Pat’s Pick
Julia’s Bistro
Julia's Bistro
On the outside, this Houston newcomer is black and white. Inside—no joke—it's red all over: cherry, fire-engine, magenta, crimson, electric pink, and burnt orange. If that caffeinated color scheme doesn't wake you up, the menu will: With stops in Latin America, Asia, the Mediterranean, and other culinary ports of call, it's a whirlwind trip around the world. Crêpes, filled with melted Brie, came with a warm compote of sweet stewed figs blended with chipotle—divine. Crunchy flying-fish eggs topped wonderfully fresh ahi tuna tartare, which was infused with roasted-sesame-seed oil; generously sized for an appetizer, it made a light entrée for me. My friend the Tasmanian Devil was in no mood to dine lightly, however, and she demolished her kalamata-and-mustard-crusted rack of lamb in a nanosecond (I think she had a chop bone in each hand at one point). The side dishes—which include Serrano-ham-wrapped asparagus and fat little corn-flour arepas, a.k.a. South American gorditas—span the globe too. PATRICIA SHARPE
Nice Ice, Baby
Forget sorbetto, gelato, and ice cream. Our new favorite summer cool-me-down is the paleta, Mexico's answer to the Popsicle. It's frosty and fruity and comes in dozens of flavors both familiar and exotic. Little known north of the border until fairly recently, the paleta was invented—according to legend—sometime in the forties when two men from the community of Tocumbo, in the state of Michoacán, developed an exceptional frozen fruit bar. They began selling their product in a small shop in Mexico City, and soon entire families from the village were peddling them far and wide. By the seventies, paletas were known across the country. Luckily, Texans don't have to travel south of the border to get their hands on these chilly treats, because Victoria-based La Paletera has opened some twenty stores in Texas. Just like real Mexican paletas, the company's are made from all-natural ingredients. In fact, its production line, in San Antonio, receives around twenty tons of fresh fruit a month, including pineapple, banana, coconut, watermelon, strawberry, cantaloupe, orange, and lime. Our favorites of its fruit-based flavors are mango and kiwi, and the leche quemada (caramel) is phenomenal. La Paletera shops are open in Houston, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi, plus several smaller cities, and are coming soon to Austin and Dallas. Go to lapaletera.com for addresses. PATRICIA BUSA MCCONNICO
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