Hank On Food: Mr. Peeples is now open for lunch and Hank says it's a great alternative to the "three martini" business lunch. Hank started with the Wagyu beef meatballs topped with a fire-roasted tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese, then he ordered the Manhattan Clam Chowder featuring a tomato-based broth. After the Peeples Burger topped with a fried egg, bacon and roasted jalapeno aioli, and a side of Chipotle Mac and Cheese, Hank was happy and stuffed.
Eat-More-Burgers: Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar offers more than just juicy, tender steaks; Russell Weil writes about the Prime Burger he enjoyed with a 40th Anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon from Caymus Napa Winery. The burger served on a grilled Brioche bun is topped with Wisconsin cheddar cheese and crispy slices of bacon. Weil appreciates that Fleming's is "a steakhouse that pays as much attention to their burgers as they do their steaks."
Gastronaut: If you're looking for a simple, classic burger, take Katharine Shilcutt's advice and go to Cream Burger. Basic ingredients like mustard, tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, onions and cheese show why you don't need gourmet toppings to create a scrumptious, satisfying burger. Throw in a side of frito pie and you're made in the shade.
H-Town Chow Down: Tony's Italian Deli recently opened in the Conroe area and the H-Town Chow Down guys took a first look at the new Brooklyn restaurant. All of the po-boy sandwiches are named after famous Italian Americans, such as Sinatra and De Niro. H-Town Chow Down ordered the foot-long Stallone sandwich filled with capicola, salami, ham, provolone cheese and a house-made pesto. The chewy bread, fresh deli meats and tart pesto created a taste of Brooklyn.
Food Chronicles: What happens when Pena's Donut Heaven and Killen's Barbecue team up to create a kolache? You get the Killache. This past weekend, Ronnie Killen and Ray Pena unveiled the brisket-stuffed kolache. Syd Kearney says 580 Killaches were sold on Saturday and another 400 were sold on Sunday. Each Texas barbecue breakfast treat contains three ounces of brisket. Hopefully they make more of these so everyone has a chance to try them.
The Smitten Kitchen: When life gives you apricots, make apricot cookie bars, right? Deb Perelman, author of The Smitten Kitchen blog, has a bountiful supply of apricots collected over the summer and decided to turn the succulent fruit into a cookie bar with pistachio paste. She creates a crust from flour, salt, sugar and butter, then partially bakes it before adding the filling of ground pistachios blended with sugar, flour, salt, butter, one egg, almond extract and thinly sliced apricots. Dusted with powdered sugar, these cookie bars are ready to be devoured.
