NRSS - Star pizza

The lady's work were ordering in again last night, this time it was Star Pizza. I mentioned in another post how much I like the whole wheat chicken alfredo pie so I took the opportunity to grab another free plate of deliciousness.

I really like this stuff. It's a totally different beast from a thin crust pizza. I know star pizza divides opinion and there are other offerings which don't do it for me but this order is great. Don't go expecting a light, crisp charred crust and delicate tomato sauce. This is heavy duty stuff. I'd suggest you stick to the chicken alfredo, whole wheat and revel in the chewy, starchy goodness.

At the end of yesterday I had:
eaten 19 / 100 dishes (21/100 including non-available dishes)
spent $194 (including tips)
travelled 175 miles (112 by car, 13 on foot, 28 by bus, 22 by bike)

NRSS - Alamo tamale

I'd never heard of this place but there was a tiny sign inside saying they'd been around for 50 years. I asked around a few people later and every one of them had eaten here. I'm not sure how it had escaped my attention previously but on my way to Ninfa's I saw the sign. Who can resist a little hole in the wall tamale joint? Not I. I was also in need of a short blast of the AC by this point and unsure how much further down the road Ninfa's was (It's so close I could have probably hit it had I thrown a tamale in the right direction).

I chained up my bike and headed in. After making myself understood in a mixture of English, Spanish and hand signals two serious looking ladies packed up my handrolled pork tamales and I stepped outside. There's a seating area out the back but I didn't want to waste time so I ate one as I unlocked my bike and put the rest in my bag for later. The plan was a good one but I was unprepared for the torrent of grease and deliciousness which dripped down my chin and all over my hands. I can confirm that they are also damn tasty as a late night snack and as breakfast. The pots of barbacoa and al pastor taco filling behind the counter looked exceedingly promising too but in a rare moment of restraint I didn't try any.

Dish 21 - #2 Fajitas at the Original Ninfa's on Navigation

So I couldn't eat at Adrian's. I was hungry at that point and out and about with no map or internet. I knew my way to two places on the list, the Grove and Ninfa's. I decided on Ninfa's mainly because it's a part of town I'm not too familiar with. Going during the day gave me time to have a good look around and take a few photos. Back on the bike and I headed north.

I only had a rough idea of where I was going so it took a tiny bit of trial and error but I found my way to Ninfa's pretty soon. I half considered eating outside but I was pretty well baked from the cycle ride so took a table in the main dining area. There was a really nice atmosphere in there, bustling and friendly. I ordered my fajitas and took a few bites of chips and salsa. There was no time to wait though, in less than five minutes this sizzling comal of awesome hit my table.

How was it? After I took my first bite I giggled. Seriously.

Look at the meat in that photo! It tasted even better than it looks. Perfectly seasoned. Perfectly cooked. Awesomely chewy. I loved every bite.

The cycle home was a bit of a killer. I started to realise that taking a ten mile ride in the mid day heat on a sunny summer's day, half of it loaded down with a stomach full of meat perhaps wasn't the best idea. It was very much worth it for that meal though.

Thwarted

I headed out on my bike for lunch yesterday. I'd planned on grabbing a burger from Adrian's. No dice though, they're closed until September. I'm not marking it as unavailable on the map, it'll just have to wait until the next time I'm in Houston.

Dish 20 - #16 Enchiladas de Tejas at Molina's

The girlfriend's work had Molina's in to cater for them yesterday. I smelled an opportunity to snag another meal from the list without the need to travel too far! Not only were they OK with bringing along an order of Enchilada de Tejas, with the other food, they said they'd put it in free of charge! Score! I'd been given a free fudge ball and water the day before but this is the first item from list I've got free of charge. I guess it's likely to be the last too but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

The enchiladas were certainly good. As a Texan speciality and a very tasty one at that they certainly deserve their place on the list. Personally I prefer enchiladas verdes though. I thought the beans were the best part of the plate. They were extremely smooth and pleasantly rich.

It would have been foolhardy of me not to sample the other Molina's fare on offer. The grilled chicken was incredibly juicy and the cookies were good (I preferred the chocolate chip to the heavily spiced oatmeal and the semi-legendary pecan praline) but to me the standout item was the pico de gallo. It's such a simple dish that the tinniest thing matters. It's made fresh every day and depends heavily on the quality of the ingredients available. I suspect if I tried it today it would taste subtly different. Yesterday though all the stars were alligned. It was sublime!

At the end of the day I had:
eaten 18 / 100 dishes (20/100 including non-available dishes)
spent $172 (including tips)
travelled 165 miles (112 by car, 13 on foot, 28 by bus, 12 by bike)

Dish 19 - #13 Chicken Fried Steak at Ouisie's Table

North on foot again a little way and we reached Ouisie's. At number 13 the chicken fried steak is the highest placed meal I've tried. I was genuinely excited. The thought of chicken fried anything can do that to me and Robb's review had got me pretty hyped. We were slightly under dressed for the occassion but since it was mid afternoon and pretty quiet we didnt feel too bad. It looks fairly unprepossessing from the outside but the interior is all high ceilings, dark beams and linen table cloths. We spent a some time discussing which of the ladies in the girlfriend's Kentucky family would love this place the most. They'd all go crazy for it is the pretty obvious answer.

I could write 10,000 words about this meal but I'll keep it short. The bread plate was pretty incredible. The gingerbread was rich and the cheese biscuits were perfectly light with just the right amount of chew. The jalapeno cornbread stole the show though. An awesomely crisp exterior, moist insides and a perfect balance of sweet and spice. It's probably the best cornbread I've ever had.

At lunch the chicken fried steak comes with some very, very tasty spinach, mashed potatos (which must have been 80% cream and butter, pure delicious indulgence) and a jug of gravy. At dinner they add in corn pudding and another side, I forget what. You better be pretty hungry if you go for that. The steak covered the entire plate and the mashed potato had to be hidden underneath. It was pounded thin though so the amount of meat wasn't overwhelming. It really was an exceptional meal. The batter was crisp and jagged while the meat was achingly tender and just moist enough to be juicy in the mouth without making the crust soggy. A neat trick to pull. Perhaps I should have tried the CFS at Frank's Chop House first. I can't see it living up to this.

Then we had tres leches. Pretty much just as good as the steak. I'm glad we split it though, it was exceptionally rich even for tres leches.

Add to that the friendliest waitress I've known in Houston (we had a great chat about places to eat in Houston, her favourite street food and Houston food week) and this was one of the stand out eating experiences so far.

After that we wandered back down to central market to buy some ingredients so I could cook something up for a couple of friends that evening and a fix for my fig addict girlfriend (It was yuppie hell. Don't go on a sunday afternoon!) and rode the 81 bus back to Montrose. It was a fine, fine trip out.

At the end of Sunday August the 1st I had:
eaten 17 / 100 dishes (19/100 including non-available dishes)
spent $172 (including tips)
travelled 160 miles (112 by car, 13 on foot, 28 by bus, 7 by bike)

NRSS - Sprinkles

We headed north on foot. It's always strange to me to walk through a neighbourhood like that and see all these beautiful gardens and not one single person. It was like the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. We didn't see a soul. Eventually we reached Westheimer: no shortage of people there. The ladyfriend has been wanting to try out the cupcakes at Sprinkles for a while so we stopped in.

I can't think of a single place I've been to where as a male I've been so outnumbered. When we were waiting and eating there wasn't a single other male customer, just 30 or 40 women. There was one guy behind the counter but he was similarly outnumbered amongst the staff. We shared a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting and a 'shot' of milk chocolate frosting.

The actaul sprinkles themselves were probably the nicest I've ever eaten. The frosting was good too. Less cloyingly rich and sweet than at a lot of places. I thought the cake itself was only so-so though. A while ago when I was in town she and I stopped in at Celebrity Cupcakes in the village (I think it had just opened that week) and they were consideably better I'd say. These weren't bad though. Just not worth the inflated price tag.