worth it.

Marc’s 1-lb burger

When we went into the sports bar, it didn’t look like much. We ordered our burgers and beers at the counter and found ourselves a table. However, after I took my first bite, I was very satisfied. I’d go so far to say it’s one of the best burgers I’ve ever had! The buttery buns, perfectly cooked meat, and the usual veggies were exactly what I expect in a good burger. Oh yea, and the prices were extremely reasonable– Marc’s burger was under $6 and we brought home leftovers!

We will definitely be back!

Rainbow Lodge

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:56:48 -0700

July 10, 2009 | Shannon and I decided to go to Rainbow Lodge for lunch, having heard tons of good things about the place since Randy Rucker became head chef. I’d saw the summer menu online and already knew exactly what I was going to get! The lobster roll. Shannon, on the other hand, ordered a taste of the wild appetizer with three different game meats and a cheesy vegetable dish that the waiter highly recommended..

I enjoyed my roll although it doesn’t compare to the one I had in New York! I’d say it was good but not awesome. I had hush puppies on the side, and while I’m not a huge fan of hush puppies, they weren’t bad and Shannon thought they were pretty good.

As for Shannon’s dishes, I can say that the cheesy vegetable dish was a huge disappointment, especially considering our high expectations after the waiter raved about it. The ingredients just didn’t go well together. I can’t figure out if the waitress actually tasted this dish or maybe her tastes are just different? Her other dish was better, although I believe she felt that one of the meats was a little dry? Nothing spectacular overall.

In any case, I suppose this explains the mixed reviews that I’ve heard about Rainbow Lodge– some say it’s wonderful while others can’t figure out what the big deal is.

Luckily this experience didn’t stop me from going back for the uni dinner!

Houston's new peasant food

anonymouseater — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 04:12:00 -0700

Vinoteca Poscol surprised me.

I expected a trendy tapas / wine bar. I expected a cheaper casual version of Da Marco. I expected what Alison Cook called a "useful restaurant" with modest portions.

And I expected more of a crowd.

What I found was something far more interesting. Along with Feast and to a lesser degree Dolce Vita, Poscol is an example of a new type of food in Houston -- a revolutionary style that overturns our preconceptions about food.

But with all the excitement, where are the masses? On recent Friday and Saturday nights, we easily got a table at 8 p.m. at Poscol with no reservation.

Like Feast, a lot of people don't "get" Poscol. It doesn't match their idea of great cooking or fine dining. In fact, it goes against our culture's idea of fine dining.

This isn't a review of Poscol. It is an argument for what I call new peasant food. And it's something of a manifesto. (Sorry.)

What is new peasant food?

"Peasant food" may not be the best phrase. It may sound derogatory. It may unfairly suggest authenticity. But it is uesful for a related-set of ideas:

1 - Under-appreciated, inexpensive ingredients. Peasant food is inherently cheap. Like poor people anywhere, European peasants made do with the ingredients they had -- left-over animal parts, easy-to-grow vegetables, simple grains. No precious ingredients. The feudal lord ate those.

2 - Traditional preparation. The focus is often roasting, braising, cooking over a fire. (I suspect the guys at Feast, like Marco Wiles, know some pretty advanced techniques; you just don't see signs of it on the plate.)

3 - Modest presentation. No abstract art here. Peasant food is usually slopped in a bowl or on a plate. It often isn't pretty.

Examples? Bacala may be Poscol's best dish -- a gooey, unattractive casserole of salt cod served with toast. Salt cod is a cheap way to preserve a once cheap fish. It's a pre-modern version of canned fish. Yet this cheap dish explodes with flavor and a rich, creamy texture.

Poscol's beet and hazelnut salad - These aren't expensive multi-colored baby beets. They are simple chunks of soft, red beets, simply roasted, and mixed with nuts and goat cheese.

Poscol's Bruschetta - Poscol's offers 5 toasts topped with simple ingredients -- chicken liver, fava beans. Feast does something similar -- topping toast with chicken hearts, and chicken liver.

Feast's roasts. Feast is the place in Houston for simple roasts with cheap cuts of meat (lamb leg, roasted pork belly) and cheap veggies, like potatoes and kale.

Why peasant food?

I can see a lot of arguments for this type of food.

One is environmental and economic. If you eat meat, it is cheaper and greener to eat the whole animal. Cheap produce has benefits too. Fava beans, potatoes, and rutabagas are less costly and environmentally damaging to produce -- and ship -- than black truffles or even California heirloom tomatoes.

Another is argument is cultural. Modern cooking -- from standard cooking-school techniques to molecular gastronomy -- may be too far removed from our primal activity: foraging for food, cooking it on a fire, and eating.

But for me, the real argument is this:

It's all about the Revolution

The best argument for new peasant food is its deconstructive/revolutionary effect. American fine dining is still too constrained in its choice of ingredients. We still expect great restaurants to serve the same set of items: lobster, fillet mignon, sea bass, truffles, foie gras, morel mushrooms. So pricey restaurants almost all focus on these types of ingredients.

Expensive ingredients are expensive because of supply and demand, not necessarily quality. For instance, in 19th c. New England it was a sign of poverty to eat lobster. In the 1970s, sport fishers in Canada would dispose of blue fin tuna after getting their photos taken with the fish because it had no market value. These ingredients are no better now than when they were dirt cheap. Similarly, cheap ingredients taste no worse simply because they are cheap.

Expensive ingredients are a tool to fleece the customer. Because there isn't a huge supply of Hudson Valley foie gras, restaurants can charge us more for it. Pricey ingredients prop up the entire price restaurant cost structure. Sure, foie gras is really good. But so is chicken liver.

Pricey ingredients are what customers have been conditioned to expect. That may be why some people have such a hostile reaction to Feast, and why Poscol isn't getting the crowds it should.

When great chefs focus on cheap ingredients, it is an act of revolution. It is a way of opening our mind to foods right under our noses -- brilliant foods we have ignored because they lack social status.

So please keep showing me what you guys can do with cabbage, turnips, and fava beans. As you drive around throwing bricks out windows, I am having a great time just being a passenger.

And if some of you still don't get it, let me paraphrase George Clinton: "Free your mind and your palate will follow."

New Food Media

anonymouseater — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:12:00 -0700

A few recent developments in Houston food media:

Southbound Food Radio

Would you believe the best new source of information about Houston restaurants is on . . . AM sports radio?

Southbound Food is a weekly radio show about Houston restaurants with three great hosts:

Bryan Caswell: chef and co-owner of Reef and Little Bigs
Lance Zierlien: Houston's best am sports radio host (I'm a longtime listener)
Jenny Wang: the shining star at the center of Houston's Chowhound and blogger scene

I just discovered Southbound's podcsts, which include Randy Rucker explaining why he left Rainbow Lodge and new restaurants by John Tesar and Tony Vallone.

These are not only informative. They are a huge amount of fun.

Fearless Critic's new restaurant guide

A few years ago, I mentioned the first Fearless Critic Houston Restaurant Guide. Its reviews were mostly written by local chefs.

The new 2010 edition has just been released. This time, the new reviews were written mostly by Houston bloggers -- with a serious amount of editing.

Disclaimer: I was one of those bloggers. I will not make any money off the book. But it would be unfair for me to review it.

I'll leave you to decide: are reviews better written by professional chefs or amateur bloggers?

Houston's food blogs: dying or just changing?

Last year, Houston food blogs exploded. As Fearless Critic editor, Robin Goldstein, told me, Houston had the most exciting food blog scene outside of New York. And Houston's scene was more of a community than New York.

This year, the air seems to be rushing out the bubble. Many amateur food blogs have gone silent. Others are published less frequently. And they are less adventuresome.

Some of the bloggers have gone professional. The Houston Press hired several oustanding bloggers -- which is both a good and bad thing. On one hand, the Press's Eating our Words has frequent posts and is a great source of information. It may now be Houston's best food blog. On the other hand, you can feel the corporate control. Writers have to write a minimum number of posts. And the style is not as idiosyncratic as an amateur blog.

Of course, the same thing has happened to me. Although I'm not paid, I put more energy this year into Fearless Critic than this blog. The Fearless Critic had style guidelines. And my style changed to comply.

One by one, the bloggers have been co-opted by for-profit ventures. And the blogs have changed.

The energy also has diffused because so many bloggers now spend their time on Twitter. Twitter makes blogs seem wordy, old-fashioned, and old media.

Worse there has been a lot of public criticism about food blogs in Houston, including a rumor that food bloggers demand free food from restaurants. I seriously doubt that rumor is true, but the charges hurt the community.

Our food blogs have lost the high energy, DIY ethic of 2008 when we all did it solely for the love of food.

Perhaps food blogs will continue in a style that is more informed, restrained, and mature. Or perhaps the halcyon days of Houston's amateur blogs are over.

Zoe's Kitchen and a rant about BS chicken breasts

anonymouseater — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:55:00 -0700

Zoe's Kitchen

Zoe's Kitchen is a chain with over 25 locations across the South. They have two in Houston: Washington Ave. and S. Shepherd near 59.

The chain's "philosophy" is "simple, close-to-the-garden ingredients."

Great idea, right?

On my first two visits, I read the menu and left. Nothing sounded interesting. It was filled with chicken salad, chicken salad and fruit plate, grilled chicken kabobs, grilled chicken pita, grilled chicken dinner, and "protein power plate" (with grilled chicken).

Finally, a friend drug me here, and I found something I liked well enough -- grilled chicken breast with sides of grilled vegetables and white beans.

It is rare to find fast-food white beans. These were full of flavor -- garlic, rosemary. But the beans had been cooked too long. Imagine the texture of runny mashed potatoes. Still, they tasted pretty darn good.

The grilled vegetables had a smoky flavor and an al dente texture. They had not been cooked too long.

The center of the dish was Zoe's "power protein" -- a grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast. Or as I call it, BS chicken. It was coated with olive oil and some flavorful herbs. As BS chicken goes, it isn't bad.

The problem with BS chicken breasts

This dish left me wondering: why do so many Americans prefer BS chicken breasts?

If you care about flavor, and you have cooked many chickens, you learn a few things:

1 - Dark meat has more flavor. Ok, I understand that the world is divided between white meat fans and dark meat fans. But it is beyond dispute that dark meat have more concentrated chicken flavor. If you want to get "close to the garden," that is what chicken tastes like.

2 - Chicken tastes better when cooked on the bone with skin. Even if you don't eat the skin, cooking with skin and bone improves flavor. They add meatiness, protect the meat, and prevent drying. If you take off the skin, then you need to compensate with a lot of oil.

In short, BS chicken breast is chicken without all the flavor.

Why BS chicken?

Sure, a lot of people argue that BS chicken breasts are healthier. But I doubt the difference is very significant. I also think there are two other real reasons Americans prefer BS chicken:

1 - BS chicken fans are afraid of meat. They are the same people who don't eat a fish with the head. They fear body parts like skin and bone.

2 - Many BS chicken fans think of meat as "Protein Power" -- a industrially-produced substance divorced from the animal that created it. These are often the same people who drink protein shakes. The blander the better. For them, food's sole value is nutrition -- not enjoyment, not art.

BS chicken fans might as well be eating soylent green.

End of my rant

For a chain, Zoe's isn't bad. Some side dishes are pretty tasty.

I only wish that more restaurants would at least give us a choice:

Can't you at least offer dark meat?

And can't you serve some chicken that isn't BS?

Mole loco

anonymouseater — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:12:00 -0700

Mole: a recipe for creativity

At some point, my favorite sauce became mole -- but not all mole.

The problem is that mole is something of a generic term that refers to a wide variety of Mexican sauces. For instance, Pico's serves 3 moles, all very different. Pico's mole negro may be the best version of Mole I have found in Houston.

The most common mole here is mole poblano. It typically mixes dozens of ingredients -- almost always a variety of chile peppers, and sometimes dashes of exotic elements like peanuts and chocolate.

Perhaps because of the variety of ingredients, there are an infinite number of mole recipes. For most Mexican chefs, the goal is a mole that is not dominated by any one ingredient. Rather it is a balance, with a flavor all its own.

Mole gone wild

Of course, strange things happen to a dish in America. Many Houston restaurants are pushing the mole envelope, adding more sugar, more peanut butter. For instance, Teala's mole tastes like Thai peanut sauce. It's not bad. But is it mole?

So we all knew what would inevitably happen: someone was going to push the envelope with chocolate.

Cielo Mexican Bistro - Downtown on Main - serves a chocolate mole sauce. Note that the word chocolate is first.

I hadn't noticed mole on the menu. But when I ordered a spinach and sweet potato enchiladas, the waiter said I had a choice of three sauces. One of them was "chocolate mole."

The problem with giving a choice to guests like me is that we don't always make good choices. I chose chocolate mole. For some reason I thought it might work with sweet potatoes.

In fairness, these enchilladas might appeal to some people -- such as people who have a huge sweet tooth. The filling was heavy on sweet potato, and very sweet. The mole was also sweet. Really Sweet. Really Chocolatey.

It tasted like a chocolate rugelach -- or the inside of a chocolate croissant. Only a few slices of raw red onion cut through the overwhelming wave of chocolate and sugar.

This was, without a doubt, the sweetest, and strangest, mole I have tried.

Then the irony. After I pushed the remainder of the dish away, the waiter asked me if I saved room for dessert.

"Dessert? I just ate it."

Moylan's Hopsickle

tedo — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:32:00 -0700

Ever since I found out that this beer was coming to Houston I have been excited. I mean its a legendary hop bomb and you all know my love of all things hops. Well it finally arrived on the shelves of my local Spec's and I thought to myself this would be good beer to have before heading off to GABF.
The Beer: No IBU's stated but it does weigh in at 9.2%. It pours a cloudy orange color capped by a dense head of white foam. The hop aroma pours forth as soon as I opened the bottle. Grapefruit, citrus peel, hops, hops and more hops. Is that pale malts I smell? Not sure but there is definitely hops. The mouth you ask? Its chewy, sticky, bitter, resiny. Its reminiscent of chewing on grapefruit peel, pine cones, and marmalade. No real malt presence, but notes of white pepper peak through the thick haze of hops. Did I mention the hops? They are there and they are there in force. But for some reason it works. It doesn't come off as a huge over the top off balanced mess like so many over the top (and this surely is) beers can. Its enjoyable, dare I say drinkable? Oh OK, maybe you won't have more than one in night, but you can surely have that one and love it. It gets an A from me. Here's how the folks at BA rate it.

State of BBQ Crab - Beaumont/Nederland

Houston Foodie — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:47:00 -0700

The quest to find, eat at, and rate the BBQ crab joints of Southeast Texas has begun.

View larger map

I'll dispense with the long and storied history of BBQ crab and just say that a comprehensive review of this native Southeast Texas cuisine is long overdue. The fact that BBQ crab joints keep popping up all over Southeast Texas is a tribute to the strong demand in this area. We all grew up eating them, and for many of us BBQ crab evokes memories of summer vacations to the beaches of the Gulf Coast.

The prevalence of BBQ crab in our area is also tied to the family that made it popular — the Sartin family of Sabine Pass and Beaumont. Various siblings, children and extended family of the founders continue to open Sartin's restaurants. At last count, there have probably been 15 to 20 instances of Sartin's Seafood restaurants over the years. On this trip we visited two of them: Sartin's Nederland and the new Sartin's West in Beaumont.

For purposes of this survey, I've organized the geographic disposition of BBQ crab into three areas: 1) Beaumont/Port Arthur/Nederland, 2) Houston/Galveston/Bolivar, 3) East Texas/Orange/West Louisiana.

This trip ventured deep into the heart of BBQ crab country: Beaumont and Nederland. We visited the best known purveyors of BBQ crab in this area: Sartin's in Nederland, and then Isaac Lee's, Sartin's West, and Floyd's in Beaumont. After the fact, I was informed that The Schooner in Nederland may also be serving BBQ crabs. I'll follow up on that.

A note on All-You-Can-Eat Platter service. Obviously the tradition is to serve BBQ crab as AYCE, but in the last 5 years or so that seemed to have changed. Many reasons for the AYCE downfall are promulgated, and a simple supply shortage is certainly believable.

Fortunately, AYCE seems to have returned, at least temporarily. All the locations we visited except Floyd's offered an AYCE option, generally in the $30 range. I believe all options included AYCE everything — in addition to BBQ crabs you can get catfish, shrimp etc.

Of course availability of blue crab is seasonal, and that may explain the return of AYCE. Blue crab season runs from around April to November in Southeast Texas. Supplies currently seem to be plentiful and of good size and quality. It will be interesting to see how many locations are offering AYCE in December.

What follows is a summary of our experiences on a recent Saturday's BBQ crab excursion to Beaumont and Nederland.

Heading to Denver

tedo — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:05:00 -0700

Its that time of the year again folks. Time for one of the greatest weeks of the year if you are a lover of craft beer. Its Great American Beer Festival and I'll be making my third trip to Denver for the festivities tomorrow. This year promises to be bigger and better than ever. The GABF has come along way since the first festival in 1982 held in a tiny Boulder, CO hotel room. Back then there were 20 breweries serving 35 beers. This year?
3,362 total beers being entered into the competition
2,100 total beers being served in the Festival hall.
495 different breweries
73 beers beers entered into the Pro0Am competition (two from TX, DR8 and SS Saison)
51 Breweries attending for the first time.
For a complete listing of all breweries attending check out this link.
There are 13 breweries attending from Texas and they are sure to bring home some medals from the competition.
I'll be arriving in Denver tomorrow afternoon and will be attending in various events around town. I'll also be attending the Saturday Afternoon session of GABF where they make the announcements of the winners which I'll put on twitter as quickly as I can. Speaking of Twitter I'll be doing that as much as I possibly can from Denver and then posting my full thoughts on the experience when I get back in town Sunday or Monday.

Roasted Onions

noreply@blogger.com (Barbara) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:32:00 -0700

I thought that in Roasting A Simple Art I had roasted almost everything. Well, the other night I pulled some smallish onions--about two inches in diameter--from the garden. After cleaning and trimming, I put them around a chicken that I was roasting--my easy stand-by--slicked them with olive oil and roasted for forty-five minutes turning every ten minutes or so until they were a uniform dark brown. They were sensational.
To roast onions alone, choose a pan large enough to hold them in a single layer without touching. Use two tablespoons of oil for each four onions. Moe oil is needed to replace the chicken fat. Enjoy.

Food in the News

Ruthie Johnson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:29:00 -0700

Just plain weird...
A North Carolina man -- who admits that he tends to gulp his food while eating -- suffered from unexplainable coughing fits, fatigue, and pneumonia-like symptoms for two years. Doctors finally locate the problem: A piece of a Wendy’s spork lodged in his lungs.

Closer to home...
Workers at Tampico Seafood on Airline in the Heights had a hell of a night last Friday when they were robbed at gunpoint and then held hostage once police arrived on the scene. Fortunately this one has a happy ending for everyone except the gunmen.

Most exciting of all...
Former Chez Panisse chef launches a line of ready-to-heat meals available at Costco. The line offers four dishes (polenta, penne bolognese, braised beef, and turkey meat loaf), all organic, no preservatives. The meals serve five, and none sells for more than $14. Just one more reason to luuurve Costco!

cauliflower soup

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:32:20 -0700

It’s fall again. Ok, a yearly thing, I admit. Two things happen to me in the fall: I cook more and I start taking out library books (& football, but that’s a given). I crave stews, soups, and long-preparation foods that would never have been made in the summer, even though my house is fully air conditioned and even though, conversely, the Texas fall doesn’t cool enough for me to need warming. My trend toward comforting foods is wholly irrational but never fails, and this is one my mom used to make all the time:

cauliflower soup

Wash and trim a head of cauliflower; chop into bite-sized pieces. Saute a chopped onion in a little oil until brown. Add cauliflower pieces and saute a few minutes. Add stock to cover, cook until just cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in a big spoonful of sour cream. Season to taste and serve hot!

Looking for the Best Mac & Cheese in Houston. Got any Ideas???

Fat Baby — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:06:00 -0700