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Upper Crust: Frank's Pizza

By Carlos Brandon

Feb 26, 2020

There's a slice of pizza for every occasion: the football game and a beer slice, the college all-nighter slice, the kids' sleepover slice, the fancy date night slice. Each pie tied to a moment of nostalgia, a sense memory that endears the simple Itianian street-food to our culture and cements...

Half pepperoni half cheese from the Pearland Cosco.

Upper Crust: Costco and its Pizza Pies

By Carlos Brandon

Jan 15, 2020

My wife and I live alone with a medium-size dog who needs little more than dry food, water, and your endless supply of undivided love and attention. This is to say, we do not need our $60/year Costco membership. We don't need it because two people and a dog don't...

STicky's famous wings tossed in signature Sticky's sauce

Popular Food Truck Opens First Brick and Mortar in Sawyer Heights

By Carlos Brandon

Jan 1, 2020

Patrons of McIntyre's are likely familiar with the extremely popular food truck, Sticky's Chicken. The wings concept owned by siblings Patsy and Benson Vivares had, until recently, held residence outside the Heights sports bar since 2014. Now, with the help of a trio of West Coast partners, the Vivares have...

Fajita platter at El Tiempo Cantina served with charro beans and rice, garnished with a chile toreado.

Navigating the Mexican Restaurants on Navigation: El Tiempo

By Adán Medrano

Dec 9, 2019

This is the sixth in a series of visits to the six-cluster of Mexican restaurants on Navigation, a group of eateries that exemplifies Houston’s indigenous culinary history. “Chile Toreado” is a hot, sizzling way to finish this six-part visit to the cluster of Mexican restaurants on Navigation, a six-cluster that...

Navigating the Mexican Restaurants on Navigation: Ninfa's on Navigation

By Adán Medrano

Dec 6, 2019

This is the fifth in a series of visits to the six-cluster of Mexican restaurants on Navigation, a group of eateries that exemplifies Houston’s indigenous culinary history. “The best Mexican food in Texas since Texas was in Mexico” is the trademarked slogan of Ninfa’s restaurant, one of the six-cluster of...

Villa Arcos, founded in 1977, serves a full array of Texas Mexican traditional dishes.

Navigating the Mexican Restaurants on Navigation: Villa Arcos

By Adán Medrano

Dec 5, 2019

This is the fourth in a series of visits to the six-cluster of Mexican restaurants on Navigation, a group of eateries that exemplifies Houston’s indigenous culinary history. Tacos at Villa Arcos are pure Texas Mexican food, fiercely faithful to the recipes and techniques of Velia Arcos' Rodríguez Durán who founded...

“Filete A La Plancha” Veracruz style, is oftentimes a daily special lunch, with the fish selection based on availability.

Navigating the Mexican Restaurants on Navigation: Taquería Chabelita

By Adán Medrano

Dec 4, 2019

This is the third in a series of visits to the six-cluster of Mexican restaurants on Navigation, a group of eateries that exemplifies Houston’s indigenous culinary history. Taquería Chabelita is one of the six Mexican restaurants clustered on Navigation, and because of its Veracruz influence, it points to the cosmopolitan...

Navigating the Mexican Restaurants on Navigation: Doña María Mexican Café

By Adán Medrano

Dec 3, 2019

This is the second in a series of visits to the six-cluster of Mexican restaurants on Navigation, a group of eateries that exemplifies Houston’s indigenous culinary history. Doña María Mexican Café serves the type of breakfast tacos that are at the heart of traditional Mexican American home cooking. The cafe...

Merida’s crispy flautas can be ordered with chicken or beef.

Navigating the Mexican Restaurants on Navigation: Merida

By Adán Medrano

Dec 2, 2019

This is the first in a series of visits to the six-cluster of Mexican restaurants on Navigation, a group of eateries that exemplifies Houston’s indigenous culinary history. The corn tortilla chips at Merida Mexican Restaurant are crunchy and sturdy, efficient scoops for the salsa ranchera, served warm. Upon request, the...

A slice of pepperoni and Italian sausage from Pink's Pizza.

Upper Crust: Pink's Pizza

By Carlos Brandon

Nov 27, 2019

It's the day after Thanksgiving. Assuming you've heard of the futuristic wonders of the internet and decided to forgo the utter chaos of Black Friday shopping for the blissful convenience of e-commerce — or better yet, have chosen not to partake in our nationalistic expression of compulsive consumerism — you...

Upper Crust: Pizzeria Solario

By Carlos Brandon

Nov 13, 2019

Bad pizza (almost) doesn't exist. And yet, despite the simplicity, inherent goodness and low threshold for enjoyability, the ceiling for just how good pizza can be is (almost) limitless. Like so many things in life, the crux any amazing pizza lies in its foundation — the crust. When starting with...

Luna Pizza is a homegrown mini-chain from the owners of Barnaby's Cafe.

Upper Crust: Luna Pizzeria

By Carlos Brandon

Nov 5, 2019

As we round out the second month of this weekly column, one thing is becoming more clear with every slice — Houston's pizza treasures are abundant. The city of fajitas and dumplings hides, in plain sight, a sprawling community of pie joints as bountiful as they are delicious. Many of...

Classic margherita pizzas from Fia's Pizzeria in the Museum District.

Upper Crust: Fia's Pizzeria

By Carlos Brandon

Oct 29, 2019

Let's get something out of the way for all my fellow potential dyslexics out there. It's Fia's, not Fiat's Pizzeria. And what exactly is Fia's Pizzeria, you ask. It is a relatively new fast-casual individual pizza concept — in the vein of Mod and Blaze Pizza's build-you-own pie model — in...

Deep Dish Starburst from Houston's original Star Pizza

Upper Crust: Star Pizza

By Carlos Brandon

Oct 22, 2019

There is a pizza spectrum. That’s right — a pizza spectrum. On one end of this spectrum the word “Italian” is printed boldly in red, white and green letters. On the other end, the word “American.” Every pie sold in the United States hovers somewhere between those two words. Some...

Pizzas by the slice at EaDo's Vinny's Pizza

Upper Crust: Vinny's Pizza

By Carlos Brandon

Oct 16, 2019

When Agricole Hospitality partners Ryan Pera, Morgan Weber and Vincent Huynh laid out their plans for a company-defining trio of businesses at the corner of St. Emmanuel and Dallas Streets, they decided a pizzeria would be the ideal entry point for such an endeavor. Located both physically and conceptually between...

For reference - Giant slice of pepperoni and olives from Two Guys Pizzeria

Upper Crust: Two Guys Pizzeria

By Carlos Brandon

Oct 8, 2019

We love Houston, really we do. But what we wouldn't give to make this a more walkable city. To replace some of its more culturally comatose stretches of strip malls and parking lots with the urban accessibility of a New York or Chicago. For it is in those cities where...

Piola in Midtown is an Italian-based chain selling Vanitian thin crust pies.

Upper Crust: Piola

By Carlos Brandon

Oct 2, 2019

Famosi per la pizza — the self congratulating slogan of renowned Italian-based pizza chain, Piola. With locations in ten countries, including two in Houston, the global chain is, in fact, famous for its pizza. On a lazy Monday afternoon in Houston the Midtown location is, regrettably, all but empty. A...

Pi Pizza has yet to be rebranded by new owner Michael Sambrooks

Upper Crust: Pi Pizza

By Carlos Brandon

Sep 24, 2019

Earlier this year it was widely reported that Michael Sambrooks, The Pit Room owner who acquired three of four Cherry Pie Hospitality properties for an absolute steal in 2018, would soon be renaming and rebranding beloved pizza kitchen, Pi Pizza. Reports stated the Heights Boulevard restaurant would relaunch as a...

Coltivare Pizza & Garden raised the stakes for Houston Italian food and minimalist artisan pizza when it opened in 2014.

Upper Crust: Coltivare Pizza & Garden

By Carlos Brandon

Sep 17, 2019

Summer is all but over. In some parts of the world this time of year signals the advent of chilly weather and the end of outdoor season. So long shorts and T-shirts, hello hot tea and head colds. But Houston isn't one of those parts. The end of summer here...

Pappa Charlie's Barbeque has found a new and more fitting home in Cypress.

Smoked Out: Pappa Charlie's Barbecue

By Carlos Brandon

Sep 10, 2019

When you set out to review barbecue in the city of Houston, you're bound to walk some well-trodden roads. Barring the occasional new opening, you're often left reviewing old-school stalwarts and hometown heroes. Pitmasters and cooks who made names in the pop-up and competition circuit, who've racked up their share...

Here, Eat This

Take Out Reviews: Georgia James

Take-Out Reviews: Fajitas A Go Go

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