Gastronaut: It's all about the big O at Pondicheri this time of year...Okra, that is. Chef and owner Anita Jaisinghani has created a "Summer Okra Menu" that is available Sunday through Wednesday as long as the okra lasts. The okra specials are written on a blackboard so they can be changed often. Houstonia writer Robb Walsh sampled all the okra dishes available during his recent visit, but said his favorite was the okra salad with greens, paneer, roasted corn, quinoa and cashews topped with a cashew and caramelized onion dressing.
Science Based Cuisine: In the second part of a two-part post, Dr. Ricky discusses why antibiotics are used in farming. "Basically," Dr. Ricky explains, "when animals are treated with small doses of antibiotics, they fatten up faster. This is thought to be due to a change in the microbiome makeup, the cohort of microbes that live among different animals -- including humans. This effect is so significant that our mass produced meat industry has grown dependent on it." This is a problem because the more we consume antibiotics, the greater our resistance to them becomes. Dr. Ricky posits one possible solution to the problem: entomophagy. Yeah, just look it up.
CultureMap Houston: Local food photographer Deborah Smail is a celebrity on Tumblr! Last month, Tumblr editors featured her Tumblr-based blog on a special Food & Drink page on the site along with big-name food organizations such as Bon Appétit and the Food Network. Now, according to CultureMap, her blog has more than 23,000 followers. CultureMap sat down with Smail to ask her about her sudden Internet fame, her career as a photographer, online photo rights and the challenge of taking a great picture of food.
Bayou City Bites: Grilling can be a fun pastime, but it can also be messy, inconsistent and, this time of year, oh so hot. Adam Bevo at Bayou City Bites was a bit fed up with his grill failing him, so he decided to try "grilling" steaks in his oven. And lo and behold, it worked. Bevo used what he calls "the opposite of the reverse sear" method, which involves cooking the steaks in a hot oven until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees. Once the steaks reach that point, immediately transfer them to a cast iron skillet on the stove that has been heated up to approximately "as hot as you can get it." Sear for a minute or two on each side, and serve.
Urban Swank: Nchopia Nwokoma decided to check out the four Houston food trucks listed on The Daily Meal's "101 Best Food Trucks in America for 2013," then write about whichever one was her favorite. She ate at Bernie's Burger Bus, Eatsie Boys, Oh My Gogi! BBQ and Coreanos, and decided Coreanos was the best. She describes the Kim Cheese Fries as "spicy with a hint of sweet" and the OG Burrito as "just like the Kim Cheese fries wrapped in a burrito with Korean slaw added for texture." Um, yum.
29-95: To celebrate the Monday birth of Will and Kate's baby -- the new heir to the British throne and all of the powerlessness that comes with it -- 29-95 created a round-up of some of the British pubs in Houston (one of which is celebrating the birth with drink specials). We're not sure when the royal baby fever will die down, but it's safe to assume that people will be back to watching "football" and drinking plain ol' pints at these places in no time. Most of the commenters had something snarky to say about the monarchy in England, but we say any reason to drink is good enough for us!
