Dish 17 - #94 Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake Ball at Coffee Groundz on Bagby

After the burger we hopped back on our bikes and went down the road to Coffee Groundz. The news wasn't so good here. Even though I don't like peanut butter I was all set on eating the cake balls. In short, they're not available any more. The super friendly staff explained that the problem was two fold 1) they were really only good for one day, and didn't sell all that well so a lot ended up having to be thrown out and 2) they were priced too high to be offered to customers at a tempting price. K&M cake balls have since folded but the good news for list devotees is that under a different company name the balls are still available. If you can get to Conroe.

I got an oreo brownie thing. It was pretty good but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to track it down. With the day's eating done we hopped back on the bikes and cycled to Joystix right under Minute Maid park. On the first and last friday of every month they open up their showroom of 200+ pinball and arcade games from 9pm to 2am. Pay $15 and you can play all you want. They have a bar too! I put a clip on youtube if you're interested.

At the end of the 30th of July 2010 I had:
eaten 15 / 100 dishes (17/100 including non-available dishes)
spent $148 (including tips)
travelled 150 miles (112 by car, 11 on foot, 20 by bus, 7 by bike)

Dish 16 - #29 The Cheeseburger at Christian's

Last night we hit up a couple of midtown spots. The ladyfriend, a colleague of hers and I first stopped off at Christian's tailgate for a cheeseburger. We turned up around 8:30. The lights were down low and the karaoke was about to start. Waitresses in hot pants buzzed around and before I knew it I had a pint of shiner, a 1/3 burger, medium rare with cheddar and jalapenos and a split side of onion rings and fries. I was also treated to three enthusiastic ladies giving 'This is how we do it' some serious effort on the mic. The atmosphere was pretty great and the service too.

I made one serious error with my burger though: I unwrapped it when it turned up. There was nothing left to hold back the delicious, fatty deluge of juices that proceeded to cover my hands and forearms as I ate. That thing was awesome. In the picture it looks a little overdone but that's after just a couple of little nibbles. The center was a perfect medium rare. The meat was good and the bun was perfect. I have no qualms recommending this burger to anyone in town. Just make sure you have plenty of napkins handy.

Dish 15 - #80 A Bowl Of Chili at James Coney Island

This is another of those ones I'm not really sure why I hadn't eaten before. The chili was really good. Since the ladyfriend wanted a drink to go with her fries it only cost an extra 30 cents or something to get a combo with a hot dog.

Before I ate this I'd enjoyed a couple of fine christmas beers at a christmas in July party. For some meals on this list loading up on beer before hand might be a shame. You'd hate to lose some of the nuances on one of the delicately flavoured treats. The James Coney Island chili falls into the other camp along with the bounty offered by whataburger and Little Big's. It's a hearty bowl of goodness. If you're looking for fine dining this isn't it. If you're a couple of beers to the good and you want a plate of something truly tasty in nice surroundings off the most awesome plates I've yet to come across on this journey this is the place for you. You could always do what we did and head across to the Stag's head for a delicious pint of IPA to wash it down.

At the end of the 29th of July I had:
eaten 14 / 100 dishes (15/100 including non-available dishes)
spent $134 (including tips)
travelled 145 miles (112 by car, 11 on foot, 20 by bus, 2 by bike)

Dish 14 - #23 Green Falafel Sandwich at Zabak's

I got back on the bus and rode it down Westheimer as far as Zabak's. I'd had to wait for 35 minutes for it to show up and it was still hot even at 7pm. I stumbled off the bus, admired the birds and teeth outside and made my way to the counter. I was a little worried they might not appreciate me wanting the falafel sandwich to go. Some places can be a bit shirty about that kind of thing. I asked and was greeted by a huge smile and a reassuring 'Of course. That's what we're here for!' While his brother prepared the sandwich, and his sister worked on the restaurant's finances at a corner table I stood at the counter and spoke with Donald Zabak about family legacies, the importance of having a personal relationship with your customers, our mutual preferance for family owned businesses over corporations, the Houston food scene, Robb Walsh's list and falafel. He was one of the most passionate and friendly people I've had the pleasure to come across. He loves his family's business and what they do. I walked in there feeling pretty terrible and came out smiling.

I had another 20 minutes wait for a bus, a 20 minute ride and a mile walk. When I finally staggered through the door I had another hour to wait for my girlfriend to finally get home from an unexpectedly late night at work. I didn't dare eat without her because veggie options on the list are few and far between. Donald had said he preferred it when the components had a chance to mingle so suggested not leaving anything on the side for the trip home.

So how was it? Absolutely outstanding. To me this is what Houston food is about. It's a blending of foods from around the world with a distictly Texan streak. Cajun hot sauce complements the other, more traditional elements perfectly. With food it's hard to unpick every element. I know it's partly because of the day I'd had, partly the nice chat I'd had with Donald and partly pure hunger and you can't easily untie that from the objective taste but that was one of the the very best sandwiches I've ever had. I strongly encourage you to go and get one yourself.

At the end of the 28th of July I had:
eaten 13 / 100 dishes (14/100 including non-available dishes)
spent $126 (including tips)
travelled 143 miles (112 by car, 11 on foot, 20 by bus)

Dehydration and frustration

I'd taken this trip out on Westheimer to eat some delicious food and also to visit Planet Zero anime center to play a few Japanese arcade games. Up to the end of smash burger all had gone well.

Despite it being roasting outside I'd decided to wear jeans since I planned on heading to a couple of places I didn't feel comfortable wearing basketball shorts to. I'd looked on google maps and it only looked to be a mile from Kasra to planet zero and the two places on the list right next door to it, Brocante and Rioja. Unfortunately in a double headed blow I lost the scrap of paper with the addresses and had misread the google maps scale. With all the zooming I must have looked at the scale bar at one level of zoom, saw it was a mile then assumed the bar was still a mile one level out. Regardless I walked way more than a mile and didn't see it. Not suprising since it's a 2 1/2 mile walk. I tracked down a payphone to ring the lady friend to check the address for me. No answer.

It was 2pm, absolutely boiling. I walked half a mile backwards incase I missed it. Then turned around again and walked the half mile back to the payphone. This time she picked up. I got the address and walked the last mile to Planet zero. I got there cursing my jeans and my stupidity for writing the address on such a tiny slip of paper. For the record it's well worth heading out there if you fancy an afternoon of arcade fun. The prices for the machines, especially the puzzle games and driving games I spent my time on are really reasonable and the staff were great.

When I left I walked down to Brocante. The dishes on Robb's list from there were nice and light and seemed doable to my heat wrecked body unlike a bowl of paella (I'm going to head back next week for that!). I got there and looked at the menu but neither of Robb's recommendations were available. I knew damn well that Georges Guy would send something incredible my way but I wasn't in the right frame of mind and thought I'd come back another day with the ladyfriend as a treat. I'm not giving Brocante the yellow mark since it has a small, continually shifting menu reflecting what produce is available and especially good at that moment (it's the way I think all restaurants should be although it would make a project like mine all but impossible).

NRSS - Smashburger

It's the fastest growing fast food franchise ever and has earned some rave reviews. I wandered a mile or so up Westheimer to try Smashburger for myself. Since I was pretty full I just got a kids meal.

The fries were as good as any of their kind: crisp on the exterior and light inside. They came perfectly salted too. As for the burger? It was OK. The patty was tasty enough. For me the bread was too sweet though and I'm not a huge fan of 'american cheese'. I always prefer cheddar but I'm not holding that against it because that's just the way things are around these parts. Is it better than Mc Donalds? It certainly is? As good as Whataburger? Hell no.

Dish 13 - #89 Kubideh and Zereshk Polo at Kasra Persian Grill on Westheimer

I had a couple of things from the list on the 28th of July, starting with a trip to Kasra Persian grill. The day was a bit of a mission. I walked a mile or so then took the bus as far as Kasra. Up to this point it was easy. The food here was truly exceptional as well. I need to try and pick a top 5 that I can keep up to date. I know that up to know this would certainly be in it. The were no barberry's in the rice but it was rich and pillowy soft. The herbs were fragrant and delicious and the bread hot from the oven. This is another meal I may well go back for.

NRSS - The House of Pies

We followed the Cafe Lili sampler plate up with a trip to a Houston institution overlooked by Mr Walsh, The House of Pies. The Banana cream was good but tasted a little artificial. You have to applaud the use of full bananas though! That was the lady's choice. I went for the Bayoo Goo which they described as "A pecan crust with a layer of sweet cream cheese,then a layer of vanilla custard swirled with chocolate chunks and topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings". The slice I got was big enough to feed five but it was damn good and I cleared the plate. It's not as refined or as 'good' as a lot of the meals on Robb's list but I certainly enjoyed it. It's worth going for the atmosphere alone anyway, especially if you're not an American and sitting at a bar to be served pie and coffee is something that only happens in Twin Peaks.

At the end of the day I had:
eaten 11 / 100 dishes (12/100 including non-available dishes)
spent $105 (including tips)
travelled 116 miles (112 by car, 4 on foot)

Dish 12 - #31 The Sampler Plate at Café Lili

Disappointingly I failed to get a picture of this one. Not that you need one, Robb's is very nice.

I enjoyed this a lot. The lady friend and I went in the evening and sat out in some perfect Houston weather. Each element was fantastic. You could really taste a passion for the food in the dish if that makes sense. You could tell that it had been made properly and no corners had been cut.

Dish 11 - #63 Stuffed Artichoke at Mint Café on Sage

This was a little mysterious. If you read the comments on Robb's post it says this place is open. It didn't seem to be though unless I got lost. It says Mint cafe above the door but burger palace on the windows. Was there another door somewhere that we missed?

In internet intrigue the original Mint cafe closed

http://www.mintcafehouston.com/

There was another business of the same name offering the same dish

http://www.mintcafegrill.com/

But now if you search for Mint Cafe houston the top result is for the burger palace

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=mint+cafe+houston

Regardless. I ate there! I got an Akaushi beef burger. Nothing fancy on it, just lettuce, tomato and onion. As a burger specialist restaurant I was suprised they didn't ask me how I wanted it cooked. I hope that's because they refuse to serve them grilled to death and don't want to have to argue when customers request them that way. Regardless what I got was a perfectly cooked burger, in a great bun. It was truly one of the best burgers I've had in a long time. It may not be Robb's choice but I'd say this is a fairly worthy substitute. I'm marking this down as a missing dish, yellow, on the map but including the miles and $s.

It was on that note that the epic day ended. 6 dishes from the list plus extras. 100 miles exactly, $56 (not including NRSS stops) and god alone knows how many calories. I couldn't eat like that every day but I heartily recommend you try it some time.

As of 26th of July 2010 I had
eaten 10 / 100 dishes (11/100 including non-available dishes)
spent $95 (including tips)
travelled 104 miles (100 by car, 4 on foot)

Dish 10 - #88 Trentino Gelato's Dulce de Leche at Shisha

I liked it at Shisha. The gelato was very good too. The place is a great example of Houston at its best. There was a fantastic mix of people from a host of different communities relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere. I wish I'd had room in my stomach to try another flavour or two but I was saving space for the final stop of the day. I may well end up going back some day soon anyway. This would be a great place to while away an evening people watching.

Dish 9 - #58 The Banana, Ghiradelli Chocolate Chip and Dulce de Leche Empanada at The Original Marini's

How good was the banana, dulce de leche and chocolate empanada from the Marini's?

Very, very good.

And the fig, cheese and walnut one? It jumped to second spot on my personal list after the mole. It was criplingly good. I actually giggled after my first bite it was so tasty. By all means eat the one Robb names on the list but whatever you do don't miss out on the fig, cheese and walnut!

NRSS - Phoenicia

From the woodlands we drove all the way round the western edge of the city til we got to Westheimer. We were heading to a coupl more places on the list but first stopped off at Phoenicia at 12141 Westheimer.

Saddeningly the Willy Wonka style pita production line you can see in the third picture had closed by the time we got there. It's worth a trip to see it though!

The chocolates from here are good as was the bread and all the things we tried from the deli. If you need industrial quantities of spices, feta or olives then here's your place too. They also stock a small range of really nice cookware including silpat mats and some le creuset products.

NRSS - Grimaldi's

This is a Non-Robb-Sanctioned-Stop but I thought it was worth mentioning. I'd read a fair bit about Grimaldi's and the folks we'd trekked out here to see rate it highly. In fact the lady of the house has been to the Brooklyn store and says this location in the Woodland's is every bit as good.

I went for the classic and got peperoni on my half (split with tomato slices on the lady friend's half). I didn't get an upskirt but the crust was a little pale as I'd expected. Not so much as in this article though. It was crispy enough that slice-folding meant cracking the crust.

Personally I really like Star Pizza. I know it's not the best n the world but I love it all the same. I fact my favourite there is the deep dish, whole wheat chicken alfredo pizza. I'm unsure if it even is a pizza to be honest. It certaibly stretches the definition. Anyway my point is, this is probably the best real pizza I've had in Houston and I've eaten at a lot of pie joints (not the one from Robb's list yet though!). If you want a really nice crust and great sauce and you're happy to travel for hours then head to Grimaldi's. If you want something which may or may not be pizza, is lightyears away from this, but is undeinably delicious then check out the star pizza order I suggested.

Dish 8 - #67 Al Pastor Quesadillas at Tierra Caliente Meat Market

Just round the corner again. The dishes were coming thick and fast! This place had a nice atmosphere. Again there was a not inconsiderable language barrier and I accidentally ordered a large quesadilla. Not to worry though, I somehow found space for my half and gave the other to the friend were were going to meet. Unlike at the taco truck earlier in the day the tortiallas were store bought. The cheese was pretty plasticy prepackaged stuff too. But oh man, the meat was pretty insane. It totally dissolves in your mouth with the slightest hint of a chew. God knows what percentage fat it was. It was crazily rich and good. Load up on lime and salsa and tuck in!

While I was hitting up the meaty goodness the lady scoured the shelves for the glorias Robb mentioned. They're a whopping 80 cents each but they're worth it. I don't really like nuts and wasn't expecting these to be anything too special but they're chewy, meringuey morsels with an exceptionally complex taste for what is essentially a ball of sugar. Make sure you grab a handful.

Dish 7 - #27 Warm Glazed Donuts from Shipley's on Ella

I may have only lived in Houston for 2 years of my life plus the odd holiday since then but I managed to cram in a not inconsiderable number of Shipley donuts. These made to order ones were truly great though. So good infact I didn't even get a photo of them, just the fantastic building.

If I hadn't known of the food that was yet to come that day I'd have gone right back in to order more. It was truly wrenching to stop at one each. Watch them working the glaze machine as they prep your nuts. It's pretty pleasing!

Dish 6 - #83 El Ultimo Taco Truck Breakfast Tacos

This dish marks the beginning of what I can only describe as a Day of Gluttony. The ladyfriend doesn't have a car and I never even learned to drive. That makes transport to some of the locations on the list pretty difficult. But on this day we rented a car to go and visit some friends who moved from Montrose to the middle of nowhere in Spring. It's actually pretty nice out there, especially if you have a newborn child and a couple of dogs like they do, but it's a pretty epic drive.

Anyway, we had the car and I was damn well going to make sure we made use of it! You'll have to forgive the low word count It's effort enough just to post the pictures with the lobaoured breathing brought on my chronic over eating.

First stop: breakfast.



The breakfast tacos from the El Ultimo Taco Truck were pretty damn awesome. Chorizo for me, potato for the veggie girlfriend and a pineapple aqua fresca to share. The taco truck staff were super friendly and happy enough to try and deal with some idiot from England who only knows about 30 words of Spanish. The chorizo one was far better than the potato. The girlfriend didn't miss out too much though because that aqua fresca was outstanding. Make sure to grab one if you're getting the tacos. Unlike so many fruit drinks it actually tastes like fruit!

Dish 5 - #39 Mole Poblano at Hugo's

I can't believe I hadn't eaten at Hugo's before. The thing is it looks so fancy I thought it'd be too expensive. Montrose is packed to the gills with great Mexican food that can be had for almost free so I was a bit wary of this place. It looks from the outside like a $30 entree place. It looks like that on the inside too! Beautiful decor and dressed up diners (mostly) but the food is actually shockingly reasonable. The mole from Robb's list was one of the more expensive options at $22 but my girlfriend ordered some outstanding enchiladas that were only about $10. And the squash flower based starter was pretty cheap too.

When they brought the bill there was a comment slip in the little holder. I wrote a little note to the chef to thank them for an incredible meal. I have never done that before. I could write paragraphs about why this dish was so awesome but I'm not going to. Just go and eat it. I'll be going back in the next week to have it again. Absolutely everything the lady and I ate at that meal was superb. I can already tell you this will definately be in my top handful from this list.

As of the 24th of July I had:
eaten 5 / 100 dishes
spent $39 (including tips)
travelled 4 miles (all on foot)

Dish 4 - #18 Tex Cajun Virgin at BBs

After a pleasant walk, and admiring the Free Lindsey Lohan sign at the possibly soon to close Chance's I arrived at BB's. It's pretty much right on the corner of Westheimer and Montrose. Directlyt opposite is the awesome slider place Little Bigs, also on the list.




















This wasn't my first time at BB's. I'm pretty sure I was in there within 72 hours of it first opening its doors back in the good old days when I actually lived in Houston for a couple of years. I'd never eaten this dish though. I took the trip on my own and had a nice leisurely read of the Houston Press as I ate.

#18 on Robb's list, The Tex Cajun Virgin as it's known on the menu, is a monster of an order for 1. It's kind of hard to get you head around the scale from this picture. I sat outside in the mid day heat, much to the bemusement of the local and staff. On the other side of the glass two grown men tried and failed to split a plate between them. I'm unsure how but I ate it all. That's praise enough I think. Take advantage of the array of hot sauce supplied on every table! The brownies are awesome here too although I passed this time. It's also worth mentioning that they're open well into the night and this pile of deliciousness is probably even better on top of a stomach full of beer.

At $9 it may sound a little on the dear side but bear in mind this could have fed a family of four.

As of the 23rd of July 2010 I had:
eaten 4 /100 dishes
spent $12 (including tip)
travelled 2 miles

Start point

Before beginning this quest I had eaten three of the 100 dishes

#34 - The French Fries at Little Big's on Montrose

#41 - The BBQ burger at Guy's Meat Market

and

#59 - The Triple Meat Triple Cheese at Whataburger

I'd also eaten at a fair few other places on the list but just not had the dish in question. I'll not write much about these ones for now. Two are very close to my girlfriend's apartment and I'm almost certain to eat both of them again before this thing is over. When that happens I'll give them the proper treatment. The burger from Guy's about killed me it was so awesome. I'll be making a pilgrimage back there some time too.

For now we'll just say that I got rolling at 3/100 eaten. Since these were outside of the bounds of the project I'm not going to count the distance and cost.

What's going on here?

Throughout the spring and summer of 2010 the fabulous Robb Walsh, who wear many hats, including that of food critic for the Houston Press, published a list of his 100 favourite dishes in Houston.

I love food.

I love Houston.

I have a fairly fanatical love of lists.

It was only right that I should attempt to eat all 100.

Unfortunately there's a major obstacle. I live 3482 miles away from Houston on the other side of the atlantic and I'm not one of those rich business types who can afford to fly over and gorge it up on oysters and truffles for the weekend.

My girlfriend lives in Houston. Roughly once a year I can save up enough to travel here to see her. It's likely to be a test of our relationship to see if she can cope with me putting on 30 pounds in a two week stay and dragging her, by bike or public transport, all around town to look at food that she, as a vegetarian, mostly can't even eat.

I have no idea how long it'll take to get through this enterprise since it will be so sporadic. I thought since I was keeping a record and taking photos for myself to remind me of the deliciousness it made sense to put them up here incase anyone else had an interest.