Quick Take Archives - Page 2 of 2

Back when I lived in Austin, I dined frequently with my good friend Bruce, a talented amateur chef who was very knowledgable about the restaurant industry. He had one rule he always recommended when dining: Order what the restaurant is known for.

It's a rule that has served me well throughout the years. But sometimes, it's a rule that begs to be broken.

Recently, I was contacted by RC Gallegos, owner of RC's Pizza. RC is a native Texan who moved to Brooklyn and spent a decade there learning the pizza business, and who brought his knowledge and experience back to the Lone Star state. What I heard from him was not what I was expecting.

"I've got a new Italian beef sandwich. You need to come try it."

RC's is one of my favorite pizza places, and serves a very credible NYC-style pizza; perhaps the most authentic in the entire Houston area. But Italian beef is a Chicago thing. What does a guy specializing in New York pizza know about Italian beef?

It was time to find out. It was a cool, sunny fall day in Texas, so the brief drive was a pleasant one. Entering RC's, we grabbed a table, and noticed a good lunch crowd chowing down on his excellent pizzas. It's tough to come into RC's and not order a pizza, but we did it this once. "RC is expecting us" we told the staff member, who whisked back into the kitchen.

In a few minutes the Italian Beef sandwich arrived. Whoa... this is a big sandwich, with lots of beef (probably half a pound), smothered in provolone and bell peppers (an unusual choice). The de rigueur giardinara was served in a small container on the side.

Italian Beef at RC's Pizza

Biting into the sandwich, our initial concern that RC had gone a bit crazy with the peppers was put aside; the flavors melded perfectly. The slightly sharp bite of the peppers offset the creaminess of the high quality provolone, and the thick slices of beef were perfectly tender and richly flavorful. The bread was chewy without becoming too much work, and had a toasty crunch. The chunks of veggies in the giardinara didn't want to stay put in the sandwich, so they became a tasty, tangy side; we dribbled a bit of the juice on the sandwich, adding another layer of complexity to the flavor.

All in all, the sandwich was a success. We suggested to RC that he chop the veggies, and he agreed. This is a sandwich I will be ordering again. Soon.

But RC had one more surprise up his sleeve.

"Have you tried my calamari?"

Over the years, we've had a lot of fried calamari at Italian restaurants, and it ranges from rubbery and forgettable to very good. RC won't serve food that doesn't impress him personally, so we were game to check it out. What appeared was nothing like what we were anticipating.

Fried Calamari at RC's Pizza

To say that this isn't traditional fried calamari is an understatement. Instead of the traditional breaded rings, we were served strips sliced from a calamari steak, hand-breaded and lightly fried. The batter was light and the texture of the meat was perfect - nowhere near rubbery, and evoking the flavor of the sea.

The sauce was another surprise. RC has a very good house marinara, but he's paired his calamari with a Thai-style sweet chili sauce he makes; the combination of gentle heat and controlled sweetness contrasts beautifully with the slightly briny flavor of the fried calamari.

While we certainly wouldn't recommend that you ignore the excellent New York-style pizza, the surprisingly good Italian beef and the very clever fried calamari cement RC's reputation as being considerably more than a place to order great pizza.

RC's NYC Pizza & Pasta | 501 Sawdust Road | The Woodlands, 77380 | 281-298-4663 | rcsnycpizza.com

We've made no bones about being fans of Crust Pizza Co., the independent pizza empire that has announced the expansion to a third location in the Woodlands. Their focus on fresh ingredients, innovative recipes, and rock-solid consistency makes them our go-to place for a great pizza.

But we'll let you in on a secret. The outstanding pizza may not be the best thing on the Crust Pizza menu. That honor belongs to the superlative calzone, which takes the already outstanding crust to the next level.

Behold this delicious creation. The flaky, hand-tossed dough is folded around freshly cut fillings, in this case a carnivore's delight of pepperoni, bacon, Italian sausage, beef, and Canadian bacon. Melted with the meats are a mix of freshly cut mozzarella and cheddar cheese. The crust is baked to a perfect golden brown, then brushed with butter and fresh garlic.

The result is, hands down, the best calzone we've ever tasted. Try it.

As our readers know, Houston's vibrant food scene isn't limited to Tex-Mex, BBQ, and burgers. As our nation's most multicultural city, dining options span the list from African to Vietnamese, with pretty much everything in between.

And Vietnamese is a big deal here. Houston is home to one of the nation's largest Vietnamese communities, and these immigrants have brought the delicious foods of their culture along with them. Vietnamese restaurants thrive in Houston, and range from tiny mom-and-pop pho shops to thriving local chains like Kim Son.

Imagine our surprise when we got a note from Houston's home-grown upscale burger empire, Beck's Prime, talking about the Banh Mi sandwich they were adding to their menu. We received a generous invitation to visit any of the Beck's locations and sample this interesting new offering (along with a couple of others).

Burgers and Banh Mi. If that's not 21st century Houston casual dining, I don't know what is. But we had to wonder how good a Beck's Prime banh mi would be. To determine that, we put together a crack tasting team and ventured over to the Woodands' own Beck's Prime location.

Befitting this multicultural offering was our multicultural team, consisting of your humble editor and real estate guru / celebrity foodie Huy Dang, the man behind the stunning @uberbites Instagram account. His knowledge of Vietnamese cuisine far exceeds mine, and he has a very keen palate. He's also a sharp dresser, adding a badly needed touch of class to our dining party.

On a blustery February at noon we converged on Beck's Prime on Grogan's Mill in the Woodlands, skillfully avoiding the road construction that rendered the parking lot all but inaccessible. Even with the construction Beck's was doing a strong lunch business. Woodlands residents know their burgers, and Beck's are among the best. But we weren't here for the burgers.

Beck's staff demonstrated their usual flawless hospitality, and we ordered and grabbed a table. In short order the food came out. Front and center was the new banh mi.

Banh Mi at Beck's Prime

No, this is not your Aunt Thuy's banh mi. The traditional french loaf is replaced with one of Beck's signature egg buns, the fatty mystery pork usually found has been replaced with lean, chargrilled, generously-sliced pork sirloin, and the vegetables were crispy, very fresh, and freshly cut.

Biting into the sandwich revealed the bright, sharp flavor profile that defines the best banh mi. But the textures were very different. The rich egg bun didn't have the traditional chewy mouthfeel of french bread. The pork flavor was more prominent than in a more pedestrian banh mi, and a gentle kick of sriracha brought a garlicky heat to the sharp tang of the onions, cilantro, and jalapeño.

The result is a very good sandwich, although it's far from a traditional banh mi. Huy confirmed that Beck's had altered the traditional components, but he approved of the result, and nary a scrap of banh mi was to be found on either of our plates at the conclusion of the meal.

The second offering we sampled was another new pork sandwich from Beck's: Hickory Prime Pork. A far more traditional sandwich, it included the excellent sliced pork sirloin, pickles, onions, and Beck's house made hickory BBQ sauce.

This riff on the classic BBQ pork sandwich was much more traditional. The hickory BBQ sauce accented the rich pork flavor, and the classic pickle/onion accoutrements made for a very familiar sandwich. Our only beef (no pun intended) with this sandwich was the mildness of the sauce - a smidgen more heat (or a lot more heat, if you prefer weapons-grade sauces as Huy does) would bring this good sandwich to the next level.

All in all we were impressed by these new offerings from Beck's Prime. Over the years Beck's has offered not only some of the city's best burgers, but also very good non-burger offerings for those who weren't in the mood for mesquite-grilled ground beef. These new items continue that winning formula, and we predict that they'll both be popular all across Houston.

Beck's Prime | Locations all around town

From a very strong beginning, Corkscrew BBQ, the small, family-run BBQ joint on Budde road near the Woodlands, has drawn numerous accolades for it's world-class brisket. Many think it's the best in Greater Houston, and can hold its own against the hallowed pits of Central Texas.

So do they rest on their laurels?

Apparently not.

Will Buckman, the pitmaster who personally oversees the smoking of each brisket, has selected an even higher quality brisket: Pasture raised Black Angus Prime Brisket.

This premium beef promises to elevate Corkscrew's brisket beyond its current highly awarded (and highly delicious) state.

Aaron Franklin, better keep looking over your shoulder.

It's no secret that we're fans of Hubbell & Hudson, the gourmet grocer, restaurant, and cooking school located in the Woodlands Waterway district. Whether we're searching for gourmet ingredients for a special dish or a great meal prepared by the Woodlands best chef, Hubbell & Hudson is our go-to destination for all things foodie.

We've enjoyed each menu that Executive Chef Austin Simmons has rolled out in the upscale Bistro, but we'd heard rumors of more humble changes that piqued our interest. The Sandwich Bar, located in the Market, has been undergoing changes, and we were anxious to check out the results.

Sous Chef Fiorella Casteel and a member of her kitchen staff

The changes start at the helm, with Sous Chef Fiorella Casteel serving as Chef Simmon's field marshall at the Sandwich Bar. Chef Casteel brings a wealth of east-coast kitchen experience to the Woodlands, and appointing a sous chef to head up this casual spot shows how serious Hubbell & Hudson is about the quality of their sandwich (and burger) offerings.

The chefs have rolled out a slate of new dishes, and at a recent tasting we sampled several of the new hot signature sandwiches.

We started with the Prime Rib sandwich. Thickly sliced, medium-rare Angus prime rib is used, and it's cooked to a beautiful medium rare and then seared to give it a tasty char. Fresh red peppers, caramelized onions, greens, and an intriguing roast red pepper hummus finish off this sandwich, and it's constructed on a gently toasted slice of garlicky tomato bread. The chefs have a winner here - it's easily one of the best prime rib sandwiches I've ever tasted, and the unexpected spicy hummus is a clever counterpoint to the rich beefy flavor of the generous slab of prime rib.

Next up was the Crab Cake sandwich. A generously sized lump crabmeat cake is dressed with wasabi mayonaise, lettuce, and chunks of bright red tomato, and the result is served on an English muffin. As you can see from the photo, Hubbell & Hudson doesn't skimp on the crab cake, and we think this dish will please any seafood fan.

We now travel south to the Caribbean for the Not So Cuban Cuban, a modern take on the traditional Cuban sandwich. Both freshly roasted pork and black forest ham are joined by baby swiss and the de rigueur pickle slices, dressed with a spicy Asian sauce and slid between two slices of ciabatta bread. We loved the sandwich and were in awe of the stellar Slow Dough ciabatta, but felt that the spicy Asian sauce overpowered the sandwich. We'd suggest asking for light sauce for a more balanced dish unless you crave hot sauce.

The final offering was perhaps the most unique. Named the Seoul Pork sandwich, it is an Asian spin on a chopped BBQ sandwich. Shredded Asian bacon slaw, wasabi mayo and chopped roasted pork are combined with a sweet honey sesame glaze and served on a toasted challah bun. It's an unexpected combination that works - the rich roast pork and smoky bacon are complimented by the crisp slaw, and the spicy wasabi mayo is offset by the sweet glaze. The combination works - this is a sandwich we will order often.

We think that these sandwiches highlight the creativity and attention to detail that is the hallmark of Hubbell & Hudson's restaurants under the leadership of Chef Austin Simmons. As always, the chef both surprised and delighted us with unexpected flavor profiles that work on the plate even better than they do on paper. We're looking forward to sampling the next offerings from this talented chef.

Hubbell & Hudson Burger Bar | 24 Waterway Ave | The Woodlands, TX 77380 | 281-203-5600
HubbellAndHudson.com

Growing up, I enjoyed burgers, but like many teenagers, considered them to all be pretty much the same. Only when I moved up to Austin to attend UT did I begin to appreciate the differences between a good burger and truly exceptional one. And on my frequent visits back to Houston, I'd often crave a burger.

On one trip, I was fortunate enough to stumble into the then-new Beck's Prime, and I realized I had found a real Houston treasure. Beck's is a chain, but it's locally owned and run; the opposite of an impersonal franchise. And the burgers - thick, juicy, with quality ingredients and the mesquite-charred flavor that was anything but mundane. Beck's became my go-to burger place, and to this day remains my benchmark for an excellent burger.

I realized that I'd not visited Beck's in months, and thought it would be the perfect way to kick of National Burger Month. I met fellow burger aficionado Kerry Stessell (of Hot Line Pepper Products fame) at the scenic Woodlands location, ordered at the counter, and grabbed a table.

Dining Room at Beck's Prime

In short order our burgers appeared. I went with the classic - a simple cheeseburger. It's a favorite of mine; the fresh veggies and American cheese compliment rather than overpower the lush mesquite flavor of the beef, and the freshly baked bun serves as a foundation to this formidable burger.

Cheeseburger at Becks' Prime

My companion ordered one of Beck's signature options, Bill's Burger. It adds cheddar cheese, grilled onions, thick-cut bacon, and special Bill's sauce to the Beck's formula. Here the sass of the grilled onions and the slight sweetness of the bacon combine with the mesquite-tinged beef to create a very satisfying combination.

Bill's Burger at Beck's Prime

Beck's also offers a formidable ahi tuna sandwich among it's non-burger offerings. Heck, you can even get your choice of prime steaks... through the drive-through window.

A great burger or a prime steak through a drive-through window? It's things like this that make Beck's Prime unique, and distinctly Houston. It was a perfect way to kick of National Burger Month, and it's one of the best burgers in town.

We brought home brisket and pulled pork from Corkscrew BBQ tonight - first time I'd done carryout from them. Very well packaged, arrived in Indian Springs hot and moist. Loved that the pulled pork had its own vinegar-based sauce, a rarity in Texas. Brisket was superb as always.

We're fans of Coal Burger, the Arizona-based burger chain from the Grimaldi's Pizza folks. Their Woodlands Waterway location is the first store outside of Arizona, and we think they serve an excellent burger.

But we've heard reports of some less-than-spectacular burgers being served. The culprit is overcooked beef. But the mastermind behind Coal Burger, Chef Bradford Thompson, has devised a simple solution to the problem.

The original Coal Burger was architected around a quarter-pound patty. The half-pound burger was simply two of these patties, stacked up. The good news is that there is plenty of exposed surface to hold an aggressive char. The downside is that the interior of the burger gets hot quickly, and unless the cooking is perfectly timed, all the juices evaporate in the intense heat of the coal-fired oven (over 1000 degrees.) A juicy Coal Burger is a superlative burger, a dry one loses a good deal of its appeal. So how do you keep the patty from drying out as it cooks and develops that wonderful char?

The solution is an elegantly simple one: Enlarge the patty. The petite quarter-pound patty is now a thicker third-pound patty, and the larger mass of beef holds up better to the intense heat, holding in the juices with aplomb. Patrons preferring a larger burger now get their half-pound of beef in a single patty.

The new third-pound Coal Burger

After learning about this clever solution, we wanted to grab a table and sample the result. This led to discovering the other big change at Coal Burger - table service in the evenings. A hostess, plenty of waiters and tables dressed with silverware and cloth napkins contribute to the decidedly upscale atmosphere; the view overlooking the sparkling lights of Waterway Square completes the setting.

Table service at night, and a beautiful view

We found the idea of table service to be pretty unique for a burger joint, albeit a high-end one occupying prime real estate in the Woodlands. Coal Burger's staff made it work well; waiters are friendly, service is good, and the result makes for a great date night experience.

So how was the burger? In short, it's the bacon cheeseburger of backyard dreams, but now with a thicker, beefier, jucier patty. High quality cheese (American for us.) Thick cut, smoky bacon. Fresh veggies. And that's a win in my book.

We like the changes at Coal Burger, and applaud the attention of Chef Bradford and his staff to refining a great burger experience and making it even better.

Update: We sample Chef Simmons's new menu

One of this burger lover's saddest days of 2010 was the day that Tesar's Modern Steakhouse closed in the Woodlands. Tesar's Magic burger had become the thing of local legend; to this day I've been searching for a burger that comes close to that remarkable creation.

But good things have followed for those involved with Tesar's. Chef Jeromy Robison landed the exec spot at La Colombe d'Or's popular new CINQ restaurant, and has been on everyone's short list of talented young chefs.

The other member of the dynamic duo, Chef Austin Simmons, was recently promoted to Executive Chef at Hubbel & Hudson, the hot gourmet market and bistro in the Woodlands. Austin and I talked burgers on numerous occasions at Tesar's, and I was excited to see how he'd influence the already excellent burgers at H & H.

So I was pleasantly surprised not only to learn of Chef Austin's promotion, but to be invited to sample some of his new dishes on the winter Hubbell & Hudson menu. And I was hoping a burger would be one of the offerings.

After rolling out several new dishes (which will be written about soon) a burger appeared.

Wagyu Burger at Hubbell & Hudson

I smiled when I noticed that instead of one of H & H's excellent buns, Chef Austin had selected an English Muffin as the foundation for his burger. The half-pound patty was hand-formed Wagyu beef, from an American breed of cattle that produces Kobe beef in Japan. Instead of bacon, crispy prosciutto di Parma was artfully arranged. Fresh arugula and a unique tomato remoulade were piled atop a sunny-side-up egg. No ordinary condiments were to be found. These prime ingredients do not result in a bargain burger - served with the excellent house cut double dip frites, the cost of the burger is $25, not an insubstantial sum.

(I hate to second-guess a chef, but I'm not an egg-on-a-burger guy. When I mentioned this, the burger was whisked into the kitchen, and reemerged in short order without the egg.)

I bit into the burger, and it was a revelation. Front and center was the lush, beefy flavor. The wagyu had been expertly ground; so many times super premium beef doesn't stand up well to grinding, but in this case it had been handled expertly and cooked to a perfect medium rare. The juicy ooze was in full force; this was a rare case where wagyu beef delivered fully on its promise.

The tang of the tomato chutney was a delicious counterpoint to the swaggeringly rich beefy flavor, and this is coming from someone who typically doesn't like tomatoes on a burger. The smooth, almost sweet flavor of the cured prosciutto provided balance, and the subtle crunch added textural interest.

This could very well be the best burger I've ever tasted.

Chef Austin is still fine tuning the burger. He's contemplating a version replacing the egg with one of Hubbell & Hudson's artisan cheeses.

I shudder to think about the difficulty in resisting the result.

Hubbell & Hudson Bistro | 24 Waterway Ave, Suite 125 | The Woodlands, Texas 77380
281-203-5641 | hubbellandhudson.com

Recently, Marco Torres, a photographer for the Houston Press, announced that he was going to attempt to go a month without eating Mexican food. We'd rather not even think about this, because Houston is home to some of the country's best Mexican food, and it makes up a regular part of our diet. Folks in other parts of the nation aren't so lucky, having to make do with the offerings of national chains such as Taco Bell.

We'd been hearing good things about Texas Tamale Company, a Houston-based group that will make and send fresh tamales straight to your door, so we were excited when we were contacted by representatives of the company who generously dropped off a cooler full of their offerings for us to sample. Is this the Mexican food solution for folks stuck far from Texas? We were looking forward to finding out.

Our care package arrived before lunchtime, so the first order of business was to sample the breakfast tacos that they had included in our sampler.

Breakfast Tacos from Texas Tamale Co.

Included were a variety of tacos: Egg and potato, egg and chorizo, egg and ham, and our favorite, the egg and bacon. The generous portion of scrambled egg and smoky thick cut bacon chunks was cradled on a fluffy, slightly chewy homemade tortilla - a tortilla we really like. We enjoyed the breakfast tacos, and within a few minutes all that remained were the foil wrappers in which they arrived.

Later it was time to sample the tamales. We heated up samples of their beef, chicken and the unusual spinach tamales, and plated them with the refried beans and spanish rice that TTC had included in our care package.

Tamales from Texas Tamale Co.

We started with the chicken tamale, which was very mild. The chicken flavor was present, but unfortunately so were a few quarter-sized chicken bones. Even without the bones these were our least-favorite tamales.

Next up were the beef tamales. The fat content of the beef created a rich, smooth texture, offsetting the coarseness of the masa, and generating the characteristic sheen seen on fresh tamales when you remove them from the husks. These tamales had a bit more bite, but it was more savory and spicy as opposed to any actual heat. Those who wish a more caliente experience could certainly add some salsa or hot sauce, but we found these tamales to be very good.

Our favorites were a big surprise. We'd never heard of spinach tamales before, but when we bit into one we were hooked. Dense, herbal notes that really didn't scream spinach was our first take, and the counterpoint of this rich flavor and a light texture made this a delightful change from an ordinary tamale. We'd order these again in a heartbeat.

According to the company, all these tamales are gluten-free.

Texas Tamale Company also offers their own special beef and pork sausage, chili, queso, and a variety of salsas, jellies, and mixers that can be delivered right alongside their homemade tamales. This would make a great holiday gift for anyone unfortunate enough to be away from Texas for the holidays.

For those in Houston, "The Mexican Deli" is on Fountainview near the Galleria, serving tamales, fajitas, tacos, and a variety of other Mexican favorites. Stop by for lunch, and you can take gift packs home with you.

Texas Tamale Company | 3340 Fountainview | Houston Texas 77057 | 800-T-TAMALE

www.TexasTamale.com