Eater National: Cake vs. pie. It's a food fight we probably will never settle, but at the Southern Foodways Alliance's 2013 Symposium, Eatocracy's Kat Kinsman and the New York Times' Kim Severson tried to settle this battle with a Lincoln-Douglas style debate. Kinsman argues that pies take more skill to create, whereas one needs no knowledge of cake-baking to create a pretty cake; Severson counters her with arguments that cakes have sentimental value -- wedding cakes, birthday cakes, etc. You can watch the debate online and hear the many arguments each competitor develops for their beloved baked good, but (spoiler alert) the debate between cake and pie lives on, because the battle ended in a tie.
Patty and David Said...: Patty and David were in the Westchase area and stopped at Marini's -- an Argentine restaurant famous for its emapandas. They ordered the lunch special No.2, which is comprised of one savory and one sweet emapanada, curly fries and a drink. They chose the Texas BBQ empanada for the savory option, and the apple pie version for the sweet one. I think a stop at Marini's Original Empanadas is in store for me soon.
Texas Monthly: October is Texas Wine Month, so Texas Monthly has five ways you can honor this awesome month (for the last week, at least). Check out some of the wineries in the state, and head to Fredericksburg for the Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest, which takes place on Saturday, October 26. But, if that's too far for you, stay in town and visit a local wine shop or winery. Most importantly, though, drink Texas wine -- it's the best way to honor the month.
Urban Swank: Dark leafy greens are in season now, so if you want to start cooking with them, start with the basics. Manuel De La Mora sheds some light on the health benefits and discusses the best ways to to cook mustard greens, kale, chard and other similar vegetables. Did you know that collard greens are full of vitamin C, potassium and folic acid? Or that mustard greens are more pungent in flavor than collard greens?
Adventures in a New(ish) City: With the holidays just around the corner, many Houstonians will soon be hopping on planes and traveling across the country to visit friends and family. If you find yourself in Terminal E in IAH, make sure you stop for a bite at Pappadeaux. Kim writes about her love for this airport terminal restaurant -- it's an excellent place to chill out and relax while waiting for a flight. She noshed on a pepper-crusted ahi tuna salad with avocado, mango and a lime vinaigrette after sipping on an extra-dirty Belvedere martini. Sounds like a wonderful way to kill time while waiting to fly.
Houston Food Truck Reviews: This past week, David Zarkosi checked out the Asian-comfort food fusion truck, Kurbside Eatz, and tried the crispy pork belly taco, which came with kimchi, lettuce, cilantro, spicy mayo, Cheddar and Jack cheese, all encased in a paratha, which is a southeast Asian flat bread. Zarkosi also tried the veggie egg rolls, which he says are a nice change of pace from typical egg rolls. The veggie version here is loaded with a multitude of vegetables (Zarkosi identified only the carrots), as well as glass noodles and American cheese.
