Who’s thrilling the great chefs of Houston? 
By Lori Moffatt
Ever since I discovered the culinary adventures to be found
on Houston’s Bellaire Boulevard, Long Point Road, and other Houston streets
where the city’s international influences collide, I’ve made it a point to seek
out the city’s small, independent, ethnic
restaurants. Thanks to Houston’s diverse population, it’s easy to explore
more than 40 world cuisines without leaving the city limits. But how do you
know you’re finding the best places?
You could follow the lead of some of Houston’s most
celebrated chefs—players on the national culinary stage who find inspiration
from the mom-and-pop eateries of their Gulf Coast melting pot. To learn more
about where they go on their days off, I joined a recent pilot tour to
inaugurate the new “Where the Chefs Eat” culinary tours program. Led by seven
nationally known Houston chefs and one award-winning food writer, our two-day
exploration shined a spotlight on the city’s multicultural food scene.
 Each chef has a different area of interest and expertise, so
the tours differ in content and style. For example, on his “Houston BBQ Trail
Tour,” longtime food critic Robb Walsh, whose Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard
Barbacoa Cookbook came out in May, introduced us to the many versions of smoked
meat in Texas, all differentiated by spices, wood, sauce, and time spent on (or
in) the pit. First up, we visited a food trailer parked outside a discount
grocery in the 5th Ward, where barbecue maestro Gregory Carter served us
classic examples of African-American brisket and sausage. Sopped in sauce and
smoked over red oak, both meats provided a dramatic counterpart to the
delicately spiced German sausages we sampled later from Guy’s Meat Market.
Next, we traveled west to Pierson’s to collectively swoon
over mesquite-smoked pork ribs and buttery bread pudding. By the time we got to
the peppery spareribs at Pizzitola’s, which has been serving barbecue since
1935, Walsh had passed along some of his encyclopedic knowledge of the history
and tradition of barbecue—and how it parallels the history and culture of
Texas.
Later, we paid a visit to El Hidalguense, an unassuming
restaurant on Long Point Road, made especially festive thanks to tequila shots
and a mariachi band. Cabrito roasted in a pit inside the open kitchen, and we
sampled the tender goat along with other delicacies from the Mexican state of
Hidalgo, including a smoky chicken mole, savory pork loin with cactus strips,
and a fiery, dark salsa made with a Central Mexican chile called chile rayado.
The tours, with themes such as “Southern Comfort,” “Taste of
Asia,” “Grocery Stores and Ethnic Markets,” and “China-town,” usually involve
two chefs, who pair up to present their favorites.
“We decided we wanted to highlight what the city has to
offer food-wise, and to showcase our diverse ethnic community,” says Chris
Shepherd, the chef at Catalan, a Washington Avenue restaurant that presents an
eclectic, locally-based menu. “I think a lot of people are afraid to get out of
their comfort zones. When they do, though, it becomes more than just going out
to eat; it becomes an education into another culture.”
“As chefs, we didn’t want to focus on our restaurants, as we
figured that people would find us anyway,” says Chef Monica Pope, whose dishes
at T’afia and Beaver’s rely on seasonal produce. “So we thought we’d share a
side of Houston that we know and love.” For her “Taste of Asia” tour, Pope
teams with Bryan Caswell, executive chef at the restaurant Reef, to explore
Persian grills, French-Vietnamese sandwich
spots, and Indian vegetarian restaurants.
And sometimes the chefs veer away from restaurants
entirely—Pope and Chef Marcus Davis host a tour called “Momma’s House,” during
which they visit their actual mothers’ houses for authentic home cooking. “My
favorite place to eat is in my mom’s kitchen,” says Davis. “So we’re all going
to eat the comfort food I ate on Sunday mornings, growing up.”
My group didn’t get to visit Monica Pope’s or Marcus Davis’
moms’ houses. But we did visit a diverse collection of restaurants across the
city. At Vieng Thai, we dined on coconut-milk soup, fragrant with lemongrass,
scallions, and ginger; refreshing green-papaya salad, pungent with fish sauce;
beef in green curry; and curried chicken with potatoes and peanuts. At
Himalaya, an Indian-Pakistani restaurant west of Loop 610, we sampled
brilliantly spiced lamb biryani, chicken tikka masala and hara masala, and
amazing naan—golden, bubbly, and yeasty, yet still light in texture and flavor.
Nearby,
at the London Sizzler, a British-style Indian restaurant, we savored tandoori
chicken, a complex fish masala, and a spicy, Indian version of fried okra,
prepared with onion, coriander, cumin, and cilantro.
We even visited one of the chefs’ favorite supermarkets—a
sprawling Asian market west of the city off I-10, where I purchased a bag of
Thai red rice, a bag of wasabi peas (in case I ever felt hungry again), and a
mystery bag from the vast fungus aisle that turned out to be an herb used to
improve liver function.
Perhaps I was foolish to explore the fungus aisle blind. You
don’t have to: On their “Grocery Stores and Ethnic Markets” tour, chefs Chris
Shepherd and Randy Evans accompany groups to markets (Polish! Russian!
Mediterranean! Southeast Asian!) across the city, where they’ll share their
shopping secrets. “When we started serving spring rolls at Haven, I didn’t know
what brand of wrapper was best,” says Evans. “So I asked one of the cooks at a
place I used to frequent. She said, ‘Get the one with the two flying horses on
the front.’ I’ve been using them ever since.”
“Embracing new
cuisines,” observes Chef Hugo Ortega, who brings continental polish to his
interior-Mexican dishes at Hugo’s, “is what enriches a community, generates
energy, and distinguishes one group from another. On these tours, I believe I
have this great opportunity to present my country’s culture to the world.”
And with these tours, you’ll see a side of Houston you might
not know existed.
I can’t wait for further exploration.
Houston Culinary Tours
Tickets cost $180 per person, which includes tastings at
each restaurant, complimentary St. Arnold’s beer, limo-bus transportation, and
a gift bag. Proceeds benefit the Houston Food Bank. See
www.HoustonCulinaryTours.com.
From the July 2010 issue.
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