texesser

For European chocolate bars I like to go to Spec's Warehouse in Houston. The big warehouse store in Midtown, which is just south of downtown. Highly recommend the Cote D'Or chocolate bars, in varying strengths. Well priced and great quality. Last night someone gave me a box of Leonidas chocolates. A Belgian company. I've been to their NYC store and found the prices and quality were very good. I just looked them up on the web to see if maybe they opened up in Houston. No luck but they have a sales outlet: Chocolats du Monde 5306 Morningside (Near Rice Blvd. It's near the Rice Village) 77005-7709 HOUSTON (TX) At the Houston Galleria, Teuscher Chocolates sells Swiss chocolates in great packaging. Air fly them in. High prices, good quality. Been there for years. Beautiful packaging.

Didn't see the D Magazine article. Eatzie's does a great job on sandwiches. Anything on their flat bread is goood, and you get to tell them how to make it. It's the closest I've found in Texas to the roast beef heroes I used to get in NYC. There was an otherwise unremarkable Italian deli. A big, rare roast beef sat on the counter. Would get a roast beef on hero bread with mayo, and that good NY potato salad on the side (it was whiter in color, I don't think they used as much mustard as the typical Texas potato salad).

Chronic problems I find with cholent: 1. How to get the moisture just right, not too watery and not burned. 2. How to get it to taste as good as it sometimes does in shul. I think the secret to good shul cholent is lotsa meat, lotsa beef fat in the meat, and lots of salt. At home, I like to sear the meat, onions, and potatoes. I think that caramelization adds flavor. I also add beer. Regarding lamb, which was mentioned in an earlier post, I frequently use lamb shanks successfully.

In Houston, 1. New York Bagels. Hillcroft, about two blocks south of South Braeswood, on the right in a shopping center. These bagels are the best in Texas. They make shlepping bagels from New York unnecessary. My favorites are the sesame, poppy, ET (everything on it; very garlic), and cinn-raisin). Don't go late in the day, they run out and close. Kenny and Ziggy's deli near the Galleria uses NY Bagels. Their challah is the best in Texas. Order it "light bake" if you call in ahead of time, but the way they sell it is just fine, too. Plain, with sesame seeds, or poppy seeds. Try it unsliced and slice it yourself. They also sell a rye bread but the crust is too soft. One of the owners, Ed, is a doll. They also have a coffee shop next door which is very cheap. If only they'd dump the lousy coffee they serve and use a better quality, but the rest of the food is fine and their specials during weekdays are something like two eggs, a bagel, and home fries for 3 bucks. 2. Three Brothers- Unfortunately not a close comparison to New York City bakeries, but an adequate copy. NY Bagels is the place to go for bagels, not Three Brothers, in my opinion. Some of their coffee cakes are more interesting than their breads and bagels.

Thanks for the photos. Sounds terrific. Looks terrific.

Some of my favorite teas: Imperial Tea: Puerh (some of the reserves) Ito-En (New York): Chrysanthemum blossom Upton Tea: Formosa Nantou Oolong My friend who travels to China: Long Jing, in the springtime Me: Chai-type spiced tea. I take some of Gulabi Indian black tea, add cinnamon stick, cloves, black peppercorns, fresh ginger, fresh lemon & orange zest, cardamon pods, and when brewed, honey and lemon.

My guess is that he was talking about the contrasting temperment of the two owners. That was his Houston Press review of NY Bagel. I forgot about that. Have to look it up. It should be on the Houston Press web site. Eddie, one of the owners, is a doll. The other one, well, isn't, but he's actually been getting better. I think NY Bagel still has a weekday special in the restaurant where you get two eggs, one of their fresh bagels, and hash browns, for just under $3. I always wish I'd brought my own coffee, however. When I kvetch to the owners, the response is, "people like it."

Years ago I tried a knife sharpening shop for my nice Wuesthof and Henckels knives. Won't do that again. One place really "butchered" the knives. Get one of the Chef's Choice machines. I think the may cost about $100. They work very nicely, and they're safe for the knives.

Thanks for the welcome. One more thing about NY Bagel. Its adjacent restaurant is very popular for breakfasts and on weekends. Breakfast and lunch, not dinner. The best thing about the meals there are that they are very inexpensive and of course if you get a bagel, it comes from the bakery that's attached. The food is okay, the social scene is fun if cramped. The coffee is terrible, really, the worst aspect of the restaurant. Or great, if you enjoy cheap tasting robusta blends or Folger's. As an alternative there's Kenny & Ziggy's the decent deli located just north of the Galleria on Post Oak. Much more expensive. Same bagels, from NY Bagel. Food's probably better. Also on bagels: I still mourn the passing (five or 10 years ago?) of Bubbie and Zadie's Bagels. They were on Westheimer, I believe, amazingly near River Oaks. They made a sticky, chewy bagel (high gluten?) that was great. Used to sell at Rice supermarkets, too. Anybody remember them or know what happened to them?

A recent topic on Texas bagels didn't mention, as I recall, the very best place. New York Bagels, in Houston. South Braeswood, go a block or two south on Hillcroft, it's in the shopping center on the right, not far from the Wal-Mart small supermarket. New York Bagels has been in Houston for a very long time. I quit bringing hom H&H from NYC after I found NYB. I've brought NYB to friends in Dallas and everyone loves them. Also don't miss their challah (not available every day, and sells out Fridays). Get it unsliced. Plain or even better with sesames on top. Three Brothers was mentioned in the earlier post. Their bagels and their challah don't compare to NYB. Three Brothers makes an excellent onion disk, however, which has a chewy bialy-like consistency topped with cooked onions. Outstanding. Some of their other products are also excellent and are equal to some NY bakeries, others are just average.