Chinatown, Summer in the City

Chinatown, USA

Inspired, of course, by the classic Lovin’ Spoonful song.

Despite the fact that we’re experiencing the longest, strongest heat wave since 1980, I decided that today would be a good day to roam around Chinatown and finish collecting information for a Press article I’m working on. So I grabbed one of my trusty partners in crime, Groovehouse, and we hit the streets.

Our first stop was Banana Leaf, one of the few Malaysian restaurants in Houston. I am constantly amazed that we don’t have more Malaysian places in a city like ours (and I’m not the only one). Malaysian cuisine combines the best of Thai, Indian and Chinese cooking into a delicious amalgamation of flavors and spices. You’ll find sweet peanut sauces and tropical dishes alongside spicy curries and mild fish head casseroles — Banana Leaf has something for everybody. On this visit, I had the roti canai (flat, doughy pancakes served with curry sauce), crispy fried tofu with cucumber and bean sprouts in satay sauce, a gingery masak lemak with shrimp, sambal shrimp with mango and — for dessert — more hot roti filled with butter and bananas. I won’t say too much more for now, lest I have nothing to write about later on, but it was one of the better meals I’ve had in recent memory — and that’s after eating at a $600 a night farm-to-table, five-starred restaurant on Wednesday that I thought might be the pinnacle of Texas restaurants. Groovehouse loved it, too.

Afterwards, I took him on a tour of the “new” Chinatown along Beltway 8. Since the “old” Chinatown just outside of downtown off Chenevert has all but dried up and blown away, too many die-hard ITLers are now missing out on one of Houston’s greatest and most fascinating landscapes. I first took him past the little-known Vietnam memorial located on Bellaire Boulevard, notable for the fact that it was financed by local southern Vietnamese business owners to thank American soldiers who tried to help them during the quagmire that was the Vietnam “War.” The memorial depicts an American soldier and a southern Vietnamese soldier fighting side by side and is remarkably moving for a statue located in a strip center parking lot.

Testing the Water

Among the things I now get paid to do (such as make ice cream sandwiches out of Pop-Tarts and eat them) is test whatever makes its way into the Houston Press offices, especially if it seems (a) interesting and/or (b) sublimely ridiculous.  Luckily, the LifeBag water filtration system came to our offices just in time for hurricane season and our editorial assistant, Blake, had the brilliant idea of finding the most disgusting water in Houston and seeing what the LifeBag would make of it.

Our first idea was to take water from Buffalo Bayou and attempt to make it potable, clumps of unidentified detritus and all.  But then we noticed some language on the side of the filtration system that warned against using raw sewage (and seawater, for that matter).  So, obviously, Buffalo Bayou was out.

We didn’t want terribly clean water, though, and set about thinking of the nastiest water we could put into the LifeBag without potentially compromising our health and wellbeing.  We finally settled on the duck pond at Hermann Park, at which point Blake set off to gather water for our test.  A transcript of his conversation with two concerned gentleman at the duck pond, as well as the results of our test, follow here:

The Facts of LifeBag

If the above isn’t enough to convince you to go read the post, here are two added bonuses: (1) there’s video and (2) after the pond water experiment, we tried filtering vodka.

Go.  Read.  Now.

Battle Michelada

The ballot and the remains

Even though our own Plinio Sandalio once competed on Iron Chef (Battle Mango, alongside Chef Robert Gadsby), those guys have nothing on our boys and the Battle Michelada.

An impromptu michelada throwdown was organized on Twitter within the span of a few days after a fellow food blogger mentioned that she couldn’t find a good michelada in Houston. Before long, the discussion had evolved into a full-blown showdown between three of Houston’s best culinary talents.

Read all about it here to find out who won and to watch the video of the contest (which yours truly narrated, National Geographic-style).

Bacon vs. Tofu: The Battle That Never Was

I am particularly proud of this morning’s bacon-related item in the Houston Press, a blog post and an accompanying slideshow of the 11 reasons that tofu is not the new bacon. It’s heretical to even suggest otherwise.

Check out the blog post first and then check out the slideshow.

A preview: “Tofu is one of the most peaceable objects on earth: mild, unobtrusive, yields easily and has no real qualms about taking on the flavors and textures of other things. That’s why no one will ever make an automatic weapon out of it.”

You know you want to read it.

Austin In My Rearview Mirror

Back from a very short weekend in drizzly but gorgeous Austin, which has somehow become the size of Tokyo since I last laid eyes on our little capitol city.  What happened?  Where did all this steel and glass come from?  Have the Highland Park and Midtown folks in Dallas and Houston abandoned their posts for the Hill Country?  Sadly, it would seem so.

Despite that, Austin is still gorgeous.  Sprawling and covered with yuppies (yes, I realize they were always there in some quantity, but now moreso than before) but gorgeous.  The wedding was on the lush grounds of Laguna Gloria, a Spanish-style house that’s part of the Austin Museum of Art and overlooks Lake Austin.

The bride (from West Virginia by way of Texas and Georgia and Connecticut and now living in Washington – this is important in a second) and groom seem to have suffered a bout of culinary schizophrenia while choosing the menu for the night, since it included tamales, sushi, Thai noodle salad, cheese biscuits, guacamole, brisket, chicken satay, tuna tartare and grits (which were covered with roasted red peppers and balsamic vinegar – please, do not ever attempt this at home – in fact, no one should ever attempt this abomination ever again), among other things.  But I love them.  And I loved the food, all 600 square miles of it.  So, really, what does it matter?  Eat what you want at your wedding, folks.

We had brunch this morning at Stubb’s BBQ on Red River, in downtown Austin.  Their famed gospel brunch was packed tight with squirming Austin families, gawking tourists and nearly everyone who had attended the wedding the night before, most of whom were shaking off the effects of the afterparty with Stubb’s build-your-own Bloody Mary bar.  The gospel music was incredibly loud but the food was good enough to endure the screams and wails coming from the stage.  More grits were in order, since it’s not a Southern brunch without grits.  Grits twice in one weekend makes me a fat, happy little Texan indeed.

Meanwhile, back at the blog, I wanted to call your attention to the fact that some more Houston food blogs have been added to the blogroll to your right.  Houston has always been an underground food town, and I’m constantly pleased when new blogs (sometimes “new” only to me) crop up to cover all the thousands of food facets this city has to offer.  Check out the newbies below:

Chili Bob’s Houston Eats: Chili Bob eats at – as he puts it – “Houston’s great diversity of eateries, with an emphasis on ethnic cuisines and peasant food, as opposed to haute cuisine, and places that are new to me.”  His posts cover a great variety of restaurants that most other bloggers never even venture into (or, if they do, we just don’t hear about it) and are an absorbing read.

Dirty Kitchen Adventures: Also known as @treelight on Twitter, this blog is more personal and occasionally includes divine-sounding recipes, like the recent ginger-vegetable soup entry which made me nearly choke on my own saliva.  Mmm…ginger.

Houston Uncorked: Although not updated very often, this is nevertheless an entertaining and easy-going blog on wine and the state of the wine community in Houston.

The Grub Junkie: On name alone, this food blog has the market cornered. I love this name. So much. Yet despite the name’s promise of things like greasy burgers and Frito pies, the brave blogger has recently embarked upon the Martha’s Vineyard Detox Program.  Follow along if you’re brave or thinking of a detox program yourself (or if you’re just voyeuristic, weirdo).

Houston Wok: Another misleading name. No, this blog isn’t all Houston Chinese food, all the time (although with two Chinatowns and about eleventy billion other Chinese restaurants in town, that wouldn’t be hard).  This relatively new blog does cover a lot of Asian food, though the author isn’t picky about which kind of Asian cuisine he’s eating that day, which is good – and enlightening - for us. But he also covers burger joints and lobster macaroni and cheese.

Is This Thing On?

Test, one, two. Test, one, two.

Is anyone still here?

There. I thought those might do the trick.

I’m not dead. Far from it; in fact, I’ve been busier than ever lately. Funny how that happened. Here I was, thinking Now I can fully concentrate on writing and editing and social media and bunnies instead of doing all of that while performing all the duties of my day job – I’ll have more spare time than ever! Not so much. Instead, I’m busier than I can ever recall being in my life. But it was a nice thought while it lasted. Especially the bit about the bunnies. The fluffy, fluffy bunnies…

Anyway, life at the Press is wonderful. I enjoy my job more than I ever could have expected, although – as with all good things in life – it comes with the constant terror that it might all be taken away at a moment’s notice. Don’t act like I’m the only one who thinks that way. Whereas before, I batted at things like pageviews and linkbacks as if they were cat toys – interesting diversions, but not all that important to my trifling little blog – they have now become my very own Sword of Damocles. I live and die by pageviews now. Although I’m sure I’ll become more comfortable with it over time, for now I’m all too terrified of not meeting our pageview goals each month, something which has all but overtaken any enjoyment I take from writing for the time being.

That said, I was in print again last week with my review of Manena’s, a lovely Argentinean deli and pastry shop off Westheimer. If you missed the print edition, you can still read it online. And a million thanks to Jeff for being the first person to take me to Manena’s and making me wonder how I’d missed such a little jewel all this time.

As for my other food writing, I’m still at it (links below). I’m still plugging away at the photography, too. Some of my recent slideshows for the Press have been the most highly-viewed each week, so I’m both pleasantly puzzled and excited to have them so well-received. A sampling, for your clicking pleasure:

• Rockets vs. Lakers Game 3 – Pregame Festivities
• Art Car Parade Kickoff at the Continental Club
• Houston Tea Party at Jones Plaza

And, of course, you can keep up with my food photography over at my Flickr account.

Now, to the meat of it all: what I’ve been writing…

Twitter Etiquette for Foodies: A Hot Potato

Note:  If you’re my mom, or someone else who is otherwise unfamiliar with Twitter, allow me to direct you here.

Since its inception in 2006, countless guides on Twitter etiquette have been written by well-meaning users attempting to provide some definition and guidance to people using the microblogging service.  Widely-accepted Twitter etiquette includes things like not @ replying the same person several times in a row and instead taking the conversation to DM, making sure your Tweets contain substance and not just endless links to your blog or whatever product you’re trying to promote, and not following people to increase your own follow count and then immediately unfollowing them.  (Again, if none of this made sense, check out the link above or…maybe you can play a nice game of Solitaire until my next post.)

Because everyone uses Twitter differently — whether to keep up with friends, promote their product, network with like-minded individuals or simply entertain themselves — it’s no surprise that foodies have their own way of using Twitter, too.  In my case, I use Twitter as an extension of my blog and to interact with my readers and friends.  That means Twittering about restaurants at which I’m eating, food or meals I’m enjoying, recommending places to folks who ask, answering food-related questions when able, and other food-related (and often non-food-related) errata.  Other local foodies who use Twitter this way are Alison Cook of the Houston Chronicle, Jenny of I’m Never Full, Chris of Houston Foodie and Misha of Tasty Bits.

However, not all Twitter users are created equal.  As I’ve discovered on many different occasions, Twittering my location invariably leads to one of my Twitter followers showing up at that location to join me.  Do I mind?  90% of the time, no.  I’m usually glad for company and to get to know my followers better, if we aren’t friends in real life already.  However, it begs the question: Does announcing your location on Twitter mean that you’ve issued an open invitation for others to join you?

I surveyed my followers on Twitter about this issue and was surprised at the wide array of responses. I shouldn’t have been surprised, though: It’s just another example of the amorphous nature of social media and how everyone uses Twitter in their own, unique way.

On one hand, it’s astonishing how one small tool can be used in a million different ways.  How often has technology been that endlessly flexible in the past?  On the other hand, it can be disturbing when there aren’t at least a few rules around its use.  What if people drove cars without any rules?  There would be chaos in the streets, quite literally.

My opinion on the matter is straightforward: When I Twitter that I’m at a certain location, it is not an invitation for others to join.  I am only sharing an experience — to my point above — that I believe is no different than what I would share on this blog.  If I were having a conversation with someone, whether on phone or email or in person, and I mentioned that I was going to be at Feast for dinner, that is not an implicit invitation for that person to join me.  I’m simply relating a fact about my life, not issuing an invitation.  Twitter — as a conversation between a lot of people at the same time — is no different.

However, I will happily have others join me and often issue invitations via Twitter: I’m at Boheme. Drop by and join me for a glass of wine if you’re in the area.

That is entirely different than, for example: Enjoying the duck gumbo at Rainbow Lodge. What a great view from the dining room!

I trust that we can all see the differences between those two statements.  And I hope that no one would take the latter as an invitation to come and crash a dinner.  And while I suppose I can’t be entirely surprised if someone does show up, I’m not going to censor myself or my Twittering on the off-chance that someone might do that.

As mentioned, there are plenty of guides to Twitter etiqutte while you’re online, but nothing about the offline world.  Because Twitter is such a social medium, you’ll meet your fellow Twitterers out in public much more often than you would, say, fellow posters on a WoW forum.  So it only makes sense to develop some sort of guideline for interacting with each other in an offline setting.  Common sense would dictate that human beings don’t really need guidelines on how to interact with one another in person, but experience has shown that’s not always the case.  Example:  Is it really appropriate to have your opening words to someone be, “What’s your handle on Twitter?”  No, of course not.  But it happens all the time.

Below, I’ve included a sampling of the responses that I received when I asked the original question.  They’re loosely grouped, as it’s difficult to aggregate such dissimilar responses.  Read them and please feel free to provide your own feedback in the comments section.

To Everything There Is Some Seasoning

…wait, did I get that right?

Anyway.  Two things.

Number One:  In case you missed it, today is your last day to pick up the March 19th edition of the Houston Press on newsstands, which contains my review of The Grove in the dining section.  If you’re reading this from France or the future and can’t get a physical copy, here’s a link to the review: Downtown Attraction at The Grove.  Being in print is awesomely fun, as is working with the good folks at the Houston Press.  Which leads us to the second thing…

Number Two:  For those of you who have been following me for a while (whether here at she eats. or at my previous blog), you’ll know that I was never happy in my day job.  To put it mildly.  So it is with great excitement and an affirming sense of self-actualization that I’m happy to announce that I’ve resigned from my day job and have taken a full-time position with the Houston Press as their Web Editor.  I’ll still be blogging about food here and at Eating Our Words, but I’ll be taking on a wholly new docket of responsibilities as well.

To say that I’m merely excited by this would be a massive understatement.  How can you just be simply excited about turning over a completely new page in your life…jumping off a cliff into the great unknown…realizing the goals and dreams you always had for yourself…watching the hustle and sweat finally pay off…moving in an entirely new direction as before?

I’m not excited.  I’m ravenous.  I’m fiercely hungry to do this work and to succeed at it.  I’m feeling more alive than I have in years.  I feel like I’m standing on the stage at my high school graduation all over again, full of hope and joy and elation and passion.

Would that everyone have a chance or opportunity to fulfill their dreams, we would all shine so much brighter.

Thanks to everyone who’s supported me along the way and offered words of praise and encouragement.  I couldn’t ask for better readers, friends and family.  Much love to you all.

–K.

Spirited Houston

Books and bottles behind the bar at Anvil.

No, I’m not talking about haunted Houston.  I’m talking Houston’s busy wine, beer and spirits scene.  (Although I could just combine the concepts and write a post about La Carafe.)

I was at Anvil Bar & Refuge yesterday afternoon, getting a sneak preview of the bar in its [nearly] final incarnation and chatting with owner Bobby Heugel for an interview that will come out in the Houston Press food blog later this week.  It struck me — and not for the first time — that in addition to the growing emphasis on local, fresh, organic, artisanal food and restaurants in Houston, we’re lucky to have people pursuing that same level of craftsmanship and attention in the spirits scene.

Freshly-made Pimm’s Cup with muddled cucumber, homemade lemon juice, homemade simple syrup, gin and soda.

Bobby and his crew at Anvil aren’t the only ones in Houston who are once again giving bartending as a profession — and alcohol as a libation – the credibility it deserves.  Cocktails made in restaurants like Beaver’s and Textile (both of which were training grounds for Bobby and his staff, and both of which owe their success in those areas to the likes of the Anvil crew) demonstrate a level of craftsmanship and creativity not seen at places like the Daiquiri Factory, the vulgar intoxi-quarium that used to exist in Anvil’s building.

Likewise, more bars around town are seeking out local microbrews and unusual imports to add to their draft beer selection, aside from simply leaving beer-flavored water like Miller Lite on tap.  Grum Bar and Grill is an example of this phenomenon, their beer selection being extremely limited to only beers that they themselves would drink: no Budweiser or Miller to be found here.  More established pubs like the Ginger Man and the Stag’s Head have embraced the concept of exploring unusual or exotic beers for years, and the beer-drinking public is following suit.

Avery cask-conditioned pale ale at The Petrol Station.

We’re also lucky enough to have a local microbrewery — Saint Arnold — that supplies Houston and points beyond with finely-crafted ales and lagers in addition to being a community-minded organization that does much more than simply create beers.  We even have our own local  association of homebrewers —  the Foam Rangers – and entire shop devoted to the craft, De Falco’s.  Beyond Saint Arnold are many other exquisite Texas microbreweries such as Real Ale in Blanco and Southern Star in Conroe.  And let’s not forget the one and only Spoetzel Brewery in Shiner, Texas.

Wine bars, too, have cropped up around town like Starbucks.  Although each is different in its character, all are devoted to the ideals of exploring and discovering wine and educating their consumers to do the same.  From high-end, glitzy concepts like The Tasting Room to local, neighborhood-y joints like Boheme, it’s never been a better time for oenophiles in Houston.

To whit, I’d like to encourage you to read a few local spirit blogs that do a far better job of explaining and capturing all of this than I do.

Barley Vine:  This man has the word on wort, hands down.  A local hop-head who provides insightful commentary on the Houston beer scene and Texas microbrews. And he doesn’t just review beers; restaurants occasionally make the cut, too.  Writing consistently since 2006, his blog is the best local resource on beer, breweries and news as it relates to the beer world.

Drink Dogma:  A blog established by Bobby Heugel and his partners — including Kevin Floyd and Justin Barrow — to keep the public abreast of their progress on the Anvil opening, it’s evolved into a fantastic resource for cocktail information ranging from the history of certain drinks to their favorite libation literature.

Blue State Carpetbagger:  A wine blog from a man who knows his varietals, Tom Casagrande worked in the wine business in New York City for five years before moving to Houston.  His blog is a great read for two reasons: He’s been blogging continually since 2005, so there’s a wealth of information from prior years and posts and he specializes in recommending inexpensive yet wonderful wines, an especially welcomed speciality these days.

Do you have your own local favorites? Did I miss a beverage blog you can’t live without? Leave it in the comments section below; we want to hear all about it!

And…cheers!

Hot Links, Get Yer Hot Links!

It’s been over three weeks since the last roundup of Houston food writing (yikes!), so let’s get to it!

A few (but not all) of my own posts from Eating Our Words over at the Houston Press:

• Friends & Family Free at Five:  Get free burgers and fries today at the grand opening of Five Guys Burgers and Fries at Bunker Hill and I-10.  Is there a catch?  Of course.  Read the post for more.
• Recession Dining at Gravitas:  A review of the new $35 five-course degustation menu that Gravitas is offering.  It’s getting cheaper to be a foodie in this town.  Excellent.
• Field of Dreams: Last Organic Outpost Expands:  The urban, community-tended farm in the Fifth Ward is set to gain two new parcels of land.
• A Brennan’s Hatchling and Fancy Movie Food:  Updates on the new Studio Movie Grille and two new Brennan’s restaurants — Bistro Alex and Cafe Rose — opening soon at CityCentre.  Also: I’m terrible at naming my posts.
• $13 at a Moveable Feast:  So I like it when the posts name themselves.
• Octopus Cocktail at Connie’s Seafood Market:  Heaven in a glass, served with a side of fried rice and eggrolls.
• Las Alamedas: What’s Left Behind:  A look inside the recently abandoned Mexican restaurant, a Houston institution for nearly 30 years.

And some excellent posts from around town:

• The King of Tex-Mex Is Dead:  Robb Walsh pays tribute to Matt Martinez, Jr., who passed away last Friday in Dallas.
• Tofu & BBQ:  You wouldn’t think these two things go together, but Robb shows us that’s not the case.
• Bargain of the Week: Hot & Sour Soup from 888 Chinese:  Alison Cook raves about the spicy soup — available for $3.75 per quart — that’s both budget- and belly-friendly.
• Hue Gone Away:  Swamplot uncovers some facts about the oddly-situated Vietnamese restaurant’s recent closure.
• Mayhaw! Yams! Honey!  Houston Foodie divulges the location of a prime produce market off I-10 outside of Anahuac.  He had me a mayhaw.
• More Sex!  Less Food!  The Eggheads Proclaimeth:  Another Houston Foodie post, this time at Eating Our Words.  I’m noticing a distinct fondness for interrobangs in his headlines.  This is a well-researched commentary on a recent Stanford University article that had tongues wagging: Is Food the New Sex?
• Houston’s Professional Food Critics:  A interesting discussion of where new and old media meet with regard to local food writing.  Anonymous Eater at Food in Houston has been on a roll lately, pushing out one thoughtfully written post after another.  It’s been a rare treat.  Check out some of his other great posts below…
• The Tale of the Pig’s Head:  What exactly does one do with a whole pig’s head?
• Houston’s Diversity: Food for Thought:  For all our diversity, Houston seems to be missing a few key cuisines.
• Tasty Salted Pig Parts:  Ruthie at Great Food Houston is currently vacationing in San Francisco.  Read about her adventures with tasty, tasty pig parts.
• All Is Right in the Food World:  Cory at I’ve Got the Munchies happily notes that our very own Texas Burger Guy is back to blogging after a one-year hiatus.
• …On Brownies:  Plinio Sandalio, pastry chef at Textile and Gravitas, shares a fabulous recipe for stovetop brownies on his blog, Bakin ‘n’ Bacon.
• Road Trip Chow Down: Chris Madrid’s in San Antonio:  H Town Chow Down takes a trip to the famous San Antonio burger joint and conclues that Houston is still the best burger town in Texas.
• Vegan 3-Bean Chili:  The amazingly talented Shannon at Shabak’s Kitchen shares a hearty recipe for vegan chili.
• Universal Recycling Techniques:  Dr. Ricky has an incredible compatcness to his writing, and shares in his typically straightforward manner four ways you can recycle leftover food for new meals.
• Seven Reasons Kroger Sucked Last Night:  And, finally, for a bit of levity, Jeff Balke elaborates on a point we can all agree on, which is that Kroger’s sucks.