Travel + Leisure Magazine did their annual survey of America's Favorite Cities, and H-Town was on the list.  Visitors and Houston residents agreed... Houston has the best burgers in the country.

Double Cheeseburger at Hubcap Grill - One of Houston's Best Burgers

Houston was also in the Top Five for Affordable Hotels, Business Hotels, BBQ, and Luxury Stores.

Also worth a look - a handy tool to compare cities.  We had to check to see how Houston compared to Dallas.  (Spoiler: Very well, even with Fort Worth thrown into Dallas's corner.)  Houston also compared favorably overall with such other Sun Belt cities as Los Angeles, Miami and Atlanta.

Why?  Houston has some incredible home-grown burger joints, like Hubcap Grill, Beaver's Ice House, Zelko Bistro, Christian's Totem, and Beck's Prime.  The proprietors of these places raise the bar for burgers in Houston, and other restaurants follow suit by upping their game.  Hungry folks all over Houston are the winners.

Beaver Burger at Beaver's Ice House - One of Houston's Best Burgers

It wasn't all glory, though.  Houston was rated among the worst in terms of Summer, Public Transportation and Pedestrian Friendliness, and Weather.

We recommend dealing with these less pleasant facts the way that every life-long Houstonian does:  Get in your air-conditioned car, and go grab a burger.

Update: Wahoo has closed.

On the monthly visit to Sam's Club, we noticed a new eatery in the Portofino shopping center, across the freeway from the Woodlands.  Called Wahoo's Fish Tacos, it's a West Coast (in this case, California and Colorado) fast casual chain offering a variety of Cali-Mex dishes in a faux surf-shack setting.

More than anything, it reminded me of Chuy's Hula Hut in Austin after being run through the corporate concept machine.
But how about the food?


We decided to sample the fish tacos, which is their signature dish.  The very personable counter guy took our order, and withing five minutes this came out:

That is a lot of salsa (which in this case means marinated tomatos) and shredded cabbage.  We're pretty sure there's fish under there somewhere.
Biting into it revealed that there is, in fact, fish involved.  But it was dry, bland, and not terribly flavorful.  The suggested creamy cilantro sauce didn't do much to help, either, although it would have been nice on chips (of which none were offered.)
Bottom line:  If you're craving a fish taco, skip Wahoo and drive over to Berryhill on Market Street.

Wahoo's Fish Tacos  on Urbanspoon

We got word today that Chef Michael Dei Maggi is no longer with Caffe Bello.

No word yet on his next gig, or who will be replacing him in the kitchen at Caffe Bello.

In a followup, the company responds:

"We are expanding the menu and we have made changes.  We are very proud of the food we are putting out at Caffe Bello."

More news when we get it.

C'mon.  Call him a ballerina.  I dare you.

We missed the show (Thanks, AT&T!) but just got the bad news.

Houston's own Chef Bryan Caswell, the mastermind behind Reef, Stella Sola, and Little Bigs, was cut from the Food Network's Next Iron Chef show.

We think that Chef Caswell was a strong contender, but we are starting to believe the rumors that the entire show was just a long coronation for Ming Tsai, who was preselected to be the next Iron Chef.  We'll have to watch and find out.  At this point, we'll be cheering for Marco Canora, who seems to be the most talented of the chefs still cooking.

AT&T said Sunday that it has reached a new carriage agreement with Scripps Networks. Find out more from The Hollywood Reporter .

Sanity prevails.  The question - did my DVR still record The Next Iron Chef?  The answer - No.  %#$#@$!

After they disappeared from U-Verse, I contacted the Food Network to try to find out what happened.  Here is the response I received:

Hello.  Thank you for your email to Food Network, and please accept our sincere apology for the interruption of your programming. Unfortunately, we only have video clips available on our website. However, you might consider checking online and on YouTube.
We are shocked and disappointed that AT&T U-verse has taken our Networks off the air.  AT&T U-verse?s decision to drop our channels is particularly surprising considering we reached an agreement in principle with AT&T U-verse on the distribution fees we would receive for our networks well in advance of last month?s contract deadline. Over the last week or so, we were simply trying to complete some final details to the contract.
We, like you, want our channels back on AT&T U-verse immediately. It was AT&T?s decision to drop our channels, even though we offered a third extension to keep them on the air while we worked out final details of a new contract.
The loss of our networks to AT&T U-verse was something we worked hard to avoid, even offering an extension through year end to work out final details of the agreement while allowing AT&T the rights to continue delivering our channels to you. Instead, AT&T stopped negotiating, took our family-friendly networks off the air and left you without our must-see shows.
This was not an issue about money, and Scripps Networks had worked out financial details in principle before the contract with AT&T U-verse expired at the end of October. The remaining issues involved AT&T?s demands to use video content we created specifically for our networks in ways that go beyond our normal business practices.
Accepting their demands would have constrained and limited our ability to provide our network's content to our viewers in new and innovative ways. What?s even more frustrating is that we offered AT&T an extension to work out final details while keeping our channels on the air, but AT&T refused and instead pulled our channels off the air.
Should AT&T U-verse decide to resume discussions, we remain committed to continue our good faith negotiations and bring back our networks to ATT U-verse customers.
You can tell AT&T U-verse you want your favorite network back by calling 1-800-288-2020, or go to our website at http://www.keepmynetworks.com/FoodNetwork_Landing.asp to e-mail AT&T and see what your options are for other distributors in your area.
Best regards,
Food Network Customer Service

Consumerist and other sources are reporting that AT&T has chosen to drop Food Network, HGTV, DIY Network, Cooking Channel, and GAC from its U-Verse service.  According to Scripps (the owner of these networks) the issue isn't money; it's non-broadcast rights.

I've been a supporter of U-Verse ever since they came out in Houston; I felt that they were a great alternative to Comcast.  But now AT&T shows us that keeping customers happy falls way behind the need to strongarm their content providers.
(I can't fault AT&T for wanting to cut a great deal for themselves.  But using your customers as pawns is wrong... apparently AT&T has forgotten who pays their bills.)
Greed wins.  Customers lose.
I called AT&T, and there is no ETA for restoring Food Network and the other channels.  At this point, I suggest that everyone votes with their wallets.
Apparently that's all AT&T understands.
More Info

If you're watching Bryan Caswell on Next Iron Chef, you may wonder how to keep watching.  I've e-mailed Food Network to see if they have a solution.


Until then, please don't even consider using this link to a BitTorrent network download site if it is illegal where you are.

It's that time again.  Zagat, the iconic restaurant guide, has released its national guide.  Entitled "America's Top Restaurants 2011" it includes restaurants in the Houston area.

(For some unknown reason, the fourth largest city in the USA isn't worthy of its own guide.)


Four restaurants tied for top honors (28/30) in food:
Mark's
Pappas Bros Steak House
Le Mistral
Kanomwan

Eight more were one point down (27/30)
Tony's

Catalan
Damian's

Chez Nous

Masraff's
Da Marco
Eddie V's

Glass Wall

As always, we find the rankings a bit perplexing.  But that's Zagat.

For many chefs, owning a restaurant is the ultimate dream.  Extending one's vision beyond the plate is a big step, but expertise in the kitchen doesn't necessarily translate into success at the front of the house.  We're always excited to see a chef take this big step, but in many cases, we have to wonder if it is a wise one.

Enter Jaime Zelko.  She'd won numerous awards for her work as Executive Chef at Bistro Lancaster, and her cuisine drew high praise from patrons.  When she announced that she was opening her own place in the Heights, we were looking forward to seeing what would come forth from this creative mind.


She teamed up with Jeb Stuart, who spent five years as Chef at the nearby Shade restaurant, but wanted to step away from the kitchen and focus on the world of wine.  She also tapped into family expertise, in the form of her father and uncle, partners in the 50-year-old Zelko Brothers Cabinet and Fixture Company.  A fortuitous convergence, since a rather rough 1920's bungalow on 11th Street was selected as the location for the bistro.

Of course, you'd never know that now.  The bungalow has been converted into a welcoming space, with the kitchen nestled in the rear, and the main room split by a dividing wall, creating a cozy dining room and a funky bar, complete with mason jar lights.  Historic black-and-white photography decorates the walls, and the space is very successful, conveying a down-home comfort with an upscale twist.

Coming in at the start of lunch, we snagged a table, and were greeted by the friendly staff.  We immediately noticed a couple of touches we really liked:  An arrangement of fresh rosemary on every table, and water service that includes a bottle left at the table.  Shortly thereafter we were delivered a unique bread service:  Torn pieces of sweet, herby bread, something we rarely find in restaurants.  We had to hold ourselves back to keep from devouring every bite.

We'd heard great things about the Boss Burger at Zelko Bistro, so it wasn't a hard choice, although several of the menu's varied comfort food offerings were also calling our names.  We ordered the Boss, and when asked how we'd like it cooked, we left it at Jaime's discretion.  (We've learned not to second-guess the chef in this situation.)

What arrived was a very impressive-looking half-pound burger, worthy of its name.  Served on a thick, airy housemade bun, the patty was obviously hand-formed and sporting an aggressive char.  It was topped with a thick slice of cheddar cheese, grilled onions, and shredded iceberg lettuce.  Pickles were on the side, and the tomatoes were omitted at my request.

Biting into it revealed a perfectly cooked burger, slightly on the rare side of medium.  The ooze factor was well represented; I found myself using the napkin after every bite.  The flavor of the beef was rich and mild, the cheddar was smooth, and the caramelized onions added a hint of sweeness.  The only flaw was that it was perhaps too mild; a bit more of a bold, beefy flavor would not have been a bad thing.  But make no mistake - this is an excellent burger, and one that we would be happy to enjoy again.  We've added it to our list (on the sidebar at the right) of Houston's Best Burgers.

We walked away from Zelko Bistro thinking that Jaime and Jeb had a hit on their hands.  They've nailed the concept of a comfortable but upscale neighborhood place, and put it in a neighborhood that craves this sort of comfort food.  Combine the smart positioning with the beautiful room and Chef Zelko's deft touch in the kitchen, and we expect Heights residents to be enjoying the Zelko Bistro for a very long time.

Zelko Bistro - 705 E 11th Street - Houston - 77008 - 713-880-8691 - ZelkoBistro.com

Zelko Bistro on Urbanspoon

We love cheese.  But we often are overwhelmed by the different choices out there.Fortunately, there's a solution.HEB's Central Market, one of our favorite places to shop for groceries, has released an accessible but comprehensive Cheese Guide, with history, accopaniments, beer and wine pairings, storage tips, and more.(PDF download, perfect for your iPad or iPhone)

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