With June in the bag, it's time to take a look back at the dishes we've been obsessing over all month. These are the standouts we tried this month, from one incredible burger to a pretty cool and kitschy new dim sum item. Here are the best dishes we ate in June.
Make sure to check out our slideshow, featuring over a dozen more best dishes we ate this month as well.
10. Bayou Goo at House of Pies
It's pie, glorious pie, potentially some of the best you've ever had, starting with a layer of flaky crust, a smear of sweet cream cheese and then an assault of chopped pecans, vanilla and chocolate silk filling topped by a cumulus cloud of whipped cream. Make it rain, Bayou Goo, make it rain.
9. Meatballs at Pi Pizza
Spicy and juicy, the meatballs at Heights brick-and-mortar Pi Pizza are a great starter for any evening concluding with a feast of pizza at this laid-back spot. It doesn't hurt that frozen drinks, cold beer, a welcoming staff and music that doesn't suck (Sam Cooke for the win) all aid in this casual affair.
8. Kale Salad at Fusion Taco
All the summer vibes are perfectly captured in this signature house salad at the Heights location of Fusion Taco. Fresh baby kale gets tossed in a sweet and tart peanut vinaigrette with a heaping helping of peanuts, carrots and your choice of protein — tuna or fresh, seasonal produce.
7. Corn Cheese at Ohn Korean
Among a selection of incredible soju cocktails and Korean pub grub from Chinatown empire builder Mike Tran (the mastermind of Tiger Den, Mein and Night Market), contributor Cuc Lam and company "ordered the utterly fantastic and weird corn-cheese, composed of creamy sweet corn and a mega-layer of mozzarella and finished with fluttering bonito flakes, green onions and lime." Go get it.
6. Brisket at Killen's Barbecue
Owner and chef Ronnie Killen recently made the switch to sourcing Snake River Farms’ American Wagyu and Black Grade brisket, and the verdict? "A beautiful sheen and color. The meat was tender and moist, both in the samples of lean and fatty brisket."
5. Hush Piggies at Ramen Tatsu-Ya
"Hush piggies need to be the next big food trend in Houston," wrote Lam this month. "They’re playfully named for the porky mixture inside each panko-crusted, deep-fried ball, and the taste was on point. The piggies are presented in a pool of katsu sauce and topped with a frenetic pile of katsuobushi (bonito flakes). Bonito flakes are fermented, dried and smoked skipjack tuna that “dance” when they are touched by heat waves. These three little piggies were very tasty."
4. Roasted Duck Pumpkin Puffs at Yauatcha
These semi-sweet and strange house signatures at the swanky new dim sum spot in the Galleria, Yauatcha, are crisp on the outside and packed with minced roast duck. Plus, when it gets really hot out, they just might pair with the air conditioning to conjure visions of autumn.
3. Crab Samosas at Kiran's
At $14, it's clear why the samosa at this Upper Kirby gem demands "such a price premium," writes Erika Kwee. "It was crammed full of tender, juicy crab meat, and there were few vegetal distractions. The lack of typical potato made it seem more like a deconstructed crab cake inside a samosa shell...The small mound of chutney provided a perfect contrast."
2. FM Burger at FM KItchen
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We recently sat down to taste test eight new burgers in Houston, and this burger from chef Ryan Hildebrand put the smack down, even on Shake Shack, the very burger it was inspired by. What makes it so good?
It's a flavorful and well-balanced fast-food-style burger — salty, fatty and rich — with a spot-on soft bun, perfectly melted American cheese and simple toppings. Plus, it's only $5.69, which, considering the competition and its location in the Heights, ain't too shabby at all.
1. Figs with goat cheese ice cream at Underbelly
Simplicity is a beautiful thing, and right now it's on full display in Montrose, where beloved eatery Underbelly has one of the best desserts in Houston running right now. Figs soften but don't cave to a skillet of gurgling butter, all of those beauties topped with specks of tart goat cheese, insanely good cinnamon-sugar candied pecans and a creamy goat cheese ice cream that melts down over the top. It's better than pie à la mode. It's hands-down incredible.
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