What's For Lunch Houston - 2018

Regional Dining Discussions Texas, Southwest
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Lunch today was in the comfort zone, Patrenella’s.

It’s been a wild, crazy few months of ups and downs and today I really wanted the comfort of Andrea Pintus’s tortellini with ham and mushrooms and peas, actually I have been talking about it for weeks. Alas, Andrea passed away some years ago after finally opening the restaurant he always wanted (and which we frequented during the short time it was open) in a tragic ice related winter accident at his home…

But we went where we met him, where he hosted my husband’s really really low key bachelor party the week before our wedding. But what is better than good food and wine and Andrea cooking for you??

As it turns out, I was seated in a space looking right at a framed photo of Andrea. He’s the person on the right in the chef’s jacket. They spelled his name wrong.

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I do miss Andrea and his food, but also his enthusiasm for the profession and his love of his home on the Island of Sardinia.

And I miss his tortellini, this was adequate, but not Andrea’s.

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His family was his lifeline, I’m still sad it was broken so early.

What did you have for lunch? I hope it wasn’t sadness and dashed dreams. Next post: New beginnings!

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Given my current obsession with noodles I thought it all together fitting and proper to check out this new place for in-house made fresh pasta on the 59/69 frontage road near Buffalo Speedway - Fresco Cafe Italiano.

To wit: Spaghetti Carbonara. Believe it or don’t but I’ve never had this dish before. I don’t go for Italian very much and back when I did I doubt guanciale was available in Houston. I presume that’s what the meat is - I’m pretty sure it’s not pancetta and certain it’s not bacon. There’s very little in the way of description on the menu.

This was very good but very rich (duh!) - I probably wouldn’t order it again - just too rich more my tastes, I like to eat lighter.

It’s a small store front, counter service, BYOB. I’m interested in the Fredda, pizza served cold with arugula and parma prosciutto, and the wide fettucine with Texas raised lamb sauce, so I do think I’ll revisit.

I also had a small house salad. I see on the online menu today gazpacho. I didn’t notice that on the in-house menu or I would have ordered that for sure.

Fresco Cafe Italiano

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That looks like an awesome place. I greatly look forward to getting over there.

Thanks!

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Hi johnny - I od’d on Texas BBQ about 10 years ago and I just don’t go out for it very often. Haven’t been to Central Texas or Austin in about that long, too. The bbq scene has been exploding here in Houston in the past couple of years but I’ve been to less than half the new places that are opened. Or, in other words, my knowledge is a little dated! But I’ll try to answer your questions.

Re: Clod - I don’t know of anybody serving it here. I encountered it only once in CTx and didn’t care for it. I believe I remember reading it was being offered as an alternative to brisket because brisket prices were high. Hah! Hold on to your wallet; brisket was cheap back then compared to now.

Beef ribs are a common offering now; they were very rare back then. Prime beef is being used for brisket which means when you order fatty brisket you’re getting some very fatty meat. Heritage breeds of pork are all the rage, now, too.

Other things showing up on menus around here include pork belly, pulled pork (very rare here even 5 years ago), and tacos. Specialty offerings include bologna, prime rib and meat loaf. Boudin, smoked and spicy, is also common at bbq joints here in SE Texas and has been for years.

Post oak has been the preferred wood in CTx forever, I think. Whether the newer places up there have stuck with tradition or are using other woods, I don’t know.

As you get down into the SE part of the state you encounter the use of pecan, sometimes by itself, sometimes in addition to oak. The oak used here I think is most commonly live oak because post oak doesn’t grow here. One place, Corkscrew, up in Spring, which made the Top 10 list of Texas Monthly’s latest statewide bbq rankings, uses red oak, which I believe they have to truck in.

I think I’ve read of other woods being used but I’ve looked at a number of websites and can’t find any mentioned. I probably read that in reviews or on one of the many blogs that are run by bbq fanatics. I did find Pinkerton’s, in the Heights area of Houston (near north side) uses oak and mesquite.

Mesquite and hickory are used statewide but very seldom at highly regarded places. There are 100s of bbq joints across the state where ‘barbecue’ means tender meats buried in sauce with very little evidence of smoke or bark.

Hope this helps.

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This is the dish (carbonara) I order when I’m feeling like letting all the dogs out. I think my favorite is at Coppa Osteria on Morningside (I sure miss the one on Washington). Liberty Kitchen and Oysterette on San Felipe does a mean one also, and I love their cool, clean, comfortable space.

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All that talk on the Pappy’s topic about Hickory Hollow’s hot tots and CFS and this seemed inevitable.

I’ve only had the Q, so I ordered the chicken fried chicken. I was disappointed that they had no cream gravy on the premises, the chicken gravy is the universal gravy here. It’s not bad, it’s really good, but it’s not cream gravy if you get me.

The CFC was hot and the spicy balls of mashers mixed with jalapenso and cheese were divine, dipped in the chicken gravy meant for such purpose. Most of it is in a go box in the fridge now.

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You have a choice of two sides, and one of those can be the salad bar. Guess which type of salad dressing is the most popular? This trough always cracks me up, but it’s housemade and delicious.

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Mesquite and hickory are used statewide but very seldom at highly regarded places.

Goode Company uses mesquite and has many fans but everything tastes the same to me due to the overwhelming mesquite flavor.

I have to wonder if the people that like this place know anything about BBQ.

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I’m thinking CFS this weekend from Hickory Hollow. I’m not a big gravy guy as I usually just dip a hunk or three in it.

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(Red chile) Oil Splash(ed) Lanzhou style hand-pulled lamen with beef. This is available with pork but according to Wiki, the beef dish is a signature dish of Lanzhou. There are 10 variations of noodles offered on the menu, only the two widest flat noodles are available with this dry dish. This is Erkuan, the less wide variety of the two. The beef slices were cold. The menu card suggests there will be flour (“about 300g”), 10-12 pieces of beef, 3-5 pieces of daikon, cilantro and leek. I didn’t detect any daikon or leek but I most definitely had baby bok choy. There’s about 2 tablespoons of broth in the bottom of the bowl.

As with the noodles at Kuen, these held their heat for a long time and the beef down in the bowl got warmed up a bit.

The menu is very simple (pictures online). The chile oil on the table was not as flavorful as that applied in the kitchen. There is also soy sauce, sriracha and salt.

Sit towards the middle or right side of the restaurant if you want to watch the noodle making. I could hear the loud cracks as he slapped the dough against the table to flatten it but not till he moved over into the left corner of the window could I see the pulling going on. It’s all over in seconds.

Interesting. I found the wide, slippery noodles very difficult to deal with and pull out of the big clump in the bowl with the chopsticks but I made it through. But next time, I’ll try one of the soup dishes.

Niu Yi Zui Lamen, 9866 Bellaire (back in the corner)

I sat next to the window because of the problems with the flash on my camera and I got shadows, which I can’t do anything about.

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Damn Bruce! Awesome post. I think you need to start a food guide service in h town. Lol. Great post…thanks buddy. I really need to get down there and see what you guys have to offer. It’s a toss up between the H and n’orleans. I always thought of your city as BBQ and did not realize the diversity. You guys are doing it right down there. Maybe I can get a cheap southwest ticket and come chow down!

@Lambowner killer posts too. You guys are making me really jealous lol

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There’s never any doubt when it’s crawfish season in Houston. Danton’s has a whole menu.

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Well, I spoke too soon. Pinkerton’s showed up at the Houston BBQ festival with:

Smoked shoulder clod on a bolillo bun with Asian slaw & homemade spicy mayo and bread pudding with smoked cream cheese icing & wild blueberry reduction

Scroll about half way down on this post to see a pic.

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Is this meant as a PS to your BBQ post?

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I think Bruce was replying to this question from above.

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Good lord. That was quite a nice read. I’m starving now lol. Who compiled all those pics? I’m sorry if I missed it. I was drooling the entire time and probably missed it. I can’t believe how many types of dishes they put out.

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Guess I missed this. The blogger’s name is Jimmy Ho apparently.

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Stopped by San San Tofu this week. Haven’t been in a couple of years I guess but have been going for years to pick up some vegetarian fare prepared according to strict Buddhist guidelines so I understand.

There appears to have been a change of ownership; more of the space devoted to groceries has been given over to the steam table restaurant portion which has been spiffed up a bit. The steam table extends a lot longer than it did. Signage has improved and there’s a space apparently devoted to vegetarian banh mi preparations. Unfortunately it seemed to me the food has gone downhill a bit.

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Mock Xiu Mai and Cha Gio plus a complementary cup of soup. There was what I first thought was mock chicken in the soup but later determined it was tofu not pretending to be anything other than tofu (or maybe there was both). The dim sum was okay. I usually get a about 3 times as many pieces but there wasn’t much to pick from. The chili paste was very bland.

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You used to have a choice of a noodle or rice main, the choice now is white rice or brown rice. I tried the noodle offering too; very thin, narrow noodles with lots of vegetables but not much flavor. The best looking thing, and best thing I got, was the mock sweet and sour beef.

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Stopped by Bollo Wood Fired Pizza today, Alabama @ Greenbrier. I went for the Linguine Carbonara. Not bad. Chock full of pancetta and crimini with a garlic cream. I liked the pasta but the dish was too dry and the pasta clung together in clumps. I guess it need a little pasta water added??

Forgot my camera. Took a pic with my smart phone which probably will not be very good but so far I haven’t been able to remember how to get a pic from my smart phone to my computer.

Bollo

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I’ve got another pizza place over in that area on my list to try, but I so rarely eat pizza anymore and generally save it for the Four Seasons pizza at Mascalzone. However, Luna has gotten lots of accolades here and other places.

By the by, the original Pizaro’s on Memorial is moving to the I-10 Freeway between Wilcrest and Kirkwood, snuggled between Subway and Robert’s Carpet and Fine Flooring. While picking up a six inch tuna on white with jalapenos, I noticed they have applied for a beer and wine permit, which I think will help them. If I go there again, I’ll order a salad and enjoy it before returning to order a pizza. Otherwise, by the time you carry your salad to a table, get a drink from the fountain and stab a plastic fork into the salad, the pizza has arrived. They bake for 90 seconds, which I think is 10-20 seconds too short.

As far as phone pics, I often write on my computer then log in on my phone to click the little edit pencil and upload pics from my phone (within an hour). Typing or dictating this much on the phone is too annoying.

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I tried Izakaya Wa off Memorial in that cute little house-like restaurant tucked behind a shopping center. The lunch specials were well priced and plentiful. Someone yells “NAMASTE!” everytime someone walks in. I’ll definitely be back for lunch.

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