It may not be the most authentic Mexican place it town, or the cheapest, but El Tiempo Cantina definitely ranks up there as one of Hamilton Shirts favorite places to eat in Houston. Located close to our offices on Richmond Avenue…the margaritas, the chips and queso, and the tower of fajitas are all something that dreams are made of. In fact…I dream about them ALL THE TIME. Seriously.

Tex Mex in Houston is something that everyone here should really appreciate and be proud of, elsewhere in the country you just can’t even come close to El Tiempo (I’ve looked..and have the pant size to prove it). The staff here is friendly and terrific, the food and drinks are outstanding. What more can I say? Just go. I can barely type anything more with these pictures staring at me from below.

MUST. HAVE. FAJITAS. NOW.

El Tiempo Chicken and Steak Fajitas. Photo by Chris Visit

Rocks vs. Frozen

El Tiempo Cantina, with locations on Richmond Ave, Washington Ave, and Montrose Blvd. Check the website for hours and directions.

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Located over in the Shire, I mean Upper Kirby…Houston’s Hobbit Cafe is a precious (sorry) spot to stop in to have a bite to eat. Built inside what looks like a Tudor style cottage, this quirky cafe really feels like you’ve stumbled down into a Hobbits lair. Hidden away behind a lush overgrown patio under a large oak tree, the cafe seems to be more hippie than Hollywood.

Cramming tons of LOTR (Lord of the Rings) memorabilia into every nook and cranny, even the dishes on the menu are named after characters from the Tolkien novels. This place could be insufferably corny and gimmicky, if the food wasn’t so fun and tasty. Specializing in mostly sandwiches and burgers, the place has a lot of options – especially for vegetarians. Items including avocado really seem to be the way to go. Also while you’re there, check on the special locally baked carrot cake that occasionally pops up on the menu, the over-sized slice that they serve could easily feed a dozen Hobbits…or at least one hungry Texan.

Hobbit Cafe, 2243 Richmond Avenue – Houston, Texas 77098. ph. 713.526.5460

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A favorite Hamilton Shirts watering hole – Poison Girl Cocktail Lounge – is everything that you want in a bar and more. Home to a diverse crowd, this laid back establishment is one of the best in town. Cool crowd, cool tunes, cool decor, and a wall of about 10 pinball machines – including a Family Guy machine. What more could you want?

Some reviews on yelp etc. have said that Poison Girl can be a bit intimidating due to its “cliquish arty crowd” but I haven’t found that to be the case. It kind of has a New York East Village vibe, which I can see might turn some folks off. A friend of mine has a sign in his shop that says “If you don’t belong, don’t be long” and same might be said of Poison Girl.

The bar has an excellent American whiskey selection, lots of beers on tap including some rare varieties, and a special Poison Girl shot that will kick the night off right. T.G.I.F.

Poison Girl Cocktail Lounge 1641B Westheimer, Houston, Texas 77006  ph.713.527.9929

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Founded over 47 years ago Pete’s Fine Meats has been THE go-to source as the best butcher shop located here in Houston.

With Memorial Day Weekend now behind us and BBQ season officially in full swing, a visit to Pete’s can set you up for some the best summer cookouts you’ve ever had. Not only can they provide you with just about any meat that you’d like to grill, with enough notice they’ll even season it and cook it for you. Another service provided by Pete’s for all you hunters out there, the shop will process just about any kind of wild game and bird that you can kill and bring in.

In the market for some ribeye’s? check…quail? check…turducken? check. They can even hook you up with more exotic stuff like bear, rattlesnake, emu, turtle, even python and kangaroo. See why they call this the source? AND – in addition to anything you need from the butchers, Pete’s also has a full fledged deli serving up burgers and all kinds of sandwiches and salads.

Another reason why we love this place? A company slogan from the website “Hunt with your son today and you won’t have to hunt for him tomorrow.”

Pete’s Fine Meats. 5509 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas ph. 713.782.3470

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Home of the famous Buffalo Burger- Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack is a Houston Ice House institution. No fries, no rings, no tots…this bare bones menu dispenses with the extras and serves up one of the best burgers in town. Besides the excellent burgers, the menu lists a few carefully chosen extras – jalapeno potato salad, frito pie, chili stuffed potato, tons of cold beers. C’mon, what more could you possibly want?

Literally located under the Westpark Tollway, this shack is kind of easy to find…there is nothing else around it. The excellent Texas style decor of Bubba’s also deserves a mention..this place is the real deal. We especially like the sign that says “I love animals..especially with potatoes and gravy“.

Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack, 5230 Westpark, Houston, Texas 77056 ph. 713.661.1622

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Over on the Houston Press Food Blog “Eating Our Words” they are currently running a contest to decide upon who will be Houston’s Hottest Chef. They’ve narrowed the field down to about 10 nominees – five ladies and five gents.

According to the article it sounds like Houston Press went about obtaining photos of all the finalists all craftylike. By clipping real candid pictures from Facebook and twitter, the potential candidates weren’t be able to get a well-turned leg up on the competition by submitting some glossy beauty shots. Nominees come from restaurants all over the city – the ladies from:  Calliope’s Po-Boys, Jodycakes, t’afia, Feast, Zelko Bistro – and the guys from: Mo’s A Place for Steaks, Stella Sola, Reef, Hubcap Grill, and Yelapa Playa Mexicana.

Have a look at all the pictures on the Houston Press website and vote! Which chef’s face will reign supreme?

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When the weather hits 90º all I can think about is drinking Sweet Tea. For such a simple beverage – tea, sugar, water – there are about a million different ways to make it. One of my favorites and easiest recipes:

Sweet Tea

• 2 large quart size orange pekoe or black tea bags (or one ounce of loose tea that you can strain)
• 1-2 cups of sugar depending on taste
• 3 cups of water

Heat three cups of water to boiling. Stir in your sugar until the water goes from cloudy to clear. Turn off heat and add tea bags letting them steep in the water for at least 20 minutes. Pour tea, sugar mixture into a large pitcher and add in very cold water to fill.

At this point in the recipe you can let your creativity take over…add ice, sprigs of mint, lemon slices, orange slices, you can even add sliced cucumber (good with iced green tea). Another trick to for you to try…at the tea steeping stage add a pinch of baking soda to the boiling water – it mellows out the tea for a very unique smooth taste.

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The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in conjunction with Whole Foods is holding a benefit this Saturday called Empty Bowls in which artist created bowls are sold and proceeds will be given to the Houston Food Bank. Empty Bowls was created as a grass-roots effort by artists and craftspeople in cities and towns across the country to feed the hungry in their communities.

For a minimum donation of $25 dollars you gain admittance along with a simple meal of soup, bread, and water. Afterward you get to choose a bowl to take home from one of hundreds that were created by Houston area artists. The empty bowls serve as a symbolic reminder of all the people doing without in our area – and the world at large.

Local artists will be on had demonstrating some of the many crafts represented along with various live music performances. Examples of some of the crafts represented are ceramists, woodturners and woodworkers, glass artists, fiber artists, mosaicists, clay artists, metalsmiths, painters and sculptors. The event takes place on Saturday, May 22nd from 11am to 4pm – and you can pre-order your tickets or buy them at the door.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, 4848 Main Street – Houston, Tx 77002 ph. 713.529.4848

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Feast, one of the coolest and most interesting restaurants in Houston, posted a very curious message on twitter yesterday.. “we have been critically loved but we still don’t have the sales here in Houston. We still have 3 table nights.”

Its really sad to read that a terrific restaurant like Feast isn’t doing a bang up, smashing business. We’ve written about the restaurant before- we here at Hamilton Shirts have been big fans for a while. You may have read about the “nose to tail” dishes- they get lots of press, but don’t let that put you off. They certainly have items for the adventurous palate, but plenty of things for regular diners too. We are big fans of the scallops, the braised chicken, the cassoulet, fish stew, and the ever changing daily seasonal specials. On certain days they have a two or three course lunch special at $14 or $18 bucks – you can’t beat that!

Feast Proprietors Richard Knight, and James & Meagan Silk

According to the restaurant website it looks like they are opening a new place in New Orleans late summer 2010- I really hope that just means that this will be a second Feast outpost. If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out the restaurant, please go. Don’t put it off – Feast will totally become one of your favorites in town.

Feast, 219 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77006 ph. 713.529.7788

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Besides being a delicious Mexican aqua fresca drink made from water, rice, almonds vanilla, and cinnamon…Horchata is also a cool song from Vampire Weekend:

Horchata

• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 1/4 cup ground, blanched almonds or almond meal
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 cups water, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sugar

Put the rice in a blender and grind to a powder for a few minutes. Grind the mixture as smooth as possible. Combine the pulverized rice, almonds and cinnamon stick with two cups of water. Cover tightly and allow to steep overnight.

Remove the cinnamon stick and place the rice mixture in the blender. Blend for 4 or 5 minutes until the mixture is smooth and no longer has a gritty texture. Add 2 more cups of water, and blend again for about 15 seconds.

Strain into a pitcher through several layers of dampened cheesecloth or even a coffee filter.

Add 2 more final cups of cold water, the vanilla and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. If the mixture is too thick, add some additional water. Horchata should have the consistency of milk. The drink is supposed to be sweet, so taste and add more sugar, if desired.

Cover and refrigerate. Horchata will keep several days, refrigerated. Serve it chilled in tall glasses over ice. Makes 1-1/2 quarts.

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