My Fruit Sticker Collection

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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