Har Gow. Chicken Feet. Xiu Mai. 

Steamed Sticky Rice with Mushroom and Pork. 

Steamed Egg Custard Bun. 

Xiu Mai Rice Noodle. 

Shrimp Rice Noodle. 

The staple dim sum dishes are the rice noodles, xiu mai, har gow, and when you’re ready for it…chicken feet. Chicken feet is considered a dim sum delicacy. Fung’s Kitchen has THE best. It has the perfect balance of flavor, but only order whenever you’re ready for it. There is an off-the-menu item, which I don’t know the Chinese name of but I order directly through the waitress. It’s called “The Rice Noodle with the Crunchy Stuff, Shrimp, and Chives”. They used to offer it every day, but now they no longer offer it on busy days or weekends. It’s my favorite rice noodle dish though so be sure to order it if you’re there on a weekday. Another item that I love at Fung’s Kitchen is more of a dessert option: Egg Custard Steamed Bun. It’s a moist sweet bun filled with ooey gooey goodness.

For those who are new to dim sum, you may be subject to all sorts of new and interested tastes and textures. Once I took my friend here for the first time, she was weary at first but began craving dim sum every Sunday for the next few years we were both in Houston. It’s that good!

Rating: 5/5 spoons

Truffle & Mascarpone Burrata – As Seen on the Food Network. House pulled truffle Burrata. Colorburst Farms tomatoes. Rosemary Balsamic Reduction. Flatbread.

This delicious handrolled Burrata is probably the culprit behind my sudden mozzarella binge. The combo of truffle and mascarpone was perfect! It left me wanting much more!

Bread. Oven-baked. Perfect chewy and soft bread texture, just like the pizza dough itself.

House Smoked Salmon Spinach & Pancetta. Baby Spinach. Vital Farms pasture raised organic hard boiled egg. Gorgonzola. Crisp apple. Toasted Walnuts. Warm Pancetta Vinaigrette.

Pork Love. Sopressata Salami. Sausage. Pancetta. Speck. House Pulled Mozzarella. Tomato Sauce.

Other Delicious Pizza: Arugula & Prosciutto. 

I’ve never been to Naples, so I can’t guarantee the authenticity of the dishes, however, my palate tells me that this has to be one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had… San Antonio is filled with pizza joints, but this one provides a romantic, yet homey atmosphere and more importantly, a delicious meal awaiting…

Grilled Watermelon. Dried Cherry Compote. 14-month Tejano Ham. Arugula, Fried Goat Cheese. 

Cup of Gumbo.

Crispy Slow Cooked Pork. Green Beans. Toasted Almonds. Poached Egg. Spicy Butter Dressing. 

Baked Texas Coast Oysters on the Half Shell, Shrimp, and Crab Gratin. 

Hanger Steak. Steak-Frites. Garlic and Herb Butter.  I know, it looks like a teaser, but I actually split this dish with the boyfriend so there’s more than appears on this plate!

*NOTE: not pictured are the raw oysters (which were inhaled immediately)… large, fresh, and delicious!

The food was delicious! Although we ordered a feast of food, everything was refreshing and very flavorful. The only downside is the cost  $$$-$$$$. It’s an experience, regardless! Luke is one of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans so I had very high expectations for this location. San Antonio is a beautiful city…very scenic hills, beautiful riverwalk and luckily for me, John Besh brought this delicious gem to the city! 

Click here for article…

The Food

Just so you know, the State Fair is known for EVERYTHING FRIED. I mean EVERTHING! I didn’t order everything, but these are just a few things that caught my attention.

Fletcher’s Jalapeno Cheese Corndog. Best corndog ever! Crispy on the outside, jalapeno-ey and cheesy on the inside. One of my favorite items at the State Fair.

Fried Frito Pie. Crispy fried batter on the outside, chili on the inside. Not my fav, but I’d rather an actual frito pie! For those who aren’t familiar with frito pie (it must be a Texas thing!), it’s Frito lay chips with chili and any other additional toppings.

Fried Tres Leches Cake. (above and below) My fav fried dessert at the state fair! Great thing crispiness on the outside with moist tres leches cake on the inside. 

Fried Cheesecake. Not my favorite…You get tired of it really fast and the fried part had an old grease flavor..eh!

Fried Brownies. 

My favs: Fletcher’s Jalapeno & Cheese corndog, Fried Tres Leches Cake

Not so fav: Fried cheesecake, Fried Frito Pie

Whoever said “Anything fried is good!” may have been on the right track, but you gotta admit, some things just aren’t meant to be fried.

Overall, it was a great foodie trip. If you didn’t go this year, it’s worth a shot! Check it out around Sept/Oct 2013. I had a great time finding good food and enjoying Texas culture! 

NEW ORLEANS RESTAURANTS REVIEWS

• Bayou Hot Wings
• Borgne (Hyatt Regency)
• Boucherie
• C’est La Vie Bistro [Closed]
• Cafe Zen
• The Company Burger
• Coquette
• Coulis
• Cowbell
• Dante’s Kitchen
• Dat Dog
• Dick and Jenny’s 
• Emeril’s Delmonico
• Emeril’s Restaurant
• Gott Gourmet (Brunch)
• Gott Gourmet (Lunch)
• Katie’s Restaurant and Bar
• La Petite Grocery
• La Petite Grocery (Brunch)
• Luke
• Milk Bar
• NOLA (Emeril Lagasse)
• Ralph’s on the Park
• Restaurant R’evolution
• Root
• Stanley’s Restaurant
• Stein’s Market & Deli
• Truburger
• Tartine
• Vizards
• Yuki Izakaya

NOLA DESSERTS

• Angelo Brocato
• Cafe Du Monde
• Honeydeux

NOLA EVENTS

• New Orleans Oyster Festival 2012

HOUSTON

• Fat Bao
• Local Foods
• Straits
• Torchy’s Tacos
• Uchi

SAN ANTONIO

• Luke

FLORIDA

• The Pancakery

Torchy’s Tacos was originally an Austin taco joint, which expanded and finally reached Houston. Austin is known for it’s laid back atmosphere and character and you can definitely see that in Torchy’s menu and atmosphere…

I ordered To Go so it’s not plated up as nice as when you’re dining in, but I tried! 

Chicken Fajita. Tender marinated & grilled chicken breast. Grilled onions and peppers, cheese and pico. Flour tortilla.

Taco of the Month: Tuk Tuk. Marinated and grilled Thai beef fajitas. Cooked cabbage slaw. Pickled cucumbers and carrots. Sriracha. Avocado sauce. Jack Cheese. Lime. Crushed peanuts and mint. Corn Tortilla.

The next taco I’d love to try is “The Independent”…it has hand-battered deep fried portobello mushroom strips and more…but it had me at portobello…

Whether you’re dining in or ordering take out, Torchy’s is a great place when you’re craving some delicious tacos. The service is always friendly and helpful and food service is quick. The tacos vary from authentic Mexican versions to creative concoctions that are just as delicious. I know Houston has tons of taco joints, but Torchy’s will definitely satiate that taco craving! 

Our dinner was definitely an experience…every dish brought some excitement to us…both visually and to our taste buds. We ordered the Chef’s Tasting so we had no idea what would show up to our table….

Kaki No Shiki. Shigoku Oyster. Lychee Granite.

Random Fact: These are West Coast oysters. They have deeper bowl-shaped shells from the way they roll along the coast. The flavor profile is less briney than Gulf Coast oysters.

For a girl who use to be squeamish when it comes to raw oysters, these were delicious. Fresh and plump…mMmm!

Roasted Golden Beets. Skyr Yogurt. Bitter Greens. Acacia Honey. 

Chef’s Nigiri Selection. (above and below)

Hirame Uzuzukuri. Thinly-sliced Flounder Sashimi. Candied Quinoa. Olive Oil. 

This had to be one of my favorite dishes. It was refreshing with a sweet and tangy twist to it. 

Wagyu To. Short Rib. Cauliflower. Beet. Black Pepper. Kumquat. 

Hamachi Nabe. Baby Yellowtail. Koshi Hikari Rice. Farm egg. Soy broth. 

I know, this picture makes this dish look like a plain bowl of rice, but the presentation was beautiful! When the waiter brought it out, there were these dancing rice flakes on top. It was crazyyy! As the waiter mixed the bowl, the dancing flakes disappeared and I didn’t get to photograph the interesting presentation. 

Atlantic Salmon. Yokai Berry. Dinosaur Kale. Asian Pear. Yuzu. 

Hirame Shiro. Halibut. Shrimp Cocunut Milk. Basil. Candied Onion. 

Pork Jowl. Brussels Sprout Kimchee. Romaine. Preserved Lemon Creme Fraiche. 

Okashi. Coriander Creme Brulee. Carrot. Rose. Marcona Almonds. 

*Sorry for the blurry picture! Must’ve been in food coma at this point! =P

Now that I’ve seen these works of art, I definitely see the influence it had on Paul Qui. Everything from presentation to flavor…it’s no wonder he won Top Chef!

Presentation was top notch! The sashimi dishes were unbelievable! I have never had fish so fresh in my life…it was almost like they plucked them straight out of the ocean for us.  Every dish had unique flavors and textures. It’s amazing how they could combine so many different elements onto one dish, and yet, they come together and make such wonderful dishes. I just can’t say it enough! 

The experience was definitely a pricey one ($$$$), but well worth it!