Teethpicks: Why Houston is awesome, mouth first

A Rum for your Whiskey

2012-01-02T22:44:00.000-08:00

As we grow older, Christmas often loses its spark-- it turns from a time of looking forward to presents and tons of food and crazy relatives, to a time of looking forward to when the presents and the food and the crazy relatives are long gone. In order to preserve that joyous occasion, my husband and I started a new tradition where we get to enjoy Christmas once more- Christmas Eve at least, when we invite all of our best friends into our home to eat and drink and be me-he-he-rry.

The first year, the cops were called because we were being too merry and my husband and his fellow musician friends were jingling the rocks a little too loudly. The weather was cold and rainy, but it was no match for the warmth of the whiskey cider I had brewing in a crockpot where friends would inevitably top off steaming fragrant cups with a touch more whiskey.

The cider was very popular at the party and I knew I would make it again, but I wanted to find another warm drink to serve should Houston be granted with weather calling for another hand-warmer. Possibly something with chocolate...

Long story short, I came across a bottle of Ron Brugal's 1888 Ron Gran Reserva Familiar. It's tasting notes sounded like something any 'gentle' whiskey or Scotch lover would appreciate. By gentle I mean it doesn't taste smoky, overly oaked or too mature. Double aged in American Oak followed by Spanish Sherry barrels, the first taste of this rum told me that it would be a shame to hide any of its character by using it with any mixer. Not even ice was necessary to enjoy this smooth sipping rum- a rare treat! In fact, I kept this baby in the reserves for myself and a few friends who I knew would appreciate the 1888's company. It opened this whiskey lover's eyes to the possibilites a good rum can offer and now ranks as one of my favorite spirits served neat.

In the end, the whiskey cider sufficed at this year's holiday party; the 1888 was long gone by then anyhow.

To New Orleans, From Houston: Good game.

2011-06-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

When Spring Break rolled around this year, my grandparents surprised my husband and I by stealing our kids off to Disney World, leaving us a week to indulge in the quiet company of each other. Instead, I decided to bolt to New Orleans with three girlfriends. After all, it's not everyday that you find a classy hotel with a rooftop hot tub available just far enough away from Bourbon Street to get away from the noise and crowds, yet close enough to walk to Cafe Du Monde for beignets and café au lait at 3am and to Brother's Food Mart on the way back for a few paper boat of fried chicken and french fries. (Ridiculous, I know; and I couldn't care less!)

The two requests that we had of our hotel was that it should be located where four rather young ladies would be safe walking back from our evening adventures and that it had to have a hot tub. I went a little crazy searching for the perfect location on Trip Advisor...I looked at e.v.e.r.y listing in NOLA including the B&Bs and guest houses. I even used Google's aerial view to seek out visible pools and spas. I'm a very thorough researcher! I hovered over a promising blue square near Canal Street and zoomed in. Location was the ultimate deciding factor and the Omni Royal Crescent on Gravier Street couldn't be beat, for it held a rooftop hot tub.

Being from Houston, I had some really high expectations of New Orleans cuisine. I thought I would be stumbling over boudain and po-boys all day and night. I will cut to the chase and say that from my experience, which was only three days long and very centralized in the Quarter and nearby areas, Houston still wins. For variety, cost, and convenience, H-town has it on the lock down, IMHO. Both cities lack in the late night eats department. But we did get ahold of some very tasty grub in some unexpected places that definitely granted NOLA bonus points.

The Grocery- 2854 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans

We decided to ride the trolley just for kicks and go take a picture of our friend's home, though she lives in California and sublets the place to someone we don't know. After that we walked over to the Lafayette Cemetery. It was beautiful and majestic in an old world kind of way that you don't see often in newer cities like Houston that do little to preserve such sites. We were already hungry but wanted to see this hallowed ground first. It was a quick visit as our stomachs soon rushed us back out the gates.

We went looking for somewhere to eat and stumbled upon a corner deli called The Grocery. There were a couple of little tables and chairs out front and it was a beautiful day so we went in to order a patio lunch. I got to talking to the owner, Marcy, a young woman in her late twenties and it took a moment to notice she was working hard to speak clearly, and when she shook my hand, it was with her left. She turned her right hand over to show me it wasn't quite ready to work the way it used to.

"I had a stroke. From alcohol. Four years ago." She spoke slow and clear to be sure that I heard her. "Tell them that." Her message was clear- she had faced death at a very young age and wants her story to be told as a warning to others.

She struggled through rehabilitation therapy and it seems that she focused so hard on her goals that they had no choice but to materialize. And her food- excellent. While I toot my horn about Houston's food scene, we are direly lacking in the sandwich department. The chicken salad po-boy I ordered was perfect- not sweet, not too creamy, dotted with pecans and the chicken was obviously made on site as it had that home-cooked texture and flavor. We tried the BLT and the BBQ po-boy too and both were awesome. They have a great selection of local beer too. The Grocery is just off the Trolley at 6th and St. Charles. It's a very happy place thanks to Marcy's spirit and the friendly staff.

Fiorella's Italian Cafe- 45 French Market Place, New Orleans

For some reason it was hard to find food in the Quarter after 9pm on a Tuesday night. I guess I had the impression that the Quarter never sleeps but what do I know? It took me 30 years to get to NOLA so I really didn't know what to expect. We walked all over looking for somewhere to eat that didn't require reservations, wasn't strictly bar food, and was within a decent price range. I refused to eat at the seedy little Chinese restaurant that we kept passing- I was in New Orleans dammit! I was going to eat good!

We had walked past a little spot called Fiorella's, an Italian cafe and bar, and decided that would be our best bet. I wasn't quite in the mood for pasta but we were all starting to picture each other on a skewer with a side of drawn butter and I'm the worst about getting snarly when I'm hungry. So we grabbed a table and looked over the menu. I checked Yelp to see what people said to try at Fiorella's and for some odd reason every review was of someone proclaiming the greatness of this Italian bar's fried chicken. I'm not kidding. Check it out yourself.

I hesitated and then ordered the fried chicken, from the Irish bartender who challenged that I couldn't finish it all. Fried chicken. Irish bartender. At an Italian bar. In Creole country. It was sounding more like Houston by the minute. No one ordered pasta- everyone got fried chicken. It was the most ridiculous thing I've ever put into my face. I had to use both hand to lift a single breast and the juicy flavor explosion nearly knocked my hungry ass out. It was amazing. Needless to say a few primary colored drinks and an hour later we were stuck with four heavy leftover pieces that I nibbled on later and brought home the next day as a souvenir for a friend. I owed him one. Sorry for the bad photo- I just took one and dug in. But you can see how one piece towers over the salt shaker, dwarfing the bowl of mashed potatoes (I don't even remember how they were, poor things.) It turns out the cooks were a bunch of college boys. They are going to make some women fat and happy someday.

Johnny's Po-Boys- 511 St. Louis Street, New Orleans

I don't think I've ever stood in a line as long as the one that snaked out and across the street from Johnny's Po-Boys on St. Louis St. I had been told I had to try it. It wasn't Johnny's fault that I wasn't as impressed as I had hoped. It took close to two hours to get the first bite in my mouth and by then snarlies were upon me. The people were nice and the food was good, but not two hour good. We had shrimp po-boys and gumbo. The shrimp was good, but a thick blanket of shredded lettuce hindered the encounter.

We walked with our food to sit by the river so I fed the grass the lettuce, doused the sandwich with our travel Cholula, and chowed down. It was good. I will say that. An hour an a half before that it would have been damn good. The gumbo was bland and had cooled down too much so that it was overly gelatinous. My Lebanese husband makes a mean, painful gumbo that I favor, with every sea creature imaginable so it's hard to contend with that. Oh well. That's what I get for falling into a tourist trap.

3am eats in NOLA

Of course we had to go to Cafe du Monde but the line during the day is laughably long. Who the hell waits that long in a line for some fried dough? When we found out it was open 24 hours a day, we planned a late night return instead.

It turned out that at 3am, there is no line, but the cafe au lait is still hot and the beignets are still made to order. And it's cash only, at that hour at least. Maybe it was because we went the Sunday after Mardi Gras, but New Orleans was sleeping and we were drinking coffee, ready for fun. A few bars were open and we made one last stop before running, yes running, back to the hotel. But just as we crossed Canal Street, a delicious aroma beckoned us into a massive all night corner store called Brother's, where we found ourselves ordering a paper basket of fried chicken and steak fries. Houston. We have a problem. Where is my 4am fried chicken option ?

Bars to check out:

The first night we skipped the whole yard-long drink from cheesy-Nola-Bar-X and headed for where the locals hang out on Frenchman's Street. It was a Sunday night so not a lot was happening though there were a few bars with food and live music. It was chill, which was what we were after.

Don't miss:

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop- the oldest bar in New Orleans. It's dark and mellow and the clientele is a hazy flux of tourist with a few friendly locals mixed in. On occasion a tour comes through, as the bar is reputed to be haunted. Great whiskey selection- don't order a Long Island or anything colored in this refuge. Please.

Pravda Bar- Another chill bar on Decatur with a great dusky atmosphere and a cute little turtle in a pond out back that likes to terrorize the goldfish.

Fiorella's fried chicken. It's ridiculous.

Blog on the back burner

2011-04-29T23:36:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it has been nearly five months since I've posted. When the year rounds the corner, I get caught in 'chaos mode' due to preparations for the Free Press Summer Fest, June 4-5th of this year. It consumes me. Completely. Of course I have a ton of notes and photos to post. Eventually. But there's one I really would like to share and that's coming up next.

Teethpicks is still hungry. And just wait til the summer when I get to eat the eastern hemisphere...

Congratulations to Mai's for their grand re-opening after a massive fire gutted the entire building. More on that in a bit.

Haute Grub and Hot Tubs at La Torretta Resort and Chez Roux

2010-11-29T13:37:00.001-08:00

When Houston thinks of a November weekend getaway or a fine French meal, Conroe isn't the first place that comes to mind. Lakeside activities don't quite go hand-in-hand with 40 degree temperatures, but we also know that the weather is apt to change from hour to hour, the sun might come out, and it might very well be lakeside weather the next day if not sooner.

However there is one thing that will always be welcomed in any weather: A hot tub.

Last weekend, my friend Maria and I escaped for the night to La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa in Conroe, Texas. We dined at the resort’s own Chez Roux, a French restaurant founded by Chef Albert Roux, the man behind La Gavroche, which earned Britain’s very first Michelin rating, and three stars, at that. I was excited to try a meal fashioned by one of the world’s most renowned chefs, who happened to be in town tending the restaurant. Many people wonder why on earth he would choose Conroe as his first American venture, and the answer is as simple as it should be. His friend is the main investor of resort and that’s what friends are for, right?

I really hoped to meet Chef Roux, but even more so, I was hoping that he would serve his signature Soufflé Suissesse. And as invariably there would be plenty of wine flowing and we are responsible drinkers, we decided to stay overnight. After all, the website boasted of a hot tub and we had big plans for that hot tub as soon as dinner was a wrap.

Chez Roux’s exterior is unassuming, but inside it hosts an intimate dining room with cozy booths, linen clothed tables, and a glassed-in wine room filled floor to ceiling with bottles from around the world. A panoramic window overlooking the head chef Michael Gray’s kitchen allowed us to observe the various cooks working tenaciously at their stations on our prix-fixe dinners. Gray is the only Michelin rated chef in Texas and we were anxious to see and taste his fare. Suddenly Chef Roux walked out of the kitchen. Wearing his chef whites, he greeted each table, leaning a little on a cane for support. As he approached our table, I tried to think of something clever or adoring to say, but he spoke first.

“I suggest you try the soufflé. It’s a bowl of cholesterol.”

I laughed and joked that it would drink all of the wine, as rich foods tend to dampen the effects of alcohol. I was happy to have met him and I knew then that I would have my soufflé.

But first, champagne, a glass of Chef Roux’s own Blanc-de-Blanc, or blankity-blank bubbly as I find my inner punstress calling it, and along with it a beautiful amuse bouche of a fish terrine with a quail egg. I have to mention that the bread basket contained the freshest mini-baguette, a perfect junior version of a full sized loaf of French bread. I ate two. Or three. The soufflé was served next and to my amusement, it was ‘Texa-fied” with Texas Gold Cheddar and corn kernel cream. The original version is even simpler, and it’s basically a soufflé floating in a bowl of hot cream, topped with Gruyere before being given one final heating in the oven. I don’t count calories when I’m eating French food and you shouldn’t either.

The Coquille Saint-Jacques et Salade de Couscous followed the soufflé. The French call scallops ‘shellfish of Saint James’ because the apostle was to have rescued a knight covered in their shells. At Chez Roux, the scallops are perfectly seared and served over a ‘salad’ of diced carrots and zucchini tossed with pearl couscous with accents of chorizo. Garret, the sommelier, poured us a glass of Duet Viogner-Chardonnay from Burgundy, which was light and refreshing and cut through the saltiness of the chorizo.

Next up we were served a veal loin and my first sweetbreads, along with a glass of Belle Valle Pinot Noir, the best wine of the evening, only because it was a red, and I’m a red girl. While I don’t usually eat veal because it comes from poor baby cows, I did so to honor the chef. It was flavorful but tough for something so innocent. The sweetbreads, if you like them, were cooked to where there was a bit of resistance at first and then the follow through was as soft as the scallops. I will try anything once in the name of food and knowing that Chef Roux knows just how organ meats should be prepared to maximize their flavor and highlight their textures, I can say with near certainty that I won’t be trying them again if I can avoid it. I just don’t like sweetbreads.

As if to whisk away any unpleasant memory of the previous course, dessert arrived- five diminutive desserts to be exact. They ranged from brulee to gelato and each was as good and adorable as the last.

After our meal, we walked across the property to check into our room. The lobby of La Torreta is regal with white marble and minimalistic furnishings. The concierge wasn’t just professional, but friendly, and she found us a room with a balcony overlooking the lake and waterpark. Yes, the resort has a kid friendly waterpark complete with slides, their own pool, a lazy river, and a splash area. For us big kids, La Torretta saves the best. A huge swimming pool topped by what seemed to be a heated infinity pool and, drum roll please, a massive hot tub that we had all to ourselves until nearly 3 in the morning. We plucked whiskey from the mini-bar and sipped it while watching the fog roll in over the pool area and then back out again where the moon and stars were visible once again.

When we finally tumbled into bed, the mattress and pillows were so incredibly comfortable that I made a note to myself to find out exactly what kind they were so I could go out and buy them when it’s time for a new bed. After a long hard meal and a rigorous evening of drinking and hot-tubbing, it was the best sleep I’ve had in a long time. The great part is that it was all only an hour away and in the end it really felt like a true getaway.

600 La Torretta Boulevard
Montgomery, TX 77356-5309
(936) 448-4400

Cabbage Chemistry

2010-10-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

After running across a website on bento box dishes and the use of natural food colorings to add

vibrance to otherwise colorless foods, I decided to try the following experiment on my children. The resulting colors are totally natural, believe it or not, and the flavor is so innocuous that you could even use the liquid in desserts.

Simply chop about a cup of red cabbage for every two cups of water and boil for about 10 minutes. Strain, reserving the water of course, and use it to cook rice, pasta, potatoes, the ideas are endless!

The chemistry part comes in with playing with acids and bases. Try adding lemon, lime, or vinegar to the water after you strain it and you'll get a brilliant pink result. I added small pinches of baking soda until I found the right shade of blue. Be careful when using the soda as it can impart a bitter taste if you use too much. Pinch by pinch...

Using the blue cabbage water to cook the rice, I then put it on a plate, shaped it with my hands and squeezed lime juice in spots over the rice mound, turning small sections to pink!

I made beef keema with peas, filled the cabbage leaves with the mixture and put it in the oven for about twenty minutes to soften the leaves.

Two men and a brisket- Yelapa

2010-09-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

I am typically reluctant to jump on the popular restaurant band wagon so it took me a while to make it to Yelapa, which is definitely 'scene' cuisine. Yet, after driving by it several times I thought, damn, something smells really good and I need it in my face stat. So I said, why not give the place a shot. Just because white people are raving about it doesn't mean I should write it off.

The restaurant was supposedly on a wait when we arrived, but there were a few tables open in the bar area as well as on the patio. We sat inside first and ordered drinks, not knowing yet of the patio seating. I decided to try the michelada, but they never compare to my own, for I am a michelitist. My husband had a really great mojito and I wished I did too. I watched a large man in a white cabana shirt with a neatly trimmed goatee, also white, shift around a floor fan a few times and smile at us as he took a stool at the bar, where a large shot of tequila and what looked like a whiskey and coke awaited him, but he didn't strike me as a whiskey man. Later on when we moved outside, he was there, shifting fans around again and walking around the perimeter of the patio spraying something that caused the diners at the table next to us to cough. He nodded appreciatively and mumbled, "This will get those mosquitoes, for sure."

I had heard that Yelapa was known for their ceviches so we ordered two. There are several different styles, plus your choice of having it prepared 'Peruvian' style, which is 'flash marinated' in lime juice for 5 minutes or fully cooked in the juice 'Texas' style (code for white people.) I ribbed my husband for ordering it well done and he said he wanted to check the quality first, which is understandable considering BP's generous dose of oily marinade it had infused into the Gulf. The first ceviche brought out was the Campechana, which is a spicy tomato based version with crab, shrimp, and avocado, and the second was the more traditional Sevichey Tejano. Both were excellent in taste, quality and presentation. We knew we were in for a treat with our entrees.

I was going to get the maiz con pollo because it had fun little things like blue polenta and huitlacoche, better known as 'corn smut', but I really wanted beef, so I opted for the smoked brisket barbacoa tacos, and at the waiter's suggestion, I switched to sopes instead of tortillas. When the dish came out, there were three wee sopes topped with refried beans, pickled red onions, 'ghost pepper mayo', fresh cilantro, chilies, and that succulent slow smoked beef that had lured me in from Richmond Avenue. I had one bite and had to put it down for a minute. When the right flavor powers combine, an incredible thing happens in your mouth. Each bite is a full on meal. The heat and the tang and the char all on an innocent little corn flour pillow stunned my taste buds but when they gained consciousness they couldn't get enough.

In the other corner, my husband had the 'Whole Enchilada' with chicken instead of beef brisket, which is ridiculous, I think, but the damn thing was in overdrive with about a pound of cheese, red mole sauce and a side of sour cream, cilantro and fresh jalapenos. My fork gained ten pounds just from touching it.

It turns out, that the man on fan and fly patrol was Chuck Bulnes, one of the owners, and his partner chef LJ Wiley was the guy running in and out of the kitchen, greeting tables and hustling plates. I understand and respect the challenge faced in balancing a menu with items ranging from familiar for the feint at heart, like tacos and enchiladas, to dishes like the cantaloupe gazpacho and a ceviche featuring violet and octopus. Always the skeptic, I was impressed by the thing that matters most in a meal, which is how good it tastes. I look forward to getting to know Yelapa better as it reminds me of some of my favorite people: Adventurous and drunk.

2303 Richmond Avenue
Houston, TX 77098
(281) 501-0391

Malaysian Persuasion- Dinner at Banana Leaf

2010-08-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

Spoiled rotten, that’s what we are. Despite our sublingual climate, living in Houston has its perks when it comes to the culinary department. Tired of Thai? How about Vietnamese? No? Chinese, Japanese, Korean? No? Let’s do Malaysian!

The Banana Leaf is located in a strip center on Bellaire Boulevard, just east of the Beltway. On entry, the interior almost looks too nice to offer anything authentic, with wall mounted digital frames flashing pictures of various dishes and fancy wooden chopsticks, but on the other side of the kitchen’s glass window, things are looking rather serious. Flames shoot up from a hula hoop sized wok and a loud hiss fills the small restaurant that sounds ominously delicious. The menu is huge and daunting. It’s advisable to study it online and extensively research the unknown dishes before attempting to order. Or you could ask the waiters for their suggestions and entrust they won’t let you down, which rarely happens. Being that Malaysian cuisine has been influenced by so many other cultures, the flavors of India, China, Indonesia and Thailand contribute to the Malay recipes.

The appetizer was a good foreshadowing of things to come. We quickly devoured the beautiful stack of taro coated fried shrimp with a lacy thin outer crust. Our entrees followed soon after and the two stars dishes were my shrimp curry, with big fat shrimp and a sauce similar to a Thai yellow curry, but with less heat and more shrimp paste funkiness, and the littlest son’s magnum opus of a dish, the Sarang Burong, which translates to ‘Bird’s Nest’. Similar to mashed potatoes, the cook had shaped a bowl from taro and flash fried it so that it held its form. It was filled with an assortment of shrimp and vegetables like baby corn, Shitake mushrooms and cashews and we all helped him kill the four pound presentation. Our eldest ordered the flat noodles with beef and scallions, which turned out to use a surprisingly good cut of meat unlike most other places of the Leaf’s caliber. The only disappointed diner at our table was the patriarch who had ordered the barbecued flounder, which turned out to be fried, a no no for his attempt at a healthy diet. But it was a great example of fish, moist and flaky from it’s banana leaf wrap and filleted table-side which is always cool to watch. The kids wanted to keep the bones but we declined.

The next time your stubborn palate wants for something new, check out this little Malay joint on the Westside. Bring skinny friends or small children so you can help yourself to a bit of everything on the table without much resistance.

Banana Leaf
9889 Bellaire Blvd.
Houston, TX 77036
713.771.8118

www.bananaleafhouston.com

Hardee's billboard advert in Beirut

2010-07-01T21:57:00.001-07:00

IMG_7173, originally uploaded by Demandrea.

Barbar: The Godfather of fast food in Beirut, Lebanon

2010-07-01T21:23:00.001-07:00

IMG_7085, originally uploaded by Demandrea.

In the main metropolitan area of Beirut, Barbar's abound on nearly every other block. There are three main points of sale at each Barbar including a walk up sandwich and ready made hot meal stall, 'Juicy Barbar' which serves gelato, ice cream, and fresh juices, and the main Barbar, walk up or sit down, where you can order everything from shawarma and falafel to fried chicken and beef pepperoni pizza. Barbar also boasts a fleet of delivery mopeds, ready to dispatch any of the vast menu's items to your home or hotel.

Fresh Za'atar salad with Olives, aunt's house, Beirut, Lebanon

2010-07-01T21:15:00.001-07:00

IMG_6993, originally uploaded by Demandrea.

One of a million delights in Amsterdam

2010-07-01T21:12:00.001-07:00

IMG_0072, originally uploaded by Demandrea.

Cheese shop in Amsterdam

2010-07-01T21:07:00.001-07:00

A Super Indo-Pak Attak: Sheikh Chilli's

2010-05-28T16:52:00.001-07:00

This review epitomizes the tagline of this food blog- Why Houston is Awesome, Mouth First. Houston's awesomeness lies not in the glory of its history or architecture or progressiveness or much of anything that would get us noticed for a positive reason, but it's what the people who live here contribute that makes our city special in spite of its shortcomings.

Yes, our public transportation is a joke, our 'green' ratings are among the lowest in the country, and our solution to just about any problem is to add another lane. But you know what? We have something a lot of other places don't. Food. Glorious food. I would say that, yes, Jeffe, we do have a plethora of places and cuisines to choose from and that is what makes Houston awesome.

Let's say it's nearing midnight and you're feeling the hungerbird pecking* and you're really not in the mood for drive thru or taqueria food. You want something spicy, different, goaty perhaps, and you're willing to drive ten minutes away to get it. Here's the awesome part: There is a place that has been open until at least 2am for the last 26 years and yes, they have goat.Sheikh Chilli's, an Indian-Pakistani restaurant just north of 59 S. on Hillcroft, is tucked into a strip center along with several other interesting restaurants ranging from Salvadorian and Honduran food to a halal meat market and an intriguingly seedy looking game room.

Inside, Sheikh Chilli's is large but rather simply laid out with several booths and tables and a row of tall potted plants dividing the room. A few framed Arabic calligraphy pieces hang on the wall above the counter. There is coin operated Accurate Weight machine at the door along with a rack for Indian publications and entertainment flyers. Like most Indo-Pak restaurants I've been to, there is a television playing popular Indian music videos that are highly entertaining to say the least.

Majid is the owner and Babu is the chef. I didn't see Babu, who is from India, but Majid, who is from Pakistan, has always been there when we've gone to eat. He is soft spoken and kind with tan skin and eyes the color of a shallow lagoon. He took over when Azhar, the original owner, passed away a few years ago.

Ordering at Sheikh Chilli's can be a little confusing at first if you don't know your 'murgh' from your 'gosht' (chicken and goat) but that's what I'm here for.

At lunch time you get to choose from a meat and several sides and it's all served on an old school cafeteria tray. And by school, I mean public school, as in plastic, divided, institutional yellow trays. I love it.

There are several specials each day to choose from ranging from Saturday's fish masala to Thursday's gosht curry. (Friday night is Brain Masala...I dare you!)

This here is drinking food. Most of the curries are heavy and thick and the spice infused oils rise to the surface. The goat here is excellent, especially the tender roasted bone in cuts used in the curries; I ordered the Wednesday special, bhona gosht, a thick cumin-forward goat (gosht) curry (bhona).

The chicken tikka was spicier than most other places and offered on the bone which is a rarity. We also ordered the bengan, eggplant, which was the vegetable of the day. It's spicy and tangy, sauteed with tomatoes and garlic until it's almost a puree.

Try the sag paneer if they have it- it's super rich. There are a lot of menu items they don't have at some times but that's to be expected at any down home no-frills eatery, right?

If they're out of samosas, skip the pasties- a deceptively flaky looking savory pastry that turned out to be bland and dry.

I have to admit, I was a little afraid of Sheikh Chillies the first time I went for lunch, scared in the sense that I didn't know what I was getting my stomach into, but my fears were baseless, everything was delicious, and I polished off the whole tray plus an extra piece of naan.

The next time someone says they're in the mood for Indian, surprise them with a real taste adventure for their mouth and head for Sheikh Chillies. Then thank me in the comments for enlightening you with this old school find.

Sheikh Chilli's Restaurant

- maps.google.com
6121 Hillcroft Street, Houston - (713) 995-6768

A Suburban Saturday breakfast at Fountain View Cafe

2010-05-23T00:40:00.001-07:00

Looking around the dining room at Fountain View Cafe, I said to my husband, "Notice anything about this place?"

"You mean how homogenized it is?"

"Yep."

Sometimes, when dining in particular regions of Houston, such as Tanglewood, one finds that the majority of the patrons, if not all, are Caucasians (like me, but I'm 1/16th Cherokee Indian so...I kid). After being married to an Arab for nearly ten years, you start noticing these things when you realize, "That's funny, my spouse is the only customer in here that would get extra scrutiny at the airport." It's true. If you've ever tried flying with an Arab partner, you'll know that you should arrive at the airport even earlier than usual because it is guaranteed there will be 'delays'.

Our food finally started coming out of the kitchen so I had a distraction from my overly observant imagination. True to the area's demands, there was none of that hippie shit turkey or veggie breakfast meat options, and since we don't eat pork, I had to do without. Disappointment turned to delight when my potato and Swiss omelet with a short stack of pancakes arrived.

My husband ordered an egg white omelet and a bowl of oatmeal, aiming for healthy options. While his omelet looked as good as mine tasted, the oatmeal was sitting under a puddle of butter. Who would order that stuff if they weren't looking for a diet friendly breakfast?

I love all cuisines, but when it comes to breakfast, nothing beats a home-style Southern spread. Eggs, hashbrowns, biscuits, pancakes- no regrets. The hashbrowns were great in that they lacked that reconstituted potato flavor you find at a lot of diner style breakfasts. The biscuits were those fluffy buttermilk kind that resemble the pull apart dinner rolls, definitely good but not as good as the pancakes. The 'short' stack was two large, thin pancakes topped with fresh blackberries. I smooshed the berries up a bit with my fork and took a bite with the pancake and proceeded to push all of the other food away and focus solely on those flapjacks. I think I might have growled a little when the kids went to take a bite. In the end, there was plenty left to take home and I just polished them off around 2am this morning after remembering I had leftovers in the fridge while writing this, and they were still pretty delicious.

The fact that they serve a great breakfast all day, every day has deterred me from trying their lunch or dinner menu. Sorry, you're on your own there. It's just not the kind of place I'd go out of my way for at dinner, though I do love how the daily specials are printed out a la 80s public school style.

If you're looking for a great Sunday breakfast spot, don't come here. The place is white ass to elbow for most of the morning and into the afternoon. We went on a Saturday and didn't have to wait in line.

So the next time you're headed to Doneraki on a Saturday like we were, not knowing that their bad ass Mexican brunch buffet is now open only on Sundays, just head over to nearby Fountain View Cafe and bulk up on some desayunos de gringos instead.

Extermi-cake :: Dalek Cake

2010-05-20T00:52:00.000-07:00

This is a cake I made for my oldest son's 9th birthday. I'm just posting it for old time's sake.

I’ve made my sons’ birthday cakes every year and each time I somehow come up with something twice as difficult as the year before but it’s great fun and worth it when my boys see it finished for the first time. This is a Dalek robot from Doctor Who. I totally free-styled the design of the cake but I will try to relay the process here. Hint: It’s not just cake…

I will list the ingredients below but it’s up to you to get creative and put it all together so get ready to be covered in chocolate for the next few hours.

One batch of chocolate cupcakes (Box mix again, the kids won’t mind)
4 Chocolate Moon Pies
10 mini tootsie rolls
25 Chocolate malt balls (bulk style candies)
10 Peanut butter balls (if you can’t find these just try to find a lighter colored ball (gumballs?)
4-6 Peanut Butter Cups (Small- Reese’s style)
10 white chocolate melting ‘buttons’
4 cups of ganache. Try this recipe: http://www.chow.com/recipes/12691

INSTRUCTIONS

Invert bowl cake flat side down on circular cake platform thing. I used cardboard on a cookie sheet. Cover it in ganache. That is the Dalek’s base.
For the torso I rigged two cupcakes that had been cut in half (tops cut off) and four Swiss Rolls to form a circular shape on top of the base. Place the cupcakes cut side in along the top of the base and use the Swiss Rolls (OR appropriately carved cupcakes) to fill in the gaps, rounding out the body. Cover in ganache. Then put one of the cupcake tops on top of this, and cover it in ganache.
Place one Chocolate Moon Pie on top of the cupcake top and put a dollop of ganache in the center to affix a peanut butter cup and put a dollop of ganache on top of that and stack up three more Moon Pies, using ganache as your glue.
Finally, cover another cupcake top in ganache and stick it on the top Moon Pie. You know how the figure completed. On to the detail work.
Arms: I used Tootsie Rolls as modeling clay and formed these weird pincher arms/hands.
Eye: Peanut butter cup glued with ganache to head, with white chocolate button affixed with ganache
Antenna: Stack of white chocolate buttons held together with one melted white chocolate button. I then made a little hole in the top with a toothpick to support the candle.
Buttons and lights: Peanut butter cup for dial, malt balls for decoration, affixed with ganache.
Congratulations. You’ve reached the end. I passed out the extra cupcakes and candy mainly so I could have more cake to myself :) It was delicious and will serve at least twenty. Cutting it up is the fun part because everyone can pick which part they want to eat.

Tofu (If you have to)- Oven Fried Tofu Sticks

2010-05-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

I am still trying to figure out how to make this wiggly, jiggly, pigment challenged, protein by-product more palatable, and while this recipe would be better if the tofu was substituted with, oh let's say, Brie or Chevre or shrimp or chicken or probably just about anything with a little fat and flavor, honestly, it didn't turn out half bad. In fact, I guess it was pretty damn good. I'm just a little reluctant to give up on my anti-tofu stance yet. I am, after all, a Texas T-bone and tri-tip kinda girl at heart. This one's for my ova-lacto-homies, as the recipe does contain an egg for the dredge. The tofu is pictured served with a Panang chicken curry, and they were great dipped in the excess sauce, as well as the other one I threw together with a fish sauce base.

Okay, so. You need:

1 pound firm tofu, cut into strips and drained well

2 cups bread crumbs, either panko, or crackers will do. Cornflakes or crisp rice might be nice too...

2 TSBP cornstarch, more or less

1 egg

1/4 cup of milk or water

1 tsp salt

Seasonings of your choice- I used some garlic powder, dried parsley, salt, fresh ground pepper

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Spray or smear a baking sheet with a thin coat of oil.

3. First, pat your tofu dry and sprinkle it with the cornstarch.

4. In a bowl, whisk together milk/water, egg, and 1 tsp salt.

5. On a plate or pie dish, toss together the bread crumbs and seasonings.

6. Carefully dip the strips of tofu into the dredge and let the excess drip off.

7. Press a dredged strip into the bread crumb and seasoning mixture. Turn it over and around and press the crumbs into the tofu or else it will fall off. Did the tofu break? I said be careful...

8. Lay the strip on the baking sheet and repeat step six and seven until you are done and your fingers look like the Swamp Thing trying to eat Saltine crackers. You'll see...

9. It puts the pan into the oven. Wait about 20 minutes then start peeking in to see what the browning looks like. I think I left mine in around 35-40 minutes before they got to a nice color.

10. Remove the pan from the oven. Turn off your oven. Serve the tofu sticks with your choice of sauce.

Sauce: May I suggest a Thai lime and fish sauce sauce with a bit of honey and some fresh, thinly sliced shallot or green onion and Thai chilies. Use 1 part fish sauce to 3 parts lime juice, a tbsp of honey, whisk together. Add scallions and chilies. Ta dow. Now go eat your dirty little tofu sticks and love them.

Backroad Desi- Mezban Curry and Grill

2010-04-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

By Andrea Afra

Hiding in plain site, Mezban is located in a big shopping center in the Mahatma Gandhi District (did you know the area was recently renamed?) off of Harwin between Hillcroft and the 59 feeder road. The first time we went, there was a party going on in the parking lot complete with a DJ who would spin some records then plug the insurance company that had obviously paid the guy to come out.

Mezban started as a catering company that opened as a restaurant on the side. The main feature is its lunch and dinner buffet of a random variety of Indian and Pakistani dishes as well as a few standards, like the raita, biryani, and fresh baked naan, as well as the standard Texas coleslaw. Yes, coleslaw, and it's quite good.

Most of the dishes were on the milder side of spicy, but they didn't lack in flavor- it only meant less complaining from the kids.

While Mezban doesn't rank at the top of my Indian or Pakistani restaurants, mainly because of the lack of heat, it has a buffet which means you walk in and don't even have to sit down before you get your food. And I like that a lot.

The Buffet at Mezban, an array of meat, rice, and vegetable dishes. There is everything from kofta- meatballs in curry sauce, balti gosht- a mutton dish not unlike pot roast, Frontier chicken, saag paneer, a great cold chickpea salad, and desserts as well.

Hot Naan! Some of the best in town- even without butter, brought fresh to your table when you are seated.

There were no lentils on the buffet one day when we went and when my husband mentioned this to the owner, he quickly offered to bring him some. This is what they brought out, his very own little pan of lentils. Nice!

Vini, Vidi, Ceviche!

2010-04-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

We had a party for my man's birthday this weekend and he requested ceviche for dinner, and this good wife did abide. Ceviche is super easy to make and doesn't have to be expensive. It does need at least 2 hours to 'cook' in the citrus juice so time accordingly. If you want to know what good ceviche should taste like before making it, check out El Pueblito's- it's rife with big chunks of avocado and tangy sweet mango. (On Richmond just east of Mandell)

1 pound fresh saltwater fish, I used tilapia

1 pound fresh bay scallops

1 pound fresh peeled/deveined shrimp

1 big bunch of cilantro leaves chopped

1 medium red onion, diced small

3-5 sliced jalapenos with seeds for heat, sliced thin

2 avocados, diced

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup tequila (optional)

1/2 cup vegetable juice (optional)

1 diced mango (optional)

Salt to taste

Shallow pan for the marinating/cooking process

Preparation:

Cut fish into bite sized pieces (not too small) and combine in the pan with the other seafood. Pour the juice over the top, along with all of the other ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-6 hours depending on how well done you like your ceviche.

Serve with tortilla chips, warm corn tortillas (just throw on a gas burner for a few seconds on each side), plantain chips, or even Saltines.

Cheeseburger Delivery = Greatness: Lucky Burger

2010-04-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

It was one of those nights when cooking a meal didn't sound very appealing, so I picked up the phone and called 713.522.5650 (I have it memorized) and ordered up a few cheeseburgers, some fries and a chocolate Oreo milkshake to be delivered to my doorstep. Without warning, a few moments later the skies opened up and within minutes our street began to flood. Lucky Burger is really close to my house, and after twenty minutes the driver still hadn't arrived so I figured they had seen the water rising over the sidewalk and nixed my delivery, which would have been perfectly understandable. I even called them back to tell them that the road was flooded and to not worry about my order, but Peggy, the woman who answers the phones, said they were already on their way.

Now I was worried about the delivery person. Surely they wouldn't come down our street, but what if they did? Their car would be ruined and I didn't want my dinner to be the cause. I ran outside into the rain which was pouring down relentlessly. The water was rushing down the street, already well over the curb and shin high on the sidewalks. Sure enough, I saw a car creeping down the street. The water was too high to walk through so I ran back inside and grabbed my bike, then pedaled down the sidewalk with my feet hitting the water with each downward push. I saw the car stop across the street, just a few houses down from mine. The door opened and an older Chinese guy stepped out with a brown paper bag in his hand.

I yelled, "Hey, wait there!", and rode out into the rapids to grab the food and hand him all the money I had for a tip, a fiver, wishing I had more to give.

"Thank you. You're crazy!" I told him and he smiled and nodded, "Okay", before getting back into the car. I rode back home to enjoy a delicious burger feeling a little bit guilty and very soaked.

So what's so great about Lucky Burger, besides the fact that they deliver in monsoon-like weather conditions? Deep inside the barrel fortress at the southeastern corner of Richmond and Mandell, they are cranking out some great diner style fast food. The burgers are simple yet hearty, served made to order on a fluffy bun with terrific pickles (the 'good' kind), American cheese, and a paper sleeve brimming with hot crinkle cut fries.

If you're not feeling the burger, try the jumbo shrimp. They aren't what you'd think. Instead of just a large fried shrimp, they have taken one decent sized shrimp with the tail still on and straightened it out, then another straightened out tail-less shrimp is laid on top of it before battering it and frying it. It's like a long shrimp baton, and they are super crunchy and tasty.

A friend of mine used to get a Lucky cheeseburger with a fried egg on top, so if that's your thing just ask. If you are totally not feeling the cheeseburger thing, try the fried rice. The order is huge and done as well as any respectable Chinese restaurant.

The patty melt is served on awesome buttery toast with those super crisp pickle slices. While I have had the chili-cheese fries, I have yet to try the chili-cheeseburger which seems rather intense, but I bet it's crazy good. Imagine that with an egg on it. Kill me now.

So the next time you're feeling lazy, dial up Lucky Burger, then hum a few bars from Proud to Be an American, and remember why life is good.

Lucky Burger

www.luckyburger.com

1601 Richmond Avenue
Houston, TX 77006-5213
(713) 522-5650

Arabesque Fest @ Jones Plaza Sat., April 3rd, 2010 Houston, TX

2010-04-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Come out to the Arabesque Fest, benefiting Houston Palestine Film Festival

Come celebrate the richness and diversity of Arab Culture April 3rd at Jones Plaza and support the Houston Palestine Film Festival! Come dance to live Arabic music, taste the many 'momma style' foods including a Battle of Hummus from Houston's best restaurants, smoke Shisha, and say hello to friends new and old.

The Arabesque Fest will be held at downtown's Jones Plaza overlooking Houston's skyline ( Directly across the street from Verizon Theater and The Angelika ). Kids 12 and under are FREE to enter and there will be a wide array of children's activities including moonwalk, face painting, and more. So tell your friends, bring your family, and prepare to dance. Doors open at Noon yet festivities go until 10PM.

Slated to perform are:

2 PM DJ Simiyu

3 PM Zylona (bellydancer)

4 PM Khristina Koutsoudas (dancer)

5PM Jabbour (Musical performance)

6PM Hummos Competition (featuring up to 10 local restaurants)

7PM Traditional Dress Fashion Show

Proceeds benefit the Houston Palestine Film Festival; winner of the 2009 Best Film Festival award from Houston Press.

Tickets are $5; free for kids under 12

Quickie post: Deep-fried Sushi...yes, please! Happy Hour at Blue Fish House

2010-03-26T21:24:00.001-07:00

Blue Fish has a great Happy Hour going on right now with $4 Deep Fried Madness Rolls and other great deals until 7pm.

Asparagus with tuna if I recall correctly...fried of course.

Deep Fried Madness- with tuna

Agedashi- "Tasty Tofu" with mushrooms and scallions- very tasty indeed, especially for tofu.

Blue Fish House
2241 Richmond Ave.
www.bluefishhouse.com

Two-Timing Thai at Nidda

2010-03-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

A brief review of my history with Nidda...a long time ago I went to my first Thai restaurant, Patu's in the Village, and loved it. Later on down the road, one of Patu's original owner's, Marty Chuenpreecha, opened Bangkok Place in the spot near Erotic Cabaret on Westheimer near Waugh. It wasn't the best place for a restaurant but he did his best. The food was amazing but for some reason the customer base wasn't strong enough to stay open. In comes an interested partner who takes over the place and reopens it as Nidda.

Our family became very close with Marty and his small staff before he moved to California to be with his wife and children who had been living there for a while though he continued to work in Houston. He was so kind and sweet and the chef he had in the kitchen came with him from Patu's, a tiny little Thai lady name Nao. So I was spoiled with their love and delicious authentic meals-- she'd even let me in the kitchen where she prepared the food in a wok large enough for her to take a bath in. So spoiled that after Marty left, I shunned Thai food for several months. When I would finally try it, I was extra critical and couldn't enjoy the meal. Where was the love?

I haven't fully gotten over my first true Thai love but under Nao's tutelage (she stayed on for a while to help the transition) the kitchen at Nidda has started to grow on me. I've been going there for a while now, but usually stuck with my usual, the gang panang with chicken, green beans and carrots. I finally took a leap of faith and ordered the Chu Chee Snapper.
One of my favorite meals with Marty was the Chu Chee Shrimp- a perfectly sweet and pungent 'curry' with lightly battered shrimp and snow peas. The snapper is still prepared the same way and I have to admit that I enjoyed every bite. But I still miss my friend Marty and hold everything Thai to the standards he taught me by.

The kids finally tried something besides Pad Thai. These are the Drunken Noodles and they were good, though I'm not a huge flat noodle fan.

This is the Basil Seafood, my husband's healthy standby.

Tom Yum Soup- It's no tom kha kai but it's tasty nonetheless

Thai Spice Express- The fairest of them all

2010-03-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

You know you're in the vicinity of authenticity when you see something like this: a hearty meal conveniently wrapped for someone who doesn't have time to stay and eat. Think fast food. This is basically a #4 with fries, Thai-style.

Thai Spice Express is located at 8282 Bellaire near Fondren. There are eight other Thai Spice restaurants in the family, cousins if you will, like Thai Spice in the Village, which is good but a little pricey due to the location and definitely doesn't offer the pre-packaged meals pictured above., Thai Spice Asian Cuisine in the Heights and Thai Spice Buffet at Voss and Westheimer.

Thai Spice Express may sound far off for some folks in my neck of the woods (Montrose) but if you jump on 59 S. you can be ordering in 15 minutes. The "Express" factor means that the food is on the table so fast, that even in the midst of some of my grumpiest hunger bouts, I have made the drive there for dinner knowing I would be feeding the monster sooner than I would be at a restaurant in my area.

We go here quite often and about 93% of the time I order the Tom Kha Kai- the spicy lime and coconut milk chicken soup elixir, which comes in a big bowl and every bite is the perfect love child of all of the best taste sensations. If a place gets this right then you can bet on most of their dishes being A OK.

On our last visit, for the sake of this blog, I would forgo the soup and order something different. Yum Nur is a salad of charbroiled sliced beef, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, mint and cilantro tossed in a spicy fish sauce and lime based dressing. It's a simple dish with complex flavors and being that it's a salad, it's pretty healthy, but the tender meat makes it filling and worth ordering for dinner. I was surprised and pleased that Express' version included the mint. It really makes the dish and I've seen other places omit it, not doubt due to not selling it and having it go to waste.

My husband always has to order something 'special' like this dish of mixed 'whatever you've got' greens, and squid. They usually have all kinds of greens but the selection was limited this time to mostly vegetables. Boring.

There will be more on Thai Spice in the upcoming posts so stay tuned, or better yet, just go there.

Menu- See for yourself.
http://www.thaispice.com/expressmenu.htm

Thai Spice Express 8282 Bellaire Boulevard, Houston (713) 777-4888

http://teethpicks.blogspot.com

Fabio's: Finally, Italian food worth paying for

2010-03-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

There are only a few Italian restaurants that I would suggest as it's hard to justify paying $10 for 10 cents worth of pasta and a few toppings. However, Fabio's is the rare exception. When I mention it people either think it's expensive or they don't even know it's there. Since it's right on Westheimer you would think that they would ask a substantial price for their fresh homemade pastas, spot on sauces, and innovative spins on everyday Italian dishes, like the freshly prepared and vibrantly green jalapeno fettucini, but the prices are more than reasonable for any budget.

Located on the main artery of Montrose between a corner store and Number's nightclub, neighborhood yuppies and hipsters alike dine among each other at one of Fabio's 8 tables. When our family went for my sister-in-law's birthday, we took over four of the tables and tried to keep our voices down for the other diners but soon even they joined in on the chatter.

As Fabio soft steps around the room offering wine and taking orders, ask for his specials and suggestions. He's a really nice guy and is proud of his menu and there are many off menu items prepared only when the ingredients are in house, like a medley of raviolis filled with a variety of cheeses, seafood, and osso bucco. For an appetizer he brought out a big platter of fried calamari, fried cheese, bruschetta, and who knows what else but I ate it, that's for sure.

I can't help but always judge an Italian restaurant by its Alfredo and Fabio's is so rich and mellow that you just can't help but make little appreciative grunts while eating it. I had it over the jalapeno fettucini they make in house and the little kick of heat paired well with the creamy sauce. I think there was chicken in it too but I could seriously fare well with just a bowl of the sauce and a loaf of their garlicky bread.

Here are a few shots from our last dinner there. The lighting was low so I apologize for their poor quality.

Fresh pasta > anything and everything? Jalapeno fettucini alfredo with grilled chicken. Tres 'White Girl'...

Ravioli medley, each filled with something better than the last

Frutti del Mar- Off menu so don't be shy to ask! Clams, mussels, shrimp and is that calamari I see? Why yes it is!

Fabio's Italian Bar & Grill
www.fabiosbarandgrill.com
212 Westheimer Road
Houston, TX 77006-3222
(713) 528-4212

Homemade Chicken Pot Pies

2010-03-03T17:15:00.000-08:00

Now with smiley faces for the kiddos!

Chicken Pot Pies: Just like mom made, but not store bought and cheap

I just got my oven fixed and oh how I missed baking! I decided to give these a go when I realized by some miracle I had everything in the kitchen I needed to make them. I did have to make a quick run to the community garden for some fresh herbs- thyme, parsley- but it's in the neighborhood and the weather was lovely. I came across this big fluffy mass of oregano growing in almost a globe shape and couldn't help but kneel down and rub my face in it. It was soft enough to sleep on!

The recipe for the pot pies is pretty fly by the seat of your pants. Here's a quick list of what all I used. You will either need 6 10oz ramekins, 2 pie pans, or 1 casserole dish depending on how you would like to present the meal.

Crust

3/4 cup chilled butter cubes
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp ice water

1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water for later

Throw the flour and salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse 5 times then add the water 1 tbsp at a time pulsing once after each tbsp. Turn it out onto some saran wrap, ball it up and put in the fridge for now.

Filling

Chicken- either boil a whole chicken with carrots and onion and shred it, or dice a few breasts
4 carrots cut thin on the diagonal
3 celery stalks cut thin on the diagonal
2 cups peas or green beans (frozen is fine)
1 large onion, diced
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 cups of stock from boiled chicken OR store bought veggie or chicken stock
1 1/2 cups of whole milk (skim/fat free will separate and be a bit watery in the end but it's still tasty)
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme and parsley each
1/4 dry sherry (or not, but it makes it extra extra)

Saute onion in butter and olive oil until translucent. Halfway through, add the carrots and celery and the salt. Add the sherry and cook for a minute, then add the chicken to this for a few minutes. Next, add the flour then stir for a minute. Then add the stock and the milk and herbs and let simmer for at least 5 minutes. Finally, add the peas or green beans and cook for one more minute.

Place the ramekins or casserole on a baking sheet to make transfer easier and safer.

Ladle the filling into the ramekins almost to the top. If you are just going make one big serving I would use a casserole dish or even a couple of pie pans.

Now, get your dough out and cut it into 6 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll each piece out to a circle just a bit larger than the ramekins. Lay each round over the top of a ramekin.

If you are making one large serving simply roll the dough out into one or two large pieces and lay them over the top of the container.

Tuck any hanging dough under itself and press around the edges with a fork to bind the dough with the dish. Cut a 1" slit in the center of the dough and brush with the egg/water mixture.

Oven time! Bake at 425F for about 20 or until things start looking all nice and golden brown. Remove from oven carefully and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. The pies will be hot like lava until then. I know it's tempting to bust one open right away but if they sit for a while the filling will thicken up a little more and be even better in the end PLUS you will keep all of your pretty little taste buds intact. Patience has its perks.

Bon Grubbin!!

Caribbean Cruise Cuisine

2009-12-28T21:44:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a week long cruise on the Voyager of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International) and while the food on the ship was decent and abundant, it was mass produced for 4,000+ people and lacked the layers of flavor that make a dish really stand out. Luckily we were able to try some local fare on a couple of our stops.

Dinner in the formal dining room was hit or miss. The Prime Rib was tender but very mildly seasoned to the point of blandness.

In Georgetown, Grand Cayman we opted for a sample plate of local food from a small stand near the port offering Turtle Stew, Conch Stew, Fish Escoviche, Fried Fish and more. They were out of everything but the escoviche and the conch so the lady made us a plate of everything to try. Left: Conch in coconut milk with dumplings- very simple yet tasty. Right: Fish with onions and bell peppers- nom nom. Upper right: Yes, it's cold Kraft Macaroni and Cheese- WTF are you doing here???
That's our ship in the background.

In Montego Bay, Jamaica I enjoyed a fresh papaya on the beach before going to a shore-side restaurant to beat two Red Stripes and a plate of grouper with rice and 'peas' (yes, they're really beans).

Also in Jamaica- the very popular 'patty' is similar to an empanada. Pretty good for $1.50, it is filled with either chicken, beef, or vegetables. They were out of chicken because it's the best so we tried the other two.

Hara Masala Pomfret (Fish in Green Curry) Recipe

2009-12-09T21:37:00.000-08:00

I first had the chicken hara masala, a cilantro based masala at Himalaya Restaurant (see post here) and subsequently when we went back and my husband ordered it with shrimp. Both were 'like whoa' delicious and I decided to try to pull off a fish version from my own kitchen.

Here are most of the ingredients you'll need, slightly modified to what I had available. (Imagine a few peeled, diced potatoes and a few green chilies.) The plate holds garlic, turmeric powder and coriander seeds. The fish is tilapia- I bought about 20 individually vacuum sealed fillets for $15. This is a great dish for this versatile white fish. The full recipe is at the bottom of the post. You will also need a side of rice. Either basmati or jasmine works well. See "How to Make Perfect Rice Every Time" here.

I didn't have any fresh green chilies but I did have this habanero.

First, blend the coriander seeds and the turmeric in a blender (a food processor works even better). Blend until the seeds are reasonably pulverized.

You need about 2" of ginger. It's easy to peel by scraping with a spoon. Throw it in the blender along with the chilies and a TBSP of salt.

I used about 8 cloves of garlic. You can peel garlic quickly by holding the clove at each end and twisting in opposite directions. The papery jacket slides right off, if you're lucky. Next, coarsely chop a whole onion and throw it and the now nude garlic into the blender and blend away.

Now you are going to cram two bunches of fresh coriander/cilantro, stems and leaves, into the blender. Do a handful at a time. You might/will need to add a bit of water. Try a TBSP or so at a time until things get going. Once everything looks fairly smooth, turn off the blender.

In a pot, add a bit of cooking oil (2 TBSPs tops) turn heat up to medium. Pour your masala paste into the pot and bring to a low boil for about a minute. If you want to add any veggies, I suggest par-cooking them first. I used potatoes. Throw them in the pot until they are almost done.

Begin to add your fish. I used tilapia cut into 2" pieces. Just drop them in and make sure they are covered well with the sauce. Put the lid on and let cook for about 5 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through. Serve over a bowl of rice and watch in amazement the amazement of others that you actually made this and not only is it edible, it's really quite delicious.

Ingredients:

30 oz. tilapia (or other white fish) boneless/skinless fillets, thawed
2 bunches of fresh coriander/cilantro
5-10 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 medium onion
2-5 green chilies
2" fresh peeled ginger
2 TBSP coriander seeds
1.5 TBSP turmeric powder
Salt 1 TBSP to taste

Gear:
Blender/Food processor
Big pot and lid
Cooked rice (no fail rice recipe here)

How to make perfect rice every time.

2009-12-08T08:35:00.000-08:00

Rice. Some people can never get it right. Take me for an example, before I was taught this tried and true method from the best MIL on earth. (Mother in Law...) Without fail, each time I prepared rice, the result was an odd combination of mushy on the outside with a hard crunchy center. Countless curries and multitudes of moussakas were served over a mysterious white mash of starch. It was shameful. So without further ado...

No matter how much rice or the size of the pot, you can cook perfect rice every time. Simply pour your rice into a pot and shake it so it's evenly distributed. Touch the top of the rice with your index finger and leave it there until the water comes up to the first line on your finger.

This much. Be sure to fill slowly and to keep your finger in the same spot. You can add or take away water as needed. Then cover the pot with a tight fitting lid. This is essential. If you don't have a lid, use a glass plate. Just make sure the steam doesn't escape. Bring it to a boil then turn down to low heat for 15 minutes. Turn off and leave the lid on for another 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork et voilà! Perfect rice. Easy enough, right? (If you are making brown rice, bring to a boil then simmer on low for 20 minutes, turn off and let sit covered for 10 minutes.)

No Domo Arigato, Kata Robata

2009-12-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, horrible play on the name aside, Kata Robata is missing something elemental to a good meal, but what could it be?
Color changing bar lights: Check.
Interesting menus with obscure and intriguing dishes: Check.
Chef Manabu "Hori" Horiuchi of Kubo's at the helm: Check.
Informative servers to guide you through the obscure dishes...meh.

I am not one to complain about service as long as I get my food in a timely manner, but I expected our server to at least be able to fake their knowledge of the food they were serving. After all, Chef Hori wouldn't allow his cuisine to be presented by someone who didn't know what it was, right?

Me: How is the lobster bisque?
Server: Um. A little boy ordered it earlier and sent it back half full so...I don't know I haven't tried it yet.

Okay, an honest answer but being that I am a 20-something woman, I didn't see how a child's impression on the bisque would be helpful to me, so I tried it. However, he must have had good taste because it tasted like something from a can with too much Maggi and MSG and the few pieces of lobster lurking at the bottom of the bowl were a letdown.
Now, don't come at me with the whole "Why would you order bisque from a Japanese restaurant?" It was chosen to be put on the menu, so it should have been decent, right?
Plus I needed something rich in my stomach if I was going to be drinking later and it seemed to be the fattiest thing on the menu.

We ordered the miso-marinated black cod collar which was crisp on the outside and incredibly moist inside, but its only accompaniment was a mysterious little red berry, and for $12, I at least wanted to know what the damned fruit was. Yet upon asking the server who delivered the dish what the fruit was he shook his head and smiled apologetically that he didn't know. 'Okay, at least go ask, find out, aren't you curious?' I wanted to say. Nah. I'd just Google it later...

I stopped asking questions and tried to enjoy the rest of the meal which consisted of a tuna carpaccio drowned in a yuzu infused olive oil and a really crazy roll filled with Japanese 'ice fish'- little whole fish resembling translucent bean sprouts with tiny little black eyes. Salty, crunchy, fishy. All of the dishes were interesting, yet I just don't have the urge to return unless we were to sit at the sushi bar and have our inquisitive needs fulfilled. And after some research I found out that the little fruit is called "yamamomo."

Poop Cookies

2009-12-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

My oven recently stopped working and I was hit by a serious life threatening need for something chocolate the other night and I had all of the ingredients on hand to make 'poop' cookies. My friend Andrea Wiggins first made them for me and I took down her recipe which has come in handy quite a few times over the years.

They are a dense lump of peanutbuttery-chocolatey-oatmealy-fudge-like excellence that you can make in a pinch. I will not apologize for the name as it is funny and true: they look like little piles of poo, but they taste like little bites of nirvana. WARNING: If you are in need for an immediate sugar fix, note that these need to be refrigerated for about an hour before eating BUT the act of making them and a few licks of the spoon seem to be enough to tide you over until they are set. You can throw them in the freezer to speed things up.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

4 tablespoons cocoa

1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

3-3 1/2 cups dry quick-cooking oats

2 teaspoons vanilla

Wax paper & cookie sheet

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring milk, sugar, butter, cocoa to a low boil for about a minute.

2. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla

3. Drop mixture by 2 TBSPs on waxed paper covered cookie sheet

4. Refrigerate until firm, about one hour. Quick chill in freezer until firm to touch.

These cookies are easy to make and clean up after and definitely quell the sugar jones.

Soon to come: I am working on perfecting the Microwave Mug Cake. Results so far- 'above meh'.

Bismillah

2009-11-30T19:45:00.000-08:00

We recently visited Bismillah for the first time and while we were glad to have tried it, we weren't too impressed. The chicken tawa (not pictured) my husband ordered was supposed to be enough for two, but upon first glance of the drumsticks in oily sauce I wound up ordering the goat biryani (not pictured) to supplement the dish. We also tried a couple of lukewarm samosas which were mediocre, and the aloo palak,(pic 2) potatoes and spinach, which was spicy and earthy and good, but again, not wow good. My biryani was about 10 parts rice to 1 part goat but it was tasty, though minimalistic in appearance. I still can't believe I like goat.

The kids split the beef paratha kebab roll (pic 1), a minced version of kabab pressed into flat bread and rolled up. It was tasty but the bread itself must have been better earlier in its life. I let them order a Pakola, (pic 3) which is a Desi cream soda with rose water and I promise that you will never drink anything greener than this in your life. I had it out of the can before but when we poured it into a cup I saw just how green it really was. Feeling bad about letting my kids drink such artificialness, I had most of it. It's really good!
While our food was somewhat below par with other area Pakistani restaurants, Bismillah is very mom & pop and tends to cook to the demands of the customers and when food runs out, it runs out.

Bismillah Restaurant 5702 Hillcroft

Fist of Basil and Pla Koong at Nidda

2009-10-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I pilfered some Thai Basil seeds off of my friend Brittany's plant, stuck them in a pot, and they decided they wanted to grow. The leaves are smaller than what you get at a Thai or Vietnamese restaurant but they are still full of flavor and help add an essential flavor layer when trying to recreate these cuisines from home. I don't do a lot of Vietnamese dishes at home only because it's so cheap and accessible and we eat it all of the time. On the other hand, I'm infatuated with Thai food and the beautiful simplicity of the ingredients that combine to create a sensory symphony of flavor (waxing a bit too poetic, I know.)

Nidda used to be Bangkok Place and I was really good friends with the previous owner, Marty Chuenpreecha, one of the founders of Patu in the Village. Marty took over the space at Bangkok Place (inopportunely located next to Erotic Cabaret and their window display of mannequins bedecked with fabric daisy pasties and fishnets.) The teensy little Thai cook named "Nao" (NOW) came with him and I swear she could have taken a nap in the giant wok she cooked with in the kitchen. When Marty moved to California to be with his family and a friend took over business, Nao stuck around long enough to see that the recipes were passed on correctly to the other cooks. I don't know if she's still around but you can still tell that she was there.

Bangkok Place epitomized Thai food for my palate because of the love that I knew was in the food. But every now and then I come across it again and I can tell that the cook is stirring the dish with their heart. I've tasted it at a handful of places like Asia Market (1010 W. Calvacade), Thai Restaurant (5757 Westheimer), and finally Nidda (1226 Westheimer).

Pla Goong @ Nidda
Spicy Charbroiled Shrimp Salad w/ Lemongrass, shallot, keffir lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, Thai chilies

My Fruit Sticker Collection

2009-10-27T22:53:00.000-07:00

I love stickers, almost as much as I love fruit so this is like a 2 for 1 deal for me whenever I buy something new from the produce department. Whenever I get a new sticker (yes, I know there are some duplicates) I stick it inside my cabinet door before washing the fruit. Can you identify any of them?

My First Trip to the Canino Mercado and a Stuffed Squash Attempt

2009-10-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we ventured out to the north Heights Canino Mercado Farmer's Market. Even though it wasn't at its seasonal peak, it was still awesome. We picked up some baby globe calabacita squash, as well as some nopalitos (prepped cactus), green beans, guavas, strawberries, habaneros, chili piquins, and a pumpkin to carve. It was beautiful and I could have stayed there all day had Husby been willing to stick around a little longer.

Last night, I decided to experiment with the squash in a dish inspired by my mother-in-law Amal, who is the queen of stuffing squash. When you cut into her cousa meshe (Lebanese stuffed squash) it is packed so tight it looks like it grew that way, already filled with rice, pine nuts, and sometimes a little ground beef.

I washed the squash, cut the tops off, and used a little baby spoon to scoop out the innards and put them aside in a bowl. I used a muffin tin to hold them in place while I sauteed some garlic, olive, and onion. Then I threw in the squash, a few dashes of balsamic vinegar and about two TBSPs of tomato paste, and cooked it down for about ten minutes. I salted to taste but still felt like it needed something, so I sprinkled on about a TBSP of chicken masala from Chandrika Spices. It is blend of chili powder, dhana jeera (a mix of cumin and coriander), shahjeera (caraway seeds), cinnamon and clove. It is like being able to add Techni-color to your ho hum dish.

I filled the squash with the improvised 'ratatouille' and put the tops back on (not necessary, just cute as a button), put the oven on about 400F and popped the muffin tin in for a good fifteen minutes. I was really surprised that the Husby liked them because of the cute factor but he did! Yay! The older son squeezed the squash and ate the filling. The little refused to try it at first but after he saw that Annie liked it (our dog) he ate not just the few bites I insisted on but almost his whole serving!

Himalaya or Bust

2009-10-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

My family and I frequent the Hillcroft restaurant strip at least weekly and were on our way to London Sizzler, a modern Indian restaurant we've been to a couple of times and really enjoyed. It is in a shopping center at the northwest corner of 59 and Hillcroft and is host to a few restaurants and stores including a new spice shop we dropped into first. Chandrika Masala is family owned and has rows upon rows of preblended curries, whole and ground spices, flours, lentils, and many things I've never seen or heard of before. The owner was kind enough to walk me through the store and explain the uses for some of the items, like a merchant tour guide. He boasted that the curries are all blended freshly in their warehouse on Murphy Rd. Their rice is cleaned and hand packed with 'no powder to be found'. The store was packed with soap nuts and jaggery, dried pomegranate seeds, chutneys and myriad other ingredients to be explored. We bought a bag of chicken masala and fish masala with a promise to return.

Instead of heading back over to London Sizzler, we poked out heads into Himalaya, a North Indian-Pakistani restaurant a couple of doors down. We like what we saw and opted for a table there. The menu was written on three large dry-erase boards that hung on the walls, along with a large painting of a Mexican market and a map of Karachi. One board was for the meat dishes and desserts, one for the daily specials and the other was soley for vegetarian meals.

Five other tables were filled with families of all different cultures and we tried to sneak a look at their plates on the way to our table. The owner, a man named Kaiser, came over for our order and we accepted all of his suggestions as he took charge. The more mild chicken-boti for the boys, a fish curry for my husband, and for me the hara tikka masala, a chicken and green curry dish.We also ordered a side of daal, and two pieces of naan.

And as we were super hungry my husband asked about an appetizer but the owner shook his head.

"You won't need it."
We begged with famished eyes and he said, "Okay, I will send you something."
A few minutes later, two large vegetable samosas were sent out and we cracked them open and split them up between the four of us. They were gone before we got them.

While waiting for our food, I overheard a conversation from a table of about ten people sitting near us.
A woman was asking another older woman, "What do you call this, Mom?"
"Naan."
Near the Indian mother-in-law was another older woman who laughed and said, "We call it pan!"

A Chinese couple with two daughters walked in and sat down to eat, and an Indian man with his Caucasian wife sat behind us. The atmosphere was one of a family diner with a bustle of activity from the customers, the kitchen with it's order-up bell, two waiters running food and refilling waters to cool the happily burning tongues, and the owner keeping reign over the show.

Soon our food arrived- first the chicken boti and a big bowl of rice, then the bread and the fish and the masala and the daal. It was all so good with simple ingredients and complex flavors.

The chicken boti was juicy and mild enough for our four and eleven year old boys, but still jaunty with just a kick of spice.

The fish curry was awesome- two moist fillets of snapper (though we joked it was probably tilapia, the way every 'white' fish is in Houston, smothered in a curry of roasted tomatoes, sauteed onions and fresh chopped coriander.

My hara tikka masala was a creamy but not too rich dish with onions, mint and coriander leaves, green chilies, garlic, tomatoes and yogurt to name a few of the ingredients. It's one of those dishes that you keep eating just one more bite of until you regret it.

And the daal! How could something so homely be so good? Piping hot, creamy and rife with small chunks of garlic, which I love, and ginger, which I would normally avoid but didn't mind here. Toasted cumin seeds, fried onions and fresh coriander topped it off. It is by far my favorite daal in town.

The naan was large and soft and served without the unhealthy shmear of delicious ghee that I love and my husband avoids, but I didn't miss it one bit.

We did wind up with leftovers which I took care of last night and were just as good as the previous day.

Go to Himalaya- it's right off the freeway. Five minutes from the Galleria on 59 and it is well worth the 'trip'. Don't give me the "I don't leave the Loop line"- it's pathetic how much those chumps miss out on. Most of the good stuff, the really down-home-from-somewhere-far-away one star cuisine that trumps any Michelin ranked restaurant any day of the week, is outside the loop. The rest are just diluted versions to fit the Great White Palate.

Himalaya
6652 Southwest Fwy
Houston, TX 77074-2210
(713) 532-2837

The Legend of the Red Door: Last Concert Cafe

2009-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

By Andrea Afra
Photographed by Jordan Chan

Houstonians know good and well that many dreams have been wiped out by urban construction projects. Look at the businesses along I-10 out west. The majority of restaurants and stores along each side of the freeway have been uprooted and put out of business. The few tha t remain are taking a risk in hopes that the concrete monster—which will be 18 lanes wide when completed—won’t swallow them whole when it passes their way. Property value along the roadway has fallen and people who have investments around the area are left with little or nothing at all.

Back in the late ‘60s, the development of I-10 was working its way through what is now the Warehouse District. A restaurant in the area, owned by a little old lady named Elena “Mama” Lopez, was facing demolition to make way for the freeway. She decided that her establishment, her last venture—The Last Concert Café—wouldn’t kneel before the wrecking ball when authorities notified her of the plans. And how exactly does one stop a $500 million project in its tracks? Blackmail is always a good start.

In its former life in the ‘40s Last Concert was a well-known local brothel. Located in a neighborhood of homes with no freeway in site, one woman who grew up there recalled that she got the biggest whipping of her life when her mama found out she had been peeking over the fence into the brothel’s backyard.

The house that the restaurant was built behind once provided the secrecy needed back in those days when liquor, homosexuality and women by the hour weren’t so widely accepted. A red door marked the spot and remained locked unless you knocked twice and were granted entry. Nearly every lascivious urge could be fulfilled all in one convenient location. Many respectable, powerful gentlemen (and women one would suppose) would pay a visit to the speakeasy and for a few bucks they could buy an hour or so of some female “company.” It was also Houston’s first gay bar, and one of the only places to buy liquor by the drink. In 1949 Mama Lopez turned it into a Mexican restaurant but its “good-time” reputation stayed.

In the late ‘60s, 20 years later, the café was threatened by the construction of I-10, so Mama did a little reminiscing. It turns out that a few choice people involved with the roadway project were also old patrons of the establishment well before they were serving up hot enchiladas. So, long story short, it was awfully nice of those lawyers and judges to work so hard to accommodate Mama Lopez and move the freeway over enough to allow the restaurant to remain standing. She passed away in 1985 at the age of 92. Her portrait hangs just inside the door, her eyes alive as ever and full of knowing.

Flash forward to 2006.

Current owner of LCC, Dawn Fudge, celebrated her 20th year at Last Concert Café this past summer. When she was 15 years old (the same age this writer discovered LCC) she was in awe of the place. It was the laidback atmosphere, the psychedelic décor of brightly painted walls and eccentric knick-knacks that set it apart from other hoity-toity downtown restaurants. That, and the fact that it was nearly impossible to find. Pushed up against the 1-10 East exit for Nance and McKee streets, the easiest way to find the place is via the Katy Freeway. Coming through Downtown takes time to master.

Dawn wanted badly to approach LCC for a job but she could never find the darned place. “I took a course at Leisure Learning Center called “So You Want to Run a Restaurant.” I had a friend who knew of a place that would let me work there and learn the ropes. It turns out that it was Last Concert, and I was like, “Man, that’s the place!,” and they showed me how to get there. Even after I owned the place I’d still get lost sometimes and a nice police officer would lead me in the right direction.” Laughing she said, “I never did tell him I owned the place.”

The red door is still the most telling sign that you have found the right spot. By day, Downtown workers who have caught on to the hole-in-the-wall locale fill the front and back patio tables and dining area. At night, a diverse clientele take over—ranging from nearby loft residents to die-hard hippies. Whether they are stopping by to eat or to grab a strong margarita, they all feel warm and welcome and relaxed as the staff and ambiance are very friendly. It’s easier to find the place at night after dinner as the nightly band can be heard from a few blocks away. There’s much, much more to Last Concert than the food, like a midnight drum circle, jewelry vendors, hula hoopers, fire spinners and all other kinds of fun.

Serving up delicious Tex-Mex with a healthy spin, Dawn has made sure that everyone will find something to their liking on the menu. Their produce is bought fresh daily from a local farmer’s market. Olive oil is used in sautéed dishes and even in the refried the pinto beans. Offering options like wheat tortillas, baked corn chips, vegan enchiladas and soy fajitas and burgers, it is a haven to granola heads in search of a good, cheap meal.

With that out of the way, you’ve got to try my favorite dish, the Beef Tacos Tampicanos. Cubes of the most flavorful fajita beef are served in tortillas filled with guacamole, pico de gallo and cheese. I usually order it with the pico on the side and some limes to squeeze over the whole thing. I’ve tried the regular fajitas by the pound, but there is something about the diced meat that has an extra kick of flavor.

Another favorite is the Deluxe Nachos dish. There is nothing that peeves me more than a restaurant that counts the number of nachos that you will receive. You either get six or 12 chips—who in their right mind would go for that? At Last Concert the small order of deluxe nachos is piled bigger than a football. The large order is a skyscraper of chips, covered in cheese, beef and chicken fajita meat, beans, sour cream, guacamole and jalapenos. Just order it with the baked chips and call it a low-cal dish.

If I tell you that they have the best, most consistently good salsa in town, I’m sure you’ll sniff, “Big whoop, everyone has salsa.” That is, until you hurt yourself on some of the freshest, reddest, hottest sauce in town. My grandfather, Joe, used to make it that way, back before I could handle the heat. He’d throw whole tomatoes from the garden, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro and lime into a blender and pulse it a few times so it was still chunky and recognizable.

With the weather cooling off, there is no better time to enjoy a bowl of LCC’s potato-poblano soup. Chicken broth with chunks of potatoes, spicy poblano peppers, and pico de gallo is topped with cheese and sour cream. The cheese gets all nice and melty and you get to spoon it out and slurp it down.

There are several varieties of enchiladas on the menu. The Apolinar is filled with shredded roast beef and topped with chili gravy. Carol’s Enchiladas are filled with cheese and topped with beef fajita meat. The latter are my favorite as they offer up another source of that awesome beef.

As far as dessert goes, I’ve never been a big flan fan so it took some time before I ever even bothered trying it at LCC. What I found was not your average flan. It was chocolate. And thick. And creamy. Richer and denser than mousse and less jiggly than a custard, it’s hard to describe exactly how terribly divine it is. There is also a pumpkin version that is very good but I just can’t compare the two. They also boast the world’s “richest and creamiest” cinnamon ice cream. Again, I’m not sure how they accomplish this but it is truly the best base texture I’ve ever had. I’m sure it’s not one of the healthy options but cinnamon is a great antioxidant, and helps lower blood pressure. So there.
Thank God for dirty politicians and a fiery old Mexican lady who fought the law and won.

A Pocketful of Goodies: Marine's Empanadas Delicias (For Cuizine; from the Vault)

2009-09-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

When most people think of empanadas, the apple and pineapple Mexican pastry versions are usually what comes to mind. Yet there is a world of different fillings and doughs out there and a great place to begin trying them is at Marine’s Empanadas Delicias. Several customers, Colombian natives, told me that these are the best empanadas in the city. The menu lists nearly fifty varieties of empanadas categorized under beef, chicken, cheese, vegetable, fruit, special, and double-sized and most just over two dollars a pop.
The word ‘empanada’ is derived from the Spanish past tense ‘empanar’, which means to cover with bread. Marine’s makes two types of empanadas, Colombian and Argentinian. In Colombia the dough of the empanadas is made from corn meal while the Argentinian version is made from white flour. Each is formed into circles and filled with different ingredients then folded up like a half moon. The edges are crimped on the Argentinian style and simple pinched close on the smaller Colombian type. Served with the savory dishes is a requisite bowl of chimichurri sauce made from chopped parsley, garlic, dried oregano, onion, paprika and a dash of vinegar.
While Marine’s serves traditional Colombian fare, you’ll find that they have reached out to a wide audience with empanadas such as the Hippie, with salami, fried onions, and raisins. There also is the fugazzaetta, with gooey fresh mozzarella and fried onions. On my first trip I tried the Hot Tia Maria with stewed meat, jalapeno, tomatoes and onions. The combination of ingredients was simple yet warming and popped with flavor. I also sampled the Chuck Wagon, filled with chopped sirloin and mushrooms in a red wine sauce. It’s counterpart, the chicken reina, substitutes chicken and white wine and both were exceptionally good. The Viva Mexico is simply mozzarella and poblanos stuffed into the pocket yet the oil from the peppers melds beautiful to each cheesey bite.
A section of the menu called ‘antojitos Colombianas’, or Colombian favorites, provides the dishes native to Colombian tongues. Chicharons are what we Southerners know as pork cracklins. It is a snack food of sorts. They also have tamales prepared in banana leaves, morcilla, which is blood sausage, and chorizo, of course. Under ‘Platos Tipicos Colombianas’ you’ll find the plate meals like the bandeja paisa with grilled beef, rice, pork skin, a corn patty, plantains, and a fried egg. Now that’s a hearty meal. Other dishes such as the arroz con pollo and the daily lunch specials provide an affordable, freshly made repast.
Marine’s also sells baked goods made fresh daily. One of the best sellers, pandebono, is a bread roll made with both yucca and wheat flour blended with cheese. Bunelos, pan alinado, and pastel tres leches
are just a few of many options to satiate your bready urges.
The owner of Marine’s, Yiredt Delgado, opened the bakery seventeen years ago under a partner. She then bought them out six months later and has ran the place every since. The kitchen is her pride and she boasts that they use fresh ingredients everyday and that nothing is frozen or from cans. Her staff is loyal, most have worked there from the beginning and that means consistency.
She talks about her childhood when her mother would have fresh fruit smoothies ready for the children when they walked through the door after school. “We didn’t have soft drinks and such, just fresh fruit smoothies.” And they too are a very popular item at the restaurant. Exotic juices like guanabana and curaba are blended with ice and water or milk. For three dollars, it is a great deal for something so natural and delicious. The Monkey Juice, a blend of banana, coconut, and pineapple juice outranks chain smoothie stores any day.
Marine’s has been around for nearly two decades and surely they’ll be around for two more. The next time you’re in the mood for a casual meal, or even a great idea for party snacks, Marine’s is waiting for you with her pockets full of hidden surprises.

3227 Hillcroft Ave
Houston, TX 77057-5805
(713) 789-2950

Star Fish- Kubo's Knows How to Roll

2008-10-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

When you hear more about a sushi restaurant’s décor than you do the food, sadly, it usually means the menu has been put on the back burner. It also means that the recipes will be tailored more for the average American scenester and less for the raw ‘fishionado’. I will admit that I do enjoy the deep fried rolls that dominate many Japanese restaurants. They’re usually tasty and beautifully arranged. But no matter how lovely a roll is to behold, beauty is only skin deep. I want to see slivers of skillfully sliced, brilliantly colored fish, untouched by heat and shining a capella.

Kubo’s has earned a great reputation through the high quality and impeccablely prepared fish it serves. Ex-oil tycoon turned restaurateur Yoichi Ueno opened Kubo’s back in 2001 with his friend Hajimi Kubokawa. Hajimi “Kubo” Kubokawa has since left the restaurant but he entrusted his right hand man, now Executive Chef Manabu "Hori" Horiuchi, to take over. Hori and Sous Chef Yu Suzuki dominate the sushi preparation with precision and flair. They each graduated from the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka, the Japanese equivalent of The Culinary Institute of America. Their talent coupled with Ueno’s demand for freshness is what made renowned culinary writer John Mariani select it as one of the States’ top eight sushi spots. Something unheard of in other businesses, Mr. Ueno has been known to refuse to open the doors of the restaurant if the fish of the day doesn’t meet his stringent standards.

Kubo’s inviting casual ambiance and friendly staff, make it a great place to impress your sushi-wise clients as well as a group of friends. We’ve only had one server before who seemed new to Kubo and was still learning the menu and a bit forgetful but other than that everyone is very knowledgable. We took our friends, a chef-couple, to experience what we have known for years. During my first visit to Kubo’s a few years ago, I first cut my sushi-teeth on their buttery yellowtail tuna. Being that they were so highly esteemed for cleanliness and technique, it set my standards high from the beginning.

To start, we ordered a few rounds of sake from a cold sampler selection to go with our meal. What followed was a surfeit of sushi and savory hot dishes that demonstrated the cooks’ adroitness. Noticing that there were a several seasonal specials listed on our table tent, we decided to sample a few. Most notable were the Kobe beef tartare and and the Royal Hamachi roll. Accented simply with a bit of green onion, the tartare was much richer than other versions and quite possibly the best I’ve had. The hamachi roll was a favorite of the table. Spicy tuna, unagi, and fried shrimp are rolled in rice and topped with fresh young yellowtail, a dime of fresh jalapeno, and kissed with yuzu juice. Yuzu is a citrus fruit, similar in apperance to a yellow grapefruit but leaning more towards the taste of a tangerine. Just enough is added to the rice to complement the dish without making it the most forward component. The best dishes at Kubo’s are the ones where the fish is not upstaged by any other ingredient.

We also ordered the opulent signature appetizer of fried lobster in truffle oil sauce. While it was tasty, I was a little daunted by the salty, battered lobster after tasting the subtler flavors of some of the other dishes. While it would make a great choice if you plan on ordering from the hot menu, I would suggest not ordering this dish to accompany your sushi, so as not to overstimulate your tastebuds.

Kubo’s does have some fancy rolls but they manage to balance appearance with substance quite nicely. For eye appeal, the ‘Super Kubo’s Roll’ is a jaw-dropper. Ample amounts of fresh salmon, three shades of tobiko, unagi, avocado, and fried shrimp are adeptly brought together to create one of my all time favorite rolls. The Spider Rainbow roll holds soft shell crab, topped with colorful salmon, tuna, a white fish, asparagus, and avocado. Each roll combines succulent fresh fish with the crunch of a fried treat within. By the way, don’t waste the soy sauce by filling up your little bowl and the customary dollop of wasabi. You won’t be needing it. I watched all of our bowls and sure enough we hardly touched the stuff. The rice and food are so flavorful that after the first bite, you don’t want to have any stops between the plate and your next mouthful.

This pertains especially to the Heights roll. Again, it uses a bit of the well-received yuzu juice, some pungent green onion, a crisp shard of the tangy Japanese pickle takuan, and a center of tender yellowtail. It is then rolled in black tobiko and presently otherwise unadorned. The contrast of black speckles on the clean white background was a visual treat.

The only entrée from the hot menu that we ordered was the seared peppercorn tuna sashimi. A massive serving of thick ruby red tuna slices were edged with a quarter inch sear and amply flecked with coarsely ground black and white peppercorns. It was served on rice with a whole spear of tempura fried asparagus and crowned with what looked to be a fried gourd leaf. The fish was perfectly cooked, but some people may be put off by the amount and size of the pepper grounds. I personally prefer it just like that so I was quite happy with the dish on the whole. Just as a side note, that fried leaf didn’t taste like much of anything, not that it was supposed to. It looked great, which was the point.

With all abandon we ordered a couple of desserts, sherbert and Monkeys Gone Mad. The sherbert was one scoop each of raspberry and yuzu flavored. The raspberry was actually more tart than the yuzu but the two went well together. The Monkeys Gone Mad is a whole banana, unpeeled and unbattered, but deep fried until the center is molten hot. It is then sliced open and exposed and topped with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and almond slivers. Both were great, I’m sure, but I was too full at that point to register distinct flavors anymore.

To summarize: Kubo’s is the place to take anyone who knows how sushi should taste. Skip all the hot stuff and go straight for the fish and you’ll see why it’s hard not to hold everyone else to their standards. The unpretentious staff and décor make the sushi stand out even more. The only complaint I have is that the location can be a pain to reach. It’s on the second floor of the Village Arcade, near Two Rows and Bombay Brasserie, where people and traffic are always abustle. I would prefer it were on ground level, say next door to my house. It could happen.

2414 University Blvd
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 528-7878

www.Kubos-Sushi.com

(from past issue of Cuizine Magazine)

Me Love Oolong Time- Te' House of Tea

2008-10-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

While passing through my old neighborhood a few months back I was amazed to see the funky old washateria had been transformed into a nice looking store front. Its exterior was repainted in shades of brown, foreshadowing the natural theme within. It was a new teahouse, Té House of Tea. It took me a little while but I finally was able to return pay a visit.

Light pours in through large windows creating a clean and airy vibe inside. The attention to comfort and detail is apparent in everything from the chocolate toned overstuffed couches and chairs down to the honey swizzle sticks patrons can use to sweeten their beverages. The calming effect is immediate and the staff is friendly and informed. Retail items like Japanese tea sets, white tea perfumes and of course a large variety of loose leaf teas are available for purchase. If you are looking for a unique gift for someone special this is a charming little place to search.

Behind the counter large silver cans are labeled with the exotic names of the tea leaves they contain like Oothu, Furry Tip, and Iron Goddess of Mercy. Iron Goddess was once reserved for members of the Imperial court but is now one of the most popular teas in China. I never realized how vast the varieties of teas are. White, green, black, and oolong are just a few and there are many types of each of these. White tea is made from the fresh picked leaves therefore the cost is higher due to the need for expediency and lack of shelf life. Some white teas can cost upwards of seven hundred dollars a pound! Black tea is made of fermented leaves and green tea falls somewhere in between the two. Luckily, Connie Lacobie, a native of Hong Kong, and Alyson Bell, of Ireland, have come up with a way to showcase the best and most affordable selections of fresh brewed teas.

And what is a proper cup of tea without a proper English crumpet? The food at Té is light and perfectly designed to be paired with any drink that you should choose. The breakfast menu features scones, European muesli, and crepes to name a few. For lunch a tempting selection of panini, baguettes, salads and quiche are available. Even the desserts are made in house by my new best friend (though she doesn’t know me) Tina Parent. I had her Acapulco cake, a gorgeous layered personal sized masterpiece with hints of orange and a tear jerking chocolate mousse filling. With it I had the Yin Yang, a perfect balance of coffee and black tea with milk over ice.

I also tasted a few things that I had never tried before. On the menu is a dish called ‘Ploughman’s Lunch’. Ploughman’s Pickle is a weird British condiment of sorts. It took me some time to figure out that it wasn’t a special kind of pickled cucumber. The pickle was an assortment of vegetables made into what appeared to be a savory jelly. In it diced carrots, cauliflower, rutabaga and onions are marinated in everything from malt vinegar and molasses to dates and apples. It is smeared on buttered bread and served with brie, cheddar, tomato and boiled egg wedges atop a bed of salad. I piled it up a bit of everything on the bread and tried to force it all in my mouth. While I wasn’t too successful, what I did manage to fit in was really good.

The tofu version of the Asian salad combines simple ingredients like cabbage, crispy ramen noodles and sesame seeds to make a light meal nutritious enough to tide one over until the next meal or the next course.

The staff at Té is young and innovative which adds a great touch to the atmosphere and the kitchen creations. I enjoyed a quiche made by a young and strapping lad by the name of John who also works behind the counter. Another worker, Alex Squier, has been granted wall space for his series of prints. A few simple layers in bold colors reveal his talent. With themes from music to skateboarding the pieces are both tasteful and fun.

When I was offered to taste the fruit salad I was not prepared for what was soon placed before me. Served in a tall parfait glass the fruit salad contained several exotic ingredients like agar, mung beans, lychee and coconut gel. Coconut milk is poured over the top creating a creamy balance that ties it all together. Agar is made from seaweed and becomes gelatinous when dissolved in hot water. Seaweed has been in the news lately regarding its medicinal benefits. Beans are a popular dessert ingredient in parts of Asia, commonly found in ice cream. Mung beans are much like lentils in texture and while I could have done without them they do add heft and character to the fruit salad. Lychees have the best texture, soft yet strangely chewy with a delicious berry-grape flavor. Coconut gel cubes are also common among popular Asian desserts such as in the Boba ‘bubble’ tea drinks offered all over town.

I finished this marathon meal with a cup of Monkey Picked Oolong tea. The name is from a legend that says Buddhist monks would train monkeys to harvest the youngest leaves from hard to reach places. Today the term “Monkey Picked” refers to the highest quality of oolong available. Made from the youngest tea leaves, this tea can be used for multiple infusions.

Té House of Tea uses only Fair Trade tea and provides a lovely ambiance to enjoy it in. It’s perfect for you Café Brasilites who feel like trying something new be it baked or brewed.

Tuesday-Thursday 9am - 10pm
Friday and Saturday 9am-midnight
Sunday 10am-8pm
Closed Mondays
Live music and open mic on Fridays and Saturdays

1927 Fairview St.
Houston, TX 77019

(713) 522-8868

www.tehouseoftea.com

Greek Out- Niko Niko's

2008-08-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

By Andrea Afra

If you are from Houston, then you have heard of Niko Niko’s. You’ve probably been there a few times and you could be one of hundreds of regular customers that flock to this fixture of a Greek restaurant. As of May 1st, Niko Niko’s will be celebrating its 29th birthday.
There is a key reason for its lasting so long- the food is consistently good. People know that there may be new restaurants popping up every day and it’s always fun to try new things. Yet it’s nice to know that, without fail, Niko Niko’s will always be there to provide a quick, healthy meal. Then again, there are plenty of ways a meal can start out healthy and end up guilt-inducing.
After twenty something years of building notoriety one problem became more than evident. If the restaurant was to remain a success, they had to do expand. Opting for renovating the building instead of opening another location, blueprints were drawn up to build out and still keep the place open for business. Loyal customers ignored the construction and cheered the company on as they added more tables, enclosed the old patio and gave the place a much needed makeover. What once was a very ‘mom and pop’ style building was revamped into a well polished diner. You still order your food from the cashier and receive it on paper plates with plasticware. The same faces greet you each time you come back because the staff is happy and well taken care of. It’s just a little nicer now.
                I remember my first time at Niko Niko’s, over ten years ago. I was a vegetarian and ordered a hummus plate but what I remember was my first impression of the bread. I had never had pita bread before. The pita wedges served with the dip were lightly toasted and chewy. It’s good to know that some things will never change. Their bread is still divine, one of life’s little pleasures. I will fight dirty for the last slice so I’ve learned to save face and order an extra side.
It would take all day for me to tell you about all of the different foods I’ve had here but needless to say there hasn’t been one dish that I didn’t like. The salads are good but the dressing makes them great. The beef souvlaki is tender and perfectly marinated. The lemon-infused baked potatoes are heart-achingly good while the hand cut fries will forever be my weakness.
For those of you who either haven’t discovered Niko Niko’s or have gotten stuck on one favorite dish, you’ll find a lot of great food on the menu if you’ll just give it a try. They even have a new fried calamari recipe that will really impress you. In no particular order here are a few of my top picks:

Kreato Soupa- a hearty comfort food, several notches above an everyday vegetable beef stew

Greek Salad- a large slab of Feta cheese and the killer Greek dressing make for a stinky yet excellent starter

Hummus- Blended with fresh parsley for color and a hint of flavor, an extra kick of lemon really ‘Greekifies’ this version of hummus

Souvlaki Sandwich- lovely chunks of juicy beef with tomatoes, onions and tzatziki, a cucumber-yogurt sauce
Fried Fish Kid’s Meal- Awesomely battered white fish filets atop a pile of home fries, big enough for you take a few bites from your kiddo.

Souzoukakia- Big Greek meatballs in tomato sauce and Feta cheese make this home-style dish a garlicky favorite of mine.

Galaktoboureko- For dessert you can try to conquer a huge brick of custard and flaky fillo dough topped with cinnamon and a honey sauce. Oh my lands, this is the man of my dreams in dessert form. Big, sweet and rich!

Greek coffee- Anywhere, anytime, this mainstay is a dark little devil that will give you a great pick me up, especially after trying to tackle such a mighty meal.
                Niko Niko’s has stamina, a steely yet flexible backbone that is the product of the matriarch that established the place firmly in its foundation. Dimitri, son of the original owners, Chrisanthio and Eleni Fetokakis, has the business firmly by the reins but his mother still has him by his. She comes in regularly to cook and greet the customers. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen her, silver bowl in hand, drizzling honey syrup over her famous sticky sweet Loukoumades, or Greek Honey Balls.
                The history of Niko Niko’s runs deep. It started as a walk-up gyro stand built on the grounds of an old gas station. After immigrating toCanada, Eleni began singing in Greek nightclubs around the States. You can easily still see the young Grecian beauty from the black and white photos in the eyes and smile of Eleni today. Her second marriage to a restaurateur in the US sealed her fate behind the stove when she and her husband opened the little Greek food hut. She was literally born into the restaurant business when her mother went into labor at her father’s restaurant in Greece. As she grew up she learned most of the recipes found on the menu at Niko Niko’s. Eventually her son Dimitri bought the restaurant and after a few years renovated it to hold more hungry people, where they ate happily ever after.
                Happy birthday Niko Niko’s. You’ve come a long way.

520 Montrose Blvd, Houston, 77006 - (713) 528-1308