EOW: Explain the concept of "farm-to-table" Thai food.
CC: For Midnight Sticky Rice, we had no fewer than six different gardeners, and I imagine we'll have no more than ten. There's this great Thai community that grows traditional Thai herbs and vegetables, and we were trying to figure out if there's a way for us to be able to pick that production up and for them to get something out of it and become partners in that. There's little to no market for it right now. They bring the stuff they grow to their friends and family, but that's it. As we've said, 100 percent of the fresh items at Foreign Correspondents will be sourced locally. Once you have this scope of an organization, we can find people who will grow things just for us that they don't usually have a market for.
EOW: What's the difference between northern Thai food and Thai food from other regions?
CC: There aren't as many noodles. No coconuts, so no coconut milk in the food. There are some spices and curries in common, though. And sticky rice. PJ is the expert, and even he has to consult with his wife (Apple, who is from Thailand) for a lot of the nuances. And there aren't a lot of recipes like you see in European-style cooking where they say to use a cup of this and a tablespoon of that. They say, you can use yams in this dish. Or you could also not use yams. It's funny. There's a lot of that going on in second- and third-world regional cuisine.
EOW: Do you have a favorite Thai dish that you're hoping to put on the menu?
CC: I can't really go into the menu yet, but I love the pork shank and the sunny-side-up egg from Midnight Sticky Rice.
EOW: If you had to open another regional cuisine after this, what would it be?
CC: Oh man! I don't know. A really major factor that we consider all the time is where we are. I complain almost every single day about the eating options in the Heights. There's a lot of room to grow; I love and want to defend the Heights. I was born and raised there, and I live there now. So it'll be something different, whatever we come up with.
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Restaurant News
Openings and Closings
Coffee shops galore, goodbye Chili Shak & more.
Molly Dunn
More than halfway into the month of September and only a few restaurants have shut their doors, but lots of places have opened. Let's get the bad news over with first.
As reported on Swamplot and Food Chronicles from the Houston Chronicle (anyone else notice the name change?), Landry's Seafood House on Westheimer served its final meal on September 15. The reason? They lost their lease. The building's landlord said it was sold to an apartment builder. The restaurant has been in the same location for the past 20 years. According to franchise spokesmen, that location, as well as other buildings on the same 4.5-acre site, will be demolished. Landry's is looking for another space, and employees of the closed restaurant will be relocated to other Landry's concepts.
B4-U-Eat mentions that a few restaurants have closed over the week. CHA Champagne & Wine Bar on Waugh closed, and B4-U-Eat reported that a an Irish pub will soon occupy that space. Golden Sea Restaurant Seafood in Kemah also closed, but B4-U-Eat reports that the related retail/wholesale operation called Golden Seafood remains open.
The Chili Shak on Fondren also appears to be closed. While there's nothing on the Facebook page or the restaurant's Web page to indicate its operating status, the restaurant's phone number is no longer in service.
It seems that Nosh Bistro is temporarily closed for renovations and, possibly, menu alterations. As noted by the Chronicle, the restaurant's windows are covered with brown paper, and a note has been placed on the door stating that the restaurant will soon announce new hours. It also urges patrons to have patience, because the owners "are bringing about the exciting new session." More news to come on Nosh Bistro.
That's it for closings; let's get to the exciting news.
Fielding's Wood Grille, located in The Woodlands, officially opened September 12. The restaurant will serve wood-grilled and rotisserie foods along with "innovative" milkshakes and "progressive" salads. There's no menu online, but from the vague descriptions, one can't help but be intrigued about what a "progressive" salad actually is.
Morton's Grille, also in The Woodlands, officially opened last week. Check out what Kaitlin Steinberg had to say about her first experience at the Morton's spin-off restaurant. Hint: Steak is still on the menu, and it's quite good.
