Here’s a last minute tip for a fun Houston afternoon – on Sunday, April 14th from noon to 4pm painter Cecelia Beaven will be live painting a new outdoor mural at the restaurant Cuchara. Her artwork currently can be seen around the restaurant, she painted the giant mural in the main dining room and her smaller pieces and cut-outs are scattered throughout the entire space. DJ Sun will be mixing tunes and a happy hour will be in full effect.

We had the opportunity to meet Ms. Beaven last Tuesday evening and she told us about a recent billboard she painted (and lived behind!) in Mexico City! See the video of that project below:

Chucara, 214 Fairview, Houston, TX 77076

Filed under: Art & Culture, Food & Drink, Houston by Stephen : Comments Off

Tasting Table recently emailed out a recipe for bolognese sauce from their ‘Chefs Recipes Edition’ series adapted from the guys that run Houston’s The Pass & Provisions. This recipe looks EPIC:

Mortadella Bolognese with Pistachio Gremolata
Recipe adapted from Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner, The Pass & Provisions, Houston, TX

INGREDIENTS
Bolognese

1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound mortadella (unsliced), cut into 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 whole star anise
3 fresh basil leaves
1 large sprig fresh oregano
1 large sprig fresh marjoram (or a total of 2 oregano sprigs)
1 large sprig fresh thyme
1 dried bay leaf
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 celery stalks, very finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1½ large yellow onions, very finely chopped
1 medium shallot, very finely chopped
1 large carrot, very finely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
½ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
Two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Kosher salt (for boiling pasta)
1 pound conchiglie (shell-shaped pasta)

Gremolata

½ cup pistachios
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Make the bolognese: Fill a large bowl with ice and water and set a medium bowl inside of the ice water bath. Using a meat grinder or the grinder attachment of a stand mixer, force the pork shoulder and then the mortadella through the grinder and into the bowl set within the ice water bath (or freeze the chunks of meat for 20 minutes until semi-frozen and then pulse in a food processor to break them down into a rough-textured mixture).

2. To a large pot set over medium heat, add the black peppercorns, fennel seeds and star anise. Cook, stirring often, until the fennel seeds are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the spices to a large, doubled square of cheesecloth (set the pot aside for making the sauce). Add the basil leaves, oregano sprig, marjoram sprig, thyme sprig and bay leaf to the cheesecloth and secure with butcher’s twine.

3. Set the pot over high heat, add the olive oil, and heat until the oil is hot, about 1 minute. Add the ground pork shoulder and mortadella and cook, stirring often, until the meat is browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a medium bowl. To the pot, add the celery, garlic, onions, shallot and carrot and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Return the meat to the pot and add the red wine, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the red wine vinegar and fish sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.

5. Add the crushed tomatoes, cream and milk, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, taste and season with salt if needed.

6. While the sauce cooks, make the gremolata: Preheat the oven to 350°. On a rimmed baking sheet, add the pistachios and toast until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a medium plate to cool. Once cool, place the pistachios in a food processor and pulse until pulverized but not powder-fine, about six 1-second pulses. Transfer the pistachios to a medium bowl and stir in the olive oil, parsley and lemon zest and juice. Stir to combine and then add the salt.

7. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, then drain. Add the pasta to the bolognese and divide between 6 bowls. Top with pistachio gremolata and serve.

Filed under: Food & Drink, Houston by Stephen : Comments Off

Poking around on the GQ website recently I came across an interesting insiders Guide to Houston that was published online back in November. A terrific list put together by the guys that run Pass & Provisions – a place that GQ describes as “a dual concept restaurant that is half casual, half chef’s table in Houston’s Fourth Ward”.

A nice list of some old favorites – and some new places to definitely check out:

1. West End Bicycles

2. West Alabama Ice House

3. La Guadalupana Bakery & Cafe

4. Poison Girl

5. Uchi Houston

6. Alice’s Tall Texan

7. Liberty Station Bar

8. Reserve Supply Company

9. Christian’s Tailgate Bar & Grill

10. Warren’s Inn

11. Huynh Restaurant

Filed under: Food & Drink, Houston, Style, Texas by Stephen : Comments Off

On January 11th, The New York Times chose the 46 best places to visit during the next year…with obvious choices like Rio (Olympics) Hawaii (of course) and Croatia (Gwynneth goes there)….coming in at lucky number seven was Houston. The piece highlights a few of our top cultural institutions: Rothko Chapel, the new-ish Museum of African American Culture, The Asia Society Texas Center, and the new $85 million dollar addition to the paleontology wing at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The article goes on to mention a few choice dining spots – Uchi, Underbelly, and Oxheart, which many consider some of the best restaurants in the country. So in other words come visit…and make sure you stop by and see us at the Shirt Co!

Filed under: Art & Culture, Food & Drink, Houston, Made in the USA, Texas by Stephen : Comments Off

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at the Hamilton Shirt Company.

Back in the spring one of my favorite websites “Lists of Note” posted F.Scott Fitzgeralds 13 recipes for serving leftover turkey. Part of his “Crack Up” series of essays, I figured today was the perfect day to bring these handy ideas to your attention:

TURKEY REMAINS AND HOW TO INTER THEM WITH NUMEROUS SCARCE RECIPES

At this post holiday season, the refrigerators of the nation are overstuffed with large masses of turkey, the sight of which is calculated to give an adult an attack of dizziness. It seems, therefore, an appropriate time to give the owners the benefit of my experience as an old gourmet, in using this surplus material. Some of the recipes have been in my family for generations. (This usually occurs when rigor mortis sets in.) They were collected over years, from old cook books, yellowed diaries of the Pilgrim Fathers, mail order catalogues, golf-bags and trash cans. Not one but has been tried and proven—there are headstones all over America to testify to the fact.

Very well then. Here goes:

1. Turkey Cocktail: To one large turkey add one gallon of vermouth and a demijohn of angostura bitters. Shake.

2. Turkey à la Francais: Take a large ripe turkey, prepare as for basting and stuff with old watches and chains and monkey meat. Proceed as with cottage pudding.

3. Turkey and Water: Take one turkey and one pan of water. Heat the latter to the boiling point and then put in the refrigerator. When it has jelled, drown the turkey in it. Eat. In preparing this recipe it is best to have a few ham sandwiches around in case things go wrong.

4. Turkey Mongole: Take three butts of salami and a large turkey skeleton, from which the feathers and natural stuffing have been removed. Lay them out on the table and call up some Mongole in the neighborhood to tell you how to proceed from there.

5. Turkey Mousse: Seed a large prone turkey, being careful to remove the bones, flesh, fins, gravy, etc. Blow up with a bicycle pump. Mount in becoming style and hang in the front hall.

6. Stolen Turkey: Walk quickly from the market, and, if accosted, remark with a laugh that it had just flown into your arms and you hadn’t noticed it. Then drop the turkey with the white of one egg—well, anyhow, beat it.

7. Turkey à la Crême: Prepare the crême a day in advance. Deluge the turkey with it and cook for six days over a blast furnace. Wrap in fly paper and serve.

8. Turkey Hash: This is the delight of all connoisseurs of the holiday beast, but few understand how really to prepare it. Like a lobster, it must be plunged alive into boiling water, until it becomes bright red or purple or something, and then before the color fades, placed quickly in a washing machine and allowed to stew in its own gore as it is whirled around. Only then is it ready for hash. To hash, take a large sharp tool like a nail-file or, if none is handy, a bayonet will serve the purpose—and then get at it! Hash it well! Bind the remains with dental floss and serve.

9. Feathered Turkey: To prepare this, a turkey is necessary and a one pounder cannon to compel anyone to eat it. Broil the feathers and stuff with sage-brush, old clothes, almost anything you can dig up. Then sit down and simmer. The feathers are to be eaten like artichokes (and this is not to be confused with the old Roman custom of tickling the throat.)

10. Turkey à la Maryland: Take a plump turkey to a barber’s and have him shaved, or if a female bird, given a facial and a water wave. Then, before killing him, stuff with old newspapers and put him to roost. He can then be served hot or raw, usually with a thick gravy of mineral oil and rubbing alcohol. (Note: This recipe was given me by an old black mammy.)

11. Turkey Remnant: This is one of the most useful recipes for, though not, “chic,” it tells what to do with the turkey after the holiday, and how to extract the most value from it. Take the remants, or, if they have been consumed, take the various plates on which the turkey or its parts have rested and stew them for two hours in milk of magnesia. Stuff with moth-balls.

12. Turkey with Whiskey Sauce: This recipe is for a party of four. Obtain a gallon of whiskey, and allow it to age for several hours. Then serve, allowing one quart for each guest. The next day the turkey should be added, little by little, constantly stirring and basting.

13. For Weddings or Funerals: Obtain a gross of small white boxes such as are used for bride’s cake. Cut the turkey into small squares, roast, stuff, kill, boil, bake and allow to skewer. Now we are ready to begin. Fill each box with a quantity of soup stock and pile in a handy place. As the liquid elapses, the prepared turkey is added until the guests arrive. The boxes delicately tied with white ribbons are then placed in the handbags of the ladies, or in the men’s side pockets.

Filed under: Blogs, Food & Drink, Holiday, Style by Stephen : Comments Off

A fantastic article from The New York Times written by Stirling Kelso asks some local top chefs for their favorite places to hit on Houston’s Bellaire Boulevard. A really great list for discovering unique Asian specialties foods that you may not even have realized were available nearby:

Chris Shepard of Underbelly recommends HK Dim Sum (9889 Bellaire Boulevard, Suite 110) and Lucky Pot (9888 Bellaire Boulevard, Suite 158) – love his description: “It’s not lucky, and they don’t serve anything in a pot, but you can’t beat the Peking Duck”.

Morgan Weber and Ryan Pera from Revival Market picked Crawfish and Noodles (11360 Bellaire Boulevard, Suite 990) for its…crawfish and noodles.

David Grossman from Branch Water Tavern likes Mala Sichuan Bistro (9348 Bellaire Boulevard) for its spicy dishes that reminds him of Sichuan restaurants in Queens, N.Y.

Justin Yu from Oxheart chooses Pho Binh (12148 Bellaire Boulevard, phobinh .com) for the fragrant bowls of their Vietnamese style noodles and broth.

Manabu Horiuchi of Kata Robata likes Fu Fu Café (9889 Bellaire Boulevard, Suite 105) for its Shanghai style dumplings and pork buns.

Filed under: Food & Drink, Houston, Style, Texas by Stephen : Comments Off

Yesterday Bon Appetit magazine posted their picks for the 50 best new restaurants in America and three local watering holes made the grade. In what was the location of our favorite burger/hotdog joint (next door to the Houston photo studio we use from time to time) is the restaurant Oxheart, the second is the popular Underbelly on Westheimer, and the third the always mobbed Austin import, Uchi.

Oxheart hosts a pre-fixe tasting menus of regional fare, Underbelly describes itself as a new take on American Creole cuisine, and Uchi offers a contemporary take on Japanese dining and sushi.

Have you been to all three?

Oxheart, 1302 Nance Street ph. 832-830-8592

Uchi, 904 Westheimer ph. 713-522-4808

Underbelly, 1100 Westheimer Road ph. 713-528-9800

Filed under: Food & Drink, Houston, Texas by Stephen : Comments Off

The idea of anything ‘Made in the USA’ has become a very popular sentiment in the world of fashion, especially important for us here at Hamilton Shirts. This All-American sentiment also applies to another unique store in Houston called Revival Market. Taking these same ideals and applying them to locally grown produce and ingredients, this specialty food grocery store takes their Texas food seriously. Not only does Revival Market have a full menu of options and produce along with house made vinegars, pickles, and jams – the shop is one of only a few retail stores in the U.S. that raise their own meats to sell direct from their own farm.

From their website: “Housemade Pickled Okra, Chow-Chow, Dill Pickles, Pickled Heirloom Eggplant, Sorghum Syrup. Your Southern Summer dinners just got better. We have all the staples that will help remind you of the dishes that make Grandma proud.”

Revival Market, 550 Heights Blvd, Houston. (713)880-8463

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The site of a recent Hamilton Shirts after work dinner, the farm-to-table restaurant “Haven” is definitely a place to visit. From the locally sourced meats and seafood (shrimp corn dogs) and all the top quality farmers market produce, this place is a winner. Creative twists on Texas favorites like chili, gumbo, cornbread– these southwestern and creole classics take on modern forms and new flavors. This would be a fantastic place for a dressed up date night..or just meeting friends in the more casual bar area. Located in what feels like someones beautiful modern home, you can chill out, eat great, and have a fantastic evening. We sure did.

Haven – 2502 Algerian Way, Houston Texas, 77098 tel. 713.581.6101

Filed under: Food & Drink, Houston, Style by Stephen : 7 Comments »

You might be miffed that the upcoming Top Chef Texas passed over filming in our fine city — but the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau is ready to strike back! New ads have been created that will run during the broadcast showing what a great food city Houston is. Love it! Not filming here is Top Chefs BIG loss…will you be tuning in?

Also, speaking of great places to eat in Houston…check out this list from the website Eater Houston for their “Essential 38 Houston Restaurants – Oct’ 11“. Its a great list, with some definite surprises. How many places have you been to?

Filed under: Food & Drink, Houston, Televison by Stephen : 1 Comment »