[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!