Fruits and Vegetables

Texas Traveler: Luvianos in Kyle

Photos by Mike GiglioOn a recent tail-between-legs retreat from a rough weekend in Austin -- sunburnt from a long float down the river, broke and dehydrated -- the Texas Traveler wanted only two things: free water and cheap sustenance.Luvianos in Kyle had plenty of both. Water-filled bags hung aroun ... More >>

The Do-It-Yourself Bloody Mary Bar at the Cadillac Sunday Brunch

Photo by Robb WalshWhen considering where to go for Sunday brunch, we too often allow meaningless considerations like the fluffiness of the pancakes or the quality of the smoked salmon to interfere with sound decision-making. Stop and think about it. What's really important on Sunday morning-- I mea ... More >>

Farm Stand Junkie: Watermelons and Field Peas

Photo by Robb WalshThe old split watermelon trick -- works every time. On me, anyway. On the way home from a Memorial Day car trip yesterday, I saw a wagon full of watermelons out on Highway 6, just before the entrance to 290, and I pulled the car over I hate to pass a well-stocked produce stand. I ... More >>

Recession Lunching at Feast

Photos by Katharine ShilcuttCalf's liver and bacon with mashed potatoes and spinach Feast's abundant lunch specials put other recession dining features to shame. Every weekday at lunch, Feast puts together a menu with two courses for $12.95 or three courses for $15.95. Last Wednesday, the appetiz ... More >>

Cooked Oyster Season: Big Easy Erster and Artichoke Soup

The weather has turned warm and I have stopped eating raw oysters. But the oyster season isn't over yet. I bought a gallon of shucked oysters from Croatian oysterman Misho Ivic down in San Leon and I am cooking up a storm with them. Go buy yourself a couple of pints of shucked oysters and see for ... More >>

The Steam Table Special at Country Kitchen

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt Liver and onions with cabbage and stewed okraPassing by Country Kitchen on 11th Street in Timbergrove Manor, you could be forgiven for thinking that it's closed and long-abandoned.  The paint is peeling off the 1960s-era sign out front; the lawn plays host t ... More >>

Snackshot: Sunday Feast

Today's luscious Snackshot comes to us courtesy of Pixeltopia and Feast: From the photographer's description: "Sunday Brunch at Feast, on Westheimer" that included roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roasted parsnips, potatoes, rutabagas and carrots, grilled Brussels sprouts and bread pudding with ra ... More >>

A Long Way to Mango

Photos by Katharine ShilcuttThe Burger at Mango'sIn the mood for something light, I made a trip over to the newly-reopened Mango's at lunch to try their new all-vegetarian menu firsthand.The freshly-painted exterior with its charming patio and the sunny interior seemed like they'd be the perfect day ... More >>

Dragonfruit at the Keauhou Farmer's Market

Photos by Robb WalshYellow Dragonfruit Going to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning is one of those habits that's fun to engage in while you're on the road. And since I am staying in a condo with a kitchen this week in Kailua-Kona, it was great to buy some fresh local produce. The vegetables lo ... More >>

A Taste of the Tasting Room

Photos by Jeff Balke Chef Steve Super, executive chef at The Tasting Room. Chef Steve Super has Gulf Coast cuisine honed to a fine art, surprising for someone who hails from Vermont and only recently made Texas his home. This time last year, Super was the executive chef at Steve and Erika ... More >>

Viet-Tex-Mex: Fried Avocado Lettuce Wraps

"Fried Avocado Lettuce Wraps" is the name of popular new appetizer on the menu of Matt's Rancho Martinez in Dallas. Invented by fourth-generation Tex-Mex chef Marco Martinez, the dish features chicken-fried avocado slices served with Vietnamese-style lettuce wraps and condiments along with a monke ... More >>

Ra Sushi Scrambles Menu, Adds to Happy Hours

Shrimp Shumai We started with the kind of sake most people use to drink shooters and beer. It was warm, clear in color, dryly medicinal in flavor and called Hananomai Katana. Okay, adventures in drinking phase one. Actually, it wasn't that bad at all and as it made its way down, it created a warm an ... More >>

Kale to the Rescue

Times like these call for food superheroes: foods that are tasty, healthy, easy to fix and -- most of all -- cheap. And, if it's your thing, easy to grow, too. And that's where kale comes in. Kale is one of the more unappreciated leafy greens, playing second fiddle to its more well-known cousin ... More >>

Beef and Barley Soup with Bovril

Beef soup always tastes better with a dash of Bovril liquid beef bouillon added. So do beef stews and beef gravies. Legend has it that Bovril was invented because Napolean III needed to feed his army during the war with Prussia. So he ordered an enormous quantity of canned beef from a Scotsman named ... More >>

Another Root Cellar Romp: Parsnips and Rutabagas

Swedes are larger and denser than turnips. No, it's not an ethnic joke--swedes are what they call rutabagas in England. The rutabaga, or Swedish turnip, is often sold with a wax coating to protect the skin from discoloration. Rutabaga comes from the Swedish word rotabagge. Swedes are best roasted or ... More >>

Peri-Peri Burger: It Seemed Like a Great Idea at the Time

The peri-peri burger at Out of Africa, the new South African restaurant on Southwest Freeway in Sugar Land, is a hamburger topped with the legendary hot sauce made with African bird peppers. And since I love peri-peri chicken, peri-peri prawns and peri-peri everything else, I figured this one was a ... More >>

Down in the Root Cellar: Carrots and Turnips

Turnips are cheap and bitter. Carrots are annoyingly sweet. But before you allow the unpleasant characteristics of these root vegetables to summon disturbing memories of your relatives, consider how brilliantly they balance each other out. Pair the bitter turnips with the saccharine carrots and you ... More >>

A Sweeter Sweet Potato

That's a fine little yam, ma'am," I told Tara Smith, the LSU AgCenter's sweet potato extension specialist and coordinator of the Sweet Potato Reseach Station in Chase, Louisiana. I had just finished a taste test comparing Evangeline (left), a new variety of sweet potato developed by the LSU sweet p ... More >>

Texas-Thai BBQ

If there's anything I like as much as Texas BBQ, it's wacky only-in-Houston fusion cuisines. So imagine my glee when I noticed the sign in front of Mai Thai restaurant at 3819 Kirby advertising "Texas BBQ Thai Fusion." I pulled over immediately. The special BBQ menu listed beef, chicken, spicy pork ... More >>

History of Texas Chili--Without Beans

Chili con carne was introduced to America by the "Chili Queens," women who served food in San Antonio's Military Plaza as early as the 1860s. Chili stands were also common in Galveston and Houston; they were the taco trucks of the 1800s. Tamales with chili was the most common order--beans were oft ... More >>

Hot Squash Soup

On cold mornings, I like to turn on the oven to warm up the kitchen. I know you're not supposed to heat your house with the oven. That's why I try to stick something in there so I can claim I'm actually cooking. Roasting a couple of heads of garlic is a good idea--you can always use roasted garlic ... More >>

Hanukkah Latkes: Increasing Our Dependence on Oil?

The fried potato pancakes called latkes are the traditional food of Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday which begins this year on the night of December 21. Explanations about the connection between the Eastern European potato pancakes and the commemoration of a battle against the ancient Assyrians general ... More >>

Recession Recipes: Bread and Butter Jalapeños

Our pickled pequin post drew a comment from Jim Sherman, a regular reader who said: "I don't bother with heat when pickling peppers. When I pickle just about anything except radish or carrot, I do soak the veggies overnight in a Kosher brine to draw out as much water as possible, and then dump the ... More >>

Thanksgiving Slumming with Cream of Mushroom Soup

Thanksgiving and the annual debate over that damn green bean casserole with the Durkee’s fried onions on top is coming up fast. Will you offer an urbane alternative like green beans with prosciutto and pine nuts to your recalcitrant relatives, or break down and make it according to the back-of ... More >>

A Short History of Shrimp Grits

Shrimp grits started out as a seasonal fisherman’s dish of shrimp cooked in bacon grease served over creamy grits in the Low Country where they were also known as “breakfast shrimp.” The simple seafood breakfast became an iconic Southern dish after Craig Claiborne wrote about it in the New Yor ... More >>

Purslane: Eating Weeds

Hurricane Ike Cuisine: Gourmet Canned Goods

$13 at Rizzi’s Pizzeria in Missouri City

Okra Time with Texas Caruru

Texas Peach Preserves and Texas Fig Jam

Even 120 Years Ago, Houston Was A (Rude) Foodie Heaven

Even 120 Years Ago, Houston Was A (Rude) Foodie Heaven

$7 at Pat and Joe’s Bellaire Broiler Burger

Fresh Meat at Five Guys Burgers & Fries

Texas Road Food: Spring

Mixing Up a Hurricane, or How to Best While Away the Hours While the Winds Blow

$13 at Dragon Bowl Asian Bistro in the Heights

Deconstructing Falafel Sandwiches

The Hot Dog Holiday

The Healthiest Soup in the World

This Just In: Watermelon Good for Blood Flow (and Erections)

Combo Meal at Thyme Table Cafe

Nuevo Inca-Mex at Inka South American Cuisine

Healthy For a Day (or Two): Marathon Dining at Ziggy’s and Field of Greens

$13 at Pappas Bar-B-Q

Jackie Tan Thinks Big

$13 at Fadi's Mediterranean Grill

Balkan Grill & Market

Try the hearty soups and stews at this fancy new Bosnian restaurant, or just hang out and drink Turkish-style coffee

$13 at Original Napoli Flying Pizza on Beechnut

Kimchee Spree