Inside My Table #64 | Contents
ExcerptOn the coverMelissa Gilbert began her art career doing portraits and silhouettes at AstroWorld and Disney World. She later became an art director at Metzdorf Advertising, Ogilvy & Mather and The Richards Group (Houston). After The Richards Group closed its doors locally, she turned to illustration and collage. Since then, her clients have included Rolling Stone, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, TGI Friday’s, Converse Sneakers, Century 21, Texas Monthly, D magazine and Utne Reader. Gilbert was born and raised in Houston, but since 1984 she has lived and worked in an old Victorian house in Austin where she also teaches art at the area universities. |
28 REHASHED: ONE DISH, MANY GUISES
“Paella is happy food,” writes Janet Mendel in her book, My Kitchen in Spain. She goes on to describe paella as fiesta food, the thing to eat on Sundays for lunch when all the relatives come by. She even likens it to an American backyard barbecue: The guys take charge. We’ve asked three local (guy) chefs to share their recipes for paella with My Table readers.
Recipes by Charles Clark, Peter Garcia and Ignacio Forseca
Chef portraits by Kim Coffman
32 WHAT’S HOT, WHAT’S NOT
Joining the hopeful longtime Astro Carlos Beltran in some fashion of the 30/30 club, local food writer Mike Riccetti projects some 30 hot and not-so-hot happenings in eating and drinking in the Houston area for 2005.
By Mike Riccetti
34 COVER STORY: MR. ANON’S 2004 TURKEY AWARDS
Our annual turkey trot brings out Mr. Anon’s finest skills … sarcasm, belligerence, contempt, irony. This past year has seen some world-class gobbling. Here, then, are Anon’s picks for the 2004 Turkey Awards.
Illustration by Bill White
64 JUST DESSERTS: FUNERAL FOOD
As the Mexicans have known for centuries, death and food are intrinsically tied up together. Here in the United States, we serve food in the form of elaborate pot-luck gatherings meant to console the deceased’s family. Not just any food will do, however. When it comes to funeral food, there are some unwritten rules.
By Laura Elder
9 TABLE TALK
9 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
10 HOUSTON BITES BACK
Includes Letters to the Editor, Noteworthy Openings & Closings, Tasting the Town, On The Road, Edible Etymology, Recommended Reading, Man About Town & more
42 WINE & SPIRITS
10 Wine Myths Debunked
44 ¡SALUD!
A toast to Denman Moody
46 DINING WITHOUT BORDERS
Wat’s Up With the Jokes?
48 WHAT’S BUZZING IN THE KITCHEN WITH …
Kim France
50 LISTINGS
Brunch Time
52 RESTAURANT REVIEWS
Lemongrass Cafe
Avenida Paulista
Julia’s Bistro
53 ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
60 THE EATER’S DIGEST
Restaurant reports from our correspondent in Fort Worth and San Antonio
