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 in the comments.
#68 Indonesian Deviled Eggs at Rice Bowl II
This spicy egg dish is known in Indonesian as telor balado. Three hard-boiled eggs are deep-fried until a crispy skin forms on the outside. Then they are cut in half and each half is slathered with the fiery hot sauce called sambal. After eating a couple of these eggs and an order of spicy beef rendang, you will want a cold beer. Rice Bowl II doesn't serve any, but the waitress assured me it's okay to bring your own.
The Indonesian deviled eggs alone are worth the trip to Rice Bowl II on Bellaire at Highway 6. But a word of caution: Don't be deceived by the restaurant's exterior. It looks like a mediocre Chinese restaurant. The regular menu offers sweet and sour chicken, moo goo gai pan and all the rest of the usual suspects. But in fact, this Chinese restaurant is owned by a Chinese-Indonesian.
You have to ask for the Indonesian menu when you sit down, and then the secret doors to a more exciting culinary experience will magically open. Many thanks to Ecky Prabanto from Tuscany Coffee for turning us on to Rice Bowl II and giving us a guided tour of Indonesian cuisine.
The list to date:
#100: Green Chile Chicken Kebabs at Chatkhara Grill #99: The All-Day Burrito at Cherry Top Bakery #98: "You Buy We Fry" Trout Basket at Hank's Fish Market #97: Chicharron de Barriga at La Michoacana Meat Market # 10 #96: Pakistani Breakfast at Kings Chicken #95: Fried Mojarra at Taqueria Jesus Maria #94: Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake Ball at Coffee Groundz #93:Cheeseburger at Leonard's Famous Burgers #92: Lasagna at Doyle's #91: Cochinita Pibil at Tacos La Bala #90: Fajita Tacos at Taqueria El Charro #89: Kubideh and Zereshk Polo at Kasra Persian Grill #88: Trentino Gelato's Dulce de Leche at Shisha #87: Deviled Eggs at Nielsen's Deli #86: Italian-Cuban Sandwich at Logan Farms #85: Vegetable Trio in Sichuan Sauce at Spicy Sichuan #84: Salchi-Burger at Brisa Cocina #83: El Ultimo Taco Truck's Breakfast Tacos #82: Kielbasa on a Sizzling Comal at Polonia #81: Shrimp and Grits at Bistro Alex, Hotel Sorella #80: A Bowl of Chili at James Coney Island #79: Lamb Dumplings at Lucky Pot #78: Crazy Irishman Sushi Roll at Soma #77:Tesar's "Magic" Burger #76: Mac n' Cheese at Two Saints #75: Spicy Armenian Kebabs at Café Rita #74: Jalapeño Gefilte Fish at Rustika #73: Greek Burger at the Hubcap Grill #72: The Basil Inferno at Thai Bistro #71 Paella at Rioja on Kirkwood #70: The Big Adrian Burger at Adrian's Local Café #69: Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Bar at La Paletera