A La Carte

"Did You Know?"
By My Table Staff

Jimmy Wilson’s Seafood & Chop House (5161 San Felipe at Sage), a Zagat award winner for seafood in Houston, is popular with Houstonians, and word is definitely spreading! Co-owner Jim Jard recently got a call from friends Jon Gries (aka Uncle Rico from the movie “Napolean Dynamite”), John Paul Shellnut and Billy Bob Thornton to order two gallons of the restaurant’s gumbo to be shipped to the set of Thornton’s new movie being filmed in California.

Joe Abuso has just signed on with food service consulting group A’la Carte as their newest consultant.

The 42nd annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival celebrates some of the best of Texas this summer by featuring Texas winemakers and grape growers who will share their stories about the culture, spirit and personality behind the Texas wine industry.

  • “Texas: A Celebration of Music, Food and Wine” takes place June 25-29 and July 2-6 in the shadow of the Washington Monument and historic
    Smithsonian Museums. It will feature the Texas Winemaking Tent, sponsored by the Texas Department of Agriculture. In the tent,
    winemakers and growers from across the state will “talk terroir” and discuss “making wine for Texas tastes,” as well as demonstrate
    winemaking techniques.
  • Texas wineries selected by the Smithsonian Folklife Festival to participate include: Alamosa Wine Cellars (Bend), Fall Creek Vineyards (Tow), Grape Creek Vineyards (Fredericksburg), Haak Winery (Santa Fe), Kiepersol Estates (Tyler), Lightcatcher Winery (Fort Worth), McPherson Cellars (Lubbock) and Texas Hills Vineyards (Johnson City). Texas master sommelier Guy Stout of Houston joins the wineries, providing his take on Texas’s most promising varietals.

New Living Green Home & Supply Co., aka New Living, is teaming up with next-generation ice house Beaver’s to spread the green gospel while quenching the mean summer thirst. Houston’s premiere source for eco-friendly building and home supplies is taking an out-of-the-toolbox approach to Going Green by going back to the basics: Drinking Green. From 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM all summer long, New Living is hosting Green Drinks Night, an open forum for the ecologically and civically minded to come together, talk about environmental solutions for 21st Century lives, and, well, drink.

  • New Living and Beaver’s (2310 Decatur Street) are partnering with other green-minded groups to raise awareness for organizations trying to change the way we live, work and play in a world in need of eco-conscious solutions. To that end, each Wednesday will focus on a community-based outfit doing its part to clean up the earth.

Catalan has been listed among Robb Report’s Top 100 Restaurants worldwide, and is the only Texas restaurant included on the list.

  • According to the article in the May 2008 issue, the editors recognize that vintners know restaurants. Evidently Dave Miner of Miner Family Vineyards (www.minerwines.com) nominated Catalan as his #1 restaurant.

Jonathan Horowitz, VP of sales and marketing, emailed us to say that MAX’s Wine Dive just signed the lease for the next MAX’s which will be in downtown Austin (they are hoping for a spring 2009 opening).

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Kitchen Stuff

"Cookin' in the Kitchen"
By My Table Staff

Need an extra cooking surface in your kitchen? Cooking with electric, but would like to heat something with gas? Check out Burton’s Mr. Max Table Top Burner. It provides 10,000 BTU of power and has a heavy duty construction with a porcelain cooking surface. Uses butane fuel (not included). 13×11 1/4 inches. About $40 at fine kitchen equipment shops such as Hollandaze Gourmet in Georgetown.

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My Recipe

"Shula's Steak House Crab Cake"
By Shula's Steak House

Recipe makes 21 6-ounce crab cakes (which are great for parties).

Ingredients

  • 6 oz Mayonnaise
  • 6 Eggs, whole fresh
  • 2 oz Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 oz Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons Florida Bay Seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons Parsley, fresh & finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dry mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
  • 3 cups Panko bread crumbs
  • 3 pounds Crabmeat, jumbo lump, cleaned & drained
  • 3 pounds Crabmeat, backfin, cleaned & drained
  • 1 ounce Butter, clarified
  • Lemon Wedges
  • Your favorite rémoulade, cocktail or tartar sauce

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except for the crab and bread crumbs in a mixing bowl.
Whisk to combine all ingredients.

2. Add Panko bread crumbs and mix to moisten.

3. Immediately add crabmeat to mixture.

4. Fold in crabmeat gently, without breaking up the crab.
Allow mixture to rest & bread crumbs to activate for 30 minutes.

5. Shape crab mixture into round patties using approximately 3/4 cup (6 ounces) per cake.

6. Place butter in non-stick skillet and sear crabcake on one side.

7. Turn and place patties in oven at 400 degrees for approximately 5 minutes until heated to 165 degrees (use meat thermometer to gauge temperature), turning again when necessary.

8. Place on plate, garnish with lemon and serve with your favorite rémoulade, cocktail or tartar sauce.

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Something Sweet

"Sweet and Cold"
By Robin Barr Sussman
Robin Barr Sussman is a freelance food writer with a culinary mission: Great taste.

Recently we reported on the awesome desserts created by pastry chef Rebecca Masson of Catalan/Ibiza. Big news: Masson is changing kitchens and moving to Houston’s Central Market. Expect all of her new fun retro creations along with the many classics already baked up at this impressive mega market.

Thinking cold and sweet in this sweltering heat? Swirll has recently opened another location (5000 Westheimer, Ste. 008, 713-552-0863). Bop in for genuinely flavored pomegranate, mango, raspberry or blueberry frozen yogurt.

Similarly, Flavors of Yogurt (5757 Westheimer Rd., 713-789-1111) allows customers to serve themselves and pile on the toppings, which is a big scoop of fun!

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Copyright My Table magazine, 2008

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