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, steak and barbecue. Here are the Top 5 foods best found in Houston.
5. Dim sum
With Houston holding two Chinatowns--the original in eastern downtown and the current on the southwest side--it is not a surprise that this city is home to some of the best Chinese food in the nation. And one of the best ways to sample Chinese (Cantonese, to be specific) food is through dim sum, ordering numerous small dishes from food carts that roam the restaurant aisles. Because I love to sample a variety and because my palate gets bored easily, dim sum is my preferred method of dining --I can taste eight different dishes and not feel overstuffed at the end of my meal.
Some of my favorite dim sum places are Fung's Kitchen or Golden Palace, both located on the outskirts of the "new" Chinatown in southwest Houston. Dim sum is typically served from morning until mid-afternoon, but if you're hankering for dim sum outside of those hours, venture to Dim Sum King (located in the heart of "new" Chinatown), where you check your desired dishes on a clipboard and send your order off to the kitchen. There are no authentic food carts here, but that is the small price you pay to have dim sum for dinner.
4. Chicken 'n waffles
Being part of the Deep South where everything can be fried and eaten at even nine o'clock in the morning, I couldn't exclude the sweet and savory combination of fried chicken and syrupy waffles. While many of my friends from elsewhere shudder at the thought of such an odd pair, I tell them it's like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on steroids; that is, you get the best of both salty and sweet in one bite bursting with awesome goodness.
If you're looking for the authentic, greasy, no frills chicken 'n waffles, go to The Breakfast Klub where you'll find true Southern hospitality an accompaniment to your chicken 'n waffles. Or if you'd like a creative, more gourmet version, order the chicken 'n waffles at Zelko Bistro, where the tender chicken breasts come battered in Cap'n Crunch cereal--nothing like that to bring you back to childhood.
