Dakar Street Food - Senegal

2923 Walnut Bend Ln, Houston, TX 77042

Allied Kenco

 

Pizza - Could This Be The Best Pizza In Houston?

ORG Pizza 006 

Andrea dal Monte. Of Rome. A Roman style "pinsa". Crunchy. Superb flavor. Well, just perfect.

Open from 9:00 to 2:00 on Sunday, ORG Pizza 006 is tucked away a little north of Tidwell on Yale at 5618 Yale.  

Chef Andrea dal Monte. 

For me, the crust is perfect. Chewy and delicious. The quality of ingredients is about as good as it gets. His skill as a pizzaolo, well, for me, I wouldn't want to eat anywhere else on a Sunday, mid-day. Prices are almost too reasonable. 

And, he also produces excellent gelati in remarkably interesting flavors.

John Nechman writes: “. Thank you, thank you, thank you to H-Town mortgage guru John Frels, curator of the Houston Heights Foodies page, for sharing the "secret" of ORG Pizza Garden (5618 Yale St., in the northern stretches of Independence Heights). The business model for this hidden-in-plain-sight spot is somewhat baffling:  open only Sundays from 9-2; 3 tables inside and a few more hard benches outside, mostly exposed to the elements; a masonry pizza oven set up in a trailer in the middle of the outdoor patio; barbed wire topping a chain link fence surrounding the rather bleak looking property; business development coming mostly from word-of-mouth from those who've dined here before.

And it works!

Why? Because the food is spectacular. Frels and Houston foodie extraordinaire Jay P. Francis (who also visited ORG yesterday) have called the pizza the best in the city. It's definitely a contender.  If you've had the 2 most famous styles of Roman pizza: al taglio (square and thicker crust, sold in "cut" squares) and tonda (thinner, crispy crust and usually round), this pizza from Chef Andrea dal Monte is like the best of both--pizza alla pala. It somehow manages to be both fluffy and crispy at the same time and comes out in an oval shape on  a traditional wood paddle. At $10 for the most expensive version (the magnificent matriciana, made with a rich marinara infused with guanciale and pecorino), this is one of the best deals in town and one of the tastiest pizzas.  I couldn't get a close look at the oven, but it appeared to be a Marona forni oven--perfect for cooking this style of pizza.

Also from within this magical oven comes the bread for the farciti, sort of a stuffed toast.  We tried the version with fresh-sliced prosciutto, camembert, a slather of figs compote, organic arugula, and golden local honey, and it soars to the highest rankings of Houston's best  sandwiches. I hope Jeff Balke, who compiles a list of best sandwiches for the Houston Press, gets to try this one).  A stunner of a sandwich.

We somehow managed to scarf down a maritiramisu maritozzo (sweet bun) as well and left with a pint of peach, balsamic venegar, and roasteed honey ice cream to enjoy later.

You can bring your own booze (for $14 a bottle, Total Wine & More sells an orange Sun Goddess Pinot Grigio Ramato from Mary J Blige that is refreshing and pairs with everything!), which means an exceptional Sunday lunch with wine for 2 can easily come in under $40. This place is still under-the-radar enough to likely have seating if you show up early, but before long, unless they expand (and hopefully open on other days, too), it won't be possible to find a seat here.“

Maria's All Natural Frozen Yogurt on Bellaire (It Only Took Me 24 Years to Discover It)

My friend told me about a frozen yogurt place on Bellaire near Chimney Rock. 

Maria’s Natural Yogurt. The owner, or family, is from Yucatán originally. I joked with him about adding an Xtabentun yogurt flavor. The yogurt is made by them on premises.

Excellent flavors . You choose your flavors and top with pecans or fruit. When you first arrive let them know it is your first time and they will let you sample the flavors for the day.

For my visit, I chose mango and guanabana, with pecans on top.

Highly recommended.

You'd be amazed at the diversity of snacks at Asian grocery stores

 

Bahel - A Chimney Rock Ethiopian Restaurant Worth Its Weight in Berbere

 On a recent food group, two Ethiopian restaurants showed up, that I was unfamiliar with. Knowing this would be a great option for a vegetarian friend of mine (note: there ARE plenty of meat dishes), as many Ethiopian vegetarian options really shine.

What a surprise. Bahel is in the building once housed by another Ethiopian place. And back in the day, excepting Lucy and Blue Nile, most Ethiopian places were dark and usually empty during the day if one went for lunch for example (Ethiopians are a late night crowd I believe).

Walking into Bahel one is first greet by a display cabinet of traditional musical instruments and garb. To the right is a wonderful grocery store with spices and cookware ( I picked up a pound of green Ethiopian coffee beans to roast at home). Walking into the dining area, beautifully decorated walls and thick wood tables and chairs. Teff flour in the corner. Berbere chili spice refrigerated to preserve its shelf life (as it should be). Behind the cashier, trimmed goat meats ready for stewing. 

For the two of us, we ordered the $26 12 item vegan sampler. It would have been sufficient for 3-4 people imho, as, we both took a lot home to have for breakfast or snacking later. I held a quarter out in the photo so you could get an idea of just how big this sampler plate is.

The Ethiopian coffee ceremony presentation is available here. You should do it at least once. Coffee tends to be over roasted, thus, not a favorite of mine, being a coffee aficionado.

Highly recommended.