Update...

I'm back in DC -- for two weeks...so many expeditions to come! :)

[Houston] The Teahouse

Bubble tea!!! It's a refreshing drink of a tea, juice, smoothie... and paired with black tapioca balls that must be retrieved with extra fat straws.

The Teahouse had lots of choices of drinks to offer. I got the very hard-to-find sour plum tea. The most typical bubble tea is a red tea, with milk.

Also! They offer a buy five, get one free deal.

Honestly, my favorite part of this cafe was their restroom. Most modern sink ever.

[Houston] 17

First I need to straighten this out: *17 is way too fancy for me.

I went to this super chic downtown restaurant as a part of Houston's Restaurant Week, which is actually two weeks long, where participating restaurants offer 3-course prix fixed meals for $35 (http://www.houstonrestaurantweek.com/Menus-2009.htm). *17 also offered wine-pairings with each course for $25.


My meal was as follows:

Coastal Napoleon
Fried green tomato, gulf lump crab, *17 remoulade
& micro greens

Fried Quail and Waffles
Tomatoes and okra, maple reduction, pepper jelly

Masumoto Peach Soufflé
Crème Anglaise, peach chips

Also! If you happen to be in DC, the restaurant week is August 24 - 30th (http://washington.org/restaurantwk/). Many of its participating restaurants will be offering 3-course lunches as well. Lucky me, I'll be back in DC on the 23rd!

More Info: http://aldenhotels.com/17.php

[Houston] Ocean Palace

Ocean Palace - dim sum

Eight different people referred to this place as the best dim sum in Houston.

Empty stomach and pointing finger ready, we walked in at 11:30 am on a Sunday morning. Kind of early for a dim sum place. It was a gigantic room, and only half full. Also we were there before noon so we had 10% off our bill automatically. Ten minutes later, the place was packed.

Sad to say, three little asian girls can only order like five things. We really could have used the help of a few more friends to truly enjoy the variety of food offered...

[Houston] Potatoe Patch

Dear Emma,

Thanks for telling me about your favorite restaurant. They served the best free appetizers -- fried okra and green tomatoes. And before we knew it, fresh-out-of-the-oven, fluffy rolls were flying at our heads from a cheery ol' guy shouting, "hot rolls! hot rolls!," kind of like the peanuts guy at a baseball game.
And chocolate chip and blueberry muffins were landing on our plate. I ate my first chicken-fried steak ever (which gravy is better - white or brown?). The restaurant was full, and it still only took ten minutes for my food to come out. This place amazes me. Can we go back again?

Love,

Christie

P.S. The owner wouldn't give me the rolls recipe. We need to try again.

[Houston] Churrascos

Best steak ever. Esquire, Urban Spoon, City Search agree that this place is phenomenal.

Churrascos is an upper-scale South-american inspired restaurant that can be found in two locations in Houston. They specialize in

They started us off with plantain chips with two sauces: light, crisp, salty chips paired with a tangy red vinagrette and a robust pesto-like sauce.

Then we continued with taquitos. Soft, airy tortillas filled with shrimp rolled in bacon, avocado, and more.

I ordered the churrasco (clearly, since this place is named after this dish) - center cut beef tenderloin, aged and seasoned with chimichurri. I'm definitely not a steak eating type of person. But I ate every single piece of my steak. It was tender, juicy, and flavorful. I don't think I'll ever eat an American steak again. Brazilians do it so much better.

We definitely had to top off the meal with dessert. 'Delirio' is a dense chocolate cake layered with chocolate ganache and topped with flan. It is paired with a raspberry sauce and white chocolate. I will attempt at making this. (I'll keep you informed of the day I succeed.)








More info: http://www.cordua.com/

[Austin] Everything delicious.

A few of us interns headed to Austin for the 4th of july weekend. It was my first time in Austin and I think I am in love. Prime food, music, and joy. I will be back for the food trucks - aussie hand pies, crepes, gourmet sandwiches, bratwurst, fajitas...but the following restaurants were quite amazing.


Uncle Billy's Brew and Que
this may be my favorite restaurant (ever). a friend highly recommended this place. it also happened to be just down the street from Zilker Park where we disc golfed and swam in the natural Barton springs.

- epic smell. scent of caramelized wood welcomed us.
- fantastic service. i hinted that i wanted a tour of the brewery (on site) and the manager gave us a private tour!
- great facility. very homey and casual, yet sophisticated. the fans had water misters in them too.
- delicious food for a great price! offering every bbq'd meat you can think of. We had brisket, jalapeno cheese sausage, pulled pork, chicken. and the classic sides, mac and cheese & mashed potatoes. we also ordered agave wit, our waiter's choice. tastes "better than a blue moon." It's true, it tasted better than blue moon.

More info: http://www.unclebillysaustin.com/









Pluckers Chicken Wings
(This is a great post-tubing on the Guadalupe River meal.)

casual chicken wing bar. there will soon be 10 Pluckers - they are a chain started in

got the dr pepper wings. sweet and tangy. very unique.

we ate outside on the patio - there was a live band until midnight. they played classic songs to which we could not resist singing along

also, eat 25 'fire in the hole' wings to get on the wall of fame!

even more amazingly, pluckers tricked out the men's restroom. there was a built in 42" TV in the mirror. (i had to see if for myself.)

for austin-ers, they offer a $20 membership with awesome deals. our friend got us a free appetizer and dessert!

More info: http://www.pluckers.com/



Hula Hut
Mexican with a polynesian twist.
Definitely a wait.

Fresh and very very tasty tortillas made to order.

This restaurant sits on Lake Austin. We sat outside on the patio overlooking the crisp, blue water. Hula Hut is worth coming for the view.

I ordered their super unique mango, poblano quesadillas. everything was delicious - especially the shrimp rellenos.




Amy's Ice Cream
Ice Cream is a definite must. Amy prides themselves in their Mexican Vanilla ice cream. I gotta say it was pretty delicious. Not too fatty or sweet.











Food in Austin is definitely very diverse in many ways. Just in the culinary world, there are fewer chains and many more homestyle places. And unlike the majority of the places in Beaumont, not everything is fried or meat.

Oh Austin, when will we reunite?

[Beaumont]

MY FOODIE SIN LIST (CHAIN RESTAURANTS):

Jack in the Box drive-thru
- churros!!!!! delish.

McAlister's Deli (local in TX)
- yummy sweet tea (i drank four cups)
- pretty darn good wraps, paninis, sandwiches

Pei Wei Asian Cafe (owned by PF Changs)
- ...no comment

Joe's Crab Shack
- meh, at its best.

Applebee's
- can there be any more salt on my chips? artichoke dip is fine.
- my ribs were mediocre.
- and fries were soggy.

Tomorrow I'm heading to Austin. I'm so excited! There will be far more independently owned restaurants. Watch out, Salt Lick, Amy's Ice Cream, and Juan in a Million!

[Beaumont] Rao's Bakery

Gorgeous seemingly upscale bakery and cafe, but with very fair prices. This is the Beaumont location but there are a handful of locations in the area.
Rao's serves various pastries, drinks, and to-die-for gelato.







I got a schnecken (buttery sweet roll with raisins, top image) and a kolache (sausagewrapped in a blanket, lower). I got my kolache with cheese and jalapeño. Kolaches seem to be only found in the south. They are delicious and surprisingly filling.






And a spiced chia tea (here she is making it for me!)









The menu is way too extensive for only one trip. Egg and olive sandwich, you're mine!

More Info: http://www.raosbakery.com/

[My Apartment] Chili peppers!

When I moved in, I felt kind of lonely so I bought some plants to keep me company. Here's my first chili!!! It will grow up and make a great curry.




Here's my lavender plant. Lavender cookies?

I also have oregano and basil (bruschetta?). The weather here is perfect for plants - 95 and humid. Not so good for me.

[Beaumont] Happy Donuts!

Right by the highway en route to work is a tiny little donut shop that sells donuts, croissants, and kolaches. First kolache ever! It's like a jazzed up pig in a blanket (bottom right of the image). They are so yummy and are especially filling for breakfast. I also got a dozen donutholes for $1.

So so so cute.



Also, I have planned some yummy places to go to! Can you wait? I can't. Work takes up so much time, I haven't had a chance to eat out much. But don't you worry. I promised hole-in-the-walls and deliver I will!

[Beaumont] Cattle Company

A common trend of the South is its diet centered around beef and frying (especially deep-frying).

For dinner we started with deep fried appetizers: onion rings, cheese-stuffed jalapeños, pickles.

There were lots of great choices on the menu. But two options stuck out like a sore thumb to me.

• The Cowgirl - Center cut filet mignon wrapped in Hickory smoked cured bacon
• Shrimp Brochette - Large Gulf shrimp stuffed with a sliver of jalapeno and Monterey Jack cheese, wrapped in bacon and grilled to perfection
  

Meat wrapped in meat? Really? This is offered on a menu? I thought it was only a heaven you could create in your own kitchen.

I hope you have a chance to try it. It tastes exactly how you think it does, but better.

[Houston Area] Karanchos

We finally reached my destination of Houston, Texas!

En route to the airport to send my parents home (ahem, :( ), we were in search of steak just so they could say they tried it. We turned off the highway and came across a Mexican barbecue on the side of the road. Loads of people were eating in the picnic area. The place was a collection of three trailer-esque buildings with young guys tending meat (pork on the left, chicken on the right).

Seeing how we were clearly the only ones who didn't naturally speak Spanish and the menu only came in Spanish, I had to order in Spanish. We had two tacos with pork (tacos de trompo), half a barbecue chicken (pollo al carbon), and a sweet, cinnamony, slightly creamy drink (tamarindo). All for $10!
Only cost: the humiliation when a Mexican guy passed me while I was taking a picture of the menu and said, "Like you'll be able to translate any of that!"

A note on tacos de trompo:
Layers of marinated meat is cooked on a skewer, similar to Greek gyro meat. The meat rotates over the grill. At this place, they placed a whole skinned pineapple at the very top, so juices would flow down (drool). When an order is placed, the meat is shaved off and then grilled until crispy.
Places that serve tacos de trompo are hard to find. But apparently, Houston and most of Texas has a bunch!

[New Orleans] Chartrés House Cafe

New Orleans may be one of the cutest cities ever. My parents and I walked around the French Quarters today. I LOVE how the city embraces its history and vibrantly displays its French and Spanish influence. There's also this huge golden statue of Joan of Arc, a huge working steamboat, aquarium, and art museums all within a few minutes of each other. One odd thing was the number of inebriated people at 5 pm.

For dinner we stopped at the Chartrés House Cafe, which serves Cajun-Creole food. They have so many seating options. If you come with one other person, you can sit on the romantic balcony (not for acrophobics); if you like the outside, you can sit either in the inner courtyard or in the open patio; if you hate heat, you can sit in the air-conditioned dining hall.

We ate red beans and rice, chicken and andouille gumbo, jambalaya, fried seafood (crawfish, oysters, catfish, shrimp), and hush puppies. yumm
I'm not too sure how touristy our meal was, but it sure was tasty!

More info: http://www.chartreshousecafe.com/

[Montgomery, AL] K&J Ribshack

So this afternoon, we were driving down the same highway for about four hours and our stomachs started to rumble. I had my heart set on going to Cracker Barrel, namely so I could play the golf-tee-peg-jump-thing game. But we accidentally overshot the Barrel. Then I asked my GPS where I could get barbecue (my other craving). It pointed us in the direction of K&J Rib Shack, a little ways off the highway.

We get there and couldn't even pull in the parking lot because it was full! This place was definitely home grown. The decorations were fanciful, with sharpie-ed icons of fries and ribs pics all over the outside and inside.

Right out front was the grill cooking ribs and chicken. Here's a picture of the chef spraying them down with a "secret sauce."

The owner was just the sweetest little lady. She was super smiley and man, there was true southern hospitality!

We downed some center-cut ribs, chicken, fried okra, and fried corn. And headed down the same highway for another four hours...

...but with bellies filled to the brim.

[Atlanta] The Flying Biscuit

This morning I woke up essentially at the crack of dawn to make sure I could eat at this cafe with my buddy Jenn before rolling out of Atlanta (see PS for more info).

Tucked in a quaint neighborhood around Emory University is a funky little cafe, the Flying Biscuit. The decor made me feel at home, with an entire sunflower room and glittery stars painted on the windows.

I got the egg-stra ordinary breakfast with hash potatoes, farm fresh eggs, grits, and a biscuit. Never have I ever tasted grits like this. Cheesy and fluffy and buttery. Just this dish makes me wish I grew up in the south.

And then there are the biscuits...warm and layered. They melt in your mouth... and come with an apple-raspberry sauce. The secret is half-and-half and light cream (no buttermilk). I'll try out the recipe and let you know how it goes... I even bought half a dozen for the road!


More info: http://www.flyingbiscuit.com/



PS. Special thanks to my bestest buddy, Jenn, for showing me around town!

[DC] Ben's Chili Bowl and Julia's Empanadas

Before heading out of town, I had to sneak in a bite of possibly the world's best chili dog at Ben's Chili Bowl.

Can chili get any better??

Ben's chili bowl has been around since 1958. Photos of famous visitors are plastered all over the walls. But apparently, only Bill Crosby and the Obamas eat there for free.

Go get their chili cheese fries. But if you get a heart attack, don't blame it on me!

While I was waiting for my chili dog to come, I stirred up quite the conversation with a nice fella at the counter. He's been coming to Ben's since 1965! He moved from rural North Carolina to Maryland in search of opportunities. He fell in love with MD and has never left. Cheery people are the best.

More on Ben's:
http://www.benschilibowl.com/


Update: Props to Vince, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XwxKVBNbrQ

Then I topped off my meal with a handmade peach-guava empanada from Julia's Empanadas in Adams Morgan.

Look at all their fruit empanada flavors! They have a variety of meat and veggie pies as well.


More on Julia's:
www.juliasempanadas.com


I'm off to Greensboro Durham tonight!

thank you!

First off, I'd like to thank the Kelly-Douglas Fund for making these travels possible.
Because of this fund, I get to meet and greet and eat my way across the South!

The goal of my culinary travels is to discover the culture embedded in food. I'll be visiting diners, restaurants, farmers markets, cafes, food trucks... anything that serves divine edibles.
BUT there is one very, very important rule: No food chains!

In the next few days, I'll be driving through Greensboro, Atlanta, and New Orleans before finally reaching my destination of Beaumont, TX. Then, I'll roam around Texas throughout the summer.
Please throw any and all dining suggestions at me!