Where to Find Wood Chunks for Smoking

If you have a Do It Best network hardware store in your area, you can order different types of chunks (free delivery to a local store) from doitbest.com. i think you can find a participating store from the website.

caliking in Los Angeles Area

Interesting Find for Spices and indian Masala blends in Stafford

thanks for the info. I'll try and stop by next time I'm in Stafford.

caliking in Houston

best Chinese restaurant in Houston?

Mala is definitely on my list now. One of my top favs is Peking Cuisine - not in the best neighborhood, but the food is tremendous. The peking duck is a must (call ahead).

8332 SW Fwy
Houston, TX 77074

caliking in Houston

Looking for huge international market in Houston

Don't know if this is what OP migh tbe interested in, but for all things Mexican/Hispanic try Mi Tienda (HEB specialty store). Its set up like a market place with different stores/stalls within a store. Possibly the Buford of Mexican stores. When I went there, I was like a kid going nuts in a candy shop.

caliking in Houston

Best pho in Houston?

Look up Cafe TH formerly Thiem Hung, and see if they serve pho at dinner time. Used to be a lunch only place, but I think they do dinner now. owner is a super nice guy, and its a great place to eat.

caliking in Houston

Houston's Best Ethnic Restaurants

Ok here's another one, again OTL but really good.

Heritage India Cuisine's Sunday lunch buffet, out in Stafford. Traditional Kerala (Southern India) grub, not the dosas and idli that folks usually associate with Southern indian food. Get there when they open, so the food will be hot and fresh. You'll find duck curry, pork fry, a few different veg items and other things. Its out of the way, the owners are nice, and they cook great food. The Sat buffet is not as good.

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Heritage India
3201 S Main St, Stafford, TX 77477

caliking in Houston

Coming Home for the Weekend

For central TX barbecue, pleeeeaaaase do yourself a favor and drive out to central TX! You will love yourself for having done so. Lockhart, Luling, etc - past threads sing the virtues of different joints in different little towns. It will take the better part of the day, depending on how many places you go to, but its doable. Truly a unique experience if you can make the time.Skip Luling City Market here in Houston - I'm not a fan. Hebert's on Richmond has some neat frozen Cajun/Creole items if you want to make something at home. For Mexican, try Hugo's Sunday brunch its really pretty good.

Also, I've been to Stella Sola ("Texan Tuscan" cuisine) a few times since trying them during Restaurant week. Their bone marrow is pretty good, and the salted caramel affogato dessert is fantastic(especially the espresso chocolate fudge sauce).

[Edit: sorry just saw that you're coming for a weekend, so may have to save the central TX bbq tour for later]

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Stella Sola
1001 Studewood, Houston, TX 77008

caliking in Houston

Houston's Best Ethnic Restaurants

There is definitely better dimsum available than Ocean Palace, but I said it was a good place to start if one is new to dim sum in Houston. My personal preference is for the smaller a la carte dim sum places, since things are made to order and taste much better. Fung's is a good place, especially if one does not feel like driving to Bellaire.

@ Doobiewah: Malaysian food rocks! One of my fav cuisines sine it is such a melting pot of cultures (Chinese/Malay/Indian). Its like Chinese food with an Indian slant (not Indo-Chinese which is a whole different beast when done well). One signature dish is Roti Canai (different spellings abound) which is an appetizer of some chicken curry, with a soft dosa-like bread. Some dishes use shrimp paste which I love.

If you haven't been to Banana Leaf, I strongly recommend it. I think there used to be another Malaysian place in town, but it closed some time ago.

They won't win any awards for service, but it goes with the territory, and I'm willing to look beyond that for tasty grub.

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Ocean Palace Restaurant
11215 Bellaire Blvd Ste D-01, Houston, TX 77072

Banana Leaf
9889 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036

caliking in Houston

INSTANT-READ THERMOMETERS

Get the Thermoworks RT600c from Amazon and you're done. For $25 its an awesome thermometer. I bought one after becoming annoyed and frustrated with inaccurate thermometers. Its much chaeper than a Thermopen, and its waterproof - you can stick it in the dishwasher to check the wash temp.

caliking in Cookware

Where can I get a fresh turkey for Thanksgiving?

It's that time of year again... my favorite holiday of the year!

I'm looking for places to buy a fresh whole turkey - no hormones, not injected with sodium whatsit, nothing. Just the feathers off and in a bag. We used to get fresh turkeys from an Amish farmer when we lived in the Midwest, and I've been hooked ever since.

I'm looking for a smallish bird - about 10lbs or so. Planning on smoking or deep frying it, but haven't committed to either yet.

Can any 'hounds guide me in the right direction? Some potential sources include Pete's Fine Meats, and Revival Meats, but I have not looked into these yet. If you know of any butchers/stores/farms let me know.

Thanks!

caliking in Houston

Houston's Best Ethnic Restaurants

BBQ Tonite for Pakistani: 14617 Beechnut Street Houston, TX 77083-4436
(832) 328-0786

Banana Leaf -Malaysian: 9889 Bellaire

Ocean Palace - good place to start for Dim Sum.

9116 Bellaire (can't remember the name) for Chinese and hot pot.

All Bengal for Bengali/Bangladeshi food

Peking Cuisine

A Ly: 11360 Bellaire Blvd; Houston, TX 77072 - great Peking duck with those little steamed flat bun kind of things.

These are kind of all over the place (a few are in Chinatown on Bellaire), but each one is a stellar eatery in my opinion.

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Ocean Palace Restaurant
11215 Bellaire Blvd Ste D-01, Houston, TX 77072

Peking Cuisine Restaurant
8332 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77074

Banana Leaf
9889 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036

caliking in Houston

Mom & Pop type bakeries for birthday cakes etc?

Added 3 brothers to the list, thanks. Anything in particular that you love from them?

caliking in Houston

Mom & Pop type bakeries for birthday cakes etc?

Alma's looks awesome! I will try and order a pie or two from them for Thanksgiving. The pics on their custom cake orders are pretty amazing.

Thanks James! This is just t the sort of thing I was looking for.

caliking in Houston

Mom & Pop type bakeries for birthday cakes etc?

Hello all.

Can anyone give me recs for a mom & pop type (or similar) bakery where cakes or cupcakes are made fresh to order and taste spectaular. Interesting flavors are of course appreciated. No special diet restrictions.

I'm asking because I recently went to get a cake for my wife's birthday - kind of last minute. I love to cook, but baking is not my forte. Anyways, I ended up at Dessert Gallery and picked a red velvet cake. To my disappointment, the person who was helping me went to the back and pulled out a boxed cake from the refrigerator. I know, I know - what else could I expect for last minute options.

Anyways, I have vowed to do better for next year. I miss the old Jewish bakeries in Chicago. Your suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

caliking in Houston

Stealing again, Where are Houston Foodies Getting Their Information?

Yelp usually works for me. Depending on what I'm in the mood for trying, I'll search on Yelp, and then whittle down my choices based on what the reviews look like. It has worked pretty consistently. if a place is ranked 4+stars with several reviews (i.e. not just 1 -3 reviews from the owner and his friends) it has almost always been a hit. 3+ stars can be hit or miss in my experience. I also spend an ungodly amount of time searching for places on the web. B4ueat has been difficult to navigate at times.

Oh, among blogs I also like Chili Bob's Houston Eats and I'm Never Full. One of my alltime favs is Guns and Tacos.

caliking in Houston

Smoking a boston butt for pulled pork

In my experience, the best butts turn out when smoked at 225°F, 250°F-ish also yields decent results. The goal is to render the fat sloooowly. Fruit woods (apple, cherry, etc) are my preference for flavor, but too much wood on the coals can give a bitter taste to the meat. Purists go for long smokes 10+hours, often overnight smokes. Many like to foil around 160°F-ish, when the meat stalls, and then take the meat out of the smoker when the bone wiggles freely, and even slides right out (usually about 190°F-205°F internal temp).

Temps may be harder to control with an electric smoker, but if you know your gear well, you probably know how to regulate the temps to your liking. Resting for a few hours in a cooler (wrap the meat in foil and towels and fill the dead space with crumpled newspaper) finishes the process and should give you a butt that pulls easily.

There are ways to do butts "hot and fast" at temps as high as 350°, you might want to experiment with foiling as mentioned above if trying this method. Obviously the time taken to cook will be shorter. I have even heard of some people doing a butt on a rotisserie.

Hope this helps!

[Sorry, I just noted that you were using a gas grill or electric smoker, so pardon the recs about smoking with charcoal. The point is the temps, which you should still be able to manage with your equipment].

caliking in Home Cooking

Going to the Alley Theater... any brunch/lunch suggestions?

So we ended up going to Backstreet Cafe. We all enjoyed eating out on the patio, and were able to finish minutes before it started raining. Us=1, weather 0. :) Although. we were so happy it rained - Texas has been so parched this summer, the rain was much needed. A win-win situation.

I will definitely go back for brunch at Backstreet. I had excellent crab cakes - soft almost creamy, very little filler/binder- with a red pepper sauce that I really liked. Their poached eggs were good, and the cocktails were nice as well ( I had a plum mojito, others enjoyed their drinks as well). A little on the pricey side, but worth it for a goos experience. When I go back, I will ask for a table in the window nook by the hostess station - a 2top and a 4 top in a bay window which looked like the perfect spot to enjoy brunch and read the paper on a weekend morning.

caliking in Houston

Going to the Alley Theater... any brunch/lunch suggestions?

Thanks for the recs. Decided against Italian since my wife makes a killer carbonara, we make pizzas in our own brick oven, and I am still on a high from Osteria Antica (from over a year ago ! Love that place). Backstreet sounds enticing so I called and and made a reservation.

Tried Haven during HRW and had a nice meal. It was however superseded by dinner at Stella Solla, which I highly recommend - get the bone marrow, and the salted caramel affogato for sure. Back on topic - we looked at the brunch menu for Stella Solla and it is also on our list of places to try for brunch ( going there for dinner this weekend so can't go there for brunch).

A friend recommended Canopy. I checked out the menu, and that fried pork loin looks mighty good (... as do many fried things, to me). Any supporters?

caliking in Houston

Going to the Alley Theater... any brunch/lunch suggestions?

We're going to see a play at the Alley Theater in the afternoon on Saturday, so I'm trying to find a good place for brunch (buffet or not) or lunch before the show.

I've been to Benjy's in the Village before and liked it. We have guests form Dallas, and I think they would like it as well.

Other places being considered:
Mockingbird
Backstreet
Brennan's (not sure if they have a Sat bruch)
Monarch in Hotel Zaza
Churrasco's

I would welcome any opinions or other recs.

Is Birra Poretti worth going to? Its very close to the theater and would work well logistically.

Thanks!

caliking in Houston

Best Indian Food and Staff

I think London Sizzler is a stellar place as well. Great variety of dishes, they have a bar, and yes the service is pretty good. Also a great place for folks new to Indian/Pakistani food.

caliking in Houston

Labor Day Weekend recs for Huntington Beach and nearby???

Hello all.

We will be spending the Labor Day Weekend at a wedding in Huntington Beach. We will be free to roam on Thurs, Fri first half of the day, and Sunday. We will have a car. Itried perusing the board, but did not see much that applied to my request ( I would be happy to be corrected).

Can folks suggest their favorites in the area or close by. I'm particularly interested in fish tacos for lunch one day and great seafood. Price range is from hole in the wall to food trucks to dressy joints. We love ethnic eats, and spicy fare.

Looking forward to your suggestions! Thanks.

caliking in Los Angeles Area

Boudin in Houston - for you Jaymes

The local Hebert's on Richmond (same strip as Luling City Market, I think) has been pretty good for me, but I'm a boudin n00b. I've liked their stuffed chickens, and even got a turducken from them for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago (I liked the stuffed chicken better). The freezers have lots of interesting things, and I don't recall being overly disappointed with anything (but I'm no expert). I also picked up some Slap Ya Mama hot rub from them - its blazing hot!

caliking in Houston

Best iftar/Pakistani food (buffet or a la carte) during Ramadan?

Thanks for the rec for Royal - will try to make it out there. I'll investigate how to get haleem from Himalaya.

@ DoobieWah: During Ramadan, people often get together or go out as a group to break the day's fast - the idea is to share with friends/family and spend time with them. Restaurants will often step it up a notch to attract these groups, to be "the" place for iftar dinners, etc. good Pakistani restaurants are usually better during the Ramadan season. I admit that I started this thread for selfish gastronomic reasons, not for any spiritual/theological ones.

@kagemusha49: Even though I would prefer not to let this thread become one devoted to Indika (a new thead could be started for that purpose), I stand by my "ugh" for Indika. A review is one's description of their experience and impression, which is subjective. I know many rave about Indika, and I am glad that they have found a restaurant which they so thoroughly enjoy. I have been to Indika once and it took me a while to order, since I could not find any entree appealing. Ended up ordering a combination of appetizers, which I found to be disappointing. I remember the keema because it was subpar - a dollop of pretty bleh keema, plated with baby spinach leaves (what??) and naan which was ok, but not remarkable. The only things I enjoyed about the meal were the company I was with, and 2 great scotches (their scotch selection is pretty good for a restaurant). Indika is special because it takes Indian food to a more "respectable" level (and charges $$$ for the effort) - nice decor, geographically accessible, full bar, great wine list, etc. To me the food is not their strongest suit, hence my not so great opinion of them. I have been contemplating a second visit for quite some time, and am willing to change my opinion if warranted. For now though, the "ugh" still stands.

Anyways, back to the question of iftar specials... please post any recs if you have them. Visited Dallas over the weekend, and had to stop by BBQ Tonite. The place was bustling, and the dinner buffet was definitely better than it has been in the past. Many patrons=higher turnover of food items, so the yakhni pulao, naans, biryani, kababs, etc were fresh and fantastic. The karahi gosht was the clear star of the lineup. Dessert included shahi tukra which left me with a bit of a sugar high! Will try and hit BBQ Tonite here in Houston (not related to the one in Dallas, supposedly) to see how it measures up.

As usual, so many restaurants, so little time. :)

caliking in Houston

Best iftar/Pakistani food (buffet or a la carte) during Ramadan?

I'll try and answer your ?'s the best I can :)

-I'm not Muslim, so not fasting (although my waistline tells me I should be fasting)

-Many (or even most) places are open during the day, but can be sparsely populated since Muslims are fasting during the day and don't go to their regular haunts for lunch, early dinners, etc.

-Some places will have later hours, because folks will go out to eat after sundown. The meal for breaking the days fast can be quite a feast and many like to get together with friends and family to eat together. The lunar calendar is moving closer into the summer every year, which means that Ramadan will fall in months with longer days - sunset is about 8:00ish these days right?

- Some places will do special items for their iftar buffets or menus. Most of the time, since they know more people will come after sunset, the food is turned over quickly and quite fresh. Also, it will often have that little something extra to make it even yummier since restos are trying to put their best foot forward.

-As far as special items go, true blue Pakistani restaurants will have items like nihari, paya, haleem, magaz (brain), etc besides the usual korma, biryani, rogan josh,

If you haven't been to BBQ Tonite, I strongly recommend that you go. Great buffet (kinda greasy), that will feel rich and it is very easy to go overboard, but try and get a little taste of everything. This is not the kind of food found at most Indian restaurants or Indika (ugh).

caliking in Houston

Best iftar/Pakistani food (buffet or a la carte) during Ramadan?

Hello 'Hounds.

I'm looking for recs for iftar or Pakistani food during the month of Ramadan. I am planning on going to my usual favs (Savoy, BBQ Tonite) but was wondering if anyone has been to Sabri Nihari, Himalaya, etc. recently during Ramadan.

Distance is not a factor (but I won't drive to Hunstville!), so anywhere in Houston or the burbs is fair game.

Thanks!

caliking in Houston

[DFW] Best Mom and Pop/Hole in The Wall Ethnic Places [DFW]

Definitely recommend BBQ Tonite for awesome Pakistani grub. I think they even have brain masala on the regular menu. I have only eaten the buffet there on weekend morning but man it rawks!! Paya, haleem, biryani, naans, korma, etc. During Ramadan the weekend buffets may not be that great since they know that folks will not come to eat during the day, so go at night after sunset. After Ramadan, the weekend buffets should be back up to snuff.

caliking in Dallas - Ft. Worth

Houston Restaurant Weeks 2011

Thought I would add my $0.02 about our HRW dinner at Stella Sola.

We had a "stella"-r meal! The cocktails were decent and different from the usual. Wife had the pappardelle app which was very tasty - nice pasta, bright flavors with olives. I had the marrow, and it was the largest marrow app I've seen. i have liked Max and Julie's version in the past. Tried it at Catalan last, and it was dreadful - the marrow tasted like it had been in the freezer for a year. But Stella's was plate-lickin' awesome. Served with some toast and a pickled slaw/relish that cut the richness of the marrow perefectly. I highly recommend the NB Ranger IPA to go with it. For mains she had the Berkshire pork loin, which was very good, though a tad overdone for my taste. I had the Texas quail stuffed with suckling pig - the stuffing could have been seasoned more robustly, but the quail was donw well.

And then the desserts - I had the pistachio pound cake. Wife had the affogato - salted caramel gelato, candied walnuts, with a chocolate espresso sauce. And the portion was LARGE. I could have had just her dessert and gone home happy. Come to think of it, I did eat quite a bit of it.

The waiter was attentive but not hovering. We sat outside since the inside was loud and we weren't in the mood for the noise. We had a very pleasant evening, and would definitely go back. Everything we had tasted fresh and was also on their regular menu. We even got a peek at the brunch menu and we are thinking of trying it some Sunday.

Highly recommended for HRW... and even after.

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Stella Sola
1001 Studewood, Houston, TX 77008

caliking in Houston

Pondicheri, NEW from Anita J of Indika fame

Found this post and had to comment...

Don't waste your time here.

This place could be considered good only if you don't know where Hillcroft (at the least) is, or are too afraid to wander beyond certain confines of the city (River Oaks, the Loop, etc). The food is overpriced for "street food" and just not worth it if you like Indian food and have eaten it regularly or in different cities/countries.

On the other hand, if for you Indian food= Indika, then you will probably enjoy Pondicheri. Having said all this, I did like the paneer in the frankie - nice flavor and texture.

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Indika
516 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006

caliking in Houston

Food Trucks/Trailers

I've been trying to hit as many taco trucks as I can, but still trying to get to the other food trucks like Oh My Gogi etc.

My go-to's are the ones by the Mexican consulate since I can just take the train there. Happy Jalapeno is a non-truck but still is good. I also like the ones at Canino's, since i can also get some mangoes and other things while I'm there. The Ultimo truck at Long Point & Antoine has always hit the spot. Whenever I have to pick someone up at Hobby a stop at Tacos Del Mundo in the parking lot of that Valero on the corner (as you exit Hobby). Sorry for the vague locations - I'm directionally challenged.

As far as the heat goes, its a spectacular feeling to drink an ice-cold Mexican Coke (real sugar) in the blazing sun... makes me feel like a kid without a care in the world again!

caliking in Houston