Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below.

Aghastronome: Former contributor to the now-defunct Houstonist, Mary Jane Poorman has started her own food blog and I already love it based on the name alone. Although she writes about more than just food from time to time, it's her off-the-cuff, funny and snappy restaurant writeups that I enjoy the most. Her most recent post on Sorrento Ristorante -- a place I've never visited and now very much want to -- is a perfect example of why I'll keep reading.

Cook's Tour: First looks at recently opened restaurants are a new trend for the Chron's Alison Cook, who has taken to her blog to rave about the Barbed Rose Steakhouse in Alvin. Although both the restaurant and the chef are very young, Cook seems quite taken with them so far.

Blog Of An Aspiring Foodie: Sometimes raw notes can be as enjoyable to read as a fully fleshed-out post. That's certainly true of Chris's tasting notes from the most recent Beer Camp. The sheer amount of beer sampled alone is staggering, not to mention the fact that Chris's palate was still functioning enough toward the end to record prescient thoughts like, "Intense coffee flavor, a bit of chipotle."

Feeding Curiosity: These days, Randy Rucker -- chef at locavore's dream Bootsie's Heritage Cafe in Tomball -- doesn't take to his blog very often. But when he does, it's always a treat. In this most recent case, it's even more cause for celebration as Rucker has announced the opening of his newest venture: Connate. In keeping with his farm- (or forest-) to-table philosophy, Connate will offer six- and nine-course tasting menus made with food sourced from the restaurant's farm and garden. And you thought Bootsie's was an ambitious project for the wild blue yonder of Tomball...