Anonymous Cafe

Officially, from the website, Anonymous Bites and Coffee Bar, in a building that's part of the Baylor College of Medicine and contains medical clinics.  

Years ago there was a small Turkish restaurant in this space which I visited several times before it moved out to Sugar Land (and I visited it there too). Some years ago I read about this new place moving in and it sounded very interesting, but it has been several years before I got around to going.  

As I recall the story, the owner is a Greek chef who has/had a cooking show online; her specialty is pastry and her Ekmeck is highly touted.

I tried the Spinach Quiche on my first visit.  It was excellent - 2nd best quiche I've ever had (the eggs in most quiche are overcooked and dried out  too much, IMO).  

I also had the Chai Latte with Cinnamon and Sugar...

and took home a slice of the Meat Quiche with bacon and sausage and cheddar cheese.  This one wasn't as appealing to me as the Spinach and was also more firmly set (I ate it at room temp, out of the fridge, without warming it up at all). 

On a second visit I had the Greek Salad - an excellent treat although the dressing was a bit too acidic from the lemon juice for my tastes these days.

This was the Soup and Salad of the day so I also had the Chicken, lemon and Orzo soup (Avgolemono) and it was by far the best version I've ever had.  In fact, I have given up on ordering this for many years since I've had so many disappointing versions.  This was very filling, containing a very generous quantity of chicken.  I had been advised when I ordered the full size version was in a very large bowl and this was the 'small.'  I would not have been able to handle a full size portion.

 Although I was fully sated by this time I had also ordered an appetizer with Dolmades, Feta and Kalamata olives but had set it aside to take home since I knew I wouldn't be able to handle everything I had ordered.  This was excellent too and of course took to being saved for a subsequent snack very well (I didn't get to take the serving piece, though). I don't see this on the menu online so I don't know the terminology.

The various pastries available are displayed in a case and tend to be quite large.  I have not tried any of them.  

The building is at 3701 Kirby at Norfolk, 2 blocks south of Richmond.  The cafe is 'in' the garage, and the entrance is in the garage just off the sidewalk along Norfolk.  The ground floor of the garage is free for clients and visitors but can be very full during typical office hours.  After hours during the week and on both Saturdays and Sundays, there's typically plenty of room.

Anonymous Cafe

Bakery Inka Havana

 

A photo of this sign on Nextdoor drew a lot of attention. When I saw it, commenters had recognized the word Havana and possibly the Cuban flag but there was little mention of the meaning of the word Inka or the second flag pictured - the Peruvian flag.  When it finally opened, many months later, the website identified a couple from Miami who had moved to Houston, the husband Cuban and the wife Peruvian.  

The menu offers many sandwiches, but there are also pastries, empanadas, sweets, even pizzas, plus daily specials.  The Peruvian Pollo a la Brasa - rotisserie chicken - is a special every Saturday, I think.  

I tried the Media Noche on my first visit.

Sandwiches are very large - this was close to a pound.  This is the interior of the second half of the sandwich showing the generous fillings

I noted a sign touting the Tamal Peruano and had to try one.  I've done quite a lot of investigating of  tamales available from many cuisines in Houston but wasn't even aware Peru had them, so I had to try this.  Per Wiki, while Peru is famous for it's potatoes and ceviche, there are 50 varieties of corn also grown there, including yellow, white and purple varieties and tamales can be made from several of them.  I tried the pork tamal and it was excellent.

From the cabinet at the far right of the counter I tried an empanada (ground beef) and yuca reina.  I had first encountered potato rellenos at a Colombian restaurant many years ago but this is the first time I had encountered the use of yuca.  Excellent also.

I liked the Pan con Bistec - steak sandwich - better than the Media Noche.  For years I have been eating beef sandwiches only involving thinly sliced roast beef from a deli and this was a pleasant change.  The steak involved is probably skirt and I was thrilled to have to do some serious masticating for a change!

I have not tried the Hamburguesa Inka Havana, which looks interesting, nor any of the breakfast or pastry offerings. 

The loaves are very large - this was almost 16 oz - made with lard and with a much lighter texture than any Cuban bread I've had or made before

The shop is located on West Bellfort just west of Chimney Rock (5361) right where the historic Westbury Square was located back in the 60s 70s and 80s.  There hasn't been a whole lot of commercial, much less restaurant, development in this neighborhood for years I think.

I have found the owners and all customers I have encountered to be very friendly.  I don't know if there is a Peruvian community in the area but Peru Gourmet is over on S. Post Oak, less than a mile away, and in the past there has been at least one Peruvian Pollo a la Brasa place further south  near Gassmer. 

Watershed - German, Continental

Wurst sampler - Bratwurst, Knackwurst, Weisswurst - I way over-ordered, intending to take some home.  I wound up taking a lot more home than I expected because of the size of the portions.  From the leftovers I estimated this was close to 12 oz of sausages. Weisswurst is supposed to be steamed but this was grilled, I think, like the other two.  I guessed the mustard was Dusseldorf but the menu says Dijon.  Weisswurst is typically served with a sweet Bavarian mustard.  The kraut was awesome, a term I may have never used before for kraut.  I gave up on kraut several years ago after sampling a beer-mustard kraut at a local place - couldn't eat it.  This version is fine (in small portions, please). 

 Kaesespaetzle- I'm not a fan of Mac n Cheese, have never understood the fascination with the dish that many people have; this is the German version, I guess.  I wanted to try some spätzle prepared by a professional but once was enough for me.  Many will love this, I'm sure.

Goulash - Eastern European variety vs. American Goulash - got it to go, a very generous portion.  Wow!  Loved this, too.  The knedliky dumplings are Czech. 

Konigsberger meatballs - pork and beef in a lemon caper sauce - another Wow!  

Watershed had been open for a few years before I got around to visiting but it's one of the best and most interesting additions to this side of Houston.  Despite the number of beers available this is not just a beer bar with a kitchen - check the closing hours, much earlier than your usual pub.  I'm a Sausage-a-holic and not fond of pretzel buns so haven't tried any of the wursts that way but there are other sandwiches and lots more on the menu that is appealing.

Watershed - 4820 West Bellfort, about 100 yards east of South Post Oak, just off the corner of the West and South Loops. 

Momma's Tamales

 I wanted to do a tamale run this Christmas and had big plans - Arandas and Dona Tere on Beechnut, La Roca on Bissonet, Tamales a Mano on West Bellfort @ Chimney Rock and maybe Amigos Meat Market on West Bellfort @ Roark where I've had some very good tamales as part of  a platillo.  I already know I love Alamo Tamales but I thought I'd stick to places on the southwest side, closer to home and see what I could find.

On eGullet I read about fast food tamales - I didn't know Wienerschnitzel had tamales @ Christmas time!  Then I found El Pollo Loco had three tamale offerings on their Holiday Specials menu.  

And on Next Door I read about a new place in Bellaire called Momma's.  I only made it to El Pollo Loco and Momma's, which only opened about 3 weeks ago.

These were the pork; they only have a half dozen varieties ($14 per dozen, $8 per half) and they make a couple of salsas ($4 for 8 oz as I recall).

These were pretty good, a little on the drier-than-I-like-'em side but not too much.

I'll be back to try more, including the Brisket tamales.

I got the Double Loaded Queso Tamale bowl from El Pollo Loco.  I dropped it in the driveway trying to carry too many things into the house in one trip, so no pictures (and the Holiday Specials Menu seems to have been taken down already).  But the tamales were not bad, spicier than I expected.  They only have --- pollo.  Of course.

I probably should be grateful there's not a Wienerschnitzel any where near me.

Momma's Tamales, 5214 Cedar, Bellaire, in the block just west of the Bellaire HEB market.

I went to the El Pollo Loco on Rice, just south of Westpark.  We definitely need more drive-thru tamale stands.

Lockdown Delights - Wieners, veggie balls, tortilla

Brooklyn Hot Dogs - smoked, un-cured, all beef, natural casing (Central Market), veggie balls (Gronsakskaka - Ikea), leftover corn tortilla from Teotihuacan.

Making do, using up what's in the freezer and refrigerator; still adjusting to having to shop a week-and-a half ahead.  I couldn't decide what sauce - mustard for the wieners but not for the veggies or tortilla?  I spread some butter on the tortilla, a la old style Tex-Mex restaurants, before tortilla chips and salsa made their debut, and dabbed a little on the veggie balls.

Plus some Butter Pecan ice cream.

Take-out: Carne Asada

El Escribano - grilled skirt steak topped with  sautéed fresh garlic, scallops, shrimp and Monterey cheese, with arroz, guacamole and pico de gallo, plus chips and 2 salsas, charros, and hot, fresh, hand -made thick corn tortillas.  Note steam.

From Teotihuacan, West Bellfort location

Take-out: Wonton Soup, Fried Dumplings and Hunan Delight

To-Go order for 1.

Large Wonton Soup = 1 quart.   Large dumplings (at least 3) and a package of fried wonton strips.

Fried pork dumplings - 8.  A little burned and not crispy from being closed up in the clamshell for the trip home.  Came with a dipping sauce.

Hunan Delight - shrimp, chicken and beef with vegetables in a spicy brown sauce - huge portion.

The order also came with at least 3 cups of steamed rice (weighed over a pound),

Enough for at least 3 meals.

China House, 8797 S. Gessner, just off 59/69.  Order online, delivery by Door Dash.

Catfish Station

    CATFISH STATION PERMANENTLY CLOSED DURING THE PANDEMIC

7903 Beechnut

The Frenchy's Fried Chicken at this location has closed and been rather quickly replaced by this new outpost of another home-grown mini-chain.  According to their website they started out of a trailer in Third Ward only a little over a dozen years ago and the website now lists six brick and mortar locations  It falls a little more into the fast-casual category rather than fast food as the food is prepared to order.

I tried the 2-piece catfish plus 2 shrimp snack basket which came with one hush puppy and some very good battered fries.  The coating on the fish is similar to Capt. Benny's, a mix of corn meal and corn flour, I think, but a little bit thicker.  The hush puppy was sweet - they're described on the menu as sweet corn hush puppies but I didn't find any kernels of corn in mine.

The chicken and sausage gumbo was very good with a good rich, medium thick roux and lots of Cajun sausage; the chicken pieces were mostly shredded in my first sample but I got chunks the second time I tried this.  There was a chunk of tomato and the menu indicated there also should have been okra although I didn't find any pieces in my samples. Pictures posted online from in-house diners with this dish look a little better than my take-home sample - the rice settles down to the bottom in transit.  It has a mild amount of heat but there are bottles of Cajun Chef on the tables.

There are grilled dishes, chicken tenders, seafood tacos and po-boys plus one pasta dish.  House specialties include shrimp and grits, Cajun sausage with red beans and rice and more.  A link of boudain comes with a very tangy remoulade sauce and crackers.

The crawfish pie comes as an empanada stuffed with mostly shredded or minced pieces of crawfish and is served with a home-made etouffee sauce which is an onion gravy.

Besides the desserts listed on the website the in-house menu board offers Stonie Clark's Tea Cakes, an Austin specialty.

Dining-in accommodations are not plush but they're clean and the staff has been very friendly.

Catfish Station

7/30/17 - Per the Chronicle, four more Frenchy's are converting to Catfish Stations.

Flying Idlis

9411 Richmond

This business started out as delivery only, I think.  Hence the slogan 'You Order, We Fly' and the name I suppose. They've built up such a following they've moved into a big strip center on Richmond across from Blue Nile Ethiopian restaurant, sharing the center with Mi Pueblito and Dodo's, two stalwart Colombian restaurants, long-time Cuban venue La Vina, and a new West African spot, Mea's African Cuisine and Lounge which features Nigerian and Ivorian dishes.

The menu centers on idlis and dosas but has begun to expand beyond that.  I started with the Magic Idlis and some Chai.  The basic rice and split black lentil steamed dough is dressed with butter, salt, onion, gunpowder and coriander (cilantro), served on a section of banana leaf and accompanied by a peanut chutney and sambar.  I was delighted.  I love finding little places like this and the fact that portions are modest only adds to its appeal for me.

I went back a few days later for the Magic Masala Dosa which challenges my long-time fave at Shri Balaji Bhavan as best Masala Dosa in town. Most of the dishes listed on the menu as 'coming soon' are now available so the menu offers close to a dozen varieties of idlis and dosas.

Just the mention or sight of the word thali and I start salivating.  It's perhaps my favorite way to partake of Indian food so I had to check out the weekday lunch thali.  Clockwise from the top this was lentils and spinach, eggplant, sambar, yogurt (curd/dahi), a buttermilk curry with vegetables, a small gulab jamon and wheat chapati, plus a more than adequate portion of rice.  The server (owner?) said the buttermilk curry included a  little bit of sambar as I understand and various vegetables.  I could only identify a small portion of onion.  Everything was very tasty; I loved especially the first two dishes and the buttermilk curry.

The staff lacks a little bit of polish (they've only been open a few weeks) but more than make up for it with eagerness to please.  A wall poster indicates on weekends the thali is a special Andhra thali.  The place has been sparsely populated when I've been in on weekdays but I stopped by on a Sunday to try the special thali and discovered there'd be a wait for a seat.  I've never developed much appreciation for standing in line so I'll try again another time.

This stretch of Richmond has always been interesting for the variety of cuisines offered.  The strip center across the street where Blue Nile is located is getting a sprucing up and a couple of Colombian restaurants in there have changed hands; one specializes now in Colombian empanadas and the other is a second location of Paisa's Twin.  I can't remember what each of those were before, though.

Flying Idlis

Masala Munchies

6692 Southwest Freeway @ Hillcroft

I've seen this place many times before, right next door to London Sizzler, but never been in.  The little storefront offers a dizzying array of snacks from the subcontinent.

I'm not much interested in the 'Betcha can't eat just one' food group (thanks anyway, Bert) and I wouldn't know where to start with the variety offered here.  I prefer the more substantial snacks that offer both some nutrition and taste as well as filling the stomach.  I got, top row, a couple of their vegetable samosas (about 2 oz.), curried potatoes, peas and carrots with a coriander/chile chutney; second row: kachoris, minced green peas with garlic and spices and a tamarind chutney; and, third row: Katta Dhokla and a couple Khandvi.  That's actually 2 pieces of dhokla.  Katta means it was made with yogurt, I think.  This was the moistest, heaviest and best dhokla I think I've ever had, despite the tired looking cilantro.  A little dash of red chilli powder certainly didn't hurt.

I went back two days later for more dhokla and to stare at the shelves full of snacks until my head started to hurt.  People were walking out with large bags full of the treats and I'm sure I would too if I started trying to make choices.

Masala Munchies

Nukkad Dhaba

10707 W. Bellfort

I happened to spot this restaurant while I was waiting on my Chicken Shwarma from the Halal 5 food truck across the street. Driving west on West Bellfort from 59/69 at this point the sign for Nukkad Dhaba is almost completely blocked by a tree and I hadn't noticed it.

Nuddad means corner so I understand and dhaba is a term for a roadside eatery in India, particularly one catering to truckers.  This is a counter-service diner type place with booths along one wall and tables along another.  Parking is limited in front (and most of the building is currently unoccupied) but there is an expanded lot in the back, kept watch over by security cameras.  There's even a mostly enclosed patio on the rear of the building, making this one of the very few places in this part of town with al fresco dining.

Reviewers online rave about the Butter Chicken here while others complain about the oiliness of the curries. I've never cared for Butter Chicken so I passed up yet another opportunity to see what I'm missing and went for Chicken Seekh Kabab, Channa Masala, which is one of my favorite dishes from the subcontinent, and naan. The kababs were fine; nothing outstanding but okay.  They came with a very good coriander/chile chutney.  The Channa was both very oily and very tame.  When I make this dish at home, I'm aiming for a spice level like a bowl of Texas Red and this didn't come close.  There are shakers of a masala mix on the tables at the restaurant so I got mine out at home and shook generously.  The naan survived the almost 15 minute ride home tightly wrapped in very thick foil and was excellent for sopping up the oil.

A specialty of the house is Bombay style Chinese food, offered on a separate menu beginning at 5 pm and available until 1:45 am, seven days a week.  I had picked up a package of Ching's Secret Veg Hakka Noodles at Indian Spices and Snacks in Sugar Land recently but didn't realize I needed the Secret Szechuan sauce mix packet, too, so had never done anything with them and here was a version on a restaurant menu staring me in the face.  Well, minus any reference to Szechuan.  This is a stir fried noodle dish that had onions, bell pepper and I believe green beans in it, as I recall.  Interesting, but again very bland. I added the masala spice and some soy sauce to kick it up some.

I also picked up a couple of Keema Samosas which came with a very potent garlic chutney. Compared to this concoction, they might as well put Sriracha in 2.5 oz bottles and slap a Gerber label on it.  I gobbled it like a side dish and regretted it (just a little) the next couple of days.  I think the hole in my stomach has mainly healed, now, though.

My third visit I went just for the snacks - a couple of the Keema Samosas, an Aloo Vada and Chicken Patise

I have seen these Chicken Patise before but never tried one.  From here on, I'll be trying every one I come across.  This was the best thing yet - nicely spiced shredded chicken meat in puff pastry (and I had some of both the coriander and garlic chutneys left over to dress it up a little).

The place is very clean on the inside, better looking than the outside of the building, and the counter people have been friendly and welcoming, energetic even.  I plan to go back to try more of the Chinese food.

Nukkad Dhaba

Choice City Butcher and Deli

104 W. Olive St., Fort Collins, CO

Most of my meals in Fort Collins were taken with relatives and I ate very well but I had done some research in case I had time to grab a meal or two on my own.  Not surprisingly I found Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai but also an Afghan kabob place, Ethiopian and Nepalese.  Not bad for a college town the size of Fort Collins known mostly for it's craft brewing scene.

As interesting as those sounded at the top of my list of places to try was Choice City Butcher and Deli, right downtown.  And at the top of the menu for me.....

the Colorado Corned Buffalo Reuben, one of five Reuben variations they offer, dressed with sauerkraut, homemade Thousand Island dressing, and Swiss cheese, grilled on rye bread.  This is the half order and was a perfect size for me; a whole order has more meat on it.

I had arrived almost an hour early for lunch, the result of my never having adjusted the clock on the dashboard, but the wait was worth it (well, when I realized the delay was my fault and not just very slow service).  The Reuben is one of the greatest culinary inventions of all time and this was a very good version and one of the best treatments of buffalo I can ever remember having.  The bright and fresh homemade Thousand Island dressing upended a couple of decades of disdain on my part for that style of dressing. A kosher dill pickle spear, a classic accompaniment, added to the enjoyment; the Lemon Dill Cole Slaw was just okay.

Choice City Butcher and Deli

Tocabe - An American Indian Eatery

8181 E. Arapahoe, Greenwood Village, CO

As I was researching places to eat when I briefly passed through Denver, Tocabe was the second place I found and it marked the end of my search.  I only expected to have at most two meals in Denver and probably only one.  I never got to go to Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs, the first place I found, so  I never got to taste the Alaskan Reindeer Dog or the Jack-A-Lope dog, said to be mythically delicious.

As alluring as those dogs sounded, the Bison Ribs and Fry Bread at Tocabe were calling my name more insistently.  I chose a hotel right there in Greenwood Village for my overnight stay, just so I'd be close by.

When I was a kid my family traveled across the southwest several times on the way to visit relatives up and down the west coast.  We stopped at Navaho Curio shops but never experienced even Fry Bread (actually, mostly we cooked our own food on a Coleman camp stove as we camped out often.  Finding reliable roadside eats was a lot harder when I was a kid than it is now).  So eating American Indian food at Tocabe was a first for me.

I expected hulking ribs but they were not large; there was a lot of meat on them.  (There's a better picture on the website).  They are apparently braised and then finished on a grill.  Bison is a very lean meat, of course, and the ribs were very well done but not to the falling-off-the-bone stage.  The seasonal berry (blueberry) barbecue sauce that accompanied the ribs helped, but I missed the juicy fat of pork or beef ribs.  I had no trouble finishing all three ribs I was served and the barbecue sauce was also good for dipping the Fry Bread.

As for fried bread - but of course.  Fry Bread makes every thing better.

For a side I went with their rice.  It's not listed on the online menu and I can't remember if it was called Indian Wild Rice or just Wild Rice on the menu board.  It's a black rice with kernel corn, diced red onion and a berry or grape for sweetness.  It wasn't tart enough for cranberry but I couldn't decide if it was a kind of cherry or red grape.  But it was delicious.  According to this article they use Red Lakes Nation rice from Minnesota.  That article and this one reveal more of their ingredient sources, too.

The eatery has been compared to Chipotle.  Never having been inside a Chipotle I'm not positive what the comparison is but I think it has mostly to do with the service line, where you pick all the toppings you want on your Indian Tacos.  They have 2 locations and a mobile unit now.  If there is to be another Denver chain make it to Houston, I hope it's this one.

Tocabe

Dr. Field Goods Kitchen

2860 Cerrillos Rd., Santa Fe, NM

This was another recommendation by a poster on Hungry Onion.  I really wanted to try some Green Chile Stew during my brief pass through New Mexico but I just couldn't pass up the signature sandwich at this farm-to-table restaurant.  It's called the New Mexican on the menu, green chile rubbed and smoked pulled pork served on a bun baked by  Dr. Field Goods Bakery, Butcher Shop and Deli, about 50 paces away in the same shopping center, topped with sharp cheddar, green chile and apple jicama slaw, served with Field Good potatoes.  After just one bite I began to regret I wasn't going to be staying around to sample a lot more of this menu.  This was an excellent sandwich.

I also had the house made ginger ale - muddled ginger, fresh squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup and soda water.  It was a bit on the sweet side for me.

I'm sure if I lived in Santa Fe, or visited often, I'd spend a lot of time here and at the companion shop just down the way.

Santa Fe bills itself as a very friendly city and I certainly experienced that here and at Plaza Cafe.

Dr. Field Goods

Plaza Cafe Southside

3466 Zafarano Dr., Santa Fe, NM

I was a tourist in Santa Fe and I wanted to do what tourists do - eat typical New Mexican fare, like a Green Chile Cheeseburger.  There are lots of contenders but a poster on Hungry Onion had recommended Plaza Cafe Southside and since it was near my hotel, I opted for it.

The original Plaza Cafe still operates in Old Town Santa Fe but this new location is said to be more popular with locals, for obvious reasons.  New Mexico grass-fed beef with sharp cheddar cheese and Hatch chiles - excellent.  I opted for the small (6 oz) burger.  It arrived a little over-cooked (I had requested medium rare) but was good nonetheless.

For a side I opted for the Charro Bean Soup.  A little more complex than the charro beans you'd get at a taco truck in Houston and very good.

Too bad I didn't have enough time in Santa Fe to try a few of the other contenders.

Plaza Cafe Southside

Peru Cafe Express

3885 Southwest Freeway

Peru Cafe Express has moved (correct address above) and Empanada Factory has commenced operations in the space at 3833 Southwest Freeway.

The owners of this place and Argentina Cafe on Sage have recently opened a new Peruvian-Argentinian place, Che Inka, on Memorial, in a former Los Cucos.  My friend Lambowner checked it out and reported on it on Hungry Onion.  When we checked out the website we learned this place is slated to become an Empanada Factory.  I stopped by today to check it out.  It's still Peru Cafe Express and I saw no mention of an Empanada Factory but there were signs in the window announcing this place is moving a few doors down to a larger space soon so I guess the Empanada Factory is on hold until then.

I was very impressed with Argentina Cafe but had never checked this place out because it's mostly take-out and it's a little far from my home for that.  Today I picked up a 'sauteed beef sandwich' - i.e., Pan Con Lomo Saltado, and a Peruvian pork tamal with salsa criolla.

I'd never tried a Peruvian tamal, not even sure I remember seeing them on any menus, but this was the real winner here for me.  It had already been stripped of whatever it was steamed in (corn husks and banana leaves are mentioned in online recipes) when it was stuffed in the clam-shell but it stayed moist enough on the trip home.  The color comes from a Peruvian red chile, aji panca I think, and it was delicious with a generous filling of chunks of pork.  The salsa criolla, a ubiquitous condiment in Peruvian cuisine so I understand, is red onions sliced a la pluma (like a feather), dressed with fresh lime juice, a little salt, maybe a hint of chile.  There was also a container of a salsa verde in the bag.

The sandwich didn't fare so well; closed up in a clam-shell the bread lost any crustiness it had and the handful of potato chips included wilted as well.

I'll be looking forward to the new location for this place, where presumably there will be better accommodations for sit-down dining, and to the new Empanadas Factory.

Hoodadak Korean Fried Chicken

1645 Winding Hollow Drive @ S. Mason Road, Katy

So we've all heard Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken is coming to Katy this spring (and later, hopefully, to more of the Metro area).  But there already is a Korean Fried Chicken place in Katy - Hoodadak.

We found out about it on Hungry Onion and my friend Lambowner went out to get her first taste.  She came back with a very positive review so I had to make the trek, too.

I got the same order she did but I didn't get the complimentary pickled radish and I found the special lunch combo with just 4 wings not quite enough.

The chicken is extra crispy, the fries are excellent.  A special dipping sauce is offered for the fries and there's Heinz Sriracha Ketchup on the tables.  Extra napkins were forthcoming upon request immediately (very necessary).  There are five flavors for the fried chicken to choose from in all; I'll refrain from picking a favorite since I've tried only one.

Hoodadak is a small sitdown restaurant with table service.  The room seats only about 45 or 50 at 2 tops and 4 tops plus 3 mostly enclosed cubicle-like booths and a bar.  Missing from Lambowner's picture of the interior in her report are the bottles of wine and sake lined up at the right side of the bar, next to the register monitor; they got their license and will sell bottled and tap beers plus wine, sake and soju.  Just remember the chicken is twice-fried and not until you order it, so it does take some time

I thought Katy was Katyzuela but let the Korean fried chicken wars in Katy begin!

Hoodadak Facebook, with a link to the menu

Mediterranean and Arabic Kitchen

5930 Bellaire @ Mullins

I had noticed this new truck several times, right across from Honduras Maya Grill, and today was the day to stop and try it out.  I thought I would go blind standing next to the gleaming white and silver truck, trying to read the menu card in the brilliant afternoon sun, but I squinted my way through and made the choice of a Saj Sharwarma.

A saj is a domed grill, like a large overturned wok, used to bake thin flatbreads like markook and a bread itself called saj, which is thicker than markook and thinner than a pita.  That is presumably why this is called a Saj Sharwarma and I don't know that it differs in any other way from the Chicken Shawarma on the menu.  I got it with a spicy sauce added and it was a very wonderfully aromatic sandwich.  Some pieces of the chicken sliced off the spit were well done to the point of having charred tips but most were not overdone and the addition of the thin sauce made for a very drippy and tasty sandwich.   There was also lettuce, tomato and mild Middle Eastern pickles as condiments and the sandwich was griddled very briefly in a press and heated through before being wrapped and sliced for presentation.

The menu includes dishes labeled as Saudi, Jordanian and Iraqi plus there is Kushari, which is Egyptian.  Not all dishes are available every day - they couldn't serve the Arabic Mixed Salad this day - and I was advised it's necessary to call in advance for some dishes.  It would truly be amazing if the kitchen on this truck could turn out all of these dishes everyday.

As much as I loathe having to get up and go out for breakfast, I'm very tempted to make my next visit on a weekend, to try some of the special breakfasts offered.