Photos by Mai Pham

House-made charcuterie service at Kris Bistro

This is the third part of a three-part Chef Chat series. If you missed our previous posts, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

This week, we've spent some considerable time chatting with Kris Jakob of Kris Bistro. Growing up in a German household, he started curing sausages with his family from a young age. He worked on the line at the first Macaroni Grill that opened before it became a chain, made chicken fried steaks for 600-plus frat guys at UT, quit pursuing his college degree at UT when his college catering business took off, then enrolled himself into culinary school.

Now an instructor at Culinary Institute LeNotre, Jakob is also executive chef of the bistro that they named after him. What didn't make it into the chat is the fact that the restaurant was structured so that they would operate at just break-even. Which means that the food is incredibly priced, with wines marked up just $10 from what it costs them to buy it. Even more incredibly, you can bring your own bottle for a modest corkage, but that's just the icing on the cake. The real highlight at Kris Bistro is his food.

More »

Photo by Wyatt Dowling

Steak Tartare with Egg, Potatoes, Herbs, and Capers

I wish I spoke better French. Five years of study in high school plus a few trips to francophonic locales meant at one time I was fairly proficient. Now, my accent sounds like Chevy Chase in European Vacation and my vocab is spotty.

My declining French doesn't particularly bother me except when I go to good French restaurants. Butchering the pronunciation of menu items seems like such a disservice to the chef and his French-speaking staff. "I just loved that crêpe," I imagine, sounds to them like "I just loved that crap." Sigh. Well, I hope they know I mean what I say even if I don't necessarily say what I mean. So, Salé Sucré, please know I did love that crêpe. And the tartare. And the escargot. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

More »

Photo courtesy of Paula Murphy

Celebrate National Fried Chicken Day at Haven this Saturday.

This Is How We Roll - Sushi! @ Well Done Cooking Classes
Friday, 12 p.m.
1208 East 29th Street

Start the weekend off right by learning how to make some of your favorite sushi rolls during this sushi rolling class at Well Done Cooking Classes. Throughout the afternoon you will make California Rolls with avocado, crab and cucumber, Philadelphia Rolls with Philly cream cheese, jalapeno and cucumbers and a Surf & Turf Roll made with salmon and beef tenderloin. Bring your own sake to enjoy with the sushi rolls you learn to make.

National Fried Chicken Day @ Haven
Saturday, All Day
2502 Algerian Way

July 6 is National Fried Chicken Day and Haven is offering a deal you can't pass up. Chef Randy Evans will prepare his famous fried chicken all day long; order a half bird with deviled eggs, mashed potatoes with gravy and two drinks all for $24. Make a reservation so you make sure you don't miss this finger-licking good offer. If you're wanting to stay at home on Saturday, invite the friends over and order your fried chicken meals to go so everyone can enjoy some of Chef Randy's famous fried chicken.

More »

Photo courtesy of Liberty Kitchen.

Fried Chicken Platter at Liberty Kitchen

So, I guess I'm supposed to start this post by offering some sort of apology for buying into yet another national food holiday. Well, too bad -- I'm not sorry! I love holidays, I love fried chicken, and I don't care a whit if this fete was created in the boardroom of the National Poultry Association. Any excuse to feast on fried fowl is a good excuse and this Saturday, National Fried Chicken Day, I will be celebrating.

And thanks to BRC and Liberty Kitchen, I can do so in the comfort of my own home and therefore avoid having to put on pants. Both restaurants are serving cold fried chicken and sides starting at 11 a.m. (until the grub runs out) and offering to-go bags for those of us who want to consume our lunch in a more bucolic setting on the deck in our underwear.

More »

Although a few restaurants closed, they announced plans to reopen in new locations.

Unfortunately a few popular restaurants closed their doors this week, but fortunately they have announced plans to reopen in different locations throughout Houston. Let's start with the beloved Italian eatery, D'Amico's.

Eater Houston reports that the Heights location of D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe closed after being in business for the last two years. You can still eat at D'Amico's in Rice Village, though. A statement from the restaurant explains that the owners have enjoyed being in the Heights, but have made the decision to move the restaurant to a more suitable location. D'Amico's is opening in Katy in the early fall as well as in Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Memorial and a few more areas later.

On its website, The Boiling Crab announced that the Houston location has closed as of Monday, July 1, however the seafood restaurant is looking for a new place to open in the Houston area.

More »

Photos by Mai Pham

Kris Jakob of Kris Bistro plating a dish in the kitchen

This is the second part of a three-part chef chat series. You can read Part 1 here and Part 3 in this same space Friday.

Yesterday, we started getting to know Kris Bistro's chef and namesake, Kris Jakob, learning about his German roots in Texas, and his experience working with charcuterie from a young age. Today we learn about his start in the culinary world and how that led to a career in culinary education.

EOW: Let's talk about how you got into food, and how you became an instructor. Is that something you always wanted to do?

KJ: No, no. When I was at the restaurant I had to work. I had so many cases of potatoes to peel and so many pounds of sausages to stuff, because we made our knockwurst to bratwurst. Or I had to bread all the cutlets or schnitzels. That was my job, then I had to do homework, and come back and wash the dishes. And I hated it. Everyone else is out riding bikes, having a good time, and I'm stuck in the restaurant. I remember when I was 16, I told my dad -- we'd moved out to a house at that point -- and I remember telling him "Okay, I'm going to get a job somewhere else, I don't want to do this anymore." But it's funny, I had friends that were working at Sonic, so I went to work at Sonic.

More »

Photo by Jeff Balke

And you don't even have to go outside to achieve this.

Okay, we know that for many of you today, July 4, is your one-shot patriotic party day and that a lot of you think you have to like to cook brisket.

But maybe this is the first time you've hauled out that smoker in say weeks, months, years. And gasp -- it's not working. Or you forgot to get the wood chips and soak them. Or the smoker is drawing too much power and you blew a fuse.

You've still got some time before all those people arrive later (well, we hope several hours later) today to salute the 4th.

More »

Photo by Doug Waldron

Go ahead and mix 'em!

Are you still segregating your cereals in this day and age? Tsk, tsk. The homogeneous cereal consumption experience is not nearly as fun as mixing your Post with your Kellog's with your General Mills. Diversify your breakfast with these five dry cereal combinations:

5. Dulce de Leche Cheerios + Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. Ever crave a caramel apple before noon but fear the judgmental stares of your coworkers? Just toss together some Dulce de Leche and Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and you'll fool your taste buds. Not permanently but at least until 5 p.m. and you can make a run to the fair.

4. Raisin Bran Crunch + Special K Red Berries. Plain raisin bran can be a hefty cereal to swallow, so I suggest lightening the load with Special K's lighter rice flakes. The dried strawberries alongside the raisins provide a varied chewy fruity sweetness that also livens up the harsher bran and contrasts well with crunchy oat bits.

More »

Photo courtesy of Mark G Hanna

Ouisie's Table and The Bird & The Bear will make tapioca dessert specials from July 15-31.

On Sunday, July 14, chef Hugo Ortega of Hugo's will join Kata Robata chef Manabu Horiuchi during the Umami Dinner event at Kata Robata. Both chefs have teamed up to create a nine-course menu paired with wine and beverages from Kata Robata's beverage director, Steven Salazar, and Backstreet Cafe's sommelier Sean Beck. The menu will not be decided until the day before the dinner because both outstanding chefs want to use the freshest, most unique and hard-to-find ingredients possible; it's the only way to create a meal that combines every taste under the sun. Seating for the dinner is limited to 40 people, so make your reservations as soon as possible. Each ticket costs $175, and a $50 deposit is required for each reservation.

Starting Monday, July 15 through July 31 Ouisie's Table and The Bird & The Bear are celebrating National Tapioca Day and want you to join in on the silly national food holiday, too. During Timeless Tapioca, both restaurants will offer a daily Tapioca Dessert Special that will include a twist on the classic tapioca pudding for $7.

More »

Photo courtesy of ealancas

Putting a cupcake in a mason jar just makes this sweet treat even sweeter.

One of the best ways to save money when planning a wedding is to do things yourself. Wedding magazines, Pinterest boards and crafting/cooking websites all offer various DIY projects to help you stay within your budget and have the things you really want for your wedding.

Here are five easy homemade wedding favors you can use at the rehearsal dinner or reception to treat your guests to delicious treats, add a personal touch to your wedding and keep your wedding cost low. While some DIY projects seem tedious and tend to take up more of our time than you prefer, these homemade wedding favors are a cinch to put together. For any of these favors, add a personal note thanking your guests for attending the wedding.

5. Herbed Olive Oil

Turn plain olive oil into something of restaurant quality. You just need three ingredients, herbs, olive oil and a bottle. Make as many herb and olive oil combinations as you would like, then bottle them up into your choice container. This TLC wedding favor looks like you took a lot of time to make, but really it took little effort. Simply choose the herbs you want in your oil, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and basil, then wash and dry them, place a few pieces of your choice herbs into the bottle and pour in the olive oil. You can also attach crackers, or crispy baguette slices for your guests to enjoy with the herbed olive oil. Add a tag that says which herbs are inside the olive oil, as well.

More »