Sweet & Savory (picture heavy)

Smoked Harrison Hog Farm Belly, homemade pickle, with homemade hoisin sauce on top of a fluffy steam bun by Eatsie Boys

I am super duper behind, so... instead of telling you stuff you probably don't care, I'll let you feast on the photos. I will label the pictures so you know what the heck you're looking at.

Just a quick note, this is a benefit for Lucky Dog Rescue, which Rebecca Masson from Fluff Bake Bar organized. It was good. Most people were there for the food, which makes me feel really bad because the couple next to me was there for the dog rescue. WHICH! I do care, but my tummy took over, what can I say?

Next is Clams Revival Salumi, Spring Leeks, Peas, and Rice by Ryan Pera of Revival Market



Then we have Smoked Pork Sopes, Chipotle Tomao Jam, Pickled Red Onions, Avocado Cojita Cheese by Jason Gould (formerly Gravitas, now Cyclone Anaya's)

Then we have Barely Buzzed Cheddar, Toasted Lavender Meringue, Nasturtium, and Chicory by Seth Siegl-Garnder from Kata Robata

The last of it, the far left was Pretzels, Chocolate, Beer, Mustard, Cream Cheese, Peanut by Philip Speer of Uchi & Uchiko

The middle is Rebecca Masson who did the organizing of the event and did the pistachio macaron w/ rhubarb ice cream with dried raspberry.

Not pictured (cuz I ate it before taking one) was the Tainori Ganache, Caraway, Buckwheet, Lemon & Carmel by Chris Leung of Bootsie's Heritage Cafe.

This definitely a great exposure of different food and different styles in one sitting. The only thing I didn't care for was the pretzel w/ beer, chocolate and mustard. I understand how at a bar, somehow those things come together, but on a lovely dessert plate, it was confusing to my taste buds.

Of course, you can catch all these great chefs at their natural settings be it movable or not. Watch out for the next event in October!

Macaron experient part 1

If you've ever tried to make macarons at home, you'd know that when you separate the egg whites from the yolk seems wasteful because let's face it, how many creme brulee' or hollandaise sauce can you make when you're already pre-occupied w/ the macarons.

I know I'm not the only one to think that there's got to be something in the market that accommodates this issue.
The problem is that, most of the egg whites only products are pasturized, which makes it hard, if not, impossible to whip up the egg whites, and create that perfect stiff peak (yes, insert jokes here).

Let me tell you how this is NOT easy to do w/ non-real egg whites. First of all, as I mentioned before because of the pasturized products, the closest one that comes to it is Eggology.

Then, whatever guidelines they have told you on the side of the container about how many tablespoon is equivalent to real egg whites is not true when it comes to this project.


I basically added 3 more tablespoon of it in compable to the real egg whites. Also, parked next to real egg whites, you'll soon realize the difference. I say this because when I pour out the egg whites and about to get the real ones, I was wondering how I can tell them apart. Well, you can. Look at the first picture, the clear one is the real one, the murky one is the Eggology.

The Eggology took longer to whip over all. It was a little longer to get it foamy before I can add the sugar in to whip it up. Also, when I finally got some-what of a stiff peak, it's not stiff all the way. I would not go as far to say you can't over whip this, but it'll take a little longer than real egg whites.

Of course, then the problem is, when you pipe them out they're runny and spread as they sit. I've got several stuck together, not pretty.

Once they came out of the oven... poor things, they are fragile as heck. They're cooked appropriately, not under cook, but when you tried to lift it, it crackles and even crumbled. Sad face!

Here's me attempting to make bunny shaped macs for Easter... poor thing only look onto one side because of the spread. I had piped over 40 and only these survived... what does that say?

I will tell you, though, the tasters all loved the taste. It does deliver that moisture you want when you bite into it. Unfortunately, it just didn't 'stand up' as you would hope for it to do. That's ok... we have another batch.

El Real -ly?!

So with so much hype and anticipation, I talked David into going to check out El Real with me. On a Sunday night, I must say the joing was jumping. We already intentionally get there after 8p but it was not any better. Luckily the wait was not long. I liked what they did to the space. If you have been around the Houston area long enough, at one point or another, you may have pass thru this awesome looking old theatre space that was home to Hollywood Video. You can tell once it was a glorious theatre and now well... it's a video store.


Now, you walk in, the space is clean and tidy, with a large screen and several smaller flat screen playing Spaghetti Western of some sort. It's kitchy but not really necessary. Although, for big games like NCAA or Super Bowl, I can see that it'll be a popular spot to be.


The team consisted of Bill Floyd, Bryan Caswell (of Reef, Stella Sola, and Little Bigs to fame) and author and food critic Rob Walsh. At first, the idea of having 2 very established restauranteur and famous chef that has 3 already great establishment plus a food critic seems to be a fool proof formula for a great restaurant.
Sadly, not sure if it was because we were there their 3rd week of operations or the team spread too thin, the food was nowhere to par. I understand it's not Pappa's or Ninfa's type of Tex Mex, but having eaten at Stella Sola, Reef, and Little Bigs, I would say those flavors are on par and exceed expectations. There are dishes from SS that made my tummy happy. However, with their Tex Mex spin it was more ordinary for the hype and the noise people made.

Usually, when I go to a place I've never been before, I ask the server what's their popular dish. I know they have their personal favorite, which they'll never tell you whatever dish is not good, right? But I was also hoping he'll sell me on a dish too. Basically, he said having the puffy taco can't lose. Fine, I'll try it. The other dish we ordered was the original enchilada plate.

Here's the thing, the puff taco is a novelty thing. I've never had a taco where the shell is like a clam shell. However, I also did not expect the ingredients inside would be dry. Out of the 3 options of chicken, pulled pork, or beef, I had the chicken and the pork. In the chicken, it was a layer of beans, a layer of pulled chicken, tons of lettuce, some tomato, and no sauce. Ok... maybe that's how it was intented to be eaten. Urm... it was dry dry dry. Then on to the pulled pork. I loved pulled pork by several restaurants in town, Little Bigs included, so I must say I have some preconceived notion going in. Well, it's more moist than the chicken, but it wasn't as flavorful as it can be. I would say, if there's a bare minimum, the meat was a notch less than that.

The original enchilada plate was ok. My favorite part of a plate like that, usually, is the sauce with the rice. Well, the sauce looked good, it looked like it has a good amount of cheese and mixing w/ the sauce, it looks great to go with anything. Sadly, that was a disappointment as well. The sauce wasn't as great as it looked. As a matter of fact, it was rather tasteless.

I've seen some review where people claimed that this is like the vintage/original Tex Mex. So, either they really think that, or places like Chuy's or Pappa's overinflate the taste so you keep going back. Either way, El Real doesn't strike any notes with me. Spoke with a friend who went on her own and she felt that the food was nothing to write home about either. The margarita was good, but the dessert (all 3 to choose from) was only so-so.

Like I said, maybe there are kinks they haven't worked out. But don't take my word for it. For try it for yourself and see what you think.

El Real Tex Mex
1201 Westheimer(at Yoakum)
713.524-1201

Central Market w/ Hugo's Dessert Chef

So, back in February... yes, I'm that far behind. Back in Feb, a co-worker and I went to Central Market for a cooking class. Now, I've done a hands-on cooking class, and I felt that everything was timed well and while they have some confusion from time to time, having all the assisting chefs helps ease alot of stress. This time, is not a hands-on class. This time, it is with the dessert chef of Hugo's - Ruben Ortega. It was very neat because while he's shy, he also shined with his pastry skills. He took us dish after dish. The sight, the sound, and not to mention the smell of all the deliciousness. And yes, this was February when weather was cooler and it was primed chocolate making season. He was very candid, and any silly questions we had he was willing to answer. I think as a matter of fact, he was surprised how little questions to threw at him. I think on one hand, we were intimidated by someone who has all sorts of accolades, design desserts for 3 different Houston restaurants (all of which are institutions of Houston), and consult on other menus. Ruben had also studied w/ Chef Eddy Van Damme as well as the Culinary Inst of America. That said, he took us thru tips and tricks of his traits. Of course, one of them being using the finest ingrediants, which is not necessary accessible to everyone. But he did say that CM does carry alot of stuff he would use at his own personal kitchen. Of course, truly, having that connection to get the finest cocoa directly imported from Mexico does set them apart. By the way, ask when they are grinding the cocoa for the shop. They do that in house one day and make the sauces another. The aroma, as you can imagine must be scrumptious. Like I said, we went thru dessert upon dessert that night, I really appreciated him opening sharing pie crust tricks, cutting marshmallow tricks (which if you hadn't tried it already, it worked very well). We learned how to make creme fresh and pouch our pear. So, even though this is not hands on, it was a good experience where you get a free for all Q and A. Of course, not to mention all the food you get to sample. Check your local Central Market for cooking classes info: http://www.centralmarket.com/Cooking-School.aspx

Te, House of Tea

So I had a private lesson on Saturday, figured I'll meet up at a local tea shop instead of coffee shop. I actually knew one of the owners, Connie from way back. Turns out, she was a dance studen of mine back in the day when I used to teach at SSQQ. What united me and Connie was that I attended a local dance event at Te, and small world as this is, there she was. I haven't been to Te to dance but go there to grab a quick hibiscus tea to go. They do have a pretty full menu and I've been eyeing on their crepe for quite sometime. Finally, for my lesson, I have a chance to go there and enjoy my crepe.

Here's the thing about crepes. I am a very loyal fan of Melange Creperie. Buffalo Sean had taken great care of me, and I in return try to go there whenever I can. He incorporate anything from cliche' to creative, even friends who had tried his crepes (not knowing my loyalty) even said that we should try to do a Iron Chef challenge and give him some secret ingredients and see what creative crepe he'll come up with. Needless to say, I am a big fan of crepe and going in with a very critical eye on that item.

When it comes to House of Te's crepe, it can go both ways... One, the crepe itself is structrually perfect. No holes and it's a perfect look to it. The other, unfortunately, was the taste - or lack thereof it. I was sold on the Farmers Market Brunch Special, which consisted of their finding from the weekends farmers market. That day's special was kale and sausage. Alright, didn't sound bad at all, I eat both of those. What I didn't realized was that there was no sauce to go w/ the combo. So, it was literally, crepe, meat, kale.

I don't know how familiar you are w/ kale. By itself, cooked, it draws the bitter taste to the greens. So, when you have nothing to compliement it, it's just that, bitter. Luckily, there were some sausage to offset that to help my taste buds, but since they probably put like 5 pieces of tiny sausage, those were few and far between. That aside, the brunch combo comes w/ a pot of tea, I got my usual hibiscus. Here's my tip to you all, this is something Mag South in Austin does, is to put hibiscus tea w/ your favorite lime soda to give it a pip. But since the flower itself is pretty flavorful, it helped offset the bitter from the kale some.

Not to mention, I had to wait over 30 mins for my crepe. In their defense, it was lunch time, people were ordering less time-consuming items as mine, such as sandwiches and salads. I had to walk up to Connie and asked if they had forgotten about me. *sigh* I hate to do that, because it makes me look like I'm not patience, but when it has been 30 mins, I also felt like you have forgotten me in the corner and turns out, I was right. My order got lost in the shuffle.

So while I treasure this neighborhood gem, between the lack of parking and the forgotten order, I'm not sure if I would recommend this to anybody. But, I have heard good stuff about their noodle soup, so maybe I'll give them a try on that. They are pretty active in terms of partnering up with artist and dancers in the community. They host the Saturday night dance with the Swing Dancers, I believe Friday is with the Tango Dancers. Wednesday night they host a movie night and I know a crochet group hangs out there as well. Maybe I'll try again at night, but for now, it's a thumbs down for me.

Te' House of Tea
BYOB - they charge a corking fee
1927 Fairview Street,
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 522-8868 ‎
tehouseoftea.com

Oh My Pocket Pie!

When I used to work at Sew Crafty, I often walk past the food truck of Oh My Pocket Pies!. And on my last day of the craft shop, the owner (Sarah) came back to the store with joy, and tons of pies to share.

What had happened was, since that was our last day, the OMPP peeps gave us a few pies to try and threw in a couple of salads too. Thank you!!!! You made a ton of crafty girls happy on that sad day of shop closing.

Anyway, it really is empanadas. If you've ever live close to a Hispanic area, you must know about the empanadas. It's little fried dumplings, but bigger, like a pie size. However, the folks at OMPP kick it up a notch. All their suppliers are Texas locals, which seems to be very much on trend w/ alot of the restaurants and food truck around town. Not to mention, they add their own little twist too.

In the picture is the Cuban. Let me tell you, I don't speak Spanish, but it's bueno! It's nice and gooey, but the flavor really hits you. We also tried the Twiced Baked Potato, Butternut Squash, and Chicken Renello. YUM! Don't worry, we cut all the pies in 1/2 for sampling sake. We're not that greedy!

What they don't tell you is that there are these secret special sauce that really brings out the flavor, not to mention cool down the pie some for immediate consumption. =D I forgot what I had, I think I just mixed and match the sauces just because I can. But, I dipped and dipped and I think I wanted to get a straw and drink it straight... ok, maybe not that much, but it was good.

If that seems to be too much fried food for you, they also have burger and salads on the menu. But from what I understand, the salad is more of a side salad size. That said, I had some of a mixed salad w/ oil & vinegar and it was yummy!

Go check them out, most of the time they are parked on 19th street by Ashland between buildings. But either follow them on twitter or check their site for the most updated info.

Oh My Pocket Pies!
Wed - Sat in the Heights
11am - 3pm (or later)
339 West 19th Street, 77008

Ruggles Grill

For my birthday, I decided to go to Ruggles the original location. I would say that I haven't been there since pre-renovation. At least over 8 years that I remembered...

Ruggles, to me, is always a classy place and it's definitely a special occasion place. I picked it for my birthday not only to revisite after all these years and to check out how it has changed. Also to re-live the fancy-ness of the place. To drink in the atmosphere.

To my surprise, the magic was not really there for me anymore. I'm not sure if it's because of where we sat, which faces the door directly and also a back room away from everyone else. Or if it's because the place seems tighter than it used to be. For a Thursday night, albeit it was a party night, it was not as lively as one of the other Ruggles locations.

Food is still good. Not great, I actually love the Ruggles Green and Ruggles Bakery better for the price you pay. It wasn't as great of grilled food as I remembered it. I'm not sure if the tired-ness of the building or the segregation from the crowd that gave me that feeling. But both Bakery & Green seems to be livelier and more excited about the food.

That said, as I mentioned, food is still good. I had the pork chops, which is really 2 large chop steaks with a lot of seasonal vegetables. That's where the redemption comes in. The chops were a tad dry, but the potato au gratin and the mashed sweet potato were great. The asparagus and green beans were grilled to perfection. I know, it's absolutely silly to describe vegetable that way, but it's true.

Anyway, the place is still for the fancy even the decor seems tired. Their staff is still friendly and attentive. I do intend to give it another go, just to make sure I still feel the same. Of course, it does help that I got a gift certificate to return (bday gift from a friend). We'll try again and see.

Ruggles Grill
903 Westheimer
Houston, TX 77006
713-527-9400