The Houston Press Food Blog

August 2006 Archives

Taco Truck Disappears, Reappears

Wed Aug 23, 2006 at 12:04:55 PM
Photos by Robb Walsh
Taqueria Tacambaro behind the Farmers Market on Airline.

Houston artist and French-born gourmet Bernard Brunon was so impressed by the tripe and sweetbreads at Taqueria Tacambaro, the taco truck behind Caninos Produce on Airline, that he went back a few days later. He called me in horror from the parking lot:

The taco truck had disappeared!

I told him that taco trucks routinely return to home base to get cleaned and restocked. But I was a little nervous since those tripe and sweetbreads tacos are the subject of this week's review.

Bernard Brunon is one happy Frenchman when he gets his tripe tacos.

So I stopped by earlier this week just to make sure that the Taqueria Tacambaro truck (it's actually a trailer once the pickup truck leaves) had reappeared. It had.

And now we can all slurp down those lovely tripe tacos again. -- Robb Walsh

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So How Big Are the Fries?

Tue Aug 15, 2006 at 12:35:09 PM
Courtesy of Bob's BBQ & Grill
They're gonna need a bigger to-go bag.

Think you're a tough guy cuz today you'll be lunching on a one-pound burger at Fuddruckers or Christian's Tailgate Grill & Bar? You might be big s*** here, but you're a wee baby in Thailand.

Last week (remember, news travels very slowly from Thailand) folks from Bob's BBQ & Grill (which is owned by Texan Bob Schindler) created the world's largest hamburger. To celebrate the King of Thailand's 60th anniversary of his accession to the throne, the burgermakers concocted a beast that weighed in at 78.5 pounds and measured 23.62 inches wide and 13.78 inches high. (Man, imagine what they'll do for his 75th anniversary.)

It was topped with two large heads of lettuce, 15 tomatoes, four large onions, 35 slices of cheese, one and a half cups of mustard, one cup of ketchup, four whole pickles and four whole jalape�os. (Please, Robb Walsh puts more than that on his hot dogs.)

The mammoth sandwich will soon be certified by the Guinness Book of World Records, and will be named as The World's Largest Commercially Available Hamburger. The "Big Bob's Texas Belt Buster" is on the regular menu and can be ordered (in Thailand) with just 12 hours' notice, and costs a mere $400. No word on the price of a combo meal.

Hear that? Twelve hours. Now if you'll excuse us, we've got a to-go order to phone in. -- Steven Devadanam

Category: Leftovers
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Bust a 'nut

Mon Aug 07, 2006 at 12:11:59 PM
Photos by Robb Walsh
Coco Frio in Rio.

Looking for a refreshing lunch sipper? Drop that Fanta. Step away from the Pabst. Food critic Robb Walsh has a treat for you -- and you don't have to worry about those pesky cans...

Cold coconuts are cheaper than bottled water in Rio de Janeiro. The vendor hacks off the top and gives you a straw when you order it so you know its sanitary. Coconut water is a little sweet, a little tart and extremely thirst-quenching. After a while, you get addicted to the things.

Driving down Harrisburg on Friday afternoon, I noticed a sidewalk fruit stand with a sign that said "cocos frios." And since it was hot as hell outside and I was parched, I pulled the car over and bought one.

Coco frio on Harrisburg.

A cold coconut costs $3 on Harrisburg, which is three times what they cost in Rio, but it sure tasted good. Coconut water is a lot better for you than Diet Coke too. Angela, the watermelon vendor keeps her coconuts in a cooler under plenty of ice so they're extra cold. -- Robb Walsh

Category: Leftovers
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Jumbo Flapjack Stack

Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 11:20:28 AM
Julia Walsh
That's a flap, Jack.

And now for another installment of "What's in Robb's Refrigerator?" where we ask food critic Robb Walsh what's growing in his Sub-Zero:

This is what's left of a stack of pancakes I ordered at Kelley's Country Cooking. By cutting what was left of a pancake in half and weighing it, I calculated that the full stack of three pancakes weighed one pound and 11 ounces. That's a lot of pancakes.

I warmed these up in a frying pan and we ate them with Steen's Cane Syrup. They tasted pretty good reheated. But if you're going to Kelley's for breakfast, I'd suggest you get the short stack. -- Robb Walsh

Category: Leftovers
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