Chile Peppers

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 "Classic" Food Trucks

What differentiates a "classic" food truck from those on last week's list of Houston's Top 10 "Fancy" Food Trucks? For starters, a classic food truck has been around for at least a few years prior to the gourmet food truck craze -- if not a decade longer. Classic food trucks are usually found at th ... More >>

From Tacos to Tikka Masala

Houston's 10 best classic food trucks.

20 Terrific Houston Restaurants for Eating Healthy While Staying Social

For me -- and, I imagine, for a lot of people -- the toughest part about dieting is when you're confronted with eating out. Unless you're dining in a chain restaurant, it's tough to count calories or know what the sodium or fat content of any given dish is. And I can pretty much guarantee you that n ... More >>

5 Places to Get Your Chili Fix in Houston (While It's Chilly)

Most of the time, I'm the type of person who thinks that -- like barbecue -- chili is best made and enjoyed at home. It's simple stuff that dates back nearly 500 years to the first chili recipe, when Bernal Diaz del Castillo, one of Hernan Cortez's captains, described the Cholulan Indian stew in 151 ... More >>

New Whataburger Menu Features Salads, Grilled Cheese, and 550 Cal-or-Less Selections

As far as fast food goes, I'm pretty happy with Whataburger. My go-to hangover burger was always McDonald's, but since I moved to Texas, the 24-hour Whataburger has taken the top spot. So color me excited when Whataburger sent out a press release highlighting its new menu, with a new section dedicat ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 61, Black Bean Burger at Ziggy's

This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we're counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston's cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least o ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Chicken Soups

For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

St Patrick's Day at Khun Kay Thai Cafe

What's Cooking This Week?

Last week's Red Chicken Chili hit the spot. I'm still not sure which way I liked it better; in a bowl topped with a dollop of low-fat sour cream or in a whole wheat soft taco with some homemade guacamole. Either way, I felt good eating it knowing exactly what was in it. I'll be continuing on my jour ... More >>

A Whole New Vibe: Vibe Lounge Houston

Fresh Oysters on the Half-Shell with Three Caviars​Karaoke and sports bars are not uncommon down the long stretch of Bellaire in Chinatown. What is uncommon is one that serves delicious, well-presented, high-quality dishes in an ambiance you wouldn't expect from the area. After a rather disapp ... More >>

Gran Success

The infused tequilas and modern Tex-Mex at this neighborhood hangout are bien bueno.

Grand Opening Party at Torchy's Tacos

Photo by Joanna O'LearyParty swag included bumper stickers, temporary tatoos, and a t-shirt I plan to wear every day until my husband complains.​As of 7 a.m. today, Houston officially had a branch of Torchy's Tacos, the Austin-based chain of eateries known for their creative taco fillings (e.g ... More >>

West Eggs

A previously barren side of town gets two tasty breakfast options.

Of Ghost Peppers and Cristal: The Dudebro as Self-Parody

The video above was making the rounds on the Internet earlier this week under such headlines as "Dudebro chugs entire bottle of Cristal." I was recovering from a bout of food poisoning on Monday and couldn't bring myself to watch something so intentionally nauseating, so I didn't view the video in ... More >>

Comment of the Day: A Better HFD Patch for Magnolia Park

​We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involv ... More >>

Tunnel Explorer: How Do You Roll?

Mmmmm, Tunnel Sushi.​Tunnel Sushi. Just the sound of it makes me shudder a little bit. Even more so than tunnel filet, this just sounds like a recipe for disaster. When I first learned about How Do You Roll?, I was less than enthusiastic. Of course, I take my job as Tunnel Explorer seriously. ... More >>

Burger Revolution at Central Market

Carrie Applegate JaegerCowboy Burger​Are you guilty of creating boring burgers with uninspired toppings? Central Market is here to rescue you. Now through July 5, the store is featuring burgers and their sidekicks throughout the store. David Kiser, Head of Central Market's Cooking School, s ... More >>

Discount Dining - Yelapa Playa

Pineapple Sevice​Happy Cinco de Mayo! As the day has approached, I have been craving Mexican food. And last week I indulged those cravings with Mexican food three days in a row, including at Yelapa Playa Mexican Restaurant. Houston Entree was offering a limited number of $20 vouchers for $10 to Ye ... More >>

DEFCON Dining: Brown Bag Deli

Salami Sandwich at Brown Bag Deli​I've gone on record (see the comments section on Katharine Shilcutt's recent post about dining with children) about my kids being pretty good when it comes to restaurants, both in terms of their behavior and their willingness to branch out and try what some mi ... More >>

Happy Hour Scene: Royal Oak Bar & Grill

​ The Place: Royal Oak Bar & Grill 1318 Westheimer 281-974-4752 The Hours: 4 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays The Deals:$2 domestics, $3 house wine, $4 martinis, $1 off drafts, $10 select bottles of wine The Scene: My friend Ethan has trouble turning down free food. He says it's because he ... More >>

What a Crock: Pinto Beans

​It's important to have a good bean recipe in the crock pot arsenal, especially living here in Texas. Beans are versatile, and if made properly, can be quite delicious. Let's see how this crock pot pinto bean recipe turned out. The rundown I'm not going to sit here and tell you this is the ... More >>

Bartender Chat: J. Hal Brock of Hearsay Gastro Lounge

​ "It's pronounced 'Hal' apeno," Hal Brock corrected me with a smile as I attempt to order his namesake cocktail. Not like "hall," but like the name "Hal" or "Al." Honestly, after taking a few sips of this zesty, yet refreshing, cocktail while chatting with Hal at Hearsay Gastro Lounge, I co ... More >>

At Home at Julio

Monterrey expats flock to Tacos del Julio.

Cheeto Sunday Funday

​A good friend of mine and I created a tradition sometime ago that we call Cheeto Sunday. It's a simple premise: You eat Cheetos on Sunday. It's a fun tradition that we have enjoyed for some time now. Lately, though, I have noticed Cheetos appearing in restaurant food items, which has kick ... More >>

What a Crock: Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

​Nothing says Happy New Year's like a bowl of black-eyed peas, and there's not a better way to prepare them than in a crock pot. The run down Before you roll your eyes and completely dismiss eating black-eyed peas this holiday season, take a gander at this recipe. It's got a little something ... More >>

Comment of the Day: Shiny Toy Edition

​Katharine Shilcutt gave our readers a bright and shiny toy to play with today with "The Nation's BBQ Capital According to Google, and It Ain't Texas." Some readers did their own investigations and came up with some interesting observations: From Wendy: -Other things Texas scored high on: -P ... More >>

Reporting from the Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium: Thacker Mountain Radio Show, Mississippi Masala, and a Talk by Robb Walsh

Robb Walsh, right. ​The 13th Annual Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium officially kicks off today, but the fun got started Thursday night with the Thacker Mountain Radio show and some dinner offerings in line with the "Global South" theme, including Mississippi Masala by Suvir Saran. Thack ... More >>

Country Fried Oysters

The Barbed Rose tells you how to eat them.

Don't Miss Dish

Jumbo Lump Crabmeat Nachos at Cyclone Anaya's

Yelapa Playa Mexicana's 1800 Express

Hot Plate

Killer carnitas at Mi Tienda

Top 5 Hot Sauces That Will Make You Cry Like A Baby

Watery eyes, runny nose, burning throat. No, it's not allergy season. It's the delicious pain of hot sauce. Here is our list of top five fiery sauces that will make you cry like a baby. 1. El Yucateco Green Habañero Hot Sauce - This is quite possibly the hottest sauce we have ever tasted. We fi ... More >>

Pop Sensation at Masala Wok

THE DAVENPORT'S PISTOLERA

Surprise food at Bombay to Beijing

A Taste for San San Tofu

Remember to Breathe at Seco's

Stuffed Dates at Be-Wiched

Las Fabulosas Taco Trucks...Delicioso!

Our Top Picks

Split Personality

PK's Blue Water Grill has the soul of a funky fish house and the body of a fashionable seafood restaurant

PORK TO GO

Picnic

Where's The Fire?

Vietopia

Old Dog, New Tricks

Onion Creek Coffee House

African Hideaway

Addisaba has an air of foreign intrigue — and awesome kifto and yedoro wot

Pefect Pair

Tila's Restaurante & Bar

Frankincense and Popcorn

Coffee and conversation at Blue Nile

A Tale of Two Moles

To make from scratch or use a paste -- that is the question

Hot Plate

Hot Plate

Cult restaurateur

Mickey Kapoor brings "Nouvelle Indian" inside the Loop