Restaurant Of The Day
Catalan
Houston
To say we’re captivated by accessible, elegant Catalan, with its imaginative, farm-centric menu, is an understatement. Consider: roasted triggerfish atop creamy mustard greens with bit of pork and field peas, all topped with jumbo lump crab. Or seared halibut over corn-and-bacon chowder with more oh-so-sweet crab. Preceding these were not-your-everyday soup and salad: local tomato gazpacho and baby arugula with figs and hazelnuts, both tasting garden-fresh. Bar.
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Pat’s Pick
Samar by Stephan Pyles
You should definitely try to get to Samar soon, while chef-owner Stephan Pyles is there, spending quality time with his new baby. The guy is having a blast. Pyles helped invent Southwestern cuisine in the eighties, but now he’s cutting a broad swath through the Iberian Peninsula while also plunging into the bazaars of the Middle East and the Mediterranean. For a restaurant that’s fairly casual and not horribly overpriced, Samar has an ambitious agenda.
New and Noteworthy
Ciao Bello
The Vallone restaurant dynasty—specifically Tony and Jeff—has an instant hit on its hands with Ciao Bello, whose name translates aptly to “Hi, gorgeous.” It seems that adding dramatic art to the striking setting that previously housed Jimmy Wilson’s Seafood and Chop House (high ceilings, visible kitchen, massive wine walls, and a lovely patio) and offering classic Italian dishes at mid-level prices result in a packed house.
It Takes a Texas Village To Raise Spinach
Over the past several decades an Asian community has populated the small town of Rosharon, just south of Houston, in an area they refer to as the Village. Many of the original residents are refugees who fled the violence of the Khmer Rouge communist party in Cambodia in the ’70s and ’80s. They came with nothing and began farming.
Pecan Artists
We know what you’re thinking.Who in his right mind would want to eat a meal with pecans in every single dish? Well, we have a question for your question: Who wouldn’t? Pecans are fantastic! Not only are they nutritious but, unlike walnuts (troublingly bitter), they taste marvelous alone and play well with other ingredients.
Good Eats in Llano
Ordering a seafood dish miles from the Gulf Coast could be considered a risky endeavor, but it’s no gamble at the Acme Café on the Square, a cozy lunch spot across from Llano’s historic courthouse. Owner Maurie Kay Beasley’s hand-formed, two-inch-high crab cakes, served with a zesty homemade remoulade, are as tasty as they are unexpected.
Easy Recipes From the Experts
Fortune House Special Lobster
Executive chef Chun Lau, of Fortune Chinese Seafood in Austin, creates a delightfully delicious fried lobster mixed with garlic and jalapeños.
More Food Stories
Pecan Artists (November 2009)
Why Are Tortilla Chips So Damn Good? (September 2009)
The World’s First Hamburger (August 2009)
That’s the Spirit (July 2009)
Vineyard Hopping (June 2009)
How to Eat Well in Hard Times (April 2009)
Where to Eat Now 2009 (February 2009)
The 40 Best Small-Town Cafes (December 2008)
Your Bird Here (November 2008)
Keeper of the Flame (July 2008)
BBQ08 (June 2008)
Where To Eat Now 2008 (March 2008)
Eat Their Words (February 2008)
Meat Your Maker (December 2007)
Dining Out is Fun (July 1984)
The Texas Food Manifesto (December 1983)
Requiem for a Margarita (February 1979)
Feature Story
The Chop Is in the Mail
What’s the best thing about the holidays? The food. The worst? Racing from store to store to buy it. So to help you save time, we’ve come up with a list of our favorite places that will ship to your door.
Get Cooking
Texas Deep-Fried Turkey
Grab a turkey cooker with a propane burner, add some cinnamon, a turkey, a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, and you’ve got yourself a delicious bird for Turkey Day.
Dishing
A Reader Says:
My wife and I have been to Fabi + Rosi several times and have thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Great food, friendly staff, and a beautiful, quiet space.
Video
Eat + Tell: Cooking With David Garrido
Patricia Sharpe helps chef David Garrido, of Garrido’s in Austin, craft a delicious carrot soup with shrimp pico de gallo.
Feature Story
The Right Stuffing
Robert Del Grande serves up a Thanksgiving menu made especially for Texas.
Web Exclusive
Fly Away Home
A prayer of thanks (and some cranberry stuffing) for those who don’t give up hope. By Donna Xander
Street Smarts
Berry Street Bakery
At this quaint clapboard house diet-busting treats, like pecan pie bars, flaky turnovers, and decorated cookies and cakes, are hard to resist.
Get Cooking
Pumpkin Custard Pie
Patricia Sharpe shares her mother’s recipe. The finished product is light and fluffy, not like the usual boring, flat, brown Thanksgiving pie.
Web Exclusive
We Gotcha Kolache
Any Central Texan who has ever sunk their teeth into the soft, yeasty cloud of a fruit kolache knows that Czechs bring a delicious contribution to the Texas culinary table. By Virginia B. Wood
Video
Eat + Tell: Go Texan
Patricia Sharpe helps chef James Robert, of Eddie V’s, whip up a fabulous shrimp dish for Go Texan Restaurant Round-up September 28 through October 2.
Hill Country Peach Cobbler »
This simple cobbler has an appealing, almost puddinglike consistency.
Beans and Cornbread »
A meal of beans and cornbread isn’t fancy, but it’s one we just plain love.
