I won’t mention the shock to a Texan’s system of seeing several signs in Vancouver for ‘Steamed Burritos.” I mean, I love the city, but are they INSANE in British Columbia? Oh, all right, I didn’t try one (would you?), so how can I criticize? Even so, the whole idea is horrifying. (I know somebody will set me straight on this–please do so immediately.) But enough with the burritos. What I set out to say is that the restaurant West is Wunderbar (and it has no steamed burritos, thank God). We did West’s “spring tasting menu” ($98 without wine for five courses plus petits fours), which made us very, very happy. You can see the whole thing by clicking on this link and going to Menus, so let me just mention one highlight: the risotto with spot prawns, preserved lemon, and tarragon, a miraculously creamy yet somehow still al dente risotto with the most perfectly fresh, perfectly cooked prawns I think I’ve have ever had. Falling-down good. Don’t miss it if you go north.

Wouldn’t you know it? I flee Texas for Vancouver, Canada and they’re having a heat wave–gawd, it must have been 90 degrees yesterday. There is no justice. But, still, what a beautiful city. Struck out on a couple of recommended places–don’t bother with Congee Noodle–it’s allegedly an authnetic noodle house, and maybe it once was a fine place, but the broth in our noodles tasted musty and the place was barely populated. But the night before, I did CinCin (”Chin-Chin,” a toast to good health) and it was fantastic. It looks traditional–the usual Mediterranean feel, well turned out, not obsessively mod. The menu, though is cutting-edge. Tried sablefish (roasted over a wood fire) in a green pistachio and agrionan olive vinaigrette-broth. The flesh of the fish fell off in beautiful, silky flakes; the broth was almost sweet. With it was a hunka hunka — hmmm, if my eyes were closed i would have said a cross between polenta and Yorkshire pudding–but it turned out to be a smooth, dense chick-pea cake (they call it a fritti). Wonderful, just right with the fish. More anon.

A skeptical reader has issued a challenge. He noticed that all of our top five picks in the barbecue feature (June 2008) were from Central Texas. Very suspicious, he says, given that the TM headquarters is in Austin. How do I know you guys didn’t just go to the places nearby and sort of phone in a lot of the rest? Fair question. Two answers: First, we have the receipts to prove all 400-plus visits. Just ask our poor accountant, who double-checked the math on the expense reports. But that’s still internal. More importantly, there is indeed a Central Texas “barbecue belt,” where the ‘cue is the best (by and large) in the state. It’s because of the long tradition of German and other Central European settlers opening meat markets here in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century and smoking the leftovers to sell on Saturday. Lots of experience, lots of dedicated folks. Other parts of the state don’t have that. Not to say they can’t do good barbecue, but there’s not a bedrock tradition like there is in and around Austin. If you’re still not convinced, ask Bud Kennedy, columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Robb Walsh, author of The Legends of Texas Barbecue and a food critic for the Houston Press, or Virginia Wood, food critic for the Austin Chronicle. They all have written about barbecue and none of them has any idea I’ve just mentioned his or her name.

In the “Know Before You Go” category, I’m just sayin’ that if you don’t get your pre-order into Snow’s by this Wednesday, June 11, you may come up empty (see post just below this one for details). I talked to Kerry Bexley, the owner (pictured), this morning, and he’s feeling a little like he’s been dragged by wild horses: In the two or so weeks that our June cover story has been in the hands of readers, Snow’s has gone from selling 300 to 800 pounds of meat on Saturdays. Holy cow! I didn’t know whether to congratulate the poor devil or offer to get him into the barbecue equivalent of the witness-protection program. He said, “I’ve got to cut off advance orders around Wednesday because we need some for our local walk-in customers.” He also said, “I’m really happy this has happened, and I’m amazed at the distance some folks have driven–we’ve had customers come from Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.” (The last is about 125 miles; only we Texans would get up that early or drive that far for barbecue.)

As you know, our cover story touted Snow’s BBQ, in the Central Texas burg of Lexington, as our number one barbecue joint in the state. Since the article hit the newsstands, little Snow’s has been swamped. We got this email from them a few days later: “WOW!!!!!!!!!!! . . . It was a wild and crazy day. We cooked and sold every ounce of 500 pounds of meat and we were still out by noon . . . ” So if you’re thinking of going out there on Saturday (it’s only open on Saturday mornings, from 8 until noonish or until the meat runs out, which could be very early, like by 9:15), take our advice and preorder your meat. And hope that a jillion other people haven’t beat you to the punch. The address is 516 Main, Lexington (off U.S. Hwy 290, via FM 696, 21 miles east of Elgin). Call 979-542-8189 for preordering on weekdays. The restaurant number is 979-773-4640 (open Saturday mornings only).

Never let it be said that I missed an opportunity to toot my own horn. Well, and the horns of my colleagues. TM has a new book out–a melting pot with our best food stories of the last decade or so. Now you don’t have to feel guilty about tossing out all those moth-eaten old copies of the magazine–you can still read Anne Dingus on the scary Jell-O infatuation of the fifties, Prudence Macintosh on tart-tongued Texas tastemaker Helen Corbitt (the chef of the Zodiac Room, who introduced Texas to fine cuisine), and yours truly on what it’s like to be a restaurant critic (”Confessions of a Skinny Bitch”). I wish the book had pictures, but it’s still a fun read, even if I do say so myself. The publisher is the University of Texas Press. You can also get Texas Monthly on . . . Food on amazon.com.

Well, well, well. The Texas Hill Country was the numero uno summer travel destination in the NY Times this Sunday. Specifically, they touted our wineries (this image is of Flat Creek Estate). Also, to toot our own horn some more, remember that you can search for restaurants on our website in the Hill Country, by city or by region. It’s a great local-vacation-planning tool. Here’s what you do: Click on “Food.” Then click on “Filter: Dining” (it’s in the dark brown horizontal bar and hard to see–Must tell them to lighten up the color). Click on “Find a Restaurant,” on the left. Then select “Central” (which includes much of the Hill Country) or any city your little heart desires.

Here’s something that fits right in with the local food craze: “Nose to tail eating.” I just gave it a whirl at Feast, in Houston. Granted, the idea of eating the whole critter, inside and out, may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but what they’re doing at Feast is so tasty, and the setting is so comfy and unpretentious, that you can’t just dismiss it out of hand. And it’s not like they’ve discovered new organ meats to freak you out–these are the usual things like sweetbreads and pork cheeks–stuff you’ve seen before, right? Speaking which, the pork cheeks are cooked up like pulled pork (we like that) and nestled up to dandelion greens (sort of like collards, but nice and mild). Yum. Reminded me of the way folks cook greens in the Deep South, with salt pork. In any case, Feast worth a try for the adventurous eater. I’ll be writing more about it in my column, Pat’s Pick, in the July issue of TM. 219 Westheimer, Houston, 713-529-7788. They’re open for lunch Mon & Wed-Sat, for dinner Mon & Wed-Sun. Closed Tue.

These images from the New York Times web site are amazing. (From May 14, Dining.)

The best thing about this box of chocolates? No calories. Ever. Why? Because these bonbons and truffles from Hulet are made of glass. Check them out. The pictures are amazing.