Photos by Mai Pham

Lechon -- suckling pig topped with chicharron, served with cilantro, onion, pico de gallo, tortillas

This week, we've been chatting with Ruben Ortega of Hugo's and Backstreet Cafe.
This is the third and final part of a three-part Chef Chat series. If you missed our previous posts, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Ruben is the lesser known sibling of Hugo Ortega, and his official title at Hugo's is that of Pastry Chef. I got to know both brothers last year, while we were standing backstage at the Anthony Bourdain show, waiting to get our books signed by Bourdain and Eric Ripert. Hugo, the older brother, is more formal and more reserved. Ruben is more gregarious, with an open personality and easy sense of humor, which is interesting because even though he goes everywhere with Hugo, he's happy to stay in the background in deference to his older brother.

It made sense when he told me about his background, about their large family, and the fact that he and his brother espouse a more traditional view of their food. Culturally, showing respect for your elders, be it your brother or uncle or grandmother, is strong in ethnic communities, and the Ortega family seems very rooted in tradition. This translates into their food, and the execution of the dishes that come to your table when you visit Hugo's.

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Before you head out of the office for your long weekend, pick up today's Houston Press Voice Daily Deal, good for half-off food at Live Oak Bar & Grill. Enjoy delicious, customize-your-own burgers, or go to town on some of the best crawfish in the city. Right up the street from Karbach Brewery, Live Oak Bar & Grill has a huge patio so go take the brewery tour and then hang at Live Oak for food and live music. The kitchen at Live Oak Bar & Grill is open until 10 p.m., and Happy Hour is served daily from 4 to 8 p.m. -- and all day on Sunday.

This voucher expires on 11/30/13 and is valid for both dine-in and take-out; limit one per couple. This voucher cannot be redeemed until the day after the deal closes.

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Both RA Sushi locations in Houston will host their 9th annual "Nicky's Week" starting this Sunday, May 26 through Saturday, June 1 to raise funds for children battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Since its inception, Nicky's Week has raised more than $1 million for St. Jude's thanks to the participation from all 25 RA Sushi spots across the nation.

During Nicky's Week, the Highland Village and CityCentre locations of RA Sushi will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from their Nicky's Week menus to St. Jude's. The items on the Nicky's Week menu are RA Sushi's perennial best-sellers: edamame, Tootsy Maki, shrimp nigiri, pork gyoza, chicken yakitori, garlic citrus yellowtail tapas and a few signature cocktails.

Nicky's Week honors the memory of Nicholas "Nicky" Mailliard, a St. Jude's patient from Scottsdale, Arizona who lost a long battle with brain cancer in February 2005 at the age of 13. Mailliard was the nephew of one of RA Sushi's founders, who organized Nicky's Week to help raise funds for the other children at St. Jude's, where doctors and researchers freely share their research with the medical community and no family has to pay for treatment.

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Texas peach kolaches with bourbon and bacon at Revival Market.

Memorial Day Prep and Kolache Breakfast at Revival Market
Saturday, 8 a.m.
550 Heights Boulevard

If you've got a lot of prep work for a Memorial Day weekend cookout, Revival Market is giving you an incentive to get out of the house and get going this Saturday morning. The special Saturday breakfast this week will be kolaches and klobasneks in four flavors: Texas blackberry with basil and ricotta, Texas peach with bourbon and bacon, spicy boudin, and Czech sausage and cheddar.

After breakfast and a cup of coffee, walk a few feet into the Market's prepared foods section and deli to pick up all the sides and raw materials you'll need for the weekend's festivities. Revival will be offering housemade sausages, housemade burger patties, all-beef hot dogs, grass-fed beef briskets, Augustus Ranch beef collars, St. Louis ribs, and tons of Revival Meats pork (shoulders, loins, collars, bellies) that begs for some low-and-slow smoking.

On the side, pick up some Words & Food pimento cheese, Revival's own tomato-cucumber salad, roasted corn salad or potato salad. And for dessert, grab a blackberry or pecan pie.

See also:
- 5 Summer Barbecue Recipes Lightened Up
- How to Make a Drunk Watermelon for Memorial Day
- An Under-$20 Bordeaux of Memorial Day Drinking

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If you're out in northeast Houston, taking in the sights, you might want to avoid the Sonic at 9425 Mesa. It got a ticket after an inspector turned up eight violations, including improper reheating of potentially hazardous foods; potentially hazardous and ready-to-eat food held for more than seven days; improperly constructed floors; exterior surfaces not kept free of litter; and no Food Service Manager's Certification; and using shipping containers or milk crates as support or storage shelves.

Also, hey, avoid the Subway at 9421 Mesa. It didn't get hit with as many violations - just four - but it did earn a citation. An inspector found food employee not wearing effective hair restraint; toilet facilities not kept clean; no Food Service Manager's Certification; and potentially hazardous food held at improper temperature.

And not to get too down on Mesa, but La Campesina Meat Market (8908 Mesa) had one of the worst inspections of the last week, earning a ticket after an inspector turned up 14 violations. Problems included no Food Service Manager's Certification; mislabeled or spoiled food; potentially hazardous food not held at proper temperature; single-service articles being used more than once; dirty or improperly used wiping cloths; poorly designed or maintained equipment; dirty non-food-contact surfaces; effective pest-control measures not taken; and toilet facilities not kept clean.

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Sorry, Sugarbaby's fans: You'll have to find a new cupcakery.

When one oven door closes, another opens (or something like that): Sugarbaby's Cupcake Boutique ceased operations this past Saturday, May 18. The bakery inside the bright pink-and-green building on Shepherd thanked its fans on Twitter for all their years of support: "Sold out for our last day. It was great to see so many friendly faces. Thanks so much for 6 yrs of awesomeness."

But while Sugarbaby's is no more, Porch Swing Desserts has finally opened its own brick-and-mortar location after years of selling its baked goods online and in its mobile food truck. The new downtown bakery at 801 Lousiana (at Rusk) opened yesterday, May 16, and is currently hiring another pastry chef to come on board.

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Photos by Mai Pham

Seasons 52 organic salad with grilled beets, pistachio, dried cherry, cumin lime dressing.

Seasons 52, the new restaurant located in the new Millennium complex on Westheimer adjacent to Bo Concept, is opening to the public today.

"The name Seasons 52 represents the 52 weeks of the year," said Reuben Rolf, the managing partner. "Every week, our menu offers a side panel of new dishes that use the freshest possible ingredients for that week." The most amazing thing about the menu, however, is the fact that the chefs have created delicious dishes with one overarching parameter: All the dishes are 475 calories or less.

It's hard to believe, especially when you see some of the things coming from the kitchen. During my tour of the restaurant, I spied a big plate of what looked like three good-sized short ribs covered in what appeared to be a calorie-laden demi-glace sauce, and quickly expressed my skepticism. "Those would be our lamb chops," my tour guide Jeremy explained. "And the way they are prepared makes them no more than 475 calories."

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Photo by: Hugo's Restaurant/Facebook

Ruben Ortega with his brother Hugo Ortega at this year's James Beard Foundation awards ceremony

This is Part 2 of a three-part Chef Chat series. You can read Part 1 here, and Part 3 in this same space Friday.

EOW: So at Hugo's, you're sort of the man behind the man.

RO: Well, Hugo's the boss. He's the big guy.

EOW: What is his role and what is your role? Because you're with him almost everywhere.

RO: He's the one who develops the menu. And he's the one who is the head behind Hugo's and Backstreet. And I back him up.

EOW: Do you collaborate on the menus at all?

RO: Yeah, I do. I do the pastry menu, I help with the regular menu. So basically I just make sure that everything runs smoothly.

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Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

I had a lot of questions on my first visit to the new Kublai Khan Crazy Mongolian Stir-Fry on Milam: Why is there a weird indoor-outdoor bar greeting customers when they first walk into the heavy double doors? Why did a waitress take our drink orders and then claim that she didn't? How can having so much raw meat piled up on a buffet be a good thing?

But one question troubled me most, and it was this: What if I love the stir-fry dish I come up with but forget the ingredients I chose? I'll never be able to recreate that dish again.

Indeed, there are thousands upon thousands of possible recipes one could create by walking his tray down the cafeteria-style line, filling his stainless steel bowl with everything from raw octopus and cabbage to Thai curry powder and rosemary. It feels a little like an episode of Chopped, in which you're both creator and judge of your final dish.

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FYHA

In a recent Food & Wine article, restaurant editor Kate Krader called Houston "America's newest capital of great food" and listed 10 of her favorite dishes/drinks in our city to underscore her point. They included the Vietnamese Wagyu meatballs at Underbelly, the blackstrap rum daiquiri at Charity Saloon and the fatty brisket at Gatlin's BBQ.

The list was the source of much discussion in Houston food circles, and even inspired at least one local blogger -- Albert Nurick -- to write a 10 best dishes list of his own. "My approach focuses on the classics," wrote Nurick. "I'm going for the timeless dishes that describe the dining scene in Houston." To that end, Nurick's list featured selections such as the fajitas at the original Ninfa's on Navigation, chicken and waffles from the Breakfast Klub and the chocolate souffle from Tony's.

While trying to decide what my final blog posts for Eating...Our Words would be before my departure tomorrow, I considered the fact that I won't be around this year for the 100 Favorite Dishes countdown nor for the annual Best of Houston® issue in September. Both are excellent means of recognizing restaurants which may not be the hottest, youngest, newest things in town but are still vital components of our city's dining scene.

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