This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston issue, we're counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston's cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least once.
The eggs El Salvador at Brasil represent more than just a good breakfast. The dish represents the turning point -- along with its replication-worthy red velvet hash-- that marked a move from uninspired, bland food at the Montrose hangout to a kitchen that started taking its ingredients and its cooking seriously.
These days, you're likely to see a list of daily specials featuring local, seasonal ingredients like a quinoa salad with heirloom tomatoes from Knopp Branch Farm on the chalkboard near the entrance instead of pre-made quiches or tough croissants. And the eggs El Salvador is the dish you don't want to miss at breakfast, the best time to hit Brasil.
In this modern interpretation of traditional Salvadoran food, two poached eggs sit atop a mound of dark persimmon-colored chorizo and a tender pupusa filled with beans -- both the chorizo and the pupusa are made in house, and it shows. The whole pile is covered with green and red salsas, served alongside a cup of black beans and a twist on curtido, a slaw of cabbage and carrots in a vinegar dressing.
Brasil's self-imposed lack of parking makes this spot a hidden treasure of sorts: Although it's quite busy on weekend mornings, it could certainly be a lot busier, and I'm thankful for that. Grab a soft, fruit-studded scone and a glass of cinnamon-laced house coffee while you wait for your eggs -- which I recommend you enjoy on the lush back patio when the weather is cooperative -- and watch as all your cares melt away over breakfast.
The list so far:
No. 100: Dumplings at Heights Asian Cafe No. 99: Mixta Pizza at Friends Pizzeria No. 98: Veggie tacos from Radical Eats No. 97: Bean pie from Conscious Cafe No. 96: Swiss chard crepes from Giacomo's Cibo e Vino No. 95: Eggs Mia Bella at Mia Bella No. 94: Mulligatawny soup at the Queen Vic No. 93: Helado de Lúcuma from Pollo Bravo No. 92: Black bean burger from Natachee's No. 91: Chupacabra pizza from ERA No. 90: Roast chicken from El Norteño
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