Rodeo Best Bites

A surprise winner spices up Rodeo Best Bites culinary competition

Moonlight wasn’t the only surprising winner Sunday night. Over 1,500 miles away from the Dolby Theater at NRG Center, Merlion on 4th, a Thai restaurant in Seabrook, upset some of Houston’s highest profile restaurants to claim the top prize at this year’s Rodeo Uncorked! Best Bites competition.

After reviewing entries from this year’s 111 participating restaurants, a panel of media judges selected Merlion’s shrimp raap prik in red curry sauce as the winner in the Lone Star Entree category, edging out the pork belly burnt ends from Killen’s STQ. Merlion also took second place in the Tasty Tradition category.

Although Killen’s STQ missed the top prize from the judges, the restaurant featured the night’s longest line, as attendees waited patiently for a taste from chef-owner Ronnie Killen’s latest smash hit. With Killen and long-time sous chef Teddy Lopez serving the dish, STQ’s pork belly burnt ends earned the People’s Choice award voted on by the event’s 6,000 attendees.

Mostly Chocolate took the top prize in the Two Steppin’ Dessert category for its hazelnut crunch and goat cheese chocolate, moving up from a third place finish in 2016. Chocolatier Dany Kamkhagi also took home the top prize in the Tasty Tradition category.

Hearsay Gastro Lounge in Market Square made a strong impression as a first-time participant. The popular restaurant earned third place in the entree category, and the top rookie award, where it competed against restaurants ranging from Snooze: An AM Eatery and Neapolitan pizza restaurant Cane Rosso to Steak 48.

Several of the restaurants that didn’t win also served strong dishes. Highlights included Picos shrimp with pumpkin mole, Weights + Measures’ acorn squash gnocchi, buffalo short rib grilled cheese from The Union Kitchen, and a smoked short rib tamale from Gracia Mexican Cantina, the Mexican sibling to Pearland’s popular Grazia Italian Kitchen.

If attendees felt bad about missing the Oscars telecast, at least they had delicious food and over 400 wines to choose from. Credit to emcees Michael Garfield and Samika Knight for only announcing the correct winners, which is more than we can say for the Oscars.

The full list of winners via the Houston Chronicle:

Lone Star Entree
First place: Merlion on 4th — Shrimp Raad Prik
Second place: Killen's STQ — Pork belly burnt ends
Third place: Hearsay Gastro Lounge at Market Square — Southern-fried Texas quail on sharp cheddar grits

Trailblazing Appetizers/Starters
First place: Revolver Kitchen and Bar — Achiote-braised pork sliders
Second place: Snooze, an A.M. Eatery — OMG French toast bites
Third place: Cotton Culinary — Duck roulade

Two Steppin' Dessert
First place: Mostly Chocolate — Hazelnut and Pop Rocks
Second place: Crave — Red velvet mini cupcakes
Third place: Brio Tuscan Grill — Mascarpone cheesecake

Tasty Tradition
First place: Mostly Chocolate — Hazelnut and Pop Rocks
Second place: Merlion on 4th — Shrimp Raad Prik

Top Rookie
Hearsay Gastro Lounge at Market Square — Southern-fried Texas quail on sharp cheddar grits

Showmanship
Overall: Cupcake Kitchen
Most Creative: Brother's Produce

Cane Rosso served arancini and pasta.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Cane Rosso served arancini and pasta.

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when I dip, you dip

Heights restaurant's new lunch service will only offer 1 sandwich

Courtesy of La Lucha

La Lucha will begin serving French dips on Friday, June 12.

If a sandwich hall of fame existed, one of its plaques would surely be devoted to the French dip. Its combination of thinly-sliced beef, tangy horseradish sauce, and a savory au jus is a winning formula.

Beginning Friday, June 12, Heights restaurant La Lucha will be showcasing two takes on the venerable sandwich when it starts serving them for its new Friday-only lunch service, which will be held from 11 am-2 pm. To be clear, the two sandwiches (plus fries) will be the only menu items available at lunch — apologies to anyone hoping to ease into the weekend with La Lucha staples like fried chicken or the pharmacy burger.

The two sandwich choices are: a West Coast style French dip that’s just shaved meat and au jus or an East Coast style that adds provolone and caramelized onions. Both are served with horseradish aioli on bread from Houston’s Royal Bakery that “gets crispy and delicious,” according to executive chef Bobby Matos.

The meat is the same prime rib that newly opened steak joint Star Rover, La Lucha’s sister restaurant, serves as part of its viral, “I ate the 76’er” eating challenge. Priced at $26, the sandwich offers a healthy seven ounces of thinly-sliced beef.

“They’ve done this at Little Sparrow in Atlanta but for late night. It’s been a huge success and people are digging it,” Matos explains about the motivation to introduce the offering.

Limiting the menu to two variations of the same sandwich, fries, and beverages — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — allows La Lucha to offer its Friday lunch service more easily than if Matos had to staff the kitchen to parepare its full menu.

“It’s just bringing more people to the Heights and giving them a chance to get to know our restaurants,” Matos adds. “There are still people who don’t know about La Lucha, and it’s been eight years.”

Although Matos moved to Texas from California, he says he prefers the East Coast French dip. “I want cheese and onions on mine. I like cheese on French dips,” he says.

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