Food for Thought

Texans Game Day is no time to eat healthy: Feasts range from Oysters Rockefellerto Tex-Mex treats

Los Tios’ biggest seller for take-out on game days is the fairly new PanchosParty Pack. It’s a perfect party package for six-10 guests. Costs are pick-upfor $65.00; drop-off: $75.

Photo by Henry Thiel
Ooh La La can hook you up with custom-made Texans shortbread cookies for $4.50each and $48.00 per dozen.

Photo by Kimberly Park
Marene has been known to splurge on Oysters Rockefeller at a Super Bowl-watchingparty

Brennan's Restaurant
Don't forget Jose’s Dip at Molina's, the original chili con queso topped withspicy taco meat.

Photo by Kimberly Park
Call in your order to one of Molina's Cantina's three locations and they’ll loadyou up with delicious fajitas with all the sides ($29.95 for two people).

Photo by Kimberly Park
Aren't these just too cute? And yummy, too. Cupcake truffles, $2.50 each or$27.95 per dozen, from Ooh La La

Photo by Kimberly Park

So I get this e-mail from Whole Foods Market in my inbox:

Healthy Cooking Bowl 2013

Whole Foods Market Houston and Sugar Land stores are celebrating health in 2013 with our second annual Healthy Cooking Bowl...Kickoff the new year by visiting our stores to sample some of our favorite recipes, learn tips, and receive materials that will help you on the road to becoming healthy! There has never been a better time to choose your food with wellness in mind.

I’m not against healthy eating, but come on; this weekend could be our last chance to party for the Texans. No tailgating, since it’s an away game, so just plan a little game day party — with plenty of food and drink — at home.

Now, if I were throwing said party and I wanted to shop at Whole Foods Market here’s what I would pick up:

Fresh oysters and fixings for Oysters Rockefeller
Lots and lots of bubbly
Some of their delish tenderloin so I could make little beef Wellingtons
An armload of fresh greens for creamed spinach
An assortment of their delicious cheeses
And maybe some of those little chocolate éclairs from the bakery

What? It’s a party, right? And I’m only throwing it in my mind. Although I did once serve the oysters and champagne at a Super Bowl party, but I digress.

No, if it’s just a few or even just you watching the playoff Sunday you might just get takeout and be done with it.

And what’s better than Tex-Mex for game day?

Take-out Tex-Mex

“Texans games are big take-out days for us,” says Gary Adair of Skeeter’s Mesquite Grills and Los Tios Mexican Restaurants. “We can put together pounds of food on pretty quick notice. You can call before game time and not miss too much of the game.”

Los Tios’ biggest seller for take-out on game days is the fairly new Hot Poncho Bar. It’s a perfect party package with nacho fixings, cocktail fajitas, chicken taquitos, cocktail tamales, taco meat, chile con queso, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, jalapeños, chips and salsa for $9.95 per person.

And there’s Molina’s Cantina with three locations. Call in your order and they’ll load you up with delicious fajitas with all the sides ($29.95 for two people), combo plates and lots of guacamole and Jose’s Dip, the original chili con queso topped with spicy taco meat. It’s way better than throwing a brick of Velveeta and a can of Ro-Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies into the microwave.

Texans shortbread cookies

Oh, you want some sweets? Ooh La La can hook you up with custom-made Texans shortbread cookies or these darling little cupcake truffles shaped like footballs. Cupcake truffles are $2.50 each or $27.95 per dozen. The Texans cookies are $4.50 each and $48.00 per dozen. Both will be available in all bakeries on Saturday and at the Town & Country location only on Sunday, on a first-come, first served basis.

So get your food in place early. Besides it might be cold and rainy come Sunday and you could wind up driving through Whataburger’s drive through for bags of burgers or calling a national pizza chain and waiting for delivery.

And then you’ll probably run out of beer.

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bring on barnaby's

Favorite Houston comfort food spot picks Garden Oaks for 10th location

Courtesy of Barnaby's Cafe

Barnaby's Cafe is coming to the Stomping Grounds this fall.

Earlier this week, real estate developer Bryan Danna promised “big news…very soon” about a new tenant for the former LuLoo’s Day & Night space at his Stomping Grounds development in Garden Oaks. That news is that Houston favorite Barnaby’s Cafe has claimed the space for a new location that will open later this year.

When a Barnaby’s decal appear on the restaurant’s door a couple of days ago, news of the restaurant’s imminent arrival spread quickly on social media. It will be Barnaby’s tenth location, joining outposts in Montrose, River Oaks, the Heights, and more.

The restaurant will occupy a 2,250-square-foot space at the Stomping Grounds. It will offer a to-go window for people hanging out in the development’s green space as well as a gated, dog-friendly patio. Houston artist Roberto Cervantes will contribute works to the restaurant’s interior.

Founded in 1992 by restaurateur Jeff Gale, Barnaby’s is known for its wide-ranging and affordable menu of classic American fare, including salads, sandwiches, breakfast items, and dinner entrees. Customer favorites include the Lebanese chicken fattoush salad, chipotle black bean burger, baby back ribs, and green eggs, which are scrambled with spinach and artichoke hearts. Dogs can snack on a special “puppy menu” of ground beef, sliced chicken breast, or scrambled eggs over brown rice.

Stomping Grounds green space A to-go window will expedite orders for people in the Stomping Grounds' green space.Courtesy of Stomping Grounds

“Bringing Barnaby’s to Garden Oaks and Oak Forest has been on my wish list for more than a decade, so I’m incredibly grateful that Jeff Gale and his team saw Stomping Grounds as the right fit,” Danna said in a statement. “Jeff and I go back to his first Heights location, which was one of Barnaby’s first big moves north of Montrose, and I have always respected what he and his longtime team have built. Thirty years in the restaurant business is a serious accomplishment. You do not make it that long unless you know how to take care of people, build loyalty, and become part of the neighborhood.”

When it opens this fall, Barnaby’s will be open daily from 11 am to 9 pm. It will join other restaurants at the Stomping Grounds, including Fat Cat Creamery, Tex-Mex restaurant La Mex, Bollo Woodfired Pizza, casual sushi restaurant Himari, Little Sister Cake Shop, and High Five Mini Bar. Earlier this week, casual Vietnamese restaurant Pho Prime announced that it had claimed the space formerly occupied by The Pho Fix for a new location that will also open this fall.

news-you-can-eat openings stomping grounds barnaby's cafe