Football season is over. Valentine's Day has come and gone. And Mardi Gras has given way to Ash Wednesday. While some faithful folks may be giving up certain vices for Lent, others are coming out of Dry January full steam ahead. And there's no better way to break all your resolutions than the upcoming Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo 2024 running February 27 through March 17.
While our city is still awaiting this week's arrival of trail riders and barbecue cook-off contestants, Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup and Best Bites 2024 came out corks a-poppin' this past Sunday, February 18,  with bottles of award-winning wines from Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition 2024. All that vino needs some tasty nosh to pair with, so more than more than 200 local restaurants and culinary businesses were at NRG Center dishing out tasty samples of their diverse cuisines. In addition, they were also vying for the awards given out for Best Bites by the attendees and the judges' panel.

Fortunately, the Houston Press was favored with an invite to judge the competition and for the past few years, this writer has been the lucky duck who gets to accept the honor. My husband, Classic Rock Bob, was invited to be an alternate if needed. Lucky for him, he was needed.
The Rodeo Best Bites judges get to arrive early and enjoy wine and snacks in the green room before judging. This year's panel was missing some of the familiar faces from local news stations and there seemed to be more foodie influencers and podcast hosts. Former Houston Oiler Sean Jones was there again with his entourage as was CultureMap Houston food editor Eric Sandler and former Houston Chronicle food editor Greg Morago. Katie Stone, daughter of the late Cleverley Stone, who has bravely filled the boots of her much-loved mother as president of The Cleverley Stone Foundation was also at our green room table.
The judging began a little late this year but we had plenty of water and wine to keep us hydrated. Eventually we were called to the stage and I found myself sat between Sarah Pepper and Ernie Manouse. Pepper is one half of the radio morning show at Mix 96.5. Her co-host, Jessie Watts, was judging at a different table. Manouse is a popular PBS television host known for shows like InnerViews with Ernie Manouse. With these two at the table, I knew it was going to be fun. We also had George Lindsey from The Bull with us plus a newbie, Sonia Garcia from the Houston Chronicle. Originally from the Rio Grande Valley area, Garcia told us she was really surprised at how much she loved Houston. (Shhhhh, Sonia. Don't let everyone know how awesome we are.)
All of the Rodeo volunteers are the best but our table got the best of the best, Kimberly. She said that I had made her famous because the photo I took of her a couple of years ago was blown up and put in the volunteers' room. Well, she deserves to be famous. I am always in awe of how hard the Rodeo volunteers work and they do it with a howdy and a hello like no other crew.
Kimberly and her sidekick Chadd began bringing out the dishes for judging in quick procession. It seemed this year that the appetizer section had the most entries. We began with a spicy campechana, followed by a pretty salmon swirl then a delicious curry and rice fragrant with coconut. That turned out to be my favorite of the judging. Unfortunately, it was a blind tasting, so I don't know who was responsible for that deliciousness.
I also like the smoked brisket tamale. I haven't had a great tamale in a while and this was pretty close to great, though Pepper and I both thought it could have used a little more of the rioja and verde sauces that were lightly drizzled on top. We're in Texas. We need our salsa.

When the entrees began, a chicken tender atop a soft, buttery toast, drizzled with a familiar pale orange sauce was set before us. We all immediately said "Cane's!" And it was.
A couple of our other entrees were a bit lackluster and it was hard to distinguish the flavors. However, everyone's eyes lit up when a pretty pink strawberry dessert was delivered. It was a croissant filled with tres leches, topped with a bright pink cream and a perfect glazed strawberry. I won't say my tablemates were licking their plates but... close. It actually was the first place winner, Egghaus Gourmet, for Two-Steppin' Dessert. It was followed by a perfectly respectable pecan pie.

When the plates were all cleared, we were free to go roam the sold-out event. Classic Rock Bob and I were very full by this point, so we weren't able to really do justice to all the amazing culinary participants. We thought we would give it a few minutes which ended up being a mistake because many booths were wiped out food-wise by 8:30 p.m. I missed eculent once again but I did get to grab the BistecBao from Money Cat. It was full of flavor and took home this year's Rookie Award.
Of course, there was also wine. Texas wineries such as Becker Vineyards and Pedernales Cellars were on hand plus a number of domestic and international producers and importers. The country of Chile was the featured wine region. Though there was a lot of opportunities to try different varietals, it was hard to keep it all organized in one's head while walking around such a large and loud event. I have plenty of business cards to remind me though.
Our tootsies were starting to get a bit tired, especially since I had squeezed mine into boots, so CRB and I headed back to the green room. Local television host of KHOU's Great Day Houston, Deborah Duncan, was swanning about with fans taking photos. And I mean swanning in a positive way. She looked like a pretty swan with her white, layered tulle skirt. And tulle skirts, long and short, were everywhere in a multitude of colors. There were also some fabulous boots, from exotic leathers to boots covered in sequins or painted art. I am not a fashion person but I was surprised by how elegantly-turned out this year's crowd was. It was a visual feast for the eyes. 
And it was a crowd. It wasn't intolerable because there was plenty of room and many attendees had sprung for private tables which were beautifully adorned with satin tablecloths and gorgeous floral centerpieces. The valet line, however, was a last reminder of how successful the sold-out event had been.


Rodeo Uncorked! Best Bites Competition 2024:

People's Choice
1st Place: Grazia Italian Kitchen
2nd Place: Cotton Culinary

Outstanding Showmanship Award
1st Place: Eculent
2nd Place: SHESHE Treats

Tasty Tradition Award

1st Place: Messina Hof Harvest Green Winery & Kitchen ( goat cheese-stuffed mushrooms)
2nd Place: Cultivated F&B (raspberry white chocolate and vanilla verrine)

Trailblazer Appetizer Award

1st Place: Pier 6 Seafood (wood grilled coconut shrimp)
2nd Place: Goode Co. (campechana)
3rd Place: Loro (curried brisket rice)

Lone Star Entree Award

1st Place: Raising Cane's (chicken fingers on toast)
2nd Place: The Capital Grille (dry aged sirloin with au gratin potatoes)
3rd Place: Grazia Italian Kitchen (smoked wagyu with pancetta risotto)

Two Steppin' Dessert Award
1st Place: Egghaus Gourmet (strawberry tres leches croissant)
2nd Place: 1848 Handcrafted Heritage Ice Cream (Buckshot-caramel stracchiatella ice cream)
3rd Place: Guzel Cakes (vanilla pudding cake with strawberry cheesecake)

Rookie Award
Money Cat (Filipino-inspired bao with braised beef chuck)