This week, we've got restaurant reviews, recipes to keep you warm during the cool months and looks at a few unusual foodie events.
DĂa de los Muertos was last week, and
Nancy of Tag Sale Tastes went on a Day-of-the-Dead-themed culinary tour with chefs (and brothers) Hugo and Ruben Ortega of
Hugo's,
Caracol and
Backstreet Cafe. The tour visited
Casa Ramirez, a folk art gallery at 241 West 19th, to check out all kinds of sugar skull masks, statuettes and, of course, molds with which to make your own sugar skulls. Nancy enjoyed the sweet baked goods at
El Bolillo Bakery, 2517 Airline, and the
Original Ninfa's at 2704 Navigation was, of course, a hit with barbecued crabs and cabrito tacos.
We've got two comfort food recipes for you this week as you start gearing up for the most wonderful time of the year, and the first is
one-pan chicken with potatoes, wine and olives from Andie Mitchell of the Can You Stay For Dinner? blog, which she shared from Laura Vitale's new cookbook. If you've got a cast iron skillet hiding somewhere, now is the time to use it. You only need an hour to make this savory meal come together, and the unusual flavor combination keeps this oven roast interesting.
Scott of Texas Pit Quest made the pilgrimage to
Texas Monthly's annual BBQ Fest in Austin, and he's offered up a list of his top dishes from the event, including the pork rib from
Killen's Barbecue at 3613 East Broadway in Pearland.
He also admits to drinking a decent amount of roasted green chile barbecue sauce, and there are plenty of barbecue-filled pictures to satisfy your curiosity.
The Burger Joint at 2703 Montrose has been a much-anticipated fast casual burger option, and
the Eat More Burgers blog has greeted it warmly. He was impressed by the vast array of options, including French fry flavors like bacon parmesan and
queso, and found the former as excellent as they sound. His classically-dressed burger had an evenly-toasted bun, fresh toppings and a crispy-on-the-outside, pink-on-the-inside patty from 44 Farms that impressed. The portions aren't huge, but they're filling and apparently delicious.
The second comfort food recipe that we promised you is
hasselback potato gratin from Erica of Honestly Yum. She's tried all kinds of potato-to-cream-to-cheese ratios, and she swears by this one. Plus, the vertically-aligned potato slices look very impressive and crisp up very nicely on the tops. She also recommends that you buy a mandoline to help you slice all those potatoes into little slivers for a more stunning effect.
Finally, Lauren Ross, R.D. of the How To Eat, R.D. blog has a post that we can all benefit from–
how to eat when life is crazy. Let's collectively breathe a sigh of relief for this much-needed guidance, and take a few minutes of our day to let her calm wisdom wash over us. She recommends planning your grocery trips carefully, embrace pre-made meals from places like
Snap Kitchen and
Eatfitters, and learn the art of one-pot cooking. Her last tidbit is one we can all get behind: never be afraid to make your leftovers into tacos.
That's all for this week's food blog highlights! If you know of a blog you'd like to see featured, leave us a comment or
send us an email.