Best of H-town

A bowl of custard-y heaven: The Top 10 bread puddings in Houston

When it comes to dessert, bread pudding is the warm, gooey counterpart to macaroni and cheese or chicken noodle soup: Delicious, familiar and with a consistency that always hits the spot. For that even-better-than-homemade taste, here are the 10 best bread puddings in the Houston area.

10. Red Lion

If butterscotch is to Canadian women as chocolate is to American ones (as How I Met Your Mother tells us), we know where to find some lovely Canucks — at Red Lion with a bowl of the rich butterscotch bread pudding.

9. Brennan's

Brennan's Creole bread pudding souffle is almost as famous as its turtle soup and bananas foster, and just as can't miss.

8. Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen

Though Tony is famous for his key lime pie, the bread pudding deserves raves as well. To be safe, probably best to order both.

7. Ruggles Cafe Bakery

Once the undisputed champion of Houston's bread pudding contenders, the white chocolate iteration is still a winner but not as dependably heavenly as in years past. When done right, the crisp of the bread balances perfectly against the melted custard center.

6. Cafe Chino

Don't normally think Asian when craving some BP? You should, particularly Cafe Chino's light and fruity blueberry croissant bread pudding.

5. Seco's Latin Cuisine

For an ever-so-slightly south of the border take on the dish, head to Seco's for their dark and white chocolate bread pudding, light and springy with chopped pecans.

4. Black Labrador

It seems wrong to enjoy such a stereotypically Southern dessert in a British pub. Not wrong enough for us to turn down this bread pudding, though, baked with apples, raisins and cinnamon and served with apricot preserves and Brandy cream sauce.

3. Danton's Gulf Coast Seafood Kitchen

Just when you think this town can't handle another white chocolate bread pudding, in steps Danton's with their melt-in-your-mouth version on the brunch menu for your morning sugar cravings.

2. Mockingbird Bistro

We love chocolate as much as the next girl, but there's something special about the granny apple bread pudding here, served with cinnamon ice cream and a smidge of caramel sauce for maximum throwback-to-childhood appeal.

1. Killen's Steakhouse

The crème brûlée bread pudding here has been heralded by both foodie experts (making Food & Wine magazine's 2008 list of best restaurant dishes) and everyday folk (winning the 2010 Houston Rodeo's Best Bites competition). Soft without being dense, full of vanilla and eggy goodness but not overly sweet, odes could be composed to its perfection.

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cheers to that

Texas bourbon named one of 2024's top 10 whiskies

Still Austin Whiskey Co. Red Corn Bourbon Whiskey

Still Austin Whiskey Co./Facebook

Now if only we could snag a bottle...as a Christmas gift, of course.

Three cheers for Still Austin Whiskey Co.! The distillery's Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon Whiskey was recognized as one of Whisky Advocate'sTop 20 Most Exciting Whiskies of 2024.

Every year, Whisky Advocate's expert panelists rank hundreds of whiskies based on their quality, availability, value for the price, and "X-factor," meaning an excitement-inducing component like a unique flavor or an innovative idea. An international panel also reviews contenders through several blind taste tests without knowing each whisky's producer, origin, age, or price.

The magazine ranked Still Austin's five-year Red Corn Bourbon No. 7 on the list with a prestigious score of 94 points. The Red Corn whiskey, which was released in June 2024, has mash bill consisting of 36 percent Jimmy Red corn, 34 percent white corn, 25 percent rye, and 5 percent barley.

According to panelist Shane English, tasting notes start big and bold with cracked pepper, dusty leather, and cocktail cherries, before moving on to a palate of chile pepper, caramel, and buttery cornbread.

"Each sip is electric — the pepper gives this whiskey a zing balanced by poundcake and glazed doughnuts," English said. "Charred oak fades to chocolate, coffee, and pecan pie on the finish."

Still Austin had the only Texas product on the list, which was fitting given the brand's recent boasting that it could match any Kentucky Bourbon. As a game day stunt when the Texas Longhorns played the Kentucky Wildcats in November, Still Austin refilled empty Kentucky Bourbon bottles with its own Cask Strength Bourbon for just $1.

When the brand isn't playfully antagonizing Kentucky fans, its Red Corn Bourbon sells for a retail price of $85 per 750-milliliter bottle, falling nearly in the middle of the price category out of all 20 bourbons on the list, with eight others priced for less.

For additional context, none of the top five bourbons fall under a $100 price tag. In fact, the most expensive bottle on the 2024 list is the Angel's Envy 2023 Cask Strength Port Wine Barrel Finished Bourbon, which ranked No. 12 and retails for $230 per bottle.

"Our top 20 whiskies represent a curated collection that deserves your attention. Each whisky on the list stands out for its superb taste, representing the pinnacle of a year filled with remarkable tastings," said executive editor David Fleming in a release. "This list features whiskies offering exceptional value, leaders in their respective styles, and superbly made expressions that are well worth seeking out."

Whiskey Advocate's 2024 Whiskey of the Year is Laphroaig Elements 2.0 Cask Strength Scotch Single Malt, which earned 95 points and retails for $165 a bottle.

whiskey bourbon distilleries awards lists