Why This Food Blog
One of the main reasons why I started blogging about places that make what I feel are good dishes and about things I like to cook and to eat is because I felt I had something that other folks would be interested in. I like to write about food. I feel a passion for it. I like food that tastes good, has lots of different flavours--spices, textures, sensations. I like food that is satisfying--you feel happy and pleasant after eating it, not bloated, not still hungry, not still wanting more. I like food that is diverse--all kinds of world cuisines, not just one kind. I especially like food that is produced in a sustainable fashion--organically grown, locally sourced, humanely raised livestock, and bought under fair trade conditions.
However I am also not a snob about items bought from the supermarket or cooked at home. Sometimes home cooked is better than five-diamond restaurants. I don't always get my preferences and I understand a lot of restaurateurs, just like many consumers, have budgets to consider and do the best they can with what they have. I don't consider consuming massive quantities of it to be a sport for fun or pleasure as an adult. However I don't think that a "food = fuel" attitude is good either.
One of the main reasons why I started blogging about places that make what I feel are good dishes and about things I like to cook and to eat is because I felt I had something that other folks would be interested in. I like to write about food. I feel a passion for it. I like food that tastes good, has lots of different flavours--spices, textures, sensations. I like food that is satisfying--you feel happy and pleasant after eating it, not bloated, not still hungry, not still wanting more. I like food that is diverse--all kinds of world cuisines, not just one kind. I especially like food that is produced in a sustainable fashion--organically grown, locally sourced, humanely raised livestock, and bought under fair trade conditions.
However I am also not a snob about items bought from the supermarket or cooked at home. Sometimes home cooked is better than five-diamond restaurants. I don't always get my preferences and I understand a lot of restaurateurs, just like many consumers, have budgets to consider and do the best they can with what they have. I don't consider consuming massive quantities of it to be a sport for fun or pleasure as an adult. However I don't think that a "food = fuel" attitude is good either.
Houston, TX, where I live, is a city that has a TON of what the pundits like to call "Fusion Food" and has many Zagat rated local restaurants and chains. It's a great city for food exploration and for foodies, but it's also been ranked a fat city by Men's Health for this reason as well. Just the same, I know many good places in Houston, but about two years ago I realized that I was hitting too many of the same places, too many national chains, and with concerns about local entrepreneurs and the economy, and knowing from experience that often times a good local place produces certain dishes better than a national chain,
Insprirations
After watching the episode of How I Met Your Mother entitled "The Best Burger in New York" back in September of 2008, some friends and I began debating what was the Best Burger in Houston. We could name some good chains and a few local places, but we all realized we didn't know what could truly be called that. After a few months, I began my own personal search for the Best Burger in Houston. I was further inspired by local Houston Chronicle food critic Alison Cook who was doing a series of "Burger Fridays" columns. At first I was just making notes for myself in a Word Document and not blogging it at all. After a while, a Vancouver Food Blogger named Mijune Pak caught my attention. She did a series of videos on Youtube detailing Vancouver's Best Poutine on Davie Street. Inspired by her, I began posting video reviews on my YouTube Channel.
While the videos are fun and I still make them, they consume a lot of time. I am much more prolific a writer and I've found that writing, editing photographs and posting is a more efficient way for me to blog and be productive in other areas of my life. So after A LOT of internal debate and a bit of prodding from a few friends, I started this blog in May of 2011.
The Truth About Me
Insprirations
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| Marshall Eriksen, played by Jason Segal, on How I Met Your Mother Finds The secret Behind the Green Door: The Best Burger in New York |
My First Video Review--June 2010
The Truth About Me
I do not have a degree from a culinary institute. I am no professional gastronome nor am I a paid food critic. I am not a trained chef, though I can follow recipes and am known to improvise and come up with my own recipes as well. Some of those experiments have turned out well, but others have fallen flat. Usually my food is more about taste and satisfaction than appearance--in other words, I am not good at "Plating" a dish so its a feast for the eyes like a culinary work of art. However, I do greatly appreciate a well-plated dish.
I am an Economics Professor teaching at three institutions of higher education in the Houston area. I have worked in bars and restaurants in my youth and am well acquainted with local restaurateurs and business people. There are some insights I can provide on this subject that others may not, despite their knowledge of French Cuisine and degrees from Art Institutes.
I also have NO DELUSIONS of being some "Big Time Foodie Blogger" that restaurants have to bow and scrape to. I do not have patience for food bloggers who act this way and consider this behaviour to be gauche, idiotic, overbearing and arrogant.
Consider This
I am an Economics Professor teaching at three institutions of higher education in the Houston area. I have worked in bars and restaurants in my youth and am well acquainted with local restaurateurs and business people. There are some insights I can provide on this subject that others may not, despite their knowledge of French Cuisine and degrees from Art Institutes.
I also have NO DELUSIONS of being some "Big Time Foodie Blogger" that restaurants have to bow and scrape to. I do not have patience for food bloggers who act this way and consider this behaviour to be gauche, idiotic, overbearing and arrogant.
Consider This
How many times have you gone to eat at a usual place because it was comfortable and familiar, but wanted to try something new? Are there any restaurants in your neighborhood or city that you haven't tried that you would like to? Have you tried to use an app for your mobile phone like Urban Spoon to find new places to try and explore? Is there a type of cuisine you've never tried before but would like to, or have considered but there is some fear holding you back? Would you like to know some quick or interesting recipes? I will address these and more in an ongoing fashion in this blog.
I have personally found I am more willing to step into a random restaurant based on how it's frontage looks or how the people leaving it look when they are leaving, when I am travelling in another city that I do not know well. However, I realized years ago that I was less likely to do this where I live and felt that wasn't right. A main goal of this blog is to explore new places here in Houston, TX and in other cities, such as San Francisco, CA where my family went on a recent trip.
One Important Principle
I will not post a review of a place that I feel is negative. If I don't like a place and someone asks me via Email, I will explain why. However there is too much negativity around today, and I have to fight it within myself just like anyone else does. As a result, I just do not see a reason to go to a restaurant seeking to find as many possible faults and post negative reviews out of spite.
I came very close with a burrito place in 2011 which received a barely passing grade (C-), and I did post how compared to other burrito places they had fewer choices. However I did make it clear they were better than fast food and that they might appeal to others, but not to my personal tastes. What I will never do is intentionally post a nasty, mean, angry review on any place.
The bottom line is that if I can't give at least an good rating to a restaurant (B- on my report card or better), I don't want to talk about it here. I want to let you know about places that have good, tasty, flavourful, satisfying food. Period.
Integrity is also Important
Any time I have written a review of a restaurant, I have paid for my food myself. If the food is not worthy of a good review, I don't write about it.
I do get invited to Events, where there are complimentary tasting portions or full meals. When I'm invited to such events, I make it very clear that if I do not like the food, I won't post about the event on my blog. I may soon post an "FTC disclosure" that I got fed by the restaurant on their nickel if I write about their event. However, I want you the reader to understand this: if I blog about it, I considered it to be very good and worth a blog entry. FYI: I've been invited to a couple of soft openings that I did not write about because the food was mediocre or the event was poorly run. I told the owners and management about this, but left it up to them to handle--not my job to talk smack and be nasty in my blog. Again, I feel the world is negative enough and I don't want to add to it.
BOTTOM LINE: If it's in my blog, I honestly thought it was great.
Let Me Hear From You
Please provide some feedback on my blog either via the feedback element below or via Email. Do you have some places you'd like my take on? Or is there a type of food you want to hear about that you've never tried? I am willing to consider interesting questions and will provide an honest opinion.
Places I want to hear about: Local cuisine, Local burgers, Gelato places, Gastropubs, Asian Fusion, Pubs, Craft Beer, Frozen Custard, and other Ethnic Cuisine. It needs to taste good, have good service and within about a 100 mile radius of Bellaire Blvd. and Beltway 8. Also, if I'm travelling, I will ask about places in other cities and ask you, the reader, to share what you know. I'll check some of them out and blog about them if I like them.
My motto is as always: Eat Happy!
Zao an, Y'all!!!
Hank L.
One Important Principle
I will not post a review of a place that I feel is negative. If I don't like a place and someone asks me via Email, I will explain why. However there is too much negativity around today, and I have to fight it within myself just like anyone else does. As a result, I just do not see a reason to go to a restaurant seeking to find as many possible faults and post negative reviews out of spite.
I came very close with a burrito place in 2011 which received a barely passing grade (C-), and I did post how compared to other burrito places they had fewer choices. However I did make it clear they were better than fast food and that they might appeal to others, but not to my personal tastes. What I will never do is intentionally post a nasty, mean, angry review on any place.
The bottom line is that if I can't give at least an good rating to a restaurant (B- on my report card or better), I don't want to talk about it here. I want to let you know about places that have good, tasty, flavourful, satisfying food. Period.
Integrity is also Important
Any time I have written a review of a restaurant, I have paid for my food myself. If the food is not worthy of a good review, I don't write about it.
I do get invited to Events, where there are complimentary tasting portions or full meals. When I'm invited to such events, I make it very clear that if I do not like the food, I won't post about the event on my blog. I may soon post an "FTC disclosure" that I got fed by the restaurant on their nickel if I write about their event. However, I want you the reader to understand this: if I blog about it, I considered it to be very good and worth a blog entry. FYI: I've been invited to a couple of soft openings that I did not write about because the food was mediocre or the event was poorly run. I told the owners and management about this, but left it up to them to handle--not my job to talk smack and be nasty in my blog. Again, I feel the world is negative enough and I don't want to add to it.
BOTTOM LINE: If it's in my blog, I honestly thought it was great.
Let Me Hear From You
Please provide some feedback on my blog either via the feedback element below or via Email. Do you have some places you'd like my take on? Or is there a type of food you want to hear about that you've never tried? I am willing to consider interesting questions and will provide an honest opinion.
Places I want to hear about: Local cuisine, Local burgers, Gelato places, Gastropubs, Asian Fusion, Pubs, Craft Beer, Frozen Custard, and other Ethnic Cuisine. It needs to taste good, have good service and within about a 100 mile radius of Bellaire Blvd. and Beltway 8. Also, if I'm travelling, I will ask about places in other cities and ask you, the reader, to share what you know. I'll check some of them out and blog about them if I like them.
My motto is as always: Eat Happy!
Zao an, Y'all!!!
Hank L.
