Subject: Food and Cooking

• Valentino

  October 15, 2009

• Big House on the Hill

  October 15, 2009

• Checking in at Stanton's City Bites

  Photo by J.C. Reid​Seems like every year about this time there's a flurry of blog posts and buzz about an "undiscovered" burger joint called Stanton's City Bites (1420 Edwards St.). Of course, Stanton's has been around forever, but it seems to keep a relatively low profile in the ongoing Houston burger wars. Hardcore Houston burger fanatics swear by it, and it always seems to place well in the Best of Houston® awards (this year it won the Reader's Choice award for Best Burger). Stanton'

  October 15, 2009

• Vietnamese Steak and Eggs... Holy Cow!

  ​ Tan Ba Le Baguette on the corner of Beechnut and Boone is an excellent lunch destination. This Vietnamese diner specializes in street vendor dishes at an affordable price. Ordering here is simple: Walk up to the counter and ask for steak and eggs. The steak-and-eggs combo was traditionally sold to day laborers in Vietnam as a fast and hot pick-me-up to satisfy those mid-day lulls.

  October 15, 2009

• Late Night Scene: Taqueria la Tapatia

  ​On Saturday nights, Taqueria la Tapatia has the craziest music mix. For every two Tejano love songs played, they play one song -- to use the term loosely -- of throbbing, Eurotrash techno. Let's just say it's an odd soundtrack for a burrito. Given a choice, I'll take the Tejano, because the waiters will occasionally dance to the rhythm when they think no one is looking. Around 10 p.m. the crowd is sparse, mostly scattered in booths near the window, but by midnight it's pretty hopping, esp

  October 16, 2009

• Caffeine Deficiency? Call the Coffee Ambulance

  ​Katz Coffee Company just bought a new "Transit" van and outfitted it with flashing safety lights and a wacky paint job. They call this high-profile delivery vehicle "the coffee ambulance." Katz custom-roasts proprietary blends for some of Houston's top restaurants, including t'afia, benjy's and Empire Coffee. Its mellow, medium-dark espresso blend, which I discovered while reviewing Giacomo's, is one of my favorite espressos. I saw the coffee ambulance when I stopped by Katz's roasting

  October 16, 2009

• Openings and Closings

  ​Word hit this week that Las Alamedas -- the landmark Spanish restaurant that mysteriously shut down earlier this year -- will be reopening again soon, but not in the same location. The owners have leased a space in Katy's La Centerra, the town square-style development near Cinco Ranch. The restaurant's reopening is scheduled for Spring 2010, but the question on everyone's minds is this: Will a restaurant that depended heavily on its iconic building and beautiful location along the bayou work

  October 16, 2009

• Chef Chat: John Signorelli of The Remington

  ​Colorado-bred John Signorelli is executive sous chef at the Remington Restaurant (1919 Briar Oaks Lane), located inside the five-diamond Hotel St. Regis on the West Loop. The Remington was rated one of the top 100 hotel restaurants in America in a 2006 Zagat survey, based on food quality, décor and service. What exactly is an executive sous chef? I'm second in command under Executive Chef Garret Fujieda. Half my job is administrative: preliminary hiring, interviews, payroll, costing...

  October 19, 2009

• Top 10 Places to Eat in Rice Village

  10. Croissant Brioche 2435 Rice Blvd., 713-526-9188 While the café is cluttered with tightly packed tables and the service can be somewhat, ahem, European, the pastries, soups and sandwiches are delicious. The truly amazing coffee alone is worth a visit. ​9. Chicken Kitchen 2516 Rice Blvd., 713-523-2323 Fresh rotisserie chicken is the star here, whether in a wrap, on a salad, in the signature "chop-chop" or served up on a platter. The side of plantains is an awesome nod to Chicken Kitch

  October 19, 2009

• Pumpkin Pie Blizzard at Dairy Queen

  J.C. Reid​On a recent drive through central Texas in search of unknown barbecue finds, my friend and newbie food explorer Alison chimed in from the back seat as we drove through the small town of Smithville, Texas. "Hey, did you guys see that Dairy Queen sign back there? It said 'Pumpkin Pie Blizzard.'" What? We were on a quest for meat and brisket and sausage and ribs and other such manly fare. We had no time for an ice cream dessert, even if Blizzards are a Texas tradition. We zipped o

  October 20, 2009

• Mango Smoothies, Onion Rings and Donuts

  ​Hillcroft -- that magical street where the adventurous soul can find the weird, wild and wonderful cuisine of India and the Middle East. Udipi Café at 5959 Hillcroft is just off 59, tucked between a gas station (go figure) and a jewelry store (go figure again). This restaurant came recommended by Indian nationals working in Houston.

  October 21, 2009

• Burgers and Hash

  October 22, 2009

• Crisper Drawer Cast-offs: Cauliflower Casserole

  ​I'm trying to get invited to John Seaborn Gray's house for shepherd's pie. I'm betting it tastes great. His Shameless Chef column reminded me of Andrew Schloss's cookbooks Almost From Scratch, Homemade in a Hurry and Cooking With Three Ingredients. Schloss's premise is that great chefs don't cook from scratch -- they have assistant chefs who make the master sauces, roast the peppers, and chop the veggies for them. Schloss encourages home cooks to use canned soups and prepared ingredients

  October 21, 2009

• Obscure Wine Grapes: Mourvedre

  ​Mourvedre is a highly tannic red wine grape that is often blended with easy-drinking fruity Grenache. Two of my favorite French wines, Chateauneuf de Pape and Bandol, are made with blends that include this sturdy red wine grape. Mourvedre (pronounced something like moo-VAHD) is the French name for a grape called Mataro in Italy and Monastreli in Spain. The ancient grape was introduced to the Catalan by the Phoenicians long before the year zero. The grape was planted in Southern California

  October 21, 2009

• Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

  ​This week I baked vegan cinnamon rolls. Before I started the project, I envisioned myself exhausted at 2 a.m. with my arms and forehead coated in flour, waiting for dough to rise for the second time before baking. I had never baked with yeast before and was anxious about an I Love Lucy-style dough-monster disaster. Lucky for me, the cinnamon rolls were in the oven by ten, and my apartment smelled like the Keebler elves' tree house. Baking with yeast turned out to be an awesome experience.

  October 21, 2009

• Food Photography Workshop with Penny De Los Santos

  ​Much like professional food writers who feel threatened by the ever-growing cadre of "amateur" food bloggers, professional food photographers are assailed not only by those same food bloggers, but also by the whiz-bang, point-and-shoot cameras that they brashly carry into restaurants and kitchens. Some argue that these high-tech marvels can make even the most hapless would-be photog look like a pro. I must confess that I too have subscribed to this argument. That is, until this past Sund

  October 22, 2009

• Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest

  Last year's winner: Po' Boy Peanut Butter Chicken Cheesesteak ​America is in the midst of Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest, which draws to a close in less than a month on November 13. Competitions like these capture our country's great inventive spirit -- peanut butter was, after all, cooked up in the U.S. It's the kind of contest that imaginative minds like the Shameless Chef would excel at. Unfortunately, contestants must be between the ages of six and 12. Whether it's

  October 22, 2009

• D-Lite Your Soul

  ​Coffee Toffee with Dutch Chocolate was our first Tasti D-Lite (1707 Westheimer) experience, and by no means will it be our last. Nestled in the corner next to a Berryhill, this cozy franchise is a little difficult to find the first time. Don't expect a huge, punch-you-in-the-face flavor at this "skim-milk-based dairy treat" establishment. Instead, enjoy a light, revitalizing, slightly less-sweet ice cream cone packed with a walloping 75 calories. The calorie count is where this dessert

  October 23, 2009

• Crisper Drawer Cast-Offs: Stuffed Artichokes

  ​If you love artichokes, but want to cut down on the nutritional benefits, you can dip them in mayonnaise or melted butter. That's what I used to do -- until I encountered the artichokes at Mint Café, a hip little Lebanese restaurant that went out of business last summer. The artichokes there were covered with an olive oil, garlic, parsley and lemon juice dressing that made the vegetable taste spectacular. I reluctantly abandoned my beloved mayo and started using the olive oil garlic dre

  October 23, 2009

• How To Make The Perfect: Marinara Sauce

  Photos by Katharine Shilcutt​If you're looking for an authentic marinara sauce recipe, or one that only requires a few minutes of your time, you should probably stop reading right now. The following recipe is neither authentic nor is it a time-saver. It is, however, very simple to cook, uses ingredients that are (most likely) already in your pantry, nutritious and -- most importantly -- delicious. Over the course of an afternoon, it will fill your house with the rich scent of simmering tomatoe

  October 26, 2009

• Tamale Time: A Hot Tamale Sandwich

  ​Forget the dollar menu at Taco Bell, the tamale torta at Doña Tere on Bissonnet is a full meal for $1.79. I got the chile beef tamale and doused the bolillo with salsa to lubricate the rather dry-looking combo of starch on starch. It tasted better than it looked. But next time, I think I'll add lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and mayo. The chicken tamale with green sauce wouldn't be bad as a filling either.

  October 26, 2009

• Beef Cheeks at Gerardo's Drive-in

  ​A surprising number of people don't know what beef cheek is. Several times I've been in a fancy restaurant with "braised beef cheeks" on the menu and someone will ask, "Those are the cheeks from the rump of the cow, right?" Wrong. Beef cheek comes from the head of a cow, specifically the muscles around the jaw. All that cud chewing makes for an initially tough and sinewy cut of beef, but with the proper slow-cooking technique, it will turn fork-tender. The idea that meat can come from th

  October 27, 2009

• A Vegan Dinner at a Meatatarium

  Photos by Katharine ShilcuttAppetizers: sweet potato chips and truffled carrots, radishes and turnips​Vegans may take our cheese (and milk and meat and butter and even honey), but they may never take...our truffles. This seemed to be the rallying cry on Monday night at Beaver's Ice House as seven of Houston's most intrepid chefs embarked upon an ambitious 12-course meal (full menu here) made entirely of vegan ingredients. It can be difficult for even the most creative chef to suddenly be

  October 27, 2009

• BBQ Buffet

  October 29, 2009

• Straits

  October 29, 2009

• Barbecue and Banchan

  ​For this week's Cafe review, I visited Korean Garden Grille with a dining companion who was more interested in the appetizers than the barbecue. I took the same dining companion to a little mom-and-pop eatery called Korean Diner because I figured the place would have her favorite Korean item -- seafood pancakes. Korean Diner is not the place to go for bulgogi, but the seafood pancake was top-notch and the soft tofu soup wasn't bad either. Korean Diner is located on Blalock just past H-Mar

  October 28, 2009

• Southern Hospitality at Ginza Japanese Restaurant

  ​It's far from the Heights, miles from midtown and could never double as a nightclub. Unassuming as ever, my favorite sushi in town -- Ginza Japanese Restaurant -- makes me proud to dine in a shopping center next to Jack's Carpet. The meal begins with hot towels and ends with sliced oranges - clearly the extracurricular work of an experienced sushi knife. A server hovers four feet from my table with ice water, and the wait staff saunter around in simple, muted kimonos.

  October 28, 2009

• All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Comedy

  My brother Dave is a restaurant purveyor, and he once specialized in Chinese restaurants. Dave memorized the funniest lines from portly stand-up comic John Pinette's hilarious bit about being banned from the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. Dave launches into the outraged Chinese restaurant-owner routine whenever the family gathers -- especially when somebody goes back for seconds on the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.

  October 28, 2009

• Simon Moon Teaches Korean BBQ 101

  ​Chef Simon Moon is the owner of Korea Garden Grille, the subject of this week's Café review. If you have never eaten Korean barbecue before, this is a great place to try it, because chef Moon makes the experience really easy. When several people in our party confessed that they didn't know where to start, Moon took them through the entire buffet line, explaining it item by item.

  October 28, 2009

• Mexican Street Food Festival

  October 29, 2009

• Tex-Pole Kielbasa on a Sizzling Comal

  ​I was singing "Kielbasa" by Tenacious D when the gorgeous blond waitresses delivered my hot sausage on a sizzling comal at Polonia restaurant on Blalock the other day. "I love ya baby, but all I can think about is Kielbasa sausage." Next time I go to a flea market and see some those flat, oval-shaped Mexican comals set in a wooden frame, I am going to buy a couple. They became famous when sizzling fajitas were first served on them in the 1990s, but I have seen the little frying pans ada

  October 29, 2009

• Fearless Critic: Not The Only Brutally Honest Reviews In Town

  ​One can't possibly argue with the extraordinary usefulness of Fearless Critic, from its many lists, to its valuable compendium of area restaurants, to its handy ratings system. But one can definitely argue with its claim that its reviews, by "food nerds" and food bloggers, are somehow superior to those of tried and true restaurant critics' simply because the book doesn't accept advertising. Anyone who's worked within a newspaper will tell you that -- despite its fondest wishes to the con

  October 29, 2009

• Pickles, Mustard and Pierogi

  ​I am not sure the Polish food store beside Polonia actually has a name. The sign just says "Kielbasa, Golabki, Pierogi." The store is justly famous for its fabulous jelly-filled paczki doughnuts and outrageous kabonosy and kielbasa. (They fly in 600 pounds of sausage from Chicago each week.) But I am usually in such a hurry to get my doughnuts and sausage out to the parking lot that I ignore the rest of the store. Last week my housemate demanded a full tour, and we ended up at the cash re

  October 29, 2009

• Mojarra Frita at Cocina de Colima

  J. C. Reid ​Colima is a small state in western Mexico, bordering on the Pacific Ocean. You don't hear a lot about cuisine from Colima, but apparently it's well-known in Mexico and best known for its seafood, mainly grilled and fried fish, and its ceviche. In a testament to the diversity of regional cuisines in Houston, we have a restaurant called Cocina de Colima (3356 Fountain View) that specializes in food from this Mexican state. I visited Cocina de Colima as part of a recent taco truc

  October 29, 2009

• In the Little Stalls Behind Caninos: Got Guayaba?

  ​The first guavas of the season are starting to appear in the stalls behind Canino's. Guayaba is the Spanish word for guava. The fruit is native to North America, and the word derives from the Arawak tribe of the Caribbean, who called a guava tree a "guayabo." The green-skinned, white-fleshed kind they are selling now at the produce stalls are called apple guavas. The more exotic red guavas and strawberry guavas are more highly prized. I bought a dollar's worth, which amounted to six guav

  October 30, 2009

• Hop On Board: Houston Culinary Tours Embarking Soon

  Photos by Katharine Shilcutt​Have you ever wanted to cruise around with one of your favorite chefs, picking their brains as you hit his favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the city? Your chance to do just that is coming soon. Whole Foods Market and the Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau have put together an intimate series of Houston Culinary Tours, featuring some of the city's best -- and perhaps least well-known -- restaurants. And guiding these tours? Monica Pope of t'afi

  October 30, 2009

• Steam Punks: Baristas Throw Down at Houston's First Latte Art Competition

  Photos by Katharine ShilcuttSilence Huang points out good and bad characteristics on a calibration cup of latte.​Judging a latte art competition is deceptively difficult, as we found out on Friday night. Silence Huang, one of our fellow judges and a master barista from Taiwan, drew careful diagrams on the back of our judging sheets, pointing out all the idiosyncrasies and aspects that we should watch for in each cup of latte that hit the table. "Which of these looks more balanced and symmetr

  November 2, 2009

• Farewell Anonysaurus Tex

  ​So long, anonymity -- it's been swell. For nearly ten years now, I have done my job incognito. Now I am joining the ranks of no-longer-anonymous restaurant critics. Last Friday, I gave a lecture to the students and faculty of the Texas A&M Meat Science Center without the usual hat and sunglasses. I didn't wear a disguise on Sunday when I appeared at the Texas Book Festival either. Soon you will be able to Google grainy photos of me to your heart's content. I also have given my publishers

  November 2, 2009

• Star Snow Ice Part 2: Sweet Vanilla Ice

  ​Yesterday we talked about the soup at Star Snow Ice, the amazing restaurant tucked away in the corner of a plaza off Bellaire and Beltway 8; today we take on its sweet offerings. Snow ice, a common dessert in Asia, has gained in popularity here. It's served two different ways. One version comes with fresh fruit, shaved ice, condensed milk and, sometimes, salty plum syrup; the other is a savory dessert-snack hybrid consisting of various beans, egg puddings and other odd ingredients that mi

  November 3, 2009

• Ceviche at El Sinaloense

  ​On the southwest side of Baytown, sandwiched between the giant ExxonMobil Baytown Refinery and the City Hall, is a neighborhood I call "old Baytown." It's an area of older shops and houses, with what appears to be a largely Hispanic population. Market Street runs through the middle of it. I came here one Saturday morning to visit a Mexican seafood restaurant I had heard about called El Sinaloense (3002 Market St.). Patronized by local Mexican Americans as well as blue- and white-collar w

  November 3, 2009

• Top 5 Restaurants in Sugar Land

  The suburbs don't have to be all about McMansions, box stores, and soul-crushing conformity, do they? Open your mind and head to the land of Tara Lipinski, Tom DeLay and sugar. Photo courtesy of Japaneiro's​5. Sushi Bistro and Latin Grill, 2168 Texas Dr. Like many so-called fusion places, Japaneiro's falls short by trying to be everything to everyone. Skip the paltry Latin dishes, though, and you've still got an above-average sushi joint. 4. Original Eats Old Fashioned Grill, 3135 Hwy. 6

  November 3, 2009

• 3rd Annual Chocolate Festival of Texas & Texas Wines

  November 5, 2009

• Looking for a Bull Market

  November 5, 2009

• Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

  Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. The Ferm: Sir Ron may or may not blog drunk from time to time (see this entry on "How Not To Get a Job at the Houston Press"), but his latest entry on newly proclaimed city holiday Saint Arnold's Day is a loving ode to Houston's favorite microbrewery complete with a reassessment

  November 4, 2009

• Chicken Soup in Less than 30 Minutes

  Photo by Jane Catherine Collins​This is not a Rachel Ray recipe, so just wipe that thought out of your mind. We can't stand Rachel Ray and have banned her show from our house. We do all like a fast meal, though. So here's our version of a 30-minute dish: chicken soup:

  November 5, 2009

• Fiending for Berripop

  ​Berripop is the current designer drug in a long line of addictive frozen yogurts. The consistency is smooth and creamy, with surprisingly few calories. The locations at Greenway and Uptown Park rotate flavors rather haphazardly, keeping customers on their toes and checking in regularly for the occasional surprise. Staples include blueberry, raspberry pomegranate, mango, peach, black cherry and acai berry. On rare occasions, there's green tea.

  November 5, 2009

• Café Rabelais and Manon

  ​Since we were seeing Opera in the Heights's production of the French opera Manon, we decided to pay homage by writing about another amazing French feat going on here in Houston. Café Rabelais in the Village is dear to many a European's displaced heart - it's the focal point of casual French dining in our inner city. While everything here is really top-notch, and we do mean everything, there were a few points of special interest on our recent trip.

  November 6, 2009

• At La Plaza

  ​Machacada con huevo, the Northern Mexican dish of dried beef with scrambled eggs, makes a lovely Saturday morning breakfast. I ate a wonderful version last Saturday at of La Plaza restaurant on Bingle at Long Point. The interior of this place looks like an all-American diner. I was confused when I first looked at the menu because, although La Plaza appears to be a Mexican restaurant, all the breakfasts were standard American fare like bacon and eggs and pancakes. When I asked the waitre

  November 6, 2009

• Openings and Closings: October 2009

  ​If restaurant openings are an economic indicator, the last month would seem to signify that things are picking back up -- at least in Houston. Things we've learned from this month's openings and closings include: don't put a "z" in your name if you're trying to be taken seriously as a wine bar; Town & Country's new CityCentre development is the place to be; restaurants will never be deterred from opening in the accursed location at 2303 Richmond; and yes, things are still reopening i

  November 6, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  They run a great coffee shop, but the ambiance suffers a little from all the squished mushrooms and empty turtle shells lying around.​ Welcome back to the weekly round-up here at Eating Our Words, where we have a lovely bouquet and notes of walnut and oak in our boldly earthy flavor. Effervescent, but never insistent. Robb Walsh started us off with some foreign mustard favorites. Sadly, French's did not make the list. They're French, right? No? Okay, we're totally lost. Luckily, Robb ca

  November 6, 2009