brucesw

No, these were full sized dal, and fork-sized pieces of carrot, too. The texture you're describing sounds more like the bisi bele bath, which was served with a papadum. When I first had the Ragda Patties a the Bansuri truck (pictured), they were virtually unknown and the owner had plenty of time to chat with me about the food and was eager to. He described the ingredients as including a date/tamarind chutney and a mint/coriander chutney and it was served with more of those on the side. That is why I thought that's what I was tasting in the dish at SBB; there certainly was something very sweet. How about Usal Paav for what I had at Shri Balaji? I found some pictures online that look very much like what I had and at least one recipe mentioned the date/tamarind chutney, although others didn't (coconut or jaggery instead).

Thanks for the ID; I'll go with that next time I want to have the dish. Yes, I thought the Pav had been buttered and toasted on a griddle. There was definitely something sweet in it which tasted like tamarind to me; the Ragda at Bansuri has tamarind/date chutney added and more on the side so I kind of jumped at that conclusion. As I recall I identified at least toor, channa, carrots and maybe cauliflower in the Pav Bhaji, all still retaining their form and texture, unlike the Bissibilla where the vegs were identifiable on sight but had been cooked to having no texture. It was served in a bowl like this was but without any garnishes - wasn't nearly as appealing visually. I may have misunderstood what I read about that and will have to go back and find it and look at it again. Thanks again. I'll post some more pictures after more visits.

I’ve been visiting Shri Balaji Bhavan on Hillcroft lately. I’m familiar with similar Indian vegetarian places including Bombay Sweets, Udipi Café, and Bhojan there in Little India and Bansuri and Sweet n Namkin out near me but this place seems to be a foodie favorite and I wanted to check it out. The place gets packed at meal times and on weekends and the wait can be long and frustrating (it’s counter service). I’ve been having some good experiences and some not so impressive but it’s a pretty extensive menu and there’s lots to try. The Madras Thali, apparently their only 'sampler' plate was a lot of food for the price, which I've forgotten!, some elements very impressive others not but I missed not being able to select the components of the thali as at Udipi and Bhojan. The food here tends to be spicier than at the other two but there are exceptions. The Masala Dosa was better than any I've ever had, spicier and less over-cooked but the Dahi Puri was over-done - there were just too many ingredients vying for attention in the little mouthfuls, at least for my taste. Bissibilla Bath was a mystery; it came out like a porridge, nothing at all like I had read about online (I've never had the dish before but it sounded intriguing). On my last visit I was going to try the lunch special of the day, Ragada Patties (their spelling), just $3.49. I’ve had Ragda Patties (their spelling) at Bansuri and it was really good; I expected this to be the same. I inquired about bread as the menu is not very helpful as to what the dishes are or what comes with them and the girl at the counter suggested I go for another dish and I thought she pointed at the Vada Paav. I’ve also had this at Bansuri where it was like vegetable sliders but what I got is pictured above. I understand vada is supposed to mean a fritter like thing but there was no apparent patty in the broth. It was excellent, however, the best thing I’ve had at SBB so far, with a couple of pulses, carrots, green beans, etc., some tamarind and probably date for sweetness and a lot of heat, garnished with some purple onion, tomato, cilantro and sev. I can take a lot of heat but I don’t seek it out and this was about at the limit of what I think is reasonable. Fortunately it tapered off quickly, lingered but didn't build or I would have found the dish inedible. The paav was lightly toasted, lighter than the buns used at Bansuri, and made an excellent accompaniment. SBB is definitely on my list of regular places and I’ll be wanting to have this again if only I knew for sure what to ask for! There's no website and no menu to go; the menu isn't very helpful about the dishes, either, but the counter person has been willing to answer questions. It's located on Hillcroft between Harwin and Westpark. The worst thing is the limited parking and I recommend avoiding the place right at noon and on weekends. They're closed on Tuesdays.

An Israeli deli near me serves foul mudammes as mashed fava beans on top of a bed of hummus, garnished with a dollop of what I think is schul, a Yemeni picante sauce, and parsley. Some lemon is added but there wasn't any cumin, I think. This was accompanied by two warm pitas. I didn't know what I was going to be getting - maybe it was only supposed to be a dip but I ate the whole thing. I thought a classic presentation was with hard boiled egg and tomato wedges. I keep wanting to try it with mitmita, the Ethiopian bird's eye chile pepper powder, but I've made it at home several times and never remember. I've got to go read that thread.

I just recently had cuajito or cuajitos at a Puerto Rican cart here, just a sample (the owner was showing off some of his dishes). I liked it but have no idea how it's served. You might look for recipes for Puerto Rican cuajito en salsa.

My post was meant to be informative and perhaps mildly amusing, not sarcastic. Sorry you read it that way. I saw your second post; I was responding to your first post with some information that I thought was relevant. I chose the crepe I did because it's the one I wanted to eat off a limited menu of 6 crepes, not so I would have something to dispel a myth with. The 2 guys in front of me had the classic banana/nutella combination, the 2 before that breakfast crepes. None of those appealed to me, irregardless of needing to come up with something to post on a message board. He does one crepe a week that is kind of experimental; that's the one I chose. I would have categorized it as more of a Cal-Mex thing than Tex-Mex but I don't think he gives a damn about categories, nor did I.

Actually one of our most popular street food vendors here for the past year or so has been a sidewalk creperie called Melange. I went down there today for the first time in a couple of months as he's taking a couple of weeks off for some repairs to his stand and canopy. I had an avocado-lime-jicama with Anaheim chile pepper sauce and Crema Salvadorena. Damn tasty although I think I could be very satisfied eating his crepes without any filling. As to the frenchie gear, you may have nailed us, though. I think I've seen Buffalo Sean (that's what he calls himself - that's probably not a French name, is it?) wearing a t-shirt mentioning the Sorbonne but today it was a Don't Mess With Texas ball cap and a Seebees t-shirt. On the thread topic, I don't have cable so won't be watching the show and don't understand exactly how it works, and, of course they're not coming here, but I think they would all do well here except perhaps the plated French truck. We've had taco trucks galore for ages all over town but the gourmet or specialty mobile food vendor craze is still in its infancy here and I doubt much of the fine French dining crowd has warmed up to it yet. But, who knows. You know, the Cajun truck might not do too well, either. We've had several that haven't lasted except for catering, so far as I know. We have so many Cajun places here, if people knew it was from LA they might not expect it to measure up to what we have readily available.

The report prompted a flurry of denials from the restaurant and numerous criticisms on the Press's blog for the misleading headline and distortion of facts. Like much of what's published in the Press these days, the primary purpose seemed to be to run up page views for advertising purposes, regardless of the facts or usefulness of the information.

Some good suggestions so far. Tostadas are very commonly used in both Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisine (I don’t know about Cal-Mex). Tostada refers both to the crisp disc of corn meal and also the dish including toppings. They are also used in Guatemalan and Honduran cuisine where the finished dishes are called enchiladas and will typically have shredded cabbage as a topping. The word tostada means toasted though the cooking process involved is frying They are seldom eaten alone or without toppings but can be. You can break them up but you may wind up with ots of little pieces and scraps. I don’t eat much Tex-Mex anymore so I had to look up a couple of restaurant websites to be sure I remembered how these are served and was surprised to see there isn’t much evidence of them on menus any more. You still encounter them as one element on a typical Tex-Mex combo plate, along with an enchilada (rolled) and taco (crispy), a tamale and beans and rice. They almost always have a layer of refritos in the toppings. You can think of them as open faced crispy tacos and use any topping you might find in a taco. Here in the US we tend to prefer them thin and crispy; south of the border (Mex/US) they tend to be less obsessed with crispness as a food group and prefer them thicker, freshly prepared (dripping, or at least glistening, with hot oil) and more toothsome as they also prefer tortilla chips. Around here at taquerias etc. I see them more often as appetizer items and the most popular ones probably would be Tostada de Camaron (shrimp) or Ceviche. The shrimp ones are one of my favorite appetizers and would be topped with a generous number of grilled shrimp, refritos, queso, aguacate, lettuce, crema, etc. Again, you can use any topping that you would find in a (folded) soft taco. These things are typically piled high with fixings and sometimes break when you pick them up due in part to the juiciness of the toppings and yes they can get a little soggy. You can use them for the New Mexico/West Texas version of enchiladas - stacked enchiladas. Those are usually made with freshly and briefly fried tortillas, layered with alternating layers of red and green salsas and topped with a fried egg but I’ve made them and had them with crispy tostadas such as you can buy at a store. By the way, Monterey Jack is an American, not a Mexican cheese. The spelling with one r indicates a connection to Monterey, California, where the cheese was first created in the 1800s. Monterrey, Mexico, is spelled with two r’s. Jack is used in Tex-Mex and does find it’s way into Mexican restaurant dishes around here, at least, but if a place claims to be serving authentic Mexican rather than Tex-Mex and lists Monterey Jack as an ingredient, they eventually will get some negative comments by purists in online message boards and review sites if not face-to-face.

I just got around to looking this up (I was hoping it wouldn't be until fall). Houston Powwows are held at Traders Village, a commercial open air market on 290 just outside the Beltway and the next one is just a week after the Austin one. Houston Powwow 2010 The Alabama-Coushatta reservation up near Livingston has shut down its tours, gift shop and museum. There's a mention of an annual powwow on the site but no date that I could find.

That's strange. Evap milk is just milk that has 60% of the water removed and can vary in caloric value depending on whether it's from whole milk, low fat, skim, etc. The can I have in the fridge right now is 20 calories/T. Half and half is half milk, half cream; it can vary a little in butterfat content but every brand of half and half I've checked also shows 20 calories/T. Maybe Canada has different definitions of the products? (these are taken from the Epicurious online dictionary).

I'm really surprised at the love for canned green beans and corn; I much prefer frozen if I can't get fresh. Maybe I've just tried the wrong brands. What are the better brands of canned corn and green beans? I should have some on hand for those times when we lose power for days.

Anybody know anything about these or have taken them? I had heard of them and forgot then came across this article in Texas Highways. There's a link to what is supposed to be more information but it takes you to the Visit Houston website and I couldn't find anything else on there. I've been to many of the places mentioned so I wonder if it's for out-of-towners, greenhorns or what?

An interesting observation which apparently no one had noticed before? The discussions of the list here on eG focused mainly on Snow's; the thread on CH about the article was very brief. Very strange, indeed, if you ask me. I was struck in reading through the list again at an apparent editorial bias in favor of providing geographic completeness; perhaps Black's was sacrificed because it was the third place in one town? Did you check on the TM site - don't they have discussion and feedback boards? But I'd also reiterate that, as evidenced by how much discussion the lists engendered, few people in the know take these TM lists very seriously. Their Top 50 burgers list was particularly pathetic when it came to Houston. I guess I haven't been to any of those CTx places since the list came out but I'd doubt Black's had fallen that far without it being noted in other threads and that doesn't explain their omission from the '03 list, anyway.

Haven't had Mountain Dew but a few times in my life and not in a long time so I probably wouldn't know if there was any difference and I don't get that much difference with Mexican Coke, which is widely available here, but I remember the first time I had Dublin Dr. Pepper a few years ago it was a real Wow! experience. I generally like cane sugar sodas over hfcs if there's an option. I've never gotten around to trying the Pepsi products - just don't drink that much soda, anyway.

For its 125th anniversary, Dr. Pepper is putting the sugar back in. Dublin Dr. Pepper (made with Imperial Cane Sugar) has been available in a few retail locations around Texas, anyway, but now the company is rolling it out on a wider basis. AP News story

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. The two well-known places in Elgin will serve sausage on their cue plates but both have meat cases in store where you can buy the products to take home; these will be already smoked and chilled and will easily survive the trip. You'll be able to buy loose rings and links or the pre-packaged, shrink wrapped packages like you would find in a supermarket. If you're going to drive out there then get the loose ones - they'll be a little fresher and a little better. But it's not absolutely necessary to drive out to Elgin (not that it's a long way) to pick some of these up - they'll be available in supermarkets all over Austin along with a few other Texas and Central Texas made sausages. Southside Market was the original 'Elgin Hot Guts' sausage maker. It's still referred to by old timers as such though the recipes have been changed to include less fat and spice, dang it. Meyer's is the more recent producer. I personally prefer Meyer's a bit. There are also a couple of sausage companies in Austin that I've never tried yet. Hudson's on South Congress, near one of the big groupings of food trailers. I kept passing by this one the last time I was up there and never stopped and I'm kicking myself now that I've looked at the website. Wild boar, venison.... And Smokey Denmark. I'm having a little trouble with that website but I'm assuming they're still in business.

I'm not a bbq professional but I thought I'd throw this in. One local place, Pierson's, which is rated by many the best in Houston right now, holds their meat wrapped in cellophane. Here's the story by Robb Walsh of 'Legends of Texas Barbecue' fame.

A good point; my experience differs. I've had both Southside's and Meyer's sausages served as barbecue, though not on premises at either place, and I've also bought them at the facilities, brought them home and prepared them in the kitchen, and they're excellent either way. I can think of one place, Austin's, in Eagle Lake, that produces an excellent sausage, one of the best 4 or 5 in the state IMO. They have a small barbecue operation, open only a few days a week, where they serve it and it is the best reason for stopping (brisket and ribs are only fair, sides are excellent). Purchased on-site, only partially smoked, brought home and finished off in the kitchen, it's not nearly as good - it needs more time smoking. But there are many, Prasek's, Patek's, Janak's, Maeker's, Poffenberger's and others, whose sausage (lines) are excellent prepared in the kitchen or on the grill and also can be prepared in the pit. And so I tend to think of Texas sausage as separate.

The Walsh book includes some brief lists in the back, not intended to be exhaustive (I think all the lists were comprised of ten listings), but I think the only one relevant to your goal is a list of 'Barbecue Belt' places (I still can't find my copy). Like I said, as far as 'famous towns,' I think you've got it, but Texas is a very big place and it depends on your definition of famous. I know as much about barbecue places in deep East Texas or West Texas, etc., as I know about barbecue in Philadelphia or Los Angeles, so there may be some very highly regarded ones regionally I've never even heard of. If you just want a list of places to try the different styles, I can't help. Other than the towns already listed all I can suggest is the geographic variations which aren't hard and fast rules. Overwhelmingly the most talked about style by eGulleteers, Chowhounds, Roadfooders, critics, food writers, etc., is the Central Texas Meat Market, smoked meat style. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's the most widely served or consumed style, it's just the one they find most interesting, unique or outstanding. Since coming to Houston 10 years ago, Walsh became something of a defender of the East Texas style for not getting as much respect as it deserves.

They are certainly much more known for making sausage than for serving it, overwhelmingly when you include retail distribution (Meyer's is available here in Houston) and mail-order, but I would have to concede your point that sausage is included in a typical Texas barbecue plate. They are usually included in lists of CTx joints to hit, though seldom at the very top. The dining room at Meyer's, I think, is very recent, compared to the sausage production and for the record, I've never eaten in the dining room at either. There is a big sausage industry in Texas (many small producers), most of which, probably, don't serve or sell barbecue - meat markets and smokehouses, for instance, plus in the SE part of the state Cajun meat markets and the like that make andouille, boudin, etc., so I tend to view sausage as a separate category.

I have never heard of Abilene or Harlingen as being famous for barbecue. There are a lot of quibbles about those TM lists and the methodology used (and people who did the investigating). As far as famous towns, you've got them all on your first list with the possible addition of Huntsville. Other than that it's like thirtyoneknots says, it's a question of an exceptional place in a town, not the town, and there are none that approach the acclaim of the ones included in your first list. One way to break down the styles of Texas cue was proposed by Robb Walsh in his Legends of Texas Barbecue, considered by many the Bible on the subject. You might try to get a copy at least to read the opening chapter, I think it was (my copy seems to have been mislaid). Walsh delineates 4 styles: the Central Texas Meat Market smoked meats style - it's referred to as Central Texas style, not Hill Country style. The Hill Country is west of Austin and only Llano on your list is in the HC (see the Wiki article). Most of these places started out as meat markets operated by German or Czech immigrants. They use post oak wood and the meats are cooked by indirect heat and heavily smoked and they are famous for being reluctant or downright determined not to offer sauce. These include Kreutz, Smitty's and Black's in Lockhart, the official Barbecue Capital of Texas, City Market in Luling, and Louis Mueller's in Taylor. Although they are not nearly as famous or acclaimed as these you might also include Gonzales Food Market in Gonzales and City Market in Giddings. I like Novosad's in Hallettsville and would include it; I think the one mentioned in Schulenburg would be City Market but I've never had cue there. Elgin is the official Sausage Capital of Texas and is famous for it's sausage, not barbecue, although many people think the places there are very good. All of the famous Central Texas palaces make their own sausage on site; it is coarse ground and with a natural casing, maybe just beef or beef and pork. A second style is Cowboy style which features meats cooked over direct heat, wood embers. Cooper's in Llano is the most famous example of this style. I presume the other Cooper's locations also do. In Houston, Pizzitola's does cue this way. A third style Walsh calls East Texas rural Black and urban Black barbecue and is closer to the barbecue of other southern states than to the Central Texas places except that beef is the preferred meat (due to easy availability) rather than pork. The smokiness of the meats is not as prominent in these places while the tenderness of the meats is important. A typical plate of beef brisket would not just be neat slices as at the CTex places but would include lots of 'debris' and sauce is usually served on the meats, some places being adamant about it. These places also often feature homemade sausage that is beef only, fine ground, in a synthetic casing, and with only salt, red and black pepper as seasonings. Meats are often finished off wrapped in foil to make them falling apart tender. The Church of the Holy Smoke, Mt. Zion in Huntsville, a church operated bbq place only open a few days a week is probably the most famous example of this style (I've never been so I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure there cue would be considered this style). The fourth style mentioned by Walsh is barbacoa, the Mexican barbecue of South Texas, which is not much practiced anymore. Although taquerias and taco trucks all over the state serve barbaboa is steamed or stewed cow's head, not really barbecue. While post oak is the favored wood of the famous CTx places, hickory and mesquite are used all over the state. As you near SE Texas you'll find more use of pecan, either by itself or in combination with a local oak. Hinzes in Wharton is known for its pecan smoked cue and has live pecan trees growing in the dining rooms but I don't know that I would say Wharton is famous for cue. As you have probably figured out, the CTx style is considered the best style by most self-proclaimed experts but all over the state styles may be mixed and probably the overwhelming majority of people think bbq should have sauce on it. Here in Houston the top four places, imho, are all Black-owned and do cue that is both East Texas/CTx styles mixed - smoked meats but with sauce but, except for one, readily served on the side. Texas bbq is often characterized as being all about brisket hut in reality most places serve brisket, sausage and pork ribs; some offer other meats including cabrito, lamb and venison and of course chicken. Some of the CTx places are also known for beef shoulder clod and prime rib plus pork chops.

Robb Walsh, who recently left the Houston Press after 10 years as it's restaurant critic, has announced he's going to be a partner in a new restaurant venture. Author of such books as Legends of Texas BBQ, considered the Bible of Texas bbq by many, and a Tex-Mex Cookbook, he's teaming up with Bryan Caswell and Bill Floyd (Reef, Little Bigs and Stella Sola) for a Tex-Mex eatery in Montrose, to be housed in a 1940s era art deco theater house that was recently vacated by a Hollywood Video. Preservationists are glad the facade of the theater (which was the site of the world premier of the stage musical Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in the 1970s in it's live venue days) will be maintained. Walsh has been a fervent defender of Tex Mex cuisine and though I don't eat a lot of Tex-Mex, I'll be looking forward to this one. Should be interesting with Walsh's presumed insistence on authenticity and Caswell and Floyd's bent on taking new approaches. The breaking news

Cacique is one of the big brands here along with El Mexicano and Ole' is another one but I've never seen the buttermilk. Do you mean jocoque? That isn't listed on the Cacique site as one of their products. I've wanted to get that for a recipe for buttermilk enchiladas I came across. Also, re the other ones listed in this thread; I don't think I've ever seen the Crema Guatemala but have seen Crema Hondurena.

Fish & Chips as the British specialty never caught on here. We had Arthur Treacher, H. Salt and Alfies but except for a sole Alfrie's down in Texas City, they're long gone. We had Capt. D's and LJS (I thought the former was a bit better) but all the Capt's have closed up that I know of and it's just LJS now. Besides that you just don't find fish & chips on many menus, chain or not. Around here you'd have to toggle your cravings over to catfish/tilapia in a corn meal/corn flour/flour coating/batter. At independent shops, especially u-buy/we-fry markets, you're likely to have additional choices like flounder, redfish, maybe some variety of snapper. Those would be my choices but I don't know of any chains. A guy from Britain has been reviewing the local outposts of the Brit Pub chains over on the CH Houston board - Sherlocks'?, Fox and Hound? - I think those were a couple of the names. Seems like there's several of those now which would be an option in some of the larger cities. I haven't tried any of them.