Acme Oyster Co

For the extended Christmas weekend, the wife and I decided to visit New Orleans, since we had never visited NOLA before. Though we had planned on going weeks ahead of time, we did not make reservations until the day before we left. This was mainly to try and get a better deal on the hotel for the weekend. And it paid off. I got the hotel in the French Quarter to agree to a reduced rate with free parking that ended up saving us over $100 on hotel for the weekend. Of course that $100 still went towards food instead of savings, but c'est la vie. So on Christmas day we drove east on I-10 in virtually no traffic in search of some Cajun goodness.

Our favorite meal there was at the Acme Oyster House. Sure, it was just fried seafood but it was some of the best fried seafood we've had.


We got a dozen of their chargrilled oysters as an appetizer. The wife was happy because she can only eat cooked oysters (she's pregnant) and I was happy because it was full of butter, herbs and cheese. It was like the oysters were seasoned escargot style and then thrown on top of a flame grill. It's an amazing sight when they're cooking these babies because as the butter drips the flames dance higher. If you can get a seat facing the grill, you'll be entertained for the meal. And since it was herb butter, I used the table bread to sop up the remaining butter and cheese left inside the empty shells. It was so good we ordered another platter of these buttery beauties.


I got their Peace Maker Po' boy which is designed to prevent the turmoil that one experiences when debating between the shrimp and oyster po' boy. What you get is half of each. In all honesty, I was originally disappointed because I was expecting a po' boy with both shrimp and oysters mixed through out the entire sandwich. But that was easily remedied by alternating bites between the two halves. So what distinguishes a po' boy from a sub sandwich? It's the bread. Po' boy bread is a French-style baguette specific to Louisiana. I'm no bread expert so I can't tell you the specifics of the po' boy bread. I just know it's not as chewy as a French baguette because of a thinner crust but it's crispier than an American baguette with a fluffy interior. There. Now you know exactly how much I don't bake bread.


My wife got their two soft-shell crab plate. Not only were these the biggest soft shell crabs we've ever seen, it was also the most delicious. Just look at how the crabs dwarf the thick-cut french fries. The crabs tasted extremely fresh and were full of plump meat and flavorful crab mustard. That's right. The yellow mushy stuff in the middle of the crab's body. The mustard is by far our favorite part of the crab. It's almost like digging for gold since I eat every crab hoping for mustard but don't always get any. We both were glad she ordered two crabs so that we could each have one.


We also had a plate of their red beans and rice. That's char grilled smoked andouille sausage with seasoned red beans and white rice. Though there was nothing spectacular about this dish, it's still as authentic as it comes.

We ended up eating here twice over the weekend. Between the herb butter and colossal soft shell crab, it was hard to justify eating anywhere else.

Bush's Chicken

I had a business meeting that resulted in me driving through Waco. So I took advantage of the opportunity to stop into my favorite place fried chicken to date, Bush's Chicken. As told in lore, the Bush family started this chain in Waco and is well known by all Baylor alumni. I've actually started spreading the word to my friends in Austin and San Antonio so that they drop in on their way to Dallas.


So why is this place my favorite? It's all in the gravy. Every order of chicken fingers or other fried chicken parts come with a heavenly rich and peppery white gravy. Nearly everything is dipped in the gravy, the chicken, the fries, the mashed potatoes, the okra, and even the corn. I haven't tried dipping the coleslaw in the gravy but I'm sure it wouldn't be horrible. For all I know, the slaw might be made with the gravy. The chicken is lightly battered...well, as lightly as it gets for fried chicken. And some how, Bush's always seems to serve a fresh batch of chicken. Unlike other chicken chains where you can get a hot piece of stale chicken, at Bush's I've always gotten a hot piece of fresh juicy chicken. And that's considering the years I spent there at Baylor. They've branched out quite a bit since I left Baylor, so check out the website and if you're ever near one of their locations, namely the one in Waco off Valley Mills, make sure you stop in for some gravy. And chicken too.

Croissant Brioche

For breakfast this morning, my wife and I ventured into Rice Village to visit one of our favorite French bakeries, Croissant Brioche (2435 Rice Boulevard). This small, unpretentious bakery is always overflowing with the fragrance of fresh-baked goods full of butter and rainbows.


I got my favorite sandwich: smoked salmon on a fresh croissant. The lean smoked salmon, crisp lettuce, and fresh tomatoes helps me forget about the fact that I'm also consuming about 4 tablespoons of glorious butter.


My wife had her usual plain croissant and chocolate eclair all washed down with black coffee. We shared the eclair but only after a sneaky move on my part and some very dirty looks on hers.

Ice Cream Girl

OK, so I don't usually post about store-bought foods. However, when I opened up this container of ice cream, I was greeted by a girl with a pearl earring and had to share.

Nippon Japanese Restaurant

One night I was craving some good Japanese and food and headed over to one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Houston, Nippon. Bear in mind that I said Japanese, not sushi. Though sushi is Japanese, Japanese isn't necessarily sushi. I know too many people who mistake the two.

I love this place not only for its sushi, but also for its down-home Japanese cooking. This time around, I just got a few appetizer items to satisfy my craving.


Here are chunks of fresh chicken batter-fried. There's a bit of salt in the batter. With lemon squeezed on top, it's a deliciously simple appetizer.


This is one of my favorite dishes, ankimo, or steamed monkfish liver. Despite the monkfish being one of the uglier creatures in the sea, its liver sure is delicious when steamed and served in a mixture of ponzu and a spicy chili sauce topped with finely chopped green onions. It tastes like a milder pâté with a firmer texture. If you're a fan of pâté, definitely try this out.


This was Nippon's fresh aji, or Spanish mackerel. The small fish is filleted and its meat serve sashimi style with chopped green onions and sesame seeds on top of its bones.


One I was done with the aji meat, the bones were taken to the back where they were battered and deep fried. The frying makes the bones brittle and edible. In all honesty, I'm not exactly sure how much of this I'm supposed to it. I typically eat everything except the thickest part of the head, since its center is still very bony. But the rest of the bones are like crispy fish-flavored chips. Some might be turned off by that but I'm not sure why. There are vinegar flavored chips, which are nearly as yummy as this.


And the last thing I ate here this time was an order of amaebi, or sweet shrimp. It's two fresh shrimps, whose raw tails are served sushi-style. The heads are then battered and deep-fried. So like the aji bones, the shrimp heads become brittle, crispy shrimp-flavored chips.

Nippon rarely disappoints my cravings for Japanese cooking. Usually I come here for their more common Japanese dishes such as ramen or katsu don. But this night I just had a hunkering for little chunks of food.

Detour through Waco

While traveling from Houston to Dallas, we took a detour through Waco to visit our old collegiate stomping grounds. Though I'll never win an award from Baylor for school spirit, Waco will always have the sentimental value of a time when my only worries were finishing homework while earning $100/week for gas and food. I miss the city where 15 minutes of driving was long and rush hour meant 7 cars at the stop light instead of 2.

During this visit, we made 3 stops.


The first was to my wife's favorite coffee shop, the Common Grounds (1123 S 8th St). She loves this place not just because of the witty name, but also because they make an awesome iced mocha, which comes topped with fresh whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. There's no picture of this amazing drink because she had no patience for my photoshenanigans.


Our second stop was to our favorite Wacoan burger joint, Kitok Restaurant (815 N 18th St). We shared one of my favorite burgers of theirs...the egg burger with oriental fries. The burger alone is already a force to be reckoned with. But by throwing a fried egg into the mix, the kind Korean ladies of Kitok have made my heart flutter. Too bad the fluttering is both figurative and literal. Though unconfirmed, I'm pretty sure the oriental fries are a battered heap of sliced onions, grated sweet potatoes and sprigs of parsley.


And for our final stop, we visited our old apartment complex. This part of the trip was more for our dogs. We basically raised them as pups in this particular apartment complex, which used to be a horse farm. So the entire complex is fenced with a huge grassy area in the center perfect for pups to run around without a leash...whether the apartment condoned such freedoms was a different story. In the center of this grassy park is a sand volleyball court. Our dogs used to wear themselves out running circles in this sand court. Despite being old now and suffering from some arthritis, our dogs ran through the court as if they were pups again. Of course this time the running ended much sooner than before. I was only able to capture Sammy because Junior is took spastic for a good shot.

Sure, going from Houston to Dallas via Waco took an extra 3 hours of driving, but this sand-covered nose was worth it.

Cava Bistro

The wife and I met some good friends for dinner at Cava Bistro, a quaint, rustic restaurant serving American fare. Our friends were planning a wedding and wanted to try this place out for their wedding reception.


This was one of the three appetizers we ordered. It was an awesome plate of steamed mussels served with tomatoes in a champagne lemon tarragon broth. I was glad we were amongst good friends because I had to use my hands to eat these babies, not because it was difficult otherwise. Rather, I was trying to eat as many of them as possible. With 4 of us at a square table, I felt like one of those chomping hungry hungry hippos fighting over food.


The buttery caper sauce that came with the escargot was addicting. These little gems were served over grilled flat herb bread. I grew up eating steamed snails dipped in a lemon-salt-pepper sauce. It wasn't until much later in life that I discovered that escargot is usually served with a butter sauce in French cuisine. Needless to say, I haven't looked back since I've had it with herb butter. Anytime I order escargot, I ask for extra bread so I can sop up all that incredible butter. Don't judge me.


Our final appetizer was this dish of chicken, spinach, roasted red peppers and leeks wrapped in crispy phyllo dough with a coconut chile sauce. But after having it, I could have simply described as "YUM."


Cava Bistro's take on French onion soup uses three onions. They're all braised in a red wine beef stock and then topped off fresh slices of baguette and Swiss cheese. By this point of the meal, I was satisfied and could have gone home happy. But Mama didn't raise no quitter.

After all the above, I continued the meal with Cava's succulent beef short ribs. The fork-tender beef was serve on top of fluffy, garlicky mashed potatoes. Where's the foto? Well...by this point of the meal, I also had quite a bit of wine and started eating as soon as the plate touched the table. If it makes you feel any better, I can still close my eyes and taste the moist meat melting in my mouth.


For dessert, we shared their white and dark chocolate mousse crepes. I could try to channel my literary side by talking about the juxtaposition of the two chocolates. Instead, I'll leave you with the following words: fluffy, chocolaty, fruity, and doughy. Close your eyes and repeat them 3 times slowly.

Gelato Insanity

So during our week in Italy, we have completely indulged our sweet teeth and overdid it with the gelato, the Italian version of ice cream. The scary thing is that the images below only account for about half of the amount of gelato we actually consumed.


Cherry


Honey, chocolate Nutella, and hazelnut with chocolate swirls


Sweet cream


Chocolate and vanilla, AKA, ebony and ivory.


Crema di Santa Fina (saffron and pine-nut cream) from the best gelateria in the world.


Valrhona dark chocolate


Dark chocolate and sweet cream

Trashy gelato

My Favorite Meal in Rome

My favorite meal in Rome was dinner at Ristorante Maccheroni. My wife found this place off a list of best restaurants in Rome voted on by Romans. This place was one of the eateries at the top of the list. Because we read that this place is usually full for the late meal service, the normal time that Italians have supper, we decided to just walk in as they open their doors. Entering the restaurant, we saw the cooks busy preparing for another evening's service within the glass-enclosed kitchen. The interior dining area was styled like an extension of the kitchen with white tiled walls and shelves full of wine bottles. Though cramped and loud, the place felt very homey. We felt almost as if we had been invited into the home of an Italian family. But by a stroke of luck, we got a table outside, where the tables were more spread out. The weather was perfect, street performers were serenading, and the indistinct conversations drifted through the air.

If you didn't already know, the Italians love their dinners. From what I've read and observed, dinners seem to be a nightly celebration where tables of diners will sit over a meal for hours, going well into the night. This was evident when we approached the host who apologetically told us that though there were tables available, we only had about 2 hours to dine. This was such a stark contrast to in the U.S. where we're expected to eat within about an hour and move on so the restaurant can turn more tables. Also, I was worried the two-hour time limit might indicate slow, unfriendly service. This was far from the case. Our exuberant waiter was very friendly and courteous. He spoke much more English than I would have expected and was patient enough to allow me the opportunity to practice my severely limited Italian. The food came out within a reasonable amount of time for us to eat and enjoy. And the most amazing thing was that we never felt rushed at all. Even after we finished our food and desserts, the check did not come until requested. The waiter periodically stopped by to make sure we had enough to drink. With this type of dining experience, the food could have been mediocre and I would still return. Speaking of which, let's get to the food.


We got one our favorite appetizers, mozzarella di bufala, i.e., buffalo mozzarella. I fell in love with the creamy, stringy cheese during our first trip to Italy 5 years earlier. However, this place put a little twist on the dish. They topped the already awesome cheese with dried fish roe. Because it was dried, the roe packed the concentrated flavor and saltiness of the sea. This combined with the subtle, creamy cheese and bitter arugula made for an unforgettable combination. This was hands-down my favorite appetizer from our trip. If you're a fan of cheese and fish roe, as I am, this is a must when you're in Rome.


For my wife's pasta dish, she ordered their truffle fettuccine. The pasta was tossed in the rich creamy Alfredo-like sauce made with real grated truffles. The flavor was superb. I've had truffle oil before but this dish helped me understand why truffles are so valued. Though the sauce was creamy, the pasta wasn't swimming in it, which made the dish much more enjoyable than what we're used to in the U.S.


For my pasta dish, I ordered maccheroni, their namesake. Again, the pasta was lightly tossed in fresh sauce with the taste of mama's love and topped with freshly grated cheese.


For our meat dish, we requested an order of their spicy meatballs. These morsels of meat tasted as if they were freshly ground and rolled by hand. They were tender, full of spices and herbs, and fell apart in the mouth. The sauce was light and not overly salted. The fresh arugula and tomatoes balanced out the rich meatiness of the balls.


For dessert, we both shared a vin santo. This orange-flavored liqueur was served with pieces of sweet, crunchy biscotti. The biscotti are dipped into the liqueur so that it absorbs the orange-flavored alcohol. OMG, after this I'm not sure if I can go back to cookies and milk. This adult version of cookies and milk keep the belly warm and the laughter free-flowing.

Knowing our breaking point, we planned ahead and both shared an antipasto (appetizer), secondo (meat dish), and dolci (dessert) with each having our own primi (pasta). But looking around, there were Italian women half my size that consumed their own 4-course meal, easily putting me to shame. I felt like such a wuss complaining about how I over-ate.

My Favorite Meal in Venice

My favorite meal in Venice took place at Osteria al Mascaron. This dim, cozy restaurant served up some amazingly fresh seafood dishes.


I started off with the antipasto misto, which was a plate of mixed seafood and veggies. This Sea-World-on-a-plate consisted of freshly boiled shrimp, a huge steamed prawn tail, a sliver of pickled local fish, fried fresh anchovies, some sort of creamy crab dip, octopus salad tossed in olive oil, blanched zucchini, and a salty herb quiche. The only problem I had with this dish was the fact I had to share it.


For my primi, I ordered the cuttlefish spaghetti cooked with its own ink. Sure enough, as the name indicates, the pasta came out in a sauce blackened by squid ink. Though it was a bit intimidating initially, after the first bite there was no more hesitation. The only way I can describe the ink's flavor is that it tasted like the sea. Not the pollution-clouded sea of Galveston, but the clean, blue-water open ocean. It was slightly salty but full of that sea-salt flavor. And though the color may be an obstacle for some, in the middle of the meal, after everyone had a bite of it, it became the source of laughter since everyone's lips and teeth were smothered in the black sauce. It seemed like we were on our way to a goth party but with less leather and spikes.


And for my secondi, I devoured this fresh grill fish with sauteed vegetables. It was simply fish caught earlier the same day, filleted, brushed with olive oil and grilled. Sprinkle on some salt, pepper and lemon and it was a deliciously satisfying dish that kept me smiling during our late-night romp to Saint Peter's Square.

My Favorite Meal in Paris

After some extensive planning by my amazing wife, we're finally making like the Griswolds and romping through Europe on a European vacation. We're coming to an end on our brief stop in Paris and will be leaving for Venice soon. Considering the fact that I'm currently on vacation and these internet cafes only take euros which isn't favorable due to the exchange rate, I've decided to only post about my favorite meal in each city. After all, I am on VACATION. =D

My favorite meal in Paris was lunch at Cave La Bourgogne at 144 Rue Mouffetard. In full disclosure, we stopped into this restaurant because it was mentioned in a guide book and we were desperately hungry. So this wasn't one of our usually preplanned, well-researched meals. It also didn't help that only tourists were in the dining area while the locals were in the outdoor cafe/smoking area. I entered this place not expecting much. Luckily, I was proven wrong...thank goodness.


My wife ordered the smoked-salmon salad. As you can see, this thing was overflowing with smoked salmon. The fresh greens and tomatoes along with the hard-boiled eggs made for a nice break from the butter-laden carb-filled meals we've had thus far. And the fact that smoked salmon is one of my favorites didn't hurt either.


My dish was the confit de canard, or duck confit. This is without a doubt one of my favorite dishes of all time. FYI, I'm also a huge fan of duck. This was a quarter of a duck. The thigh and leg were cured and then fried. The pan drippings, i.e., wonderful duck fat, were then used to fry the golden potato coins that accompanied the duck. It was love at first bite. The fatty, salty duck went great with the fatty bland potatoes. The greens were merely there to break up the fat. Now I better understand why drug addicts always chase that first high...I'm not sure if I'll ever taste something like this again.

Competition at the Salt Lick

We visited Austin again and had a meal at the Salt Lick, again. However, this time I had to bring my A-game. After being seated, I noticed a camera crew in the corner of the large, mess-hall type dining area. Our server informed me that Food TV was there filming food for a show. Needless to say I was a bit intimidated by the competition... Just kidding. There was no competition. Those guys were way out of their league...

OK, self delusion aside, we had another great meal at the Salt Lick. To read about our other Salt Lick meals, view the posts with Austin or BBQ in the tag.


This was the standard family-style platter which came with all the beef brisket, pork ribs, and sausage I could eat...and I did. I prefer the fatty brisket and always request it. Also make sure to ask for their habanero BBQ sauce. Don't worry, it's not nearly as spicy as the name implies but it does have a little more kick than their standard juice.


While eagerly awaiting the best part of the meal, the dessert, I came across this awesome view of their pecan pies. Though I'm not a fan of pecan pie, I love desserts enough to give all desserts their due time on this site.


So here it is, the grand finale. Salt Lick's blackberry cobbler is the best blackberry cobbler I've had. (If you think you can make a better one, feel free to leave your contact information and we'll schedule a time for you to prove it.) The crust is a buttery cornmeal mixture and the blackberries taste as if they were picked and baked within the same day. Order this thing up a la mode and you'll forgot all your worries...if only for a little while. If anyone were to ask me, "Tam, if I could only order one thing at the Salt Lick, what would it be?" I would respond, "Bahkbary caaber." And when they ask me to repeat myself, I would finish swallowing the cobbler in my mouth and say, "Blackberry cobbler."

Caravanning to Caravelle

After partying like an Ox star at home, it was time to have a more intimate meal with just the family. So my wife and I met her mother, my parents and my brother at one of our favorite Chinese/Vietnamese restaurants in the DFW area, Caravelle. Like many Chinese restaurants, Caravelle was designed to double as a wedding venue. Its interior is a roomy dining hall dominated by large, round tables covered in white linen. A bird's-eye view of the mess hall would resemble a teeny weeny white polka-dot bikini. On the main wall are the requisite golden dragon and phoenix hanging above the 15'x15' wooden portion of the floor which doubles as the dance floor. But don't be fooled. Once the tables are cleared off the dance floor, nobody parties quite like a bunch of old Asian folks doing the Cha cha cha.


Our first dish was my favorite. On the menu, it reads as "lobster baked in cheese." However, it's actually chunks of lobster deep fried in some sort of cheese batter. For all I know, it could be dipped in Cheez Whiz and fried. Whatever the kitchen does to the lobster is nothing short of a work of art and I have never been disappointed with this dish, except that one time my younger cousins mutilated and discarded the large claws that were still packed with meat. The rich, salty cheese gives a similar effect of eating lobster with butter. However, the main difference is that this dish is much funner to eat, especially since other diners in the restaurant didn't leer at me for using my fingers. My strategy of attack starts with me going after the tail pieces, then the claws, and lastly the torso. Here's the play by play:

1. Using the chopsticks in my right hand and the fingers of my left, I tear out all the meaty morsels possible, devouring it with some fluffy white rice.
2. Using my razor-sharp incisors, I scrap all the fried cheesy goodness off the fiery-red shell.
3. Drink a large swallow of my beverage, preferably beer.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3.

I continue these steps until my area more resembles a lobster graveyard than a dining table. Unfortunately, I only get to eat this on special occassions, mainly because I could easily consume a whole plate by myself and eventually be scolded by both my wife and doctor. Only after we ran out of lobster did I continue onto the following dishes.


What's the best way to follow up some deep-fried yummies? More deep-fried yummies! These golden-brown cubes are another family favorite, stuffed tofu. Through a magical process that is akin to open-heart surgery, large hunks of silky smooth tofu were stuffed with minced shrimp. Once plump with meat, the cubes are deep-fried (maybe in the same oil as the lobster) and served to wide-eyed patrons. Though the stuffed tofu could have been a meal in of itself, eating it with some rice helped ameliorate the oiliness. After the involved process of eating the lobster, I welcomed some easy eating...until I burned the roof of my mouth. One thing I always forget about tofu is that it has the same characteristics of a styrofoam ice chest, meaning whatever you put inside remains at the same temperature. If you ever want to make a grown hungry man cry, feed him this fresh from the fryer.


By now, we were tired of deep-fried dishes and so went for this stir-fried plate. Like Matt McConaughey at UT football games, these beef noodles are a common site at our family meals. The dynamics of the ingredients started with the beef, which needs no further elaboration on its deliciousness. Next, the onions and bean sprouts added a nice crispness to make the dish seem healthier. Finally, the flat rice noodles were infused with all the juices from the beef, onions, and soy sauce. When placed infront of me, I can't help but smile.


In an effort to make the meal well-balance, we ordered this plate of mixed vegetables and tofu. The effort would have been successful had the dish not been stir-fried with enough oil to power a lantern. In all seriousness, this plate of veggies was just that, a plate of veggies. Not surprisingly, it was the last dish to be picked cleaned. In my family, food is like the US Army Rangers, no man left behind. We pride ourselves in not leaving with leftovers and we were very proud that night.

Skydiving into 1st Chinese BBQ

For my brother's birthday, he, I and some buddies went skydiving!!! I had been wanting to go for a long time and who better to dive with than my brother? By the way, that's not my brother to whom I'm attached, just in case you were wondering.

One thing about skydiving they don't tell you is that it's a lot like your favorite roller coaster. We were all excited, woke up before the sun rose, got there early just to wait. We waited for nearly two hours AFTER the instructional video. So from the time we got there to the time we jumped was nearly 4 hours. What a bummer. At least at Six Flags I could be munching on a corndog while I wait. No such luck here. By the time their little cafe opened, it was T minus 15 minutes on the launch sequence and I wanted to make sure the only thing projecting from me was the parachute.

So by the time we got back in town, it was well past lunch time and even the adrenaline rush couldn't fight off the grouchy monster and hunger demon. So we went straight to 1st Chinese BBQ for stuff our faces with roasted meat.


Their roast pork is tender, moist love wrapped in crispy happiness. It's slow roasted and then finished with a blow-torch to the skin. It's like a salty, meaty creme brulee.


Red is a suitable color for the sweet char siu (barbecued pork) since it represents the warmth the pork brought to our stomachs and hearts.


This is one of my favorite dishes, roasted duck. Unfortunately, this time they gave me mostly the bottom half of the bird so I didn't get to enjoy all that meaty goodness of the breasts. But at the time I was too hungry to send anything back.


To make ourselves feel better, we ordered a dish of ong choy (water spinach). Never mind that it was drenched in oil and possibly the fat drippings from all the roasted meat. It was green, leafy and teeming with garlic, which lots of health and anti-vampiric benefits.

So after waking up at 6:30 and fasting until 1:30, our skydiving meal was much like this blog...few words with the focus on the food.