First Taste

Eco wheels: Green2Go food truck is downtown's next saveur savior

Photo by Steven Thomson
Photo by Steven Thomson

This has been a winning year for food downtown: From the arrival of Byrd's to this week's announcement of Phoenecia's new second location at One Park Place, the formerly dire amenities of downtown dining are finally looking up.

And the upturn isn't stopping anytime soon, as illustrated by this week's arrival of a new food truck, Green2Go.

The brainchild of Amador Martinez and his business partner Alfonso Brooks d'Arteaga, Green2Go stands as a beacon of freshness in the midst of a dank surface-level parking lot at the corner of Preston and Main (incidentally, just across the street from Byrd's). The roof is covered in solar panels, and next to the order window is an embedded TV screen that will broadcast programs from the Discovery Channel and National Geographic.

Everything is biodegradable, from the cups and plates down to the corn-based spoons.

Amador and Alfonso are busy inside whipping up delicious green dishes. The truck offers a wide selection of pastas, vegetarian maki, sandwiches and crepes. The variety is breathtaking, considering that many trucks don't move beyond the realm of novelty items the likes of cupcakes or snowcones.

On a recent visit, the chicken sandwich arrived in a matter of minutes on a toasty demi baguette, with carrot match sticks, sliced cucumber, lettuce, and tender bites of shredded chicken breast. The veggie fillings are reminiscent of a bahn mi Vietnamese sandwich, but without any of the greasiness and meat of questionable quality. The sandwich's secret ingredient is a "famous" spicy garlic sauce that adds just enough moisture to combat the brusque crunchiness of the bread.

The chicken sandwich is nothing new in the work-a-day lunch world, but Green2Go's signature drink, hibiscus juice is. Amador can list off the health benefits of hibiscus, but above all, the libation is a great thirst quencher for the downtown pedestrian.

Observing the chefs prepare the Greek salad provided a confidence in the menu's freshness that simply can't be had at a typical taco truck. The mix is the usual kalamata-tomato-feta, but instead of the weak iceberg lettuce so redolent at some Greek restaurants, the salad features whole leaves of Romaine — a trial to cut up, but welcome nonetheless. The leaves are drizzled with a basil-infused vinaigrette, accompanied by slices of baguette that just beg to be dipped in the leftovers. Although the salad is more than enough for a meal, it only costs $3.

Green2Go also offers a comprehensive breakfast menu, with bagels, crepes, fresh cut fruit and yogurt parfaits.

In an neighborhood where the food scene is relegated to dank underground tunnels awash with chain restaurant kiosks, Green2Go is a fresh next step.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”