Subject:

Troy Fields

  • Blogs

    May 16, 2013

    Top 10 Restaurants in Downtown Houston

    New restaurants and bars are opening in downtown Houston faster than we can keep up, thanks to a renaissance around the Market Square Park area that's bringing new life to downtown's north side. But that's not the only part of downtown that's blossoming -- nor are those new restaurants the only game ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 9, 2013

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Bistros

    How do you define a bistro? If you're going to stick to the traditional Parisian definition, a bistro (or bistrot) is a small, tidy restaurant that serves inexpensive wine and simple dishes in a modest price range. Those dishes are traditionally French "comfort food" recipes like coq au vin, boeuf ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 25, 2013

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 First Date Spots

    There was a period of time in my life when I couldn't get enough of that first date feeling. It's akin to the adrenaline rush of skydiving or rock climbing -- except often with the promise of food or drinks in lieu of potentially plummeting to your death. (Sure, there's the danger of emotional pain ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 25, 2013

    How To Make Homemade Hot Giardiniera, My New Favorite Condiment

    If you've never tried hot giardineira (pronounced jar-dih-NAIR-uh), I urge you to immediately. I first fell in love with the condiment -- made with pickled vegetables and spices -- when I tried it on Pappa Geno's ridiculously delicious Wicked Philly. It even prompted me to pick up a jar and make my ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 9, 2013

    Here, Eat This: A Beginner's Guide to Argentine Cuisine

    For this week's edition of Here, Eat This, we venture into South America, where hardy Houstonians possessed of a hearty appetite will find much to love in the pampas of Argentina. See also: - Here, Eat This: A Beginner's Guide to Nigerian Cuisine - Here, Eat This: A Beginner's Guide to Korean Cuisi ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 4, 2013

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Restaurants Where Service is King

    It's hard to find good help, or so the saying goes. Indeed, many of the chefs and restaurant owners I've spoken with over the years privately admit that finding good waitstaff in Houston can be a Sisyphean task: You manage to find a truly great server or two, they dazzle your diners and then -- beca ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 26, 2013

    Top 10 Restaurants in the Third Ward

    All of Houston's original six wards are rich with history, but none captivate me quite as much as the Third Ward. Once home to the city's wealthiest residents, the area just southeast of downtown has gone through a tremendous amount of change since it was first established in 1836. The Third Ward h ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 31, 2013

    Houston's 10 Most Romantic Restaurants: Start Planning Your Valentine's Day Dinner Now

    In case you hadn't heard, Valentine's Day falls on a Thursday this year. And in next week's print edition, our own Christina Uticone will have a round-up of all the Valentine's Day dinner deals and special menus you can shake a dozen roses at. This is not that round-up. There are 10 types of people ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 29, 2013

    Top 10 Restaurants in Garden Oaks/Oak Forest

    It wasn't too long ago that the Houston Chronicle called Oak Forest "the new West University." The neighborhood just north of Loop 610 and to the east of Highway 290 has been attracting young families in spades -- families who are helping to reinvigorate the subdivisions that make up Garden Oaks and ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 21, 2013

    Top 10 Restaurants in EaDo (a.k.a. Old Chinatown, a.k.a. East Downtown)

    So you're not comfortable with the EaDo sobriquet. I don't care. The damn thing has stuck. It's short, easy and to-the-point. (Besides, the more important question is what to call that weird DMZ area on South Shepherd that's not quite Montrose, not quite Upper Kirby, not quite River Oaks and not qui ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 10, 2013

    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 >>

  • Blogs

    December 25, 2012

    Top 10 Restaurants in Chinatown

    "You're going to do a top 10 Chinatown list, aren't you?" a reader implored last week on Twitter. Of course -- Chinatown is my favorite neighborhood for dining and exploration in the entire city. For every old favorite you visit, you're guaranteed to find at least two new restaurants to fall in love ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 18, 2012

    The 10 Best New Houston Restaurants of 2012

    If I had to pick one word to describe the mad, exciting rush of restaurant activity that's defined 2012, it would be this: exhilarating. Followed closely by: exhausting. Trying to keep up with every single new restaurant that's flung open its doors exuberance -- welcoming the city's burgeoning food ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 15, 2012

    Houston's Top 10 All-Day Breakfasts

    Houstonians love a few things above all others: burgers, Tex-Mex barbecue, pizza, crawfish and breakfast. These are the foods that get us crazy passionate, the meals that fuel endless debates here in the city where residents eat for sport. We even have breakfast sub-categories that we love to jaw ab ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 13, 2012

    Top 10 Restaurants in Midtown

    Although Midtown may be more well-known for its bars and late-night clubs, there isn't a shortage of good food to be found -- even if the neighborhood is steadily losing many of the Vietnamese restaurants that once saturated the area. In keeping with Midtown's current incarnation as the drinking-ou ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 11, 2012

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Sushi

    For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2012 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. It wasn' ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 21, 2012

    Handicapping Houston Restaurant Week: Your Guide to the Best Deals and Meals

    UPDATE: In grand Houston Restaurant Weeks tradition (which used to be just "Houston Restaurant Week," no plural at the end), HRW has been extended once again this year. The month-long dining-for-charity eatstravaganza will run through Labor Day weekend. The last day to get your $20 lunches and $35 d ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 20, 2012

    Would You Pay $19 for a Plate of Figs?

    They're lovely figs, to be sure. All two-and-a-half of them. But $19? For the plate you see on the left there, next to a $12 plate of tomatoes, yes. $19. But as lovely as they are, when my parents and I ordered the $19 fig plate at Roots Bistro (the subject of this week's cafe review) a few Sundays ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 6, 2012

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 BYOBs

    This is the second week in a row that I've [inadvertently] reviewed a terrific restaurant that also happens to encourage BYOB. Banana Leaf -- the subject of last week's cafe review -- offers Malaysian and Singaporean food with a fantastic $0 corkage fee. And Lucio's BYOB -- the subject of this week' ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 4, 2012

    Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Houston's Top 10 Margaritas

    You don't have to wait for Cinco de Mayo to enjoy one of the city's favorite cocktails, but it doesn't hurt to have a few in celebration, either. Just remember to toast the Battle of Puebla (after all, that's what Cinco de Mayo commemorates -- not Mexican Independence Day.) 10. Sorrel Urban Bistro ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 4, 2012

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Dive Bars

    "I know it when I see it." - Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, on correctly identifying pornography. Also applies to dive bars. The dive distinction is complicated. Used to be you could stick a bar in the non-dive phylum if a web jukebox were present. But nowadays there are dives that still fee ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 16, 2011

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Margaritas

    Photo by Troy FieldsSo many tequilas, so little sobriety to tackle them all...​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 whic ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 4, 2011

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Hidden Treasures

    Photo by Troy FieldsScallops and grits at our No. 1 pick.​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 heft ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 20, 2011

    Beyond the Bakery: Lebanese Breakfast at Cedars

    Photos by Troy FieldsBreakfast here is literally fresh from the oven.​In this week's cafe review, we trek out to Richmond and Dunvale to investigate the offerings at Cedars Bakery. Because despite the name, there's much more to enjoy at this Lebanese bakery besides the pita bread. The bakery' ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 15, 2011

    Burger Bewilderment (of the Best Kind) at The Counter

    Photos by Troy FieldsEvery burger is better with onion rings.​Have a blind date coming up? Need to eat dinner with someone who's really bad at making small talk? Eliminate that awkward initial silence by agonizing over the list of burger options at The Counter! I know this sounds like an unus ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 4, 2011

    Low-Cost Lunch at Skewers

    Photos by Troy FieldsFill 'er up!​Skewers -- the subject of this week's cafe review -- is quickly becoming one of my new favorite lunch spots. The newly renovated Lebanese restaurant offers everything I look for in a lunch hour hideaway: quick service, convenient location, good food and the ab ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 2, 2011

    Houston's Best Patios: The 10 Best Unexpected Treasures

    Photo by GroovehouseGet your tropical drink on at Kata Robata's intimate patio.​Over the last four weeks, we have been guiding you around Houston's best patios in several different categories: The best places to catch up with friends The best places to bring the kids The best places to pr ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 16, 2011

    A Picture Is Worth a Thousand...

    Photos by Troy Fields​...well, you know the rest. At Macondo Latin Bistro -- the subject of this week's cafe review -- I was just as charmed by the fine little dining room as I was the food. I found myself lingering there far longer than was necessary and eagerly planning return visits for br ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 12, 2011

    Gaga for Pho Ga (and GIFs)

    Photos by Troy Fields​Last year, I wrote about becoming acquainted with pho ga -- chicken pho -- at Pho Ga Dakao. I liked the place so much that, whaddya know, I went ahead and gave it a proper review. You can read all about in this week's print edition, including the free-range chickens (seen ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 23, 2010

    The Best Food Photos of 2010

    Photo by Troy Fields​I don't have children, so this analogy is about to make a lot less sense. But choosing photos for the Best Food Photos of 2010 slideshow was like trying to pick a favorite child. (I think.) Regardless, it was difficult. Ever since we've started running slideshows with our ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 1, 2010

    See How It's Done at The Burger Guys

    Photos by Troy Fields​One of the great things about eating at The Burger Guys, the subject of this week's cafe review, is enjoying the open kitchen: the sights, sounds and smells cranking out of the stainless steel-dominated landscape heighten the experience of enjoying your burger so much mor ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 17, 2010

    An Ethiopian Breakfast at Sheba Cafe

    Photos by Troy Fields​Whether you've grown tired of typical breakfast and brunch places, whether you're on the hunt for something exotic and new or whether you are simply interested in seeing traditional breakfast foods in a far different setting, breakfast at Sheba Cafe will suit you to a T. ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 10, 2010

    Dahi Puri at Sweet n Namkin

    Photos by Troy FieldsStep right up at Sweet n Namkin.​This week's cafe review found me at Sweet n Namkin / Salaam Namaste, a dual-sided and jointly-owned Desi restaurant in Meadows Place (also home to favorites BB's Beef & Hot Dog and the yet-to-be-reviewed Suya Hut). On the Salaam Namaste sid ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 7, 2010

    Stirred and Shaken: Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge's Luxetini

    Photo by Troy Fields​Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge (1201 San Jacinto, 713-343-3300) is the kind of place where Zac Efron and John Mayer bowl. At least the Lucky Strike in Los Angeles is, according to the framed PR rags mounted over the urinals at the Houston location. So you might not run into a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 30, 2010

    Stirred and Shaken: The Ginger Man Pub's Scottish Schwinn

    Photo by Troy Fields​The Ginger Man Pub (5607 Morningside Dr., 713-526-2770) is the misfit at the frat party that is the southeastern corner of Rice Village. Its bigger neighbors, two of which also feature "pub" in their names, make The Ginger Man seem so precious in comparison that I'm forced ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 16, 2010

    Stirred and Shaken: Sugarcane's Scarlet Letter

    Photo by Troy Fields​I took my friend Lee for a cocktail at Sugarcane (1919 Washington Avenue, 713-864-9463) to treat him special in honor of his imminent departure for a summer in Mexico. Normally that situation would call for a well drink and a "see you in September." But he's going to Monte ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 2, 2010

    Stirred and Shaken: Orange's Orange Kaipiriña

    Photo by Troy Fields​The World Cup is inspiring because it focuses global consciousness in a way usually reserved for natural disasters and war. It's also inspiring because it often takes place several time zones away and therefore makes it all right for those of us who aren't nurses, cops or ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 12, 2010

    Yelapa Playa Mexicana's 1800 Express

    Photo by Troy Fields​The man and woman I found hanging out behind my neighbor's shed earlier this week were telling the truth about one thing: It'd be a waste to stay inside on one of the few nice evenings we have left before summer. But I'm not sure they were telling the truth about just want ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 5, 2010

    Stirred and Shaken: The Big Easy's Origo Malum

    Photo by Troy Fields​Sitting at the bar on a quiet night at the Big Easy (5731 Kirby, 713-523-9999), it feels like you're a one-armed dwarf and an exotic dancer away from being in a Tom Waits song. Something about the music, empty space and Mardi Gras lights gives it that shore-leave-gone-wron ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 28, 2010

    Stirred and Shaken: The Next Door's Bend Me Over

    Photo by Troy Fields​"The best things in life are free, so let your mind and soul be free. Only you can hold yourself back." I was reading that piece of bathroom graffiti at The Next Door (2020 Waugh, 713-520-1712), head twisted toward the wall behind me, when I realized I was nearly pissing o ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 3, 2010

    Stirred and Shaken: Taps House of Beer's Pear Pleasure

    Photo by Troy Fields​Certain Washington Avenue bars achieve a state of near-tolerability around the middle of the week, but I still managed to encounter some weekend conduct on a Tuesday trip to Taps House of Beer (5120 Washington Ave., 281-701-4248). I was getting the bartender's recipe for t ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 13, 2010

    Stirred and Shaken: Byzantio's Motito

    Photo by Troy Fields​Some New Year's resolutions make themselves. After spending 2009's last days staying at a friend's place in New Orleans, where closing time has about as much significance as Who Dat Nation does in Orléans, France, my body was telling me it was time for a booze sabba ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 30, 2009

    Stirred and Shaken: Howl at the Moon's Tennessee Tea

    Photo by Troy Fields​The musical act is the main draw at Howl at the Moon (612 Hadley, 713-658-9700), a dueling-piano bar in Midtown (and in Scottsdale, Charlotte, Baltimore, etc.). The bar features a stable of multi-instrumentalists whose job it is to work the crowd while plunking out up-temp ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 23, 2009

    Learning to Share

    Photo by Troy Fields​When you order the molcajete especial ($10.95) at Taqueria De Jalisco (408 Old Galveston Rd., 713-378-0059), you get two serving dishes, one a plate with guacamole, Spanish rice and refried beans, the other a molcajete — the traditional pestle used to grind spices in ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 18, 2009

    Stirred and Shaken: Miyako's Lychee-Tini

    Photo by Troy Fields​When I eat expensive sushi, it's usually at family dinners honoring special occasions — my little brother coming down from Austin for Mom's birthday, my little brother getting out of city lockup, my little brother beating that misdemeanor drug charge. (Lesson learned ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 2, 2009

    The Davenport's Pistolera

    Photo by Troy Fields​Saturday was one of those drinking marathons that cause me to wake up the next day and ask myself questions like, "How old am I, again?," "Why is my wallet in the toilet?" and "How did I break my pants?" Anything worth doing is worth doing to irresponsible excess, right? M ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 26, 2009

    Stirred and Shaken: Christian's Tailgate Lunch Box

    Photo by Troy Fields​Friday night is karaoke night at Christian's Tailgate (2000 Bagby, 713-527-0261), which can only mean one thing: drunken idiots. To stand up and belt it out in front of a room full of people, most of us need to be seriously soused. Spectators, in order to endure the aur ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 5, 2009

    Stirred and Shaken: Absinthe Brasserie's Vinyl Sunset

    Photo by Troy Fields​I don't love the taste of Absinthe, but I do love Absinthe Brasserie (609 Richmond, 713-528-7575). This gig sends me to a lot of bars, but if this isn't the coolest, coziest, most comfortable cocktail lounge in town, I don't know what is. From the dim candlelight and all-a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 8, 2009

    Stirred and Shaken: Mugsy's Juice Box

    Photo by Troy FieldsThe new Mugsy's (2239 Richmond, 713-522-7118) is in the building formerly occupied by LZ Pub (RIP). If I had a dime for every night I spent posted up at the corner of the bar at LZ's, I'd have a shitload of dimes. Circa 2002-2003, no weekend bender was complete without at least o ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 23, 2009

    From Prep to Plate: Fajitas at Ninfa's on Navigation

    Photo by Troy FieldsRobb Walsh's recent feature on the dubious origins of most fajitas eaten in restaurants today sent Houston Press photographer Troy Fields on an interesting journey to the original Ninfa's on Navigation, to photograph the entire process of prepping their famous fajitas. The meat u ... More >>

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