A Fork in the Road: Caracol (Houston, TX)

“Have you been to Caracol yet?” has become a pretty common question asked around Houston these days.  Hugo Ortega of Hugo’s and Backstreet Café fame, has opened his new seafood-inspired restaurant in the Stewart Title building on Post Oak.  As I walk in, the interior stuns me.  Sure, it’s a very large space, but breathtakingly gorgeous. 

Recognizably, Ortega has outfitted his staff in matching Mexican shirts and black pants and there is plenty staff around, so service is not lacking.  We arrive on the early side (by 7pm, the noise level is pretty loud) and I start with a Paloma.  Tequila and just the right amount of Tajin infused soda for spice. 

An intense menu offers traditional appetizers as well as entrees, but also includes an impressive count of ceviches, soups and other Spanish starters.  Most of our diners chose an appetizer and entrée, but ordering two tapas size dishes certainly satisfies the most hungry diner. 

My friend, Liz, had suggested we order the Gulf wood-roasted oysters.  She was right…these did not

disappoint!  These dozen bivalves are served sizzling hot with chipotle butter and I could have easily had another few.  

The Chilpachole de Jaiba soup preparation was constructed beautifully around a blue soft shelled crab with mini masa dumplings floating about.  The flavors could have been a bit more complex, but enjoyable nonetheless. 

Again, the butterflied snapper steamed in a basket with adobo sauce was average when it came to seasoning.  In my experience, adobo sauce is rich and spicy which was not the case here, but the fish was expertly cooked.  

A chickpea stuffed masa pancake with the tangy avocado salad was delicious and filling.

Crispy duck, duck molote and chard with red pumpkin seed sauce was not the most visually appealing dish, but of all the entrees, had the most complexity.  

The chocolate dome was cracked open with a mallet where you find a frothy coconut filling inside.  It was a nice little surprise.

To be forgotten was their version of bananas foster with flavorless bananas and a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

While I leave Ortez’s restaurants completely full, I’m never fully satisfied.  The sides always make up for any lull with the food.  I am partial to the refried black beans; they would be part of my last meal on Earth.  The charred brussel sprouts are on skewers with a sweet sauce underneath.  There is always room for improvement in the seasoning regard, but at least it’s always consistent when it comes to cooking proteins and that’s why I always return.

The Brooklyn Star

Rare is a word to describe my travels to other boroughs and what a shame it is.  I mean, Brooklyn is the new Manhattan of dining and beyond, right?   The moment I set foot in The Brooklyn Star, it's a love of the wooden tables, silver globe lighting, Mason Jar glasses.  Upscale country. 

And upscale drinks.  The Gordons Breakfast of gin, cucumber, hot sauce and lime is my quintessential summer cocktail...light, refreshing, and the hot sauce packing the slightest punch. 

Oh, the Bloody Bull.  Vodka, housemade beef broth (admittedly this is not difficult to make) and pickled beans.  Reading 'beef broth' makes it seem heavy, but it isn't and it does what it is intended to do.  Hair of the dog!

I was torn between the breakfast torta, masa cakes or the fried chicken and waffles which are the obvious choice.  Fortunately, I went against the grain and ordered the masa cakes with housemade chorizo, black beans and poached eggs.  Always one to shy away from poached eggs, I might again after this dish.  All elements jived so wonderfully with the masa starch, almost-refried-textured black beans, tender choizo and pico.  It was so good.

Perfectly sweet without syrup blueberry Johnny Cakes, eggs, thick has brown disc ala Potato Darphin and house bacon.  My only compliant was the bacon.  I love a piece of bacon fat, but not whole pieces of lardon as a breakfast side.

I can't wait to go back and definitely worth traveling short distances for!

A Fork in the Road: Lambert's (Austin, TX)

Some folks want 'fancy' BBQ, others don't.  My thought is why mess with something that isn't meant to be fancy.  Barbecue isn't meant to be fancy, elegant or any variation of the word; yet, for some reason, Austinites love Lambert's 'Fancy' BBQ, a love affair I do not understand. 

First off, it is chalk-full of extremely loud fraternity and sorority kids milling about (to be expected) and while the live music at night is a nice (free) addition, the guy running the soundboard clearly doesn't know his craft.  The scene upstairs was far too ear-splitting in which to dine.

Moving onto the food. 

I liked the composition of the deconstructed salad, from taste to colors.  The royal purple beet juice bled into the horseradish creme fraiche, dressed with only a few pieces of celery heart and covered with tiny flecks of Parmesan.

The brisket I was less impressed with.  Almost dry-to-the-bone with the pickled vegetables being the only accoutrement to save the dish.



Steamed broccoli with onions and garlic - Good

Brussel sprouts in brown butter (and always a hit with bacon) - Great



 Sauteed lemon spinach - Excellent

 The verdant colors of the side vegetables just make you want to eat healthy.  Every single one was tasty.  Thanks to my brother for suggesting these. 

The winner of the evening was cold smoked Lockhart quail, Mexican rice stuffing, cheese enchiladas, fried quail eggs and ranchero sauce.  Wooooweeeeee!  Just look at it.  Hearty, no?  By the way, Forkers, cold-smoked does not mean the dish is cold.  It is simply the process of smoking the meat in temperatures not to exceed 100*F.  I've never seen a hunk of quail as big as this before, nor prepared as well. 

Two disappointing dishes:

After seeing Green Chili Queso on the menu, it was the entire reason to try Lambert's.  What a disappointment.  It may seem silly to some, but this girl knows her queso.  There would have been more green chilis had a can of Rotel been added and it would have definitely thinned it out a bit.  Thick queso on thick chips is gross!

I like to see how restaurants specializing in meat dishes will execute the lone, or two, seafood dishes. In this case, the Gulf fish in an artichoke/crab/tomato barigoule was plated well, but lacked any flair. 

Tortaria

Had this:

Pulled pork with spicy black beans, cheese, avocado, cilantro, roasted chipotle peppers and pickled red onion.

Read this, apply to pork : http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/08/tortaria-torta-burger-review-union-square-nyc.html?ref=excerpt_readmore

Couldn't have said it better myself.  Really Tortaria?!?!?

Coppelia

Brought to you by the brain behind the Yerba Buenas (two of my faves) and Toloache (not a fave), is his Latin diner in Chelsea.  It is what you would expect from a Cuban restaurant with old photos,  pastel colors and semi-shut wooden shutters luring you in from outside.  Of course, being so close to the Meatpacking District and 24/7, it appeals to different crowds, just as Florent did.  Two things I found particularly pleasing were the lighting, not too bright or dark, and the music, at just the right level. 

We showed up on the late side for dinner, around 11pm and the Enchiladas Suizas were warm and filling on this cool night.  I have yet to meet an Enchiladas Suizas I didn't like, although I would have nixed the queso crema and left them with the just swiss cheese.  Too much crema can mute the taste of the tomatillo.  This was a B+.

Pan Con Lechon sandwich with its roasted pork and chicharrons came together beautifully texturally.  Then add some pickled red onions and mojo...yum!  Beware of Coppelia's hot sauce.  It is homemade and HOT (they did warn us)!

Other knock outs: Huevos Rancheros
Bust: Huevos Picaros

Back to NYC: La Camelia

Being a Texan, I can almost always be engaged to try a new interior Mexican restaurant.  The defunct Park Slope La Camelia has moved to the West Village under same ownership and it always had positive reviews in Brooklyn. 

The atmosphere is a little bland and what decor does exist, doesn't have any originality.  Everything seems bought from Best Buy or Home Depot.  Note: dark paint and 'mahogoney' furniture does not equal mod (see Nuela in Flatiron, they do it right).

We start with Guacamole en Molcajete.  It is 'made to order', yet not made in front of you, and served on lava rock Molacajete.  Sounds fancy, no?  It was bad.  Very bad.  I'm not shooting for Rosa Mexicana-style, but for $12, it better be pretty damn close.  This probably was made with 2-2.5 avocados, was watery and had TONS of lime.  Yuck!

Luckily, the entrees were good, but far from great and the presentation was nothing special.  Since I was completely turned off from the guac, I went the non-traditional route and ordered fish.

Guachinango (Red Snapper fillet sauteed with onions, capers, olives and fresh tomato sauce)- It was tasty, and the ingredients were there, but there was nothing harmonious about the dish.

Enchilada de Pollo Mole Poblano (rolled corn tortillas stuffed with chicken and topped with Mole Sauce)- Again, the ingredients are there, but nothing pulling them together.

Enchilada de Queso (rolled corn Tortillas stuffed with cheese and topped with a green tomatillo sauce)- definitely the binding of the dish was the best of the three, but was hoping for the tomatillo sauce to have a bit of bite.

One plus: decent chips and salsa

http://lacamelianyc.com/home

A Fork in the Road: Buffalo Grille Woodway (Houston, TX)

I've been eating here for years.  It's a loud, family-oriented breakfast joint in Houston with two locations (Woodway and Wesleyan Plaza), but the breakfast rocks! 
Usually I stick to a regular breakfast of eggs, peppered bacon (a Buffalo Grille speciality), grits and biscuit. 
Buffalo Grille has a buffet of condiments and drinks....you can choose between Cinnamon/Columbian/House coffees and then there's the condiments...mustards, jellies, jams, hot syrup, any bottled hot sauce under the sun and a huge bowl of Pace Picante.  My favorite for eggs and grits! 

If you like BIG breakfast burritos, you get:

Huevos Burrito – 2 scrambled eggs, sausage & REFRIED beans wrapped in a flour tortilla with cheese and green (tomatillo) chili sauce
As I walked past people's tables with hashbrowns and they were 'diner-style' shredded, I got excited to order a side.  They weren't disappointing, but weren't what was wanted.  I like 'diner-style' super crispy shredded and these are just shredded and cooked.

Buffalo Grille Woodway  1301 S. Voss (713) 784-FOOD
www.thebuffalogrille.com/pdf/menu.pdf

A Fork in the Road: La Dona (San Diego, CA)

The transportation through San Diego is so easy, there is absolutely no reason to not check out other areas of the city for food. We took the trolley from Seaport Village to Barrio Logan for some Mexican fare and was worth it. 

It's a ten minute ride from Seaport, then a 5 minute walk to the restaurant from the station.  Seated in our booth, we ordered a vast amount of goodies since the prices were economical (Tex-Mex is my favorite, but California Mexican will do just fine!).   It was Monday late morning, so I decided to go with a mix of breakfast and lunch items. 

Chips and salsa - the chips were thick, crunchy and lightly salted (clearly homemade)

Chili Colorado - hunks of fatty pork with rice & beans.  I enjoyed the tomato-based sauce together with the eggs & beans, but would have enjoyed more lean pork as opposed to just fattiness.

Beef Burrito with rice & beans - nice cuts of flank steak marinated with cilantro.  The guacamole can

I saved the best for last...

I've never been a fan of fish tacos...not sure why...until now! 

This was a powerful fish taco.  Thickly breaded fish, but not so much that the fish cannot be identified, mixed with a light mayo-vinegar cabbage salad in a corn tortilla.  I smile just thinking of it.

Husk-less Pork tamale (tamales were once as ubiquitous as the sandwich is today in the Inca Empire) - divine...soft corn and tasty meat.

If you want a taste of true California Mexican, try it here!  Then take the trolley 20 minutes south right to Tijuana for the real, real thing.

Please note the restaurant only takes CASH and is open M-F 7am-3pm

La Dona  1784 Newton Avenue b/t Beardsley and Sigsbee Streets  (619) 233-4939