Subject: Sarah Rufka

• This Week In Deliciousness

  The proper presentation for mat kimchee should mirror as closely as possible the appearance of an exploded chicken.Welcome back once again to the weekly round-up at Eating Our Words, where we've found a way to put gravy on pretty much everything (you just have to tell people it's "some kinda sauce"). We like to keep things nice and informal around here, like Mike Giglio did when he ate at Hank's and gushed all over it like he'd just eaten a bunch of really good ice cream or something. Just to

  June 19, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Whataburger stickers, coming soon to a hipster near you.Welcome back to Eating Our Words' weekly round-up, the only place in town still selling Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pies out of the back of our station wagon. Speaking of suspicious meat, this week started off with a rather angry rebuking of inner-skirt and low-quality outer-skirt steak. Please write your congressperson. After that, Sarah Rufka took in a late-night meal at Max's Wine Dive that seemed to consist entirely of bread and cheese (in other

  June 26, 2009

• A Chat with Steve Scalice of Dean's Credit Clothing

  Photo by Sarah RufkaSteve Scalice, who has co-owned and run Dean's Credit Clothing downtown for ten years, is the sole owner of the new Dean's in Montrose, a roomier version of the retro lounge. "The biggest difference between this Dean's and downtown right now is we don't have the clothes -- yet. The other Dean's is all about vintage, but this place is more modern. I'd like to, eventually, have my own line here. But I have to do it right." Not that there's not plenty going on. "We do live mus

  June 25, 2009

• A Chat with Trey Lindberg of Benjy's

  Photo by Sarah RufkaIf you want to chat up Benjy's barkeep Trey Lindberg -- and why wouldn't you? He's cute and makes a seriously decent mojito -- then bring up football. Trey, a former high school player, Texans season ticket holder and aspiring coach, is obsessed. He's on a flag league out in Katy, where he does not live. "You'd think that since it's flag football, it's just going to be regular guys," he says, "but no, these are ex-semi-pro players, college players and whatnot." During the f

  July 2, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Welcome back to Eating Our Words' weekly round-up, where the beer flows like honey, and vice versa (our still is broken, and our bees are drunk). Speaking of honey, Robb Walsh had an interesting look at cucuzza blossom honey, which is the honey from a Sicilian squash used primarily by the Cosa Nostra. Sarah Rufka had a look at the late-night scene at Houston staple Dot's, where we were reminded yet again that gravy makes everything better. It does; we keep a small vial in our pocket for disinfec

  July 3, 2009

• Late Night Scene: Teahouse

  Photo by Sarah RufkaEven 15 minutes before its midnight closing, Teahouse on Shepherd has nary an empty table. One would think a tired employee would grimace at anyone new walking in the door, but the guy on duty is surprisingly friendly. Someone uninitiated to the bubble tea scene could easily waste these last few minutes looking over the menu, which has more than 100 offerings, from lemon kumquat dried plum black tea (#151) to peppermint honey green tea (#66). Luckily, the top sellers are high

  July 6, 2009

• A Chat with Shon Kyto of Kata Robata

  Photo by Sarah Rufka"What's your signature drink?" It's a fairly inane question, but it's one Shon Kyto thinks about a lot. He's the manager of Kata Robata, but after seven years serving drinks at Azuma, the bar is still his baby. He shows me the cork-bound drinks menu with not a little pride. "People always ask, 'What's your signature drink?' and I would respond, 'Well, we don't really have one, but what do you like?' because I could make pretty much anything. But then some people just really n

  July 17, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Photo by J.C. ReidBAM! Goddamn peanut butter and bacon burger IN YOUR FACE. We're through the looking glass here, people!Welcome back to the weekly round-up of our food blog, Eating Our Words, where the beef isn't jerky but a couple of the maitre-d's are. Robb Walsh started us off this week with a very informative post regarding those herbs you sometimes see growing behind Mexican food stalls; skipping the obvious "herb" jokes, the plant is called chepil and is used in a Mexican squash soup form

  July 17, 2009

• A Chat with Emily Grymes of Fleming's

  Photo by Sarah RufkaEmily Grymes Ah, the steakhouse: full of red meat, dark wood and, traditionally, men. So upon meeting Emily Grymes, the crackerjack barkeep at Fleming's, we have to ask if she felt like a girl in a boys' club. "In certain restaurants I've worked at, if you were a bartender, you were a man. But here it's different, because I think Maeve [Pesquera, the owner] recognizes there needs to be a balance, particularly in steakhouses, which historically have been sort of male-driv

  July 24, 2009

• A Chat with John Sheely of Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar

  Photo by Sarah Rufka Since opening in 2002, Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar (1985 Welch) has garnered props from The New York Times Magazine, Southwest Spirit Magazine, Bon Appetit and Esquire. Mockingbird's French-bistro-inspired menu changes with the seasons to guarantee fresh flavors and also to allow for innovation in the kitchen. Eating Our Words caught up with Mockingbird chef and Houston native John Sheely for a chat about his destination restaurant. What are your culinary roots? I star

  July 24, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Ray's Franks' Freddy Krueger will haunt your dreams. But in a good way. Welcome back to the weekly round-up here at Eating Our Words, where we have gravy on tap. To start off with, Mike Giglio out-spent Robb Walsh $13 to $7, because Mike is a fancy man of top-shelf tastes. He seemed impressed by the food, ambience, and air conditioning at Fadi's Mediterranean Grill, but not as impressed as Robb was with his bowl of "Houston's best noodles" from Tan Tan. Sarah Rufka took in the sad state o

  July 24, 2009

• A Chat with Mike Sammons of 13 Celsius

  Photo by Sarah Rufka​To some, a bartender is just a server with something to lean on. But Mike Sammons is an example of how, with passion and creativity, the job can be so much more. "I started doing this to make money, but I was really good at it because I liked it," he says. "I don't think people have any idea how fun it actually is. It's a miniature event or party every night that's my job to arrange." As co-owner and proprietor of 13 Celsius (3000 Caroline St., 713-529-8466), he's cre

  July 31, 2009

• This Week in Deliciousness

  The veggie sandwich at Bowl, which is disappointingly served on a Plate.​Welcome back to the weekly round-up here at Eating Our Words, where we're such food dorks, every time one of us gets sunburned the rest of us giggle about the Maillard reaction.To start the week off, J.C. Reid handed out a lovely comprehensive guide to Roman pizza and its nearest Houston approximation, the pizza at Dolce Vita. It's a very informative article, and calls to mind the old saying "When in Rome, brag abo

  July 31, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Empanadas are fried pouches filled with dreams. Cardiologists call them "Heaven's Little Artery Grenades".​Welcome back to Eating Our Words' weekly round-up, where we're seriously considering camping out for tickets to that new Julia Child movie. Look, it can't possibly be worse than Episode 1, and we've been told there are far fewer Gungans. We'd like to point out that, yes, we can be snarky sometimes, but when it comes right down to it, everybody here at Eating Our Words is absolutely

  August 7, 2009

• Bartender Rawad Semaan of The Grove

  Photo by Sarah Rufka​To see Rawad Semaan behind the bar or patrolling the floor at The Grove (1611 Lamar St., 713-337-7321) with his impeccable suit and easy smile, you'd think he's never done anything else. But in reality his success -- Beverage Director at one of the city's hottest new restaurants before the age of 30 -- is the result of passion, talent and old-fashioned hard work. He started in 2001 as a valet at Café Annie, after arriving from Lebanon, and enrolled at the University o

  August 14, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  In the mythical land of Awesomevania, burritos are used as currency, and having two or more stents in your heart is a sign of great personal wealth.​Welcome back to Eating Our Words' weekly roundup, where we use meat loaf as the bread in our sandwiches. Hey, if we're not supposed to do that, they never should have started calling it a "loaf". This week got off to an irritable start with J.C. Reid posing the question: how often does your restaurant bill get inflated? If you're in It

  August 14, 2009

• Late Night Scene: CoCo's Crepes & Coffee

  Photo by Sarah Rufka​It's not exactly cool outside, even at close to midnight, but it's even warmer inside CoCo's Crepes and Coffee (218-A Gray St., 713-521-0700). The heat emanates off the pastry display cases and lingers in the air inside the vaguely Italian-inspired pocket-sized shop. Luckily most of the tables and most of the patrons have found themselves quite happily situated outside. We grab a Chinese checkers board, which sits untouched through our meal as we lose ourselves in dee

  August 17, 2009

• A Chat with Reid McGraff of a bar and grille

  Photo by Sarah Rufka​Seeing Reid McGraff at the Alden-Houston's a bar and grille -- an affable and friendly bartender, but with a certain polished bearing -- you'd never guess he'd ever tended a less elegant bar. Asked about his past positions, he mentions Hotel ZaZa, House of Blues, Warren's Inn and City Streets. Wait, what? "You know where 610 and Richmond meet, right across the street from Best Buy? Back when I started about 20, 25 years ago there was a nightclub there called Cooter'

  August 21, 2009

• This Week in Deliciousness

  Pork bellies galore. They plump when you cook and/or tickle them.​Welcome back to Eating Our Words' weekly roundup, where we've already picked all those wonderful little brown rye chips out of the Gardetto's. This week started off with a story from another dimension: Conservatives are applauding Whole Foods, while liberals are boycotting it. WHAAAA?!!?! At first we thought we were in some kind of alternate universe where George W. Bush converted all the cars to run on water and Toby Keith

  August 21, 2009

• A Chat with Norman Daughtery of Bailey's American Grille

  Photo by Sarah Rufka​To watch Norman Daughtery make a martini is a beautiful thing. The head bartender at Bailey's American Grille in Seabrook, he pours his ingredients slowly and precisely before furiously going to town with the cocktail shaker, whipping the ingredients until the strong drinks have the thinnest layer of ice on top and the sweet drinks have a hint of foam. It's not hard to tell he's a martini drinker himself. "I have to make you a chocolate martini," he says. "I have a cou

  August 28, 2009

• This Week in Deliciousness

  Runnin' down a dream.​Welcome back to Eating Our Words' weekly round-up, where each table has salt, pepper, sugar packets, and a Super Soaker full of chile con queso. J.C. Reid kicked off our week with a long-overdue investigation into Tex Chick, Houston's only Puerto Rican restaurant. It's a wonder most Puerto Ricans still prefer New York City to Houston, especially after what happened to those poor West Side Story kids. Robb Walsh has a new favorite melon: the honey-sweet Swan Lake me

  August 28, 2009

• Late Night Scene: Late Nite Pie

  Photo by Sarah Rufka​Timing is crucial for the late-night food lover: No one wants to be the first at an after-hours party, but waiting in line is a guaranteed buzzkill. Time it just right and you can leave the bar, stroll into Late Nite Pie -- positioned perfectly in Midtown -- and order a Shiner before last call. The waiters are friendly (ask them about their tattoos) but not exactly the quickest, so it's always good to stick to a simple slice or one of the named pies. We go with the I

  August 31, 2009

• A Chat with Linda Salinas of VOICE

  Photo by Sarah Rufka​Ask Linda Salinas how she became such a wine guru (or wine nerd, to use her expression), and her answer is, "Actually, a few years ago I fell in love with a piece of mold." Um.... Then she explains: "I used to work for Backstreet Café just as a waiter, and Sean Beck, the sommelier there, every Friday he would do this wine class. He broke down Botrytis, which is a type of mold that grows on grapes that produces this super awesome sweet wine, and so I kind of fell in lo

  September 11, 2009

• This Week in Deliciousness

  "Oh God. I ordered eggs AND bacon, not eggs OF bacon. This is... actually, this is SO MUCH BETTER." ​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where, after years of therapy, we've at last learned not to hate ourselves for dipping our fries into our shakes. After Sarah Rufka's interview with the decidedly not-shy Geneva Gordon of Under the Volcano, Robb helped start the week off right with his resourceful foray into bobbing for fish-smeared croutons. Everyone will be doin

  September 11, 2009

• This Week in Deliciousness

  The sandwich mesmerizes you with its exotic accent and mysterious foreign spices. Surrender to the sandwich.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we've already started marinating the turducken. After E. Ting's N. Formative chat with Elouise Jones of Ouisie's Table, Robb Walsh started the week off right with some obscure wine. Robb also figured out something for us to do with all this broccoli and cavatelli we've got lying around, so that was helpful. Kathar

  September 18, 2009

• This Week in Deliciousness

  Golden-brown is the proper tone for any loaf of sourdough / Hollywood starlet.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where today we're bitterly sniffling at the fact that everyone else from the office is at the Austin City Limits festival. It's cool! There's lots of fun stuff to do in Houston, too, you know! Bastards. We hope you've been following along all week, and got to experience first-hand the epic sourdough odyssey begun on Monday by Robb Walsh. It started wi

  October 2, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Hopia baboy is a lard-based Filipino pastry, not the name of the new Sigur Ros album.​Welcome back to Eating Our Words' weekly round-up, where we separate the wheat from the chaff and then have Robb Walsh make us a bitchin' spiced blackberry chaffshake. We started off the week with some gourmet-style pig face. That picture looks kind of incredible. It makes us imagine eating a bacon-flavored sea urchin. So in other words, it's awesome, like Hostess cupcakes, which are still going strong

  October 9, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Smallpox vaccination scars are sexy as hell.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup at Eating Our Words, where we never roll less than three sous-chefs deep, y'all. Paul Knight started off the week by attending the Grand Opening of Lucky Strike Lanes and sampling their grub. We'll spare you the inevitable bowling puns. Get it? "Spare"? No, come back. That's it, we promise. All further bowling puns will be stricken from the record. (Get it?) Olivia Flores Alvarez spent $13 at Kojak's Timberbro

  October 16, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  Liven up your Halloween parties this year with some carne asada con silly string.​ Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we defiantly eat summer sausage in the winter and we don't care who knows it. We kicked off this week at a sort of cookout triathlon with a plot of Texas land on the line. J.C. Reid likes his steaks like he likes his women: rare, aggressively seasoned, and shared with a drooling audience. E. Ting chatted up Remington Restaurant's executive

  October 23, 2009

• Bar Beat: Katie Statlander of Velvet Melvin's

  Photo by Sarah Rufka​Tucked in on an unremarkable stretch of Richmond, Velvet Melvin's isn't the kind of bar you hear a lot about. "When I describe this place to people, I say it's a neighborhood bar. It's kind of a hole in the wall. You could see somebody in pajama pants or you could see a guy in a nice suit," says bartender Katie Statlander. Statlander has been behind the bar here for more than three years, when she's not studying elementary education at the University of Houston. "'T

  October 30, 2009

• This Week In Deliciousness

  MEATSPLOSION!​ Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we've finally secured the patent on sourdough incense. This week started off with a bang, when Greenway Barista slammed the Luling City Market on Richmond, which is actually unaffiliated with the actual market in Luling City. We're allowed to do that, just steal a name and pass ourselves off as affiliated to those who don't know better? Well in that case, stay tuned for a blog name change from "Eating Our Wor

  October 30, 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