A Fork in the Road: Local Foods (Houston, TX)

 

I have been waiting a lonnnggg time to see Houston finally beef up with inexpensive and tasty lunch spots.  It used to just be places like Goode Company BBQ/Taqueria, Cafe Express, Nit Noi, but now you have a places like Relish and Local Foods, brought to you by Chef Dylan Murray of Benjy's.

Chef Murray uses the local farms and seasonal foods to create his menu and I love the concept of any of the sandwiches can be prepared as salads.  Unfortunately, I wish I had gone with my gut and ordered the crispy chicken sandwich because the turkey sandwich components were there, but somehow missed the mark.  The pretzel roll, amazing.  Freshly sliced turkey, present, but dry and the accoutrements did not help.

Since my brother's discovery, and obsession, began last year with banh mi's, that is what he ordered.  He mentioned what I was thinking, which was the $10.5 price tag of the sandwich which was the 'most expensive banh mi' he's ever ordered.  This is usually a sign it won't be as good as you want it to be.  It was good, not great.  The element that saved these sandwiches, and their price tags, were the sides.  My favorite was the kale with raisins, pinenuts and parmesan.  The savory parmesan paired nicely with the sweet raisins. The four bean side with edamame, kidney beans, green beans and garbanzos was hefty, but good.  Cabbage slaw with edamame, bean sprouts and lemongrass vinaigrette was a interesting take on slaw and texturally.   Less impressive were the beets, but I suppose I don't really love shredded beets, with pistachios or not.

Now, ironically, what I thought were the best foods, were the salads.

The Spicy Szechuan Tofu salad with broccoli, sprouts, black rice and a mint-kaffir vinaigrette was lighter than you would think, although it drowned in dressing.

Saved the best for last....arugula, shrimp, wheatberries, cranberries, Texas honey pecans, pecorino and lemon-thyme vinaigrette. YUM YUM YUM.  Light and easily one of the best shrimp salads I've had.

Who wouldn't want to go Local Foods when you can get fresh ingredients AND see this little guy?

Tabonette

When I saw sabich on the chalkboard menu, I started to grin.  So few places in New York have sabich, so I was excited to try their version.  Unfortunately, it didn't meet any expectations I had.

The pita was too thick then the egg was quartered!!! and mixed in with the Israeli salad.  That wasn't even the bad part.  There was a salty/chewy piece of eggplant and all was blanketed in an exorbitant amount of amba (mango curry sauce).  This sauce is one of my very favorite things in the world, but this amba was pureed instead of liquefied.  It was too 'fruity' for this type of sandwich.

I will be returning, but not for sabich (the honors still go to Taim).  The plain Israeli salad looked fresh and delicious as well as the chicken kebab platter!

Despana

A nice breezy afternoon Soho stroll should include a bocadillo while you sit on a bench outside Despana.  The no-fuss sandwich from the Spanish gourmet market on Broome Street had slices of butifarra sausage, goat cheese and a tomato-garlic spread all warm pressed between soft ciabatta (Catalan).  A couple weeks prior, I indulged in The Spaniard at Murray's Cheese which was buttered Pullman toast with melted manchego, Serrano, marinated peppers and membrillo spread.  That, my friends, was gluttonous.  As in, not even hungry for dinner six hours later.  I thought I'd be going down the same path with the Catalan, but this was the perfect lunch sandwich. 

Hangover Cure

Just a $2.75 quick breakfast sandwich in the East Village at Sunny & Annie's Deli.

Eggs, American, Bacon and hashbrowns.  Good except the hashbrowns were a little on the oily side.

The special sandwiches (Pho roast beef) I will be trying, especially for $6.

Ninth Ward NYC

We stopped in at Ninth Ward for drinks and bites on the way to Webster Hall to see a show; unfortunately, I forgot to snap some photos, but it is worth a little write-up.  I must say, I've always wanted to try this place...it seems right up my alley since I spent 2-3 times a year traveling to New Orleans on family vacations.  I am certainly passionate about Southern food, and especially Cajun Southern food and drink. 
Getting to your perfectly situated booth or table involves walking down a dark hallway eerily suggestive of New Orleans' voodoo shops with the chachkis showcased behind wrought-iron.  The cocktails were quite impressive, particularly The Bloody, Bloody Mary infused with garlic-basil vodka; but more impressive was the freshly grated horseradish.  I was hesitant ordering the chicken sandwich, but after what else arrived at the table, I was happy I didn't back out.  The Bleu Bayou Burger was tiny and served with spicy praline chocolate bacon and melted bleu cheese, but guess what?  There wasn't any bleu cheese and the chocolate bacon was literally covered in flavorless chocolate and zero praline spiciness.  The 'paillard' chicken sandwich on ciabatta, a fairly plain dish, was at least consistent.  The herb mayo paired nicely with the juicy chicken.  All the sandwiches come with chips, but you can chose thin fries if you shell out $2 extra (it isn't worth it). 

An appetizer special, Gators on Horseback (bacon-wrapped jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and cheese), were a total let-down.  I've had better jalapenos stuffed with plain cream cheese at a pub.  I didn't taste any shrimp, but given the burger was missing cheese, these might have as well.

For happy hour, chicken sandwich or shrimp po-boy (lots of shrimp), Ninth Ward is worth the trip.  It has a cool, dark vibe inside as well as a lovely outdoor patio for warmer weather.

http://ninthwardnyc.com/main.html

A Fork in the Road: Books and Breadboard (Asheville, NC)

I practically grew up most holidays in North Carolina, in both Asheville and Raleigh, where my parents are from.  Every couple years, our family travels to Asheville for a family reunion.  Asheville just used to be a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains best known as home of the legendary Biltmore House (www.biltmore.com), but has grown in popularity particularly due to University of North Carolina having a campus there.  It is vastly different from how I remember it growing up.  We only visited the Biltmore House during Christmas time and dined at Grove Park Inn; but now it must cater to the diverse crowd the college brings, which means restaurants, entertainment venues, antiquing, outdoor adventures and much more.

The food in Asheville is incredible!  It really perfects the art of Southern cuisine and can hold its own in the ethnic food category as well.  The town has its staples of Tupelo Honey, Corner Kitchen, Early Girl Eatery as lunch spots and the new Books and Breadboard in Biltmore Village.  It is quaintly located inside a bookstore with an open kitchen as well as a patio area with everything made-to-order in front of you.

Chapter 3 - Turkey on pumpernickel with fresh sage and cranraisin mayo, swiss cheese and lettuce.  Every since I was little, I've eaten turkey with jelly.  Sounds icky, but they used to serve fresh turkey sandwiches with sprouts, lettuce and jelly on wheat toast at our athletic club.  It was healthy and gave kids the sweetness they wanted.  This was WAY better!  Fresh turkey, sweet mayo with the rye taste of bread.  Great combo! 

Chapter 4 - Roast Beef on herb foccacia with bleu cheese aioli, roma tomato and arugula.  Heavy, but another perfect sandwich.  Each ingredient played well with the roast beef.  I absolutely loved the Terra chips and homemade slaw of carrots, yellow squash and zucchini.  It made for beautiful and fun colors!

Chapter 13 - Arugula salad with mixed greens, sprouts, julienne veggies, and tomatoes with meats and egg.  This was a fresh salad, but I'm always down on julienned vegetables and drizzled balsamic.  The vinaigrette rocked. 

http://www.booksandbreadboard.com/files/Download/B&BmenuInside%20with%20breakfast.pdf

Sanpanino

For a consistently good sandwich, try Sanpanino in the West Village.  Although they have other bread to choose from, you have to go with the uber-thick slices of focaccia.  I had the San Classico (sopressata, mortadella, fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, fresh basil, olive oil, and balsamic) grilled and could taste every single ingredient.  It also happens to be filling, so my $7.95 went a long way...half for lunch and half as an afternoon snack.

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/sanpanino/menu

Holy Smokes

Tons of gems are inside the cavernous, overpopulated Chelsea Market, but the best grub-on-the-go is Friedman's lunch. The sandwiches are far from over-hyped and after recently having so many that were disappointing, I couldn't resist the hype anymore. Naturally, they were out of the specialty sandwich of the day (Fried Green Tomatoes w/ basil aioli on a brioche roll), so I opt for protein...the pulled pork & Holy Smokes!!! was it incredible!

The moist, smokey pork was overflowing from the wheat sesame-seeded hamburger bun, topped with pickled red onion and drizzled with papaya barbecue sauce. Does that not sound divine? Next up: Southwestern Turkey Burger with avocado aioli and the B.L.A.T. (Applewood Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato on sourdough w/ herbed aioli). Also offered is gluten-free bread for any sandwich.

Other recommendations: Fried Chicken, Brook Trout Salad and breakfast

Chelsea Market 75 Ninth Avenue @ 16th Street (212) 929-7100
http://www.friedmanslunch.com/?page=menu_dinner