Grains and Pasta

Chef Chat, Part 3: Riccardo Palazzo-Giorgio of Hawthorn Makes His Own Pastas, Sausages, And Pie Crust

This is last part of a three-part chef chat series. If you missed our previous posts, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. This week, we chatted with Riccardo Palazzo-Giorgio, the executive chef and partner at Hawthorn in Upper Kirby, a restaurant that is literally a hidden gem because its phy ... More >>

Keep Those Resolutions

20 terrific restaurants for eating healthy while staying social.

Pollo Campero Delivers Fresh, Bright, Fun Flavors

A Sunday afternoon. A hangover. A trip to Penzy's to shop for Christmas presents. Are you starting to see the pattern forming? These exact conditions led to my recent, semi-successful trip to El Rey on Washington a few weeks ago and they are what led me back to the same neighborhood (neighborhoods, ... More >>

What's Cooking This Week? Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps & More

I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredients I've bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week - my weekly meal ... More >>

The Golden Noodle: A Mac N' Cheese Smackdown

I should have worn my stretchy pants. I should have known better. Yet, there I found myself, trying macaroni and cheese after macaroni and cheese with no end in sight, trying harder and harder after every bite to keep a poised, lady-like posture while simultaneously using every inkling of strength t ... More >>

A Fire at the Broken Spoke

Roy de la Garza on what's next.

National Rice Month: Shrimp Biryani at Khyber Indian Restaurant

September is National Rice Month, and in honor of this glorious grain, I've decided to cook and sample a few rice dishes in and around Houston. I first tried biryani when I was traveling in Andhra Pradesh, whose capital Hyderabad is especially famous for a certain variant of the dish. Biryani is t ... More >>

Texas Asia Society Jade Stone Café Definitely a Gem

As far as food is concerned, things really are looking up in the Museum District. Since I moved here in 2009, we've seen the Fine Art Food Trucks exhibit open at MFAH, giving Museum District workers and employees a daily food truck option; Green Seed Vegan opened its doors just down the road at Al ... More >>

Brio Brings Tuscany Inside the Loop

When Pesce suddenly closed, news that Brio Tuscan Grille would take its place quickly followed. Brio is a national chain restaurant, this being the third location in Houston, with the others in The Woodlands and City Centre. The former Pesce space has been transformed to fit Brio's casual but chic ... More >>

What Are We Stuffing? Avocados

Avocados are popular in salads, sandwiches and, of course, smashed into guacamole; everyone loves the avocado. I've always stuck to slicing and dicing avocado to add creaminess to my salads or even as a substitute for cheese on a burger, but until now I'd never thought to stuff an avocado. It's one ... More >>

The Mediterranean Diet: Listen to Mom

It has long been common knowledge that a diet of healthy fats and lots of complex carbs, fiber and protein is sensible, but more recent nutritional findings have pointed specifically to the Mediterranean diet's advantages in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A Mediterranean diet consists of fish a ... More >>

The 5 Most Common Risotto Mistakes

Risotto is one of the most difficult dishes to master. The first attempt is not perfect, unless you're Gordon Ramsay, of course, but these five common mistakes people make while cooking a risotto dish may help you become a master, or at least not screw up one completely. 5. Texture can make or brea ... More >>

What's Cooking This Week? Avocado, Tomato & Corn Salad, Grilled Lemon Chicken & More

I love homemade meals with my fiancé, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't have a game plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredients I've bought (and I HATE wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week - my weekly ... More >>

100 Favorite Dishes 2012: No. 78, Oxtail Francobolli at Aldo's Cucina Italiana

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 >>

Fresh Pasta and Memories on the Menu at Paulie's Restaurant

About a year ago a friend of mine suggested Paulie's Restaurant on Westheimer for a lunch date. She knew I was on the hunt for high-quality but casual Italian food, and thought Paulie's might fit the bill. Like most people who come from immigrant Italian stock (my paternal grandmother was from Rome, ... More >>

Simple Sides: Delicious Herbed Quinoa

Up until about a month ago, I had never tried quinoa. I was like, "What the hell is it? How do you pronounce it? Is it a grain? Is it...like...pasta? What do you put on it? Why is there so much in my brother's pantry?" So many questions. The bro had recently come back from a little stint in Peru ... More >>

What's Cooking This Week?

Last week was filled with classic favorites, Galumpkis, Corned Beef Deli Sandwiches & Blackened Tilapia. I picked up some amazing sweet potato gnocchi and an awesome-looking mango chutney last weekend, so this week I'll definitely be using both in my menu. Here's what I'm making: Veal Saltimbocca ... More >>

What's Cooking This Week?

My Italian menu last week really felt like home. Luckily, I have a bunch of visitors coming in the next couple of weeks to keep the feeling alive. Since I'll surely be taking them to the Rodeo and eating way too much food, this week I'll be making lightened up versions of some of my favorites. Here ... More >>

What's Cooking This Week?

Last week's menu was the perfect lead-up to the massive feast that is Thanksgiving. I spent the day itself in NJ with the best family and friends a girl could ask for. Back to the grind now and ready for some new treats. Here's what I'm making: Broiled Halibut & Roasted Onions w/ Tomato & Cucumb ... More >>

Eat Smart: Top Brain Boosting Foods

With the multitude of mind-numbing reality television shows that I can't stop watching and people like this parading around the internet, it's become blatantly obvious; I'm getting stupider more stupider just more freaking dumb by the second. Luckily, research has shown that what you eat plays an im ... More >>

Vegan Dreamquest Dinner 2: Beetloaf With Gravy

Photo by Joanna O'LearyMeatloaf Just Like Your Mother (Earth) Used to Make.​Although Houston certainly has a decent amount of restaurants serving vegan food, my wallet wouldn't allow me to eat every dinner out during Vegan Dreamquest. On the second night, my friend Kattie and I hosted a potluc ... More >>

Going Vegan: Trimming My Waistline, Trimming My Budget, Expanding My Horizons

For the past two weeks, in an attempt to experiment with new ingredients and foods, I've been eating vegan when I haven't been working. Admittedly, I "work" -- that is, eat -- for about half of my meals. But the other half have been [almost] entirely vegan. And it's been a fulfilling challenge. As ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs

The Atlantic: In one of the most-discussed articles of the week, The Atlantic asks: "Who wants to be a career food critic anyway?" Citing mounting pressures to blog, Tweet, Facebook and perform a million other small tasks in addition to writing restaurant reviews, author Adam Martin questions if thi ... More >>

Odd Pair: Pseudo-Italian Sports Bar and French Wine

​Let's face it: No matter how you dress or slice the meatballs (more on that below), if you have ESPN constantly streaming on monitors that hover above your bar and dining room, you are a sports bar -- even if you slap ristorante italiano onto the name of your restaurant. According to its web ... More >>

Tan Tan No. 2

The second location offers none of the soul of the original and little consistency.

Shiftwork Bites: Lagniappe Edition

English Pea and Ham Mousse Ravioli, English Pea and Ham Ragout, Soy Milk-Ham Nage and Nage Foam​So I lied. Kind of. My recent post really was the last actual Shiftwork Bites. It did, however, provide me with just enough material and inspiration to eke out one more piece, and for that, I'm grat ... More >>

Capri in Spring

Little restaurant outside town turns out spectacular Italian food.

Hydrated Pasta, Hydrated Sauce

​A few weeks ago, I was making risotto for dinner, using the pre-hydration method, which I'm so fond of for weeknight cooking. As I drained the Arborio rice from its bath of Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock, now cloudy with starch washed from the surface of the grains, I had an epiphany. T ... More >>

Yoga Fuel: Green Plum Kitchen Protein Trio

​First let me say YES, I realize this dish is 99.9 percent brown. The Protein Trio from Monica Pope's Green Plum Kitchen that I picked up at the Urban Harvest City Hall Farmers Market (Wednesdays 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.) might be a tad monochromatic, but it's healthy, light and flavorful, which makes ... More >>

Ingredient of the Week: Sepia

clayirving​What is it? Sepias are cephalopods - in the same class as octopus and squid - and have the largest brain-to-body size ratios of all invertebrates, so they're pretty clever little creatures. While it's also known as a cuttlefish, the sepia isn't actually a fish, it's a mollusk. The ... More >>

In Defense of Bread

​Food critic Jeffrey Steingarten proposed that the world could be divided into two types of people: those who can enjoyably live on bread alone, and those who need all the other food groups for gastronomic pleasure. I am of the former group, but with one condition: The bread must have butter. ... More >>

College Pasta Redux

​The Holiday 15 hit you like a ton of bricks thanks to endless array of bitchy relatives insisting you try everything, right? If you're in resolution mode (e.g. getting slim enough to fit back in your Spanx), then you'll need to get back to basics with simple recipes. The fewer ingredients, ... More >>

Ingredient of the Week: Thai Red Rice

​ What is it? There are several varieties of red rice. This particular bag, as far as I can tell, is just a medium grain rice with a red bran on the outside instead of brown. It is nuttier, sweeter and a bit chewier than white rice and contains more nutrients and fiber because it still contai ... More >>

Whole Hogg

Hoggs n' Chicks serves creative pork and chicken dishes in Missouri City.

Ingredient of the Week: Quinoa

net_efekt ​What is it? Quinoa is often used in place of a grain, but it is actually a seed. The plant it comes from is called a goosefoot, and it is more closely related to beets and leafy greens than grains like wheat or barley. Quinoa is also unique in the fact that it contains more protei ... More >>

Mushrooms Gone Wild

Wild mushroom and walnut tortellini at D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe

Mycological Masterpiece

Shade

Count on Fred

Fred's Italian Corner

Food in the Nude

Artista

Special Sauce

Van Loc Restaurant

Pasta Perfect

At Fabio's, the atmosphere and the Alfredo sauce are old clichés. But so is "Mom's apple pie," and it's still good.

Black and White

Arcodoro

Hot Plate

Café Express

Hot Plate

Auntie Pasto's To Die For

Hot Plate

Mingalone Italian Bar & Grill

Hot Plate

Hot Plate

Working on the Chain Gang

Carrabba's is cloning itself for national consumption. Has it kept its original flavor?