Houston Food Blog

​This past summer, Robb Walsh visited Fredericksburg hot spot Rebecca's Table, owned by famous chef and baker Rebecca Rather. After his mouthwatering description of the rabbit sausage there, I couldn't wait to go. Unfortunately, it's now closed, but I decided to try the bakery next door, Rather Sweet, which Rather opened in 2001.

We got there about an hour before closing. The lunch service was over, but we were hoping to grab a few goodies for our drive home. We weren't the only ones with that idea. Ten people were already in line waiting to order when we walked in, and more people were filing in quickly. When Rather walked out, two people behind me whispered excitedly, "I think that is her."

Wrong, but right: Oreo Pizookie

​Imperial Sugar may not actually produce sugar in Sugar Land anymore, but even as dust collects on the factory smokestacks and the museum leads tours through the old warehouse, there are still a number of bakeries, breweries and cafes making Sugar Land's namesake proud.

5. Dessert Gallery is an itch that never should have scratched, especially because, unlike a lot of places in Sugar Land, it's open late. We recommend chocolate-dipped chocolate cookies, white chocolate Oreo truffles, and basically anything with raspberry icing for those weak moments at 11 p.m. that often involve sweat pants.

​After a fruitful trip to Half-Price Books in Rice Village, we stopped by the newest location of The Chocolate Bar, which serves up chocolate-covered fun in just about any form you can imagine: fruit, nuts, popcorn, coffee beans, pretzels, Oreos and more. If you can dream it, they can dip it. And we can eat it.

Yesterday, staring right up from the display case, was a gorgeous-looking creation we'd yet to notice: a Twinkie draped in ribbons of dark chocolate. Huh. Curiosity piqued. Several years ago we ate a Fried Twinkie at the Santa Cruz boardwalk, and it was 90 seconds of pure bliss followed by 90 minutes of murderous bubble gut. Still, the potential for greatness in this chocolate-dipped imitator was intriguing, and we couldn't pass it up.

​Let's start by saying that Pecan Pie in a Jar is not meant to be eaten directly from the jar. One spoonful and I was sure this taste test was over before it began, but upon further review of the fine print, it turned out you actually need eggs to make it remotely edible.

Was it better than my grandpa's pie made with pecans from the tree in his own backyard in Pasadena, or the Armadillo Palace pie that's so good it merits its own wooden carrying case? As if.

​Another great find at the Chocolate Festival of Texas was Mary Louise Butter's chocolate brownies. Butter's Brownies are available in 16 variations, with flavorings ranging from rose water to stout beer. The Aztec God flavor is a take on the spicy-chocolate trend - it gives a nice kick of heat at the end without confusing the palate with seasoning best left to enchiladas. The Ruby Port brownie, made with wine and espresso flavors, is just plain delicious.

​This Saturday at the Chocolate Festival of Texas, Eating Our Words set out to see just how much chocolate and wine $25 will buy you at a Sheraton near IAH.

The answer is about five half-glasses with no obligation to pour any out, and enough chocolate to make you consider trashing all remaining Halloween candy. There were chocolates and there were wines, but the most notable finds fell into the "both" category.

A chocolate wine: Landon Winery from McKinney boasts a limited-production "Chocolate Finale" red dessert wine, which has to be one of the more tolerable dessert wines I've had--it's not syrupy and overdone but chocolately in a dark way that blends flavors well.

​Berripop is the current designer drug in a long line of addictive frozen yogurts. The consistency is smooth and creamy, with surprisingly few calories.

The locations at Greenway and Uptown Park rotate flavors rather haphazardly, keeping customers on their toes and checking in regularly for the occasional surprise. Staples include blueberry, raspberry pomegranate, mango, peach, black cherry and acai berry. On rare occasions, there's green tea.

​Yesterday we talked about the soup at Star Snow Ice, the amazing restaurant tucked away in the corner of a plaza off Bellaire and Beltway 8; today we take on its sweet offerings. Snow ice, a common dessert in Asia, has gained in popularity here. It's served two different ways. One version comes with fresh fruit, shaved ice, condensed milk and, sometimes, salty plum syrup; the other is a savory dessert-snack hybrid consisting of various beans, egg puddings and other odd ingredients that might shock the conservative palette. We decided to go for the "mixed fruit snow ice" and were not disappointed.

​The Bavarian cream-filled Bismark is the thing to get at Daily Donut on Barker Cypress just north of 290. The cream-filled donut there was delicious, while the raised donut was stale and lame. Though Daily Donut calls this a Bismark, some would disagree with both the usage and the spelling. Exactly what is or isn't a Bismark is one of those pastry pilpuls that you could spend the rest of the week arguing about.

Photos by Lauren McKechnie

​Necessity is the mother of invention. For those long stretches between Easter and Halloween when candy is in short supply and groceries dwindle--here's a simple recipe to squash late-night sweets cravings.

Estimated prep: The time it takes for infomercials for the Topsy Turvy to transition to episodes of Simply Ming. Start with two slices of bread -- wheat if you must but white if you're going for authenticity. Spread Nutella on one like you would peanut butter on this sandwich's inferior daytime counterpart. Give the other slice a Paula Deen-style helping of butter. We're going for near-equal parts of Nutella and butter here. Add sprinkles for that necessary crunch. Combine.

Enjoy feeling confident that if anyone were to witness your midnight misdeed, unlike chips or ice cream or that bowl of Count Chocula, they need never know what lurks between your slices of bread.

A magnificent photo of the completed sandwich is after the jump.

​Go to the Polish food store next door to Polonia restaurant on Blalock and Campbell on Saturday morning at around 10 a.m., and you can get your paczki hot out of the fryer. Polish paczki are jelly donuts made with an extremely rich pastry and a fruit filling -- this week the paczki at Polonia are filled with rose hip jam. They sell for $1.49 each at the store. Paczki are also served for dessert on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Polonia restaurant for $2 a piece.

​Coffee Toffee with Dutch Chocolate was our first Tasti D-Lite (1707 Westheimer) experience, and by no means will it be our last. Nestled in the corner next to a Berryhill, this cozy franchise is a little difficult to find the first time.

Don't expect a huge, punch-you-in-the-face flavor at this "skim-milk-based dairy treat" establishment. Instead, enjoy a light, revitalizing, slightly less-sweet ice cream cone packed with a walloping 75 calories. The calorie count is where this dessert really outshines those shady frozen yogurt places popping up everywhere. This really is an almost not-bad-for-you option for your sweet tooth.

It's the subtle nuances of flavor we appreciated the most at Tasti-D. These cats will even let you pick your own flavor and make it for you right there on the spot, and it's available in larger pint-and quart-size containers to take home. With more than 100 flavors, making a choice can be a little intimidating. Luckily, we ran into a Tasti-D fan named John who compiled a list of must-have flavors for Eating Our Words.

​The glazed old-fashioned at Best Donuts on Braeswood at Hillcroft in Meyerland was excellent. It was also much bigger than the sad, stale little raised and glazed donut I sampled there. While I stood at the counter, I could see hot donuts cooling on a rack in the back, but I couldn't convince any of the non-English speaking employees to get me one. Whether they truly didn't understand me--or they just didn't want to go get me a hot donut -- I am not really sure.

​This week I baked vegan cinnamon rolls. Before I started the project, I envisioned myself exhausted at 2 a.m. with my arms and forehead coated in flour, waiting for dough to rise for the second time before baking. I had never baked with yeast before and was anxious about an I Love Lucy-style dough-monster disaster. Lucky for me, the cinnamon rolls were in the oven by ten, and my apartment smelled like the Keebler elves' tree house. Baking with yeast turned out to be an awesome experience. I watched my first dough ball fluff up to twice its size before punching it to deflation like a prizefighter.

The rolls came out golden brown on the outside and tender and fluffy on the inside, with the mottling of cinnamon and brown sugar along the curves. The only thing I would change about my next batch is to make more filling for a stronger, gooier cinnamon roll.

J.C. Reid

​On a recent drive through central Texas in search of unknown barbecue finds, my friend and newbie food explorer Alison chimed in from the back seat as we drove through the small town of Smithville, Texas. "Hey, did you guys see that Dairy Queen sign back there? It said 'Pumpkin Pie Blizzard.'"

What? We were on a quest for meat and brisket and sausage and ribs and other such manly fare. We had no time for an ice cream dessert, even if Blizzards are a Texas tradition. We zipped out of Smithville and headed west to Lockhart. We had some decent barbecue there, but nothing new or unknown. On the way out of town, another Dairy Queen appeared by the side of the road, and it too had a sign advertising the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard. We decided to stop and give it a try. Turns out it was the best find of the day.

​There's a picture window in the front of Shipley's Donuts on North Main where you can watch the baker rolling out the dough for each new batch of donuts. While you're standing in line, you can look over to the right and see the donuts coming out of the fryer and getting glazed. It's not quite as orchestrated for spectators as the Krispy Kreme assembly lines were, but it's still fascinating to watch your donuts getting made.

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The lady behind the counter at the Donut Wheel at Bellaire and Boone across the street from Hong Kong City Mall swore that the glazed donuts were fresh out of the oven. They weren't. They were totally mediocre. I also sampled a buttermilk donut -- the one that looks like a blown tire.

​When Lawrence Shipley Sr., Lillie Shipley, and Helen Shipley posed with employees at the original Shipley Do-Nuts bakery at 1417 Crockett Street in 1936, glazed doughnuts were selling for five cents a dozen. Shipley's Donuts are an old Houston tradition, but are we loyal because of nostalgia or because of the way they taste?

​When you walk in the front door of Bakery Donut at 1203 11th St. in the Heights, you are overwhelmed with all the choices. There are lots of kolaches, twisters, filled bars and all sorts of breakfast food. The bacon sandwich on a whole wheat English muffin looks awesome. And the donut case itself is a riot of color. I figured I had found one of those stellar little mom-and-pop doughnut shops that put the chains to shame.

​Southern Maid raised donuts fill a hole in my life. The hole where the Krispy Kreme used to be. On March 8, 2006, a day that will live in infamy, Krispy Kreme closed its six Houston locations due to a dispute with franchisee Lone Star Donuts Ltd. The North Carolina donut chain still has locations in Austin, Fort Worth and other parts of Texas. And it has vowed to return to Houston, but so far no news.

Photos by Margaret Downing

​A new cookbook called The Worry-Free Bakery arrived in Eating...Our Words' inbox the other day. It both promoted the worth of sweet desserts, and promised recipes that were fat free.

Author Kumiko Ibaraki, a former public health nurse who left nursing to go to culinary school, later founding a culinary school of her own, has re-made a bunch of popular recipes to lower their fat.

Sugar, that's a-ok in Ibaraki's book. In fact, as she puts it: "Most people think of sugar as fattening, but it's okay. Your body burns it off fast so it's a safe ingredient to use. Your body can easily break down the sugar and convert it into energy."

She goes on to say that sugar "helps raise serotonin levels in your brain, which helps stabilize your mood.

"So, with that knowledge, be at ease and make as many treats as you want for you and your family."

Okay, seems like maybe we left the planet here (a planet where a whole bunch of hyper, obese kids live), but the photos are great, the instructions clear and the food looks delicious. So we turned the cookbook over to the Houston Press resident master baker, Babbette Sandoval, who a day later showed up with a tray of treats.

"I think they're okay," she said, "but I have to warn you, they do taste healthy."

​Hostess Cupcakes celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. But you wouldn't recognize the original chocolate cupcake that came out in 1919 -- the signature seven squiggles and cream filling weren't added until 1950. Americans currently consume more than 600 million Hostess CupCakes every year, making it the world's largest-selling cupcake and the baking company's No. 1 product. The Hostess Twinkie® comes in second.

This week's sweet Snackshot comes to us courtesy of mlsnp and the House of Blues:

From the photographer's description:

"Dessert table at a private event ~ House of Blues Houston"

Vegan mint chocolate chip cupcakes

​Having a few things to celebrate with a vegan friend, I decided to order a cake from Jodycakes. Even though Jody Stevens bakes regular cakes, she specializes in vegan, gluten-free and organic varieties -- not that you could tell from the flavor that anything is "missing."

My hand-delivered cake was dark chocolate-almond, with chocolate buttercream frosting. It really was beautiful, with buttons of frosting around the edges and shaved chocolate sprinkled on top. Better yet, it tasted delicious, with hands-down the best buttercream frosting I've ever eaten and a moist, flavorful cake. We were so pleased with it, we embarrassingly hogged the entire thing between the two of us.

Photo by J.C. Reid

​When it comes to chocolate, there's the good stuff, and then there's the really good stuff. Once you get past mass-market chocolate like Hershey's, the next step up is Godiva and Ghirardelli, which are both certainly good-quality and widely available in Houston.

But the really good chocolate traditionally comes from Europe. Parisian chocolatiers such as La Maison du Chocolat and Chocolat Michel Cluizel, and Belgian makers such as Neuhaus and Leonidas, are just a few of the standard bearers of truly great chocolate. In the past, acquisition of such chocolate usually involved a trip to New York City or to Paris or Brussels.

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

So cute you want to pinch them. Or eat them.

​Cupcakes are by their very definition almost too twee to engage in a battle of any kind. But no foodstuff is allowed to stand idly by in culinary wars, and cupcakes have been pressed into service this week in spite of their soft cakey bodies and mushy frosting heads. And as it turns out, there wasn't much of a battle this week at all.

Photo by Robb Walsh

​Sagahún Chocolates in Portland, Oregon makes some of the most interesting chocolate confections in the nation. The chocolate barks get their crunch from nuts, pumpkin seeds and crushed, salted corn nuts. They take their scents from edible flowers and lavender. And they contain potent doses of jalapeño, ancho and other chiles. I am not talking about a dainty little dusting of pepper -- I am talking about enough chile to make your mouth burn.

I have often wondered if the 2000 movie Chocolat was modeled on Sagahún's owner, a beautiful artist-turned-chocolatier named Elizabeth Montes. Montes was an artist in New York when she started apprenticing to chocolate makers and learning the craft. She was forever changed after reading the Florentine Codex, the natural history of the New World written by Fray Bernardino de Sagahún. The priest wrote about the Aztecs mixing chocolate with flowers, chilies and honey. Montes took the ancient Mesoamerican approach to chocolate as her inspiration, and in 1999, she started a company called Sahagún. In 2001, she moved to Portland, where she cooked up her candy creations at home and sold them at farmer's markets. Her business took off when she opened a tiny shop on 16th Avenue in downtown Portland.

I once made the mistake of giving Sagahún chocolate to a loved one. Now they won't settle for anything else. There is plenty of great chocolate in Texas, but I still mail-order magical chocolates from Sagahún for special occasions.

Photo by Robb Walsh

​"We sell a bunch of junk," Whole Foods founder John Mackey told the Wall Street Journal when he announced the new focus on health foods that's supposed to be taking place at Whole Foods this fall. Mackey hopes to stop the decline in the sales of beans, nuts and whole grains, which is down from 15 percent of Whole Foods total sales to something like 1 percent. Mackey wouldn't promise that Whole Foods will stop selling junk like candy, cookies and other unhealthy foods, however. So it should come as no surprise that Whole Foods is preparing to enter the Space City cupcake race this week.

The macaroon is a sort of existentially confused food. In France, a macaroon is a colorful cookie sandwich. In the U.S., we generally think of coconut macaroons first, but they are often made with nuts as well. Rumor (or Wikipedia) has it that in Australia, macaroons often have a jam filling - so jealous! At any rate, screw the cupcake fad - here are five of the best macaroons in Houston.

Photos by Nikki Metzgar

​5. Three Brother's Bakery
You can't tell from the outside, but the recently reopened Three Brother's Bakery has a sleek new interior. Like many desserts here, the macaroon is a classic. It's moist, almost creamy, baked brown on the outside and dipped in chocolate on both ends - a combination that never grows old.

The rest, after the jump.

Photos by Robb Walsh

​The thermometer in the car said 100 degrees on Saturday afternoon when we stopped for ice cream at Ritter's Frozen Custard on North Fry Road in Katy. Ritter's serves scoops of frozen custard in a variety of flavors. We sampled the rich vanilla and chocolate-flecked strawberry romance flavors. Frozen custard is never hard-frozen like conventional ice cream. That makes for a pleasantly soft texture, but it also means that the ice cream melts faster.

Ritter's is a franchise of a custard stand that started in Indiana. In the Northern climes where frozen custard is king, the places that sell the stuff seldom have an interior. You sit outside on a picnic table or loiter along the boardwalk with your ice cream. That's part of the charm. So when entrepreneurs import frozen custard stands to Houston, they try to replicate the experience.