​Apparently they can when it comes to nachos and tacos, though I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical of this idea at first.

When I visit Miami, the American hub of all things Cuban, I don't see any Cuban fusion restaurants. The closest thing would be an upscale, Americanized Cuban eatery that serves up Kobe beef ropa vieja on white tablecloths and charges more than the yearly wage of an average Cuban refugee for the dish.

Cubans are a proud people, who have a long and delicious culinary tradition that is not often messed with. But in Houston we have so many varieties of Latin cuisines, cooks like to get creative and merge them together, turning out something new, exciting and oftentimes very tasty. So despite my traditionalist hesitation to combine platanos with tortillas or black beans with pico de gallo, I find that somehow Cuban/Mexican fusion works out. And not in spite of cuisine combination, but because of it.

​Given the long-standing partnership between Nabisco and Dairy Queen, I wasn't terribly surprised to see that the two brands had joined forces to create DQ Blizzard Creme Oreos. The Blizzard of the Month at Dairy Queen right now is, in fact, the "Brownie Earthquake" (funny how we're now linking natural disasters with taste quality), so it was probably only a matter of time before they put the blizzard in the cookie rather than vice versa. The cookies were also released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the blizzard, though the reasoning behind that gesture seems rather skewed: Why not just offer a birthday cake-flavored blizzard?

Anyway, DQ Blizzard Creme Oreos look almost identical to regular plain Double Stuf Oreos except the cream filling is speckled with dots of chocolate cookies. The taste is unsurprisingly also very similar to Double Stuf, perhaps with a greater hint of artificial vanilla as well as a slight crunch from the additional cookie flakes.

Japanese Bento Box "Mona Lisa"

​Art created from food has a uniquely universal appeal and a certain whimsy that you don't always find with other media. But food artists are often dismissed as "novelty," despite the powerful reach of their work and the fact that it's often crafted out of some of the most finicky materials on earth. Anyone who has ever made pizza dough from scratch can tell you it is not ideal for sculpting. Below are five examples of fine food art and (a few) of the artists creating it today.

boost ventilator

Basically an entire goddamn Grand Slam Breakfast between two slices of bread.

​In the recent kerfluffle regarding Denny's new sandwich, the Fried Cheese Melt, we seem to have forgotten that it's far from the only reason to be afraid of the 24-hour restaurant chain. Allow us to remind you.

1. The Grand Slamwich
It's understandable that people were so horrified at the thought of a cheese sandwich that had been fried twice, they allowed this one to slip under the radar like it was no big deal. We think it might actually be worse for you than the Fried Cheese Melt, however, because it's basically an entire goddamn Grand Slam Breakfast between two slices of bread. And not just any bread: potato bread, the most calorically-dense type of bread you can have before you simply start using pancakes. The Grand Slamwich contains two scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, ham, American cheese, and mayonnaise. That's right: sausage, bacon and ham. It's a side of chitlins away from containing an entire pig. And scrambled eggs, plus mayonnaise? Good God, man. How eggy is too eggy, Denny's? Not to worry, though: The Grand Slamwich also comes with a "maple spice" spread, so it turns out it's classy, after all.

This photo does not do the cornbread justice.

​As mentioned in yesterday's post on frog legs, one of the best (and easiest) dishes to serve alongside it is a simple skillet of cornbread. And although this is a supremely easy recipe to make -- so easy, in fact, that you may find yourself making it multiple times in one week if you're like me -- you'll need one essential, crucial piece of kitchen equipment to do so.

A cast-iron skillet is one cooking tool that absolutely no kitchen should be without. Aside from being terrifically inexpensive, they last forever with proper care and can be used to do everything from frying an egg to baking brownies. A good cast-iron skillet can be your greatest multi-purpose item.

Whatever you do, don't go out and drop $90 on a brand-new Le Creuset skillet. I love Le Creuset and have a Dutch oven of theirs that I would lug out of my house along with a family photo album in the event of a terrible inferno, but you're getting ripped off if you buy a skillet for anything more than $20. Even $15 will get you a good Lodge skillet from Walmart or Academy. Yes, I am suggesting that you buy cooking equipment from a sporting goods store.

When you get it home, season the snot out of that sucker. Even if it says that it's pre-seasoned, it won't hurt to season it properly. To season it, simply coat it liberally with vegetable oil and put it in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees. Done!

My mother has a skillet that she uses on a regular basis which once belonged to my great-grandmother; I am not kidding about the unbelievable properties of these simple little skillets as long as you keep them clean and oiled. Just make sure to never use soap on it, keep it clean of debris after use (a little salt or steel wool to clean any bits off) and remember to oil it up before putting it away. It will last you virtually indefinitely, and will likely outlive you.

​The Junior League of Houston was once a group of affluent ladies who lunch who came together at the Tea Room to plan out their charitable contributions. Today the Junior League of Houston is comprised of a much more diverse crowd; they are working women from all walks of life, bound by a genuine philanthropic spirit. They've been going strong since 1925, placing volunteers at nonprofits all over town, but my favorite of their colossal contributions is the iconic Junior League cookbooks.

Every decade or so, the Junior League solicits, relentlessly tests, and compiles recipes from thousands of members, all to create cookbooks that are as usable as they are beautiful. All proceeds go to local charities, most notably Texas Children's Hospital. The four they've published are indispensible in my home, lovingly layered with drip-drops of batters and sauces; I turn to the older ones for the classic, never-fail recipes I need, or I try a few advanced dishes from the newer set. The best part? The four Houston cookbooks are an easy way to track our city's culinary trends and lineage.

Tim Patterson

​We tend to be skeptical of beers that feel the need to market the hell out of themselves in a way that doesn't relate to the beer itself, but we suppose we're obligated to give Lone Star Beer a pass.

Kind of like how non-native Texans are obligated to stand there at civic meetings and act like they didn't just learn, five seconds before everyone started reciting it, that there was such a thing as a Pledge to the Texas Flag.

Anyway, in the buildup to its second annual Bash at the Brewery September 25, Lone Star wants its fans to go to its Web site by August 31 and register for a chance to win Bash tickets and other goodies. In all, 750 pairs of tickets, 25 pairs of VIP tickets and 15 autographed Lone Star guitars will be handed out.

​Rarely do you find a saturation of good food in a small town. So it's a pleasant surprise to see Alvin's tidy little downtown area housing three excellent eateries, all located right next door to one another: The much ballyhooed Barbed Rose, the Burger Bar (its attached, open-air burger joint) and their neighbor, Fat Daddy's.

And although the Barbed Rose has brought seriously fine dining to the sleepy little downtown square, Fat Daddy's (100 N. Gordon Street) isn't one to be overlooked. The restaurant has been there for a few years and has seen a few menu changes in that time, but the current incarnation -- burgers on one end and coffee on the other -- seems to fit the building and the atmosphere to a T.

The high ceilings, tall windows and dark-red walls inside the historic building lend more of a coffeehouse vibe to Fat Daddy's, as does the free Wi-Fi and a stage that looks perfectly suited to hosting acoustic nights. It's something you wouldn't expect to find in Alvin, which makes it all the more endearing.

But if you only thought of Fat Daddy's as a coffeehouse, you'd miss its splendid burgers.

​You may remember that we reported a couple of weeks ago that the owners of the former Double Dave's Pizza Works on Ella were looking for someone to help them rename the joint, and that they'd give away a pie a week for a year for the best suggestion. Well, they have officially narrowed it down to a top three and are taking votes at the restaurant to see which name will grace the marquee.

The finalists are:

• Backyard Pizza
• That Pizza Place on Ella
• Pie Wholes

For me it isn't even a contest, and I am guessing you know my favorite. Owner Kelly Wedell told me, however, that they have to consider the PC factor, and that some nut (he didn't say nut, I did) might be offended by the term "pie-hole." Since my favorite suggestion, Ella Good Pizza, wasn't a finalist, I'm behind Pie Wholes 100 percent. How bout you?

Sturdy wooden tables, comfortable banquets, soft lighting and a glass of wine. This could be any upscale restaurant in Houston, right? Not if you look for the hidden clues... Think you know where we're drinking this week?

​Leave your best guess in the comments section below.