New Year, New Takeout

How this tasty Houston company takes the stress out of mealtimes

January is a terrific time for personal renewal, and often that includes shedding unwanted pounds and adopting a healthier lifestyle. Sound good? Of course it does. Sound realistic? It can be, especially if you hire out the daunting task of cooking and meal prep to someone who knows exactly what they're doing.

Since 1995, Patti Ramsey has been helping Houstonians with discerning tastes enjoy healthy lifestyle cuisine through her company, Epicurean Group.

The full-service catering company — the longest continually operating healthy take-out and delivery service in the city — prepares great-tasting, fresh, and healthy meals and then delivers them to your home or holds them for you to pick up. The menus are changed weekly and include breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and à la carte selections.

But it gets better: Each week's menu is well under 30 percent fat, high in fiber, and seasoned to perfection. There are vegetarian, heart-healthy, and low-carb options, too.

To help make sure you're filling up on the right kinds of food, each menu also contains three to five servings of fruits and vegetables. The meals are ready to eat right out of the box or after some simple re-heating, meaning that even the busiest among us can make time for happy bellies — and that includes families. Imagine the daily stress of what to fix for dinner: gone.

If you're only chowing down on a few Epicurean Group meals a week, the company still has your back with other suggested options, to ensure you only consume either 1,200 or 1,800 calories per day.

Need to feed a crowd? Epicurean Group also provides full-service catering, covering everything from the food and beverage to the staffing, space rental, and entertainment. If you thought they made your day-to-day life easier, then just wait until you experience their luncheons, boxed lunches, cocktail parties, dinner parties, or receptions.

Browse the available meals at Epicurean Group's website, then make sure to have your orders in by 10 am Friday morning. That next Monday morning, either swing by Epicurean Group's office in River Oaks off Memorial or await delivery to your door. It could not be easier to eat better in 2018, and your taste buds will agree.

Herbed chicken paillard and grilled vegetable napoleon with fresh pomodoro sauce, served with orzo pasta.

Photo courtesy of Epicurean Group

Herbed chicken paillard and grilled vegetable napoleon with fresh pomodoro sauce, served with orzo pasta.

dinner health breakfast promoted lunch

What's Eric Eating Episodes 518 and 519

Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseman joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center (2047-A West Gray St).

Monteith shares that he started the restaurant in 2017 in order to fulfill his vision of a restaurant which could serve food that’s fast, fresh, and affordable. A trained chef who operated pioneering Austin restaurant Contigo, Wiseman joined the group to bring both culinary expertise and operational acumen to the grouping company.

Part of what sets Honest Mary’s apart is that diners can add cooked vegetables to the rice and proteins at the heart of every bowl. The “Market Sides” section includes an array of roasted vegetables — including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, and Brussels sprouts — as well as black beans, maple-glazed carrots, and green lentils. Bowls can be further enhanced with toppings such as Texas pecans, crispy chickpeas, goat cheese, avocado, and apples as well as sauces such as creamy poblano, cashew lime crema, sesame vinaigrette, spicy peanut, chimichurri and apple cider vinaigrette

Monteith explains that looking at the ingredients on display usually inspires him when he’s deciding what to eat at Honest Mary’s.

“I will almost always look at the line and see what looks fresh and good,” Monteith says. “Today, I got the salted kale with white rice. Then, I got garlic-pepper steak. I added on lentils — they’re my go-to in the winter. They blend everything together, and I love it Then Brussels sprouts looked green. I got some jalapenos. Avocados, cause that’s healthy. Then I got the chimichurri sauce.”

Honest Mary’s is also known for its hearty brothers, a classic chicken and a seaweed and mushroom. Sandler raves about the chicken broth to Wiseheart, who shares how it’s made.

“We spent six or seven months testing recipes and drinking it ourselves to see if it’s a good idea,” Wiseman says. “I talk about it as a great complement to the menu. It’s healthy. It’s really simple. Most of the kitchens I came up with were rooted in French cuisine. This is just chicken stock with salt in it.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Honest Mary’s plans for additional locations in Houston and Dallas. Then Monteith asks a Sandler a few questions about the Houston dining scene.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Home Slice Pizza opening a new location in the Heights; the closures of Brett’s BBQ Shop in Katy and Killen’s Barbecue in The Woodlands; and Esquire including ChòpnBlok on its list of America’s best new restaurants.

In the restaurant of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Hypsi, the Italian restaurant in the newly-opened Hotel Daphne. Listen to the episode to hear their favorite dishes and other thoughts on the meal.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

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