Subject:

Vietnamese Food and Cooking

  • Dining

    May 16, 2013

    The Pho-ndamentals

    A beginner's guide to Vietnamese cuisine.

  • Blogs

    May 2, 2013

    Pho Binh by Night by Blacksmith: Pho Pop-Up Hits Montrose

    The Pho Binh family of restaurants offers what's often called the best pho in Houston, but they can also be a bit of a drive. The original Pho Binh sits in a trailer down in far south Houston, while its newer sister restaurant -- Pho Binh by Night -- is in the western reaches of Chinatown (which its ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 15, 2013

    What's Cooking This Week? Pork Meatball Banh Mi, Cauliflower Fried Rice and 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 ingredient's I've bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week - my weekly meal ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 1, 2013

    VIDEO: Can This Man Beat the "Unbeatable" LA Crawfish Challenge?

    At last count, only three people had tackled the spicy crawfish pho challenge at LA Crawfish -- and all three had failed. My friend Tucker O'Bannon was determined to be the fourth challenger, and the first winner. Tucker eats ghost peppers like potato chips. He finishes large bowls of pho in five m ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 29, 2013

    Chef Chat, Part 3: Trong Nguyen of Crawfish and Noodles, Crawfish and Classic Vietnamese All Under One Roof

    This is the third 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 got to know the chef and owner of Crawfish and Noodles, Trong Nguyen. We learned how he struggled to maintain the restaurant while holding down a full-t ... More >>

  • Dining

    March 28, 2013

    Here, Eat This

    A beginner's guide to Indian cuisine.

  • Dining

    March 28, 2013

    Eatsie Boys Go Brick-and-Mortar

    Eatsie Boys still runs catering out of its food truck, but with a restaurant homebase now it can do so much more.

  • Blogs

    March 27, 2013

    The Eatsie Boys Cafe: As Colorful As the Characters Who Run It

    Every once in a while, I'll visit a place that's too colorful to simply paint with words. The Eatsie Boys Cafe -- the new brick-and-mortar outgrowth of the original Eatsie Boys food truck -- is one such spot. It's also the subject of this week's cafe review, which means that our talented photograph ... More >>

  • Dining

    January 31, 2013

    Eastbound and Downtown

    The top 10 restaurants in EaDo.

  • 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

    Where the Chefs Eat: Christine Ha and Alvin Schultz

    This week, our Where The Chefs Eat series turns to two amateur chefs turned television reality stars: Christine Ha and Alvin Schultz. Both living in Houston and Vietnamese by descent, they each snagged a spot on the TV reality show, MasterChef. Schultz, who was featured on Season 2, is known for ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 8, 2013

    Overlooking the Cheese Factor at Nam: Noodles and More

    When some of the best pho in town is served inside a trailer on the southeast side, and when you have to travel into the heart of Houston's "Chinatown" to get the best Vietnamese in the city, it's hard to take a place like Nam: Noodles and More seriously. It is, after all, located in a strip cente ... 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 14, 2012

    First Look at the Eatsie Boys Cafe and Its Matzah Ball Pho

    Why hadn't it ever occurred to me to drop matzah balls in pho before? I mused to myself as I sat mesmerized by the giant, stainless steel mug of matzah ball pho sitting in front of me at the new Eatsie Boys Cafe yesterday morning. The pairing is almost a natural, when you think about it: the fatty-s ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 18, 2012

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Chicken Soups

    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 hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

  • Blogs

    April 4, 2012

    Chef Chat, Part 1: Van Pham of Phamily Bites Food Truck

    There are at least 20 gourmet food trucks in Houston at the moment, many of them manned by young entrepreneurs, while others are extensions of brick and mortar businesses. Phamily Bites is the first gourmet food truck in Houston to sell Vietnamese food, and its specialty is pho (Vietnamese beef no ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 14, 2012

    Banh Cuon Like They Make it in Hanoi

    When I think of classic Vietnamese dishes, they are usually quite simple. There are the noodle soups such as pho, there are the rice vermicelli dishes, such as bun thit nuong, and there are rice plates like com tam bi cha thit nuong. Another dish that I grew up eating and loving is banh cuon, what I ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 20, 2012

    What's the Difference Between "Fish Sauce" and "Nuoc Mam"?

    It's 1:15 in the morning, and I am chatting online with Chef Kevin Naderi, asking for some clarification about his fish sauce vinaigrette. My brain is fuzzy, I'm trying to finish up an article, and we chat about something that, to me, just does not make sense. "You use a fish sauce (nuoc mam) vina ... More >>

  • Dining

    February 9, 2012

    We Love Food

    Our 100 favorite dishes in Houston.

  • Blogs

    January 25, 2012

    The Rise of Single-Dish Restaurants in America

    Like it or leave it, restaurants specializing in macaroni and cheese -- that ultimate "white people comfort food," as my baffled brown friends call it -- are becoming increasingly popular across the United States. From Connecticut's J.B. Mack, which bills itself as "America's 1st Macaroni and Cheese ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 23, 2012

    There's No Killing the Zombie Banh Mi at Cafe TH

    Photos by GroovehouseJohn McIntyre attacked his Zombie banh mi with all he had, but it wouldn't die.​"I'm ready to start eating," muttered a nervous-looking John McIntyre, a senior linebacker for the University of Houston, as he waited for the 22-inch Zombie banh mi to land in front of him at ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 29, 2011

    Ingredient of the Week: Quoc Viet Chicken Pho Soup Base

    Photo by John SuhIt's okay to cheat in this day and age: the key to quick and good pho​Now that the season of big holiday dinners is mostly over, it's time to put away those casserole dishes and serving platters, and unearth that stockpot and those gigantic soup bowls. It's time to push the c ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 25, 2011

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Pho

    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 hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

  • Blogs

    November 15, 2011

    Deconstructing the Meatball Sandwich at Thien An Sandwiches

    Banh Mi Xiu Mai Dia at Thien An Sandwiches​Thien An Sandwiches is one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants inside the loop, but I find myself not eating there as often as I'd like due to its hours. I don't work close enough to visit for lunch, and by the time I get home it's closed. So I foun ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 28, 2011

    Not Your Typical Combo Platter at Nam Giao Restaurant & Bakery

    Beo Nam Loc Combo Platter​It is very common for Vietnamese restaurants to be known for one or two specialties, and in some cases that's all they'll serve, like Bun Bo Hue, a place Mai Pham recently wrote about. A couple of weeks ago when I made plans with my dad for dinner and he specifically ... More >>

  • Dining

    October 13, 2011

    Dare We Say It?

    The venerated Mai's has been rebuilt after burning down, and it looks pretty. But the food still mostly ­disappoints.

  • Blogs

    September 14, 2011

    Dry Chicken Pho at Pho Thai Binh Duong: Best in the City

    Photos by Mai PhamPho Ga Kho at Pho Thai Binh Duong ​Pho Thai Binh Duong (11528 Bellaire Blvd #G, Tel: 832-351-3451) is one of those under-the-radar pho places that is patronized primarily by Vietnamese. It's partially tucked behind a building in the back of a strip mall near the intersection ... More >>

  • Dining

    July 14, 2011

    Vietnamese Venison

    Thanh Phuong in Pearland is turning out some of the most exciting food, anywhere.

  • Blogs

    July 13, 2011

    Thanh Phuong's Got Good Game

    Photos by Theo SantosVenison carpaccio, Vietnamese-style, at Thanh Phuong is a standout dish.​There's nothing new about using game meats like venison, quail or rabbit in Vietnamese cooking. Boar luc lac? Sure. Venison tai chanh? Absolutely. What's new is its general availability in Houston. As ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 4, 2011

    Bodard Bistro's Special Recipe Spring Rolls

    Nem Nuong Cuon (Grilled pork meatball sausage spring rolls) with special recipe sauce​If you ask me where to go for Vietnamese food, my response will usually be: "What are you in the mood for?" Depending on whether you want rice, vermicelli, pho, banh mi, family style meals, etc., my answer wo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    June 14, 2011

    Bun Bo Hue Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup

    Bun Bo Hue - shown with the traditional "gio heo," or pork hock ​There's so much more to explore and understand about Vietnamese cuisine than banh mi and pho. The regional differences in the north, central and southern regions of Vietnam mean that there are foods at which each region excels. ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 26, 2011

    Top 5: Foods Best Found in Houston

    kshilcuttFung's Kitchen.​Travel & Leisure recently named Houston as America's Best Burger City. But as many Houstonians would tell the nation, Houston is known for much more than just burgers. It's a melting pot of culture and cuisine, and thus offers awesome dishes beyond the typical burger ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 20, 2011

    Grilled Lemongrass Beef Vermicelli at Com Tam Kieu Giang

    Grilled lemongrass beef vermicelli at Com Tam Kieu Giang​When people who have never tried Vietnamese food ask me what they should try, I usually recommend the grilled pork and rice vermicelli, or bun thit nuong, and a pineapple milkshake, or sinh to thom. As with any other ethnic food, reco ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 12, 2011

    10 Houston Restaurants Every Out-Of-Towner Should Visit

    Photos by Katharine ShilcuttTexas barbecue done right at Gatlin's.​On Wednesday afternoon, I mused that some day I hoped for visitors to Houston to feel as excited about our dining scene as I was about New York City's. The sheer breadth and depth of ethnic and regional cuisines present here is ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 4, 2011

    Give Me a Bone: Oxtail Pho at Pho Ga So 1

    Pho duoi bo, be thui (oxtail pho with side of veal) at Pho Ga So 1​There's something about chewing on a bone that's infinitely satisfying. That's what I was thinking when, after watching my friend get her hands dirty while happily devouring her oxtail, I got another side order. The waiter loo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 14, 2011

    Three Regions Fried Rice at Pho Dung

    ​Just because it calls itself a pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) restaurant doesn't mean that pho is the best thing to order. Case in point, when I walk into Pho Dung (11201 Bellaire Blvd # 815) in the Hong Kong City Mall IV, I notice as many rice dishes on the tables as I do noodle soups. ... More >>

  • Dining

    January 13, 2011

    Gaga for Pho Ga

    Only one restaurant in town specializes in pho made with chicken.

  • 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 >>

  • Dining

    December 16, 2010

    Bistro Banh Mi

    Cafe TH harkens back to East End Chinatown with a French vibe.

  • Blogs

    December 14, 2010

    A Different Chicken Soup at Pho Ga Dakao

    ​Chances are that if you've eaten pho, the popular Vietnamese soup, you've only eaten pho bo. That is, you've only eaten beef pho. There are many reasons why beef pho is more popular than its counterpart, chicken pho, but the long and short of it is that chicken pho is finally starting to mak ... More >>

  • Blogs

    September 23, 2010

    Food Fight: Battle Banh Mi

    Cali.​Blame it on the Nom Nom kids from Great Food Truck Race--all those recaps left me with a serious craving for banh mi, the sandwich I basically subsisted on in college. When I discovered that the friend who had been DVRing the show for me had never tried a banh mi, I knew what this week' ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 26, 2010

    Recipe: Hue-Style Noodle Soup

    Tam Vo​Most people are familiar with the Vietnamese beef noodle soup, pho (pronounced "fuh"). Pho is good, but bun bo Hue (pronounced boom baw way), or Hue-style beef noodle soup, is great. If pho was like flying a kite, bun bo Hue would be like flying a jet fighter: intense and not for the we ... More >>

  • Dining

    July 1, 2010

    Pho on Fannin

    Kim Tai is the perfect place to drink a couple of cold beers and chow down on Vietnamese diner food.

  • Blogs

    April 12, 2010

    Robb Walsh's 100 Favorite Houston Dishes: #65 Banh Cuon at Tay Ho 18 in Hong Kong City Mall

    ​ Over the course of the next few months, I'm counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations i ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 1, 2010

    Banh Mi Dac Biet at Thien An

    ​We've been to Cali Sandwich (3030 Travis St.) more times than we can count. It's definitely our go-to cheap Vietnamese sandwich spot. But somehow, we missed Thien An (2905 Travis), only a short distance away. On a mission to get us to try his favorite Vietnamese sandwich shop, our friend br ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 22, 2010

    Midtown Alternatives to Mai's

    Photos by Katharine ShilcuttTofu and veggie spring rolls at Pho Nga.​Although old Chinatown is a shadow of its former self these days, there are still plenty of good Vietnamese restaurants lurking in shady strip centers, offering the same wonderful bowls of pho and helpings of com dia that the ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 16, 2010

    Memories of Mai's

    Photo by Longhorn Nation​As the whole world knows by now, popular Midtown Vietnamese Restaurant Mai's caught fire yesterday. This Houston institution is so popular, the fire has even gained national coverage outside of the culinary community, which is quite an amazing feat. So why do we mour ... More >>

  • Dining

    December 24, 2009

    Pot au Pho

    This funky trailer in South Houston is worth the drive for Vietnamese breakfast.

  • Blogs

    December 23, 2009

    Extra Fat and Zippy Meatballs

    ​Did you know that you can request extra fat with your pho? A Pho Binh regular let me in on this secret recently. I tried it at Pho Binh, and the waitress knew exactly what I was talking about. She brought me a small bowl with green onions soaked in beef fat skimmings from the stock pot. I won ... More >>

  • Dining

    December 17, 2009

    Banh Cuon and Bug Juice

    According to an expert, North Vietnamese food without water beetle essence is like a hot dog without mustard.

  • More >>
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