Food Truck Friday in Houston

I have a love affair with gourmet food trucks and my hometown of Houston has some of the best. You can find a world of culture in this melting pot of a city and our food trucks represent cuisine from across the globe. They are pretty much the equivalent of a cheap plane ticket to the country of your choice sitting on the curb of Washington Avenue.  My favorite is when I make a trip to Japan and I'll be telling you about that culinary cruiseine (see what i did there) in this post. 

Every so often I get the chance to jump in the SUV with my mom friends and our entourage of 101 children as we caravan into Houston for lunch on the sidewalk, lots of parenting, "GET OFF THAT STATUE!!!  IT'S A PIECE OF ART!!!", "YOU CAN'T TAKE MONEY OUT OF THE FOUNTAIN!!!", plenty of laughs and a few cuss-words spoken under our breath followed by prayers for forgiveness and help.  Today let's chat about a recent trip we took to the museum district of Houston on a gorgeous Friday and the two trucks we attacked with our small army of minions...I mean visited with our kids.

{I've included hyperlinks to the trucks for you...just CLICK on the truck name}

MONSTER PB&J:  

Y'all.  I love PB&J.  It is the sole reason I gained 52 pounds in my first pregnancy, because I suffered from insomnia and I would get up at all hours of the night, waddle to the kitchen, get out the loaf of whole wheat bread and indulge my craving every single night of my second and third trimester.  Probably explains why that baby is now nearly a decade old and STILL hates anything with peanut butter on it. (so sad, she's really missing out).  Let's get back on track....Monster PB&J is a crazy awesome food truck in #HTX that begs you to build your own custom PB&J.  You pick the fresh made bread (they offer gluten free!), fresh ground nut-butter, local jam, and fresh fruit filling.  It's awesome.  Get as crazy as you want...one kid actually ordered hers with fresh blueberries and pickles, or keep it old school with peanut butter and grape jelly on white bread.  We ordered traditional sandwiches for my sons but my daughter opted for nutella and banana.  In terms of sides you choose from a tasty selection of chips and to wash it all down we each had a Mexican Coca-Cola (still made with cane sugar like the original recipe).  They really did take their shoes off and get in this fountain, some grabbing the change at the bottom....the kids, not the moms.

Now that the kids were fed we found my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE food truck {thank you Twitter} in Houston one block away and next to a nice outdoor art exhibit with plenty of tables and chairs.  The kids however didn't seem to notice; they climbed every tree they could find and attempted to climb on the art installations UNTIL the security guard spied them and they got a good holler and finger-wagging.  (As they should.)  Back to my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE food truck in Houston:

MUIISHI MAKIRRITOS:

This truck describes itself as "Japanese food with a twist" and it proudly serves to the patrons of Houston's urban streets; it is one worth chasing...in wedges...and a skirt...several blocks if you have to do it.  I always recommend folks to order the Kimchi Fries (which I do not see on their menu right now), Mac & Cheese Eggrolls (definitely a fusion dish) and the best of all...Pork Belly Don Juan bowl which is {drumroll} sous vide pork belly, 62 degree egg, fried shittake and oyster mushrooms, pickled cucumber, takuan and kim chi over sticky rice.  I'm getting hunger pangs just typing about it!  Every time I go to the truck the food is consistently mouth-watering and pleasing.  So delicious.

Both of these trucks are super active on social media and you can find them on a litany of apps including Facebook and Twitter.  I use both apps to locate the trucks because they always post to their constituents where they will be parked for lunch or dinner service.  Be sure and let them know that @wannabejenna sent you...maybe I'll get some free kimchi fries next visit!  

Underbelly - Above & Beyond

Wedding anniversaries are a big deal in our house.  We celebrate each one with pride and humility because we know that many marriages don't make it to this awesome annual milestone; and our preferred way to celebrate is around a table filled with good food and good wine.

This year we celebrated #11yearsmarried and #16yearsdating (yep, I used it again.  It's worth #hasghtagging) at a highly acclaimed and relatively young HTX restaurant called Underbelly.  The Executive Chef, Chris Shepherd, is the first Houston chef to win the James Beard Award-Best Chef Southwest 2014 (the culinary world's version of an Oscar) and an obscene amount of press has been written about how A-MAZing the restaurant is so we were thrilled to finally be able to go.  {I've tried for two years to get a reservation, but have never been able to get one on short notice which is how parents of three young hooligans usually fly, but this time I made my reservation a week in advance.}  Chris has created Underbelly to tell the story of Houston food and when you look over the menu you will see how this melting pot of a city is represented in each dish he creates.  The food and drink did not disappoint and the service far exceeded anything we expected.

"It was a clear black night, a clear white moon

Warren G was on streets, trying to consume..."

{....Oh, wait, sorry, I got distracted by the hip-hop in my head.}  It WAS a clear dark night and we got a room at the Houston Omni on Woodway.  Mr. GQ had purchased the romance package through the hotel and so our room was adorned with sweet little embellishments to make the occasion extra special and we began the night by toasting to our love and covenant marriage over glasses of champagne.  Perfection.  Mr. GQ looked handsome as ever and I was the sweet candy on his arm.  You know, one of those nights when everything comes together and your makeup, hair and outfit all come together for the perfect crime, "I'm too hot!  Call the po-lice and the fireman!"  {ohmygravy, the hip hop won't stop!}.

#Uberblack picked us up and delivered us to Underbelly where we presented our reservation and made our way to their quaint bar for drinks as we waited on a table to clear.  The bar @Underbelly is small, but better described as inviting.  It's one of those rooms you peek into and immediately you are drawn into the space because you want to spend time wrapped up in it.  Lots of metal, concrete and wood accents; we sat at one end of the big family style table in the center of the bar.  The menus are wrapped in leather and packed FULL of DELICIOUS drink options.  Mr. GQ ordered a belgian beer and I ordered the Polar Berry...a.k.a. "the most delicious pre-dinner drink I have ever had".  It was light, refreshing and made me want to sit on the banks of a river anywhere watching the sunset over the trees while holding hands with my husband and dreaming of the future.  Seriously, that good.  I felt beautiful and loved and excited about our time together.  We cuddled on our barstools, ignored the world around us and chatted like we were newly dating.

The hostess approached to tell us our table was ready and led us into the dining room.  There is one dining room and it is open concept, as well as open to the kitchen, so it was noisier than I expected; however EVERYONE in the room was thrilled to be there and truly enJOYing their evening with friends and family which made the noise electric and not overwhelming, a good noise.  Plates are constantly being sent out from the kitchen at a steady pace and so your are engulfed in tantalizing clouds of fresh bread, cured meats, asian noodles...it is everything a restaurant obsessed with food should be.

Our server.  I still remember his name and will probably never forget it; Shaun.  Hands down, no competition, give the guy a raise...BEST.  SERVER.  EVER.  Not only was he attentive, personable and genuinely nice, but he gave an excellent wine recommendation and we've been dreaming about that bottle ever since.  Shaun suggested we order 3-5 dishes from the menu because everything was served family style and not to worry about the order of the delivery from the kitchen, because he would take care of that for us.  We ordered the following items:

1. Warm Pain De Campagne, Red Wine  & Apple Butter
2. Pork Belly, Spicy Slaw, Fried New Potatoes
3. Tamales a la Xavi, Zucchini  Pico, Salsa
4. Korean Braised Goat & Dumplings {SPICY, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED}
5. Shrimp, Charred Acorn Squash, Hot Pot Curry, Rice Noodles, Herbs

{I'm getting dizzy with delight just typing out the items we chose and staring at their menu thinking of the items I didn't get to try that night.  We must go back soon.  "Dear Suri, please take note, we must go back to Underbelly soon."  "Got it."  Thanks Suri.}  Let's begin with our favorites...the bread {Warm Pain De Campagne, Red Wine & Apple Butter}.  This is what I picture at the banquet table in heaven when all the followers of Christ gather together break bread with God the father and God the Son.  I mean this bread was heavenly.  The crust was thick and made that delightful  "CRRRUUUNCH" noise when you pressed your knife or thumbs into it and then the inside was a steamy cavern full of light yet filling webs of delicious bread.  Bread.  What is it about bread?  Is it the link it provides us to the last supper?  There is just something so comforting about a good loaf of homemade bread.  "Do this in remembrance of me."

Our second favorite was the Pork Belly.  I LERRRRVE when my pork belly is seared with a crust on the outside and then you bite into rich, juicy, pork beneath, but what made this plate perfection was when you ate a bite of pork WITH a bite of spicy slaw.  I'm seriously, salivating over pork belly at 8:24 a.m.

The tamales were good, but the zucchini pico was incredible and the perfect date for those full-figured tamales.  

The goat...oh the goat.  We have come to the one thing I would have changed with the order our food arrived to the table.  This Korean braised goat had some serious bite and the dumplings were necessary to calm your mouth after each taste of the meat.  They were rich and delicious, but I am not well versed enough in Korean cooking to know what made the goat so spicy.  I do love a good spicy dish, but it blew out my taste buds so that it was too impossible for me to taste and enjoy the Shrimp and Rice Noodle Bowl that was served last.   I wish I had eaten the Shrimp and Rice Noodles and finished with the goat.  But regardless...

Divine.  The entire meal was divine.

We were so full from our five shared plates we didn't even look at the dessert menu.  Sad, I know.  Despicable really, but I plan to order three plates next time so that I can indulge in dessert and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee at the end of our meal.  Underbelly quickly earned it's spot at the top of my husband's favorite places to eat and I am certain you will feel the same way, so make your reservation today, because you will need a reservation to get a table.  Gather round, order a drink, pass the plates and enjoy your time around the table at Underbelly.