Biden at Lucille's

Former Vice President Joe Biden brunches with Floyd family at Black-owned Houston restaurant

Joe Biden dined at one of Houston's most-acclaimed Black-owned restaurants on Monday. Biden, the current Democratic Party nominee for president and former Vice President, enjoyed brunch with his wife Jill at Lucille's in the Museum District.

Although the Southern-inspired restaurant is usually closed on Mondays, chef-owner Chris Williams hosted the Bidens for a meal with the family of George Floyd, the one-time Houstonian whose death while in police custody has touched off worldwide protests about race and policing. The Biden will attend Floyd's funeral in Houston on Tuesday.

"We are completely filled with gratitude and honored to have been selected to host Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, and the Floyd family for this historic meeting," Williams said in a statement. "It’s a travesty that Floyd’s death was the catalyst for this meeting, but we are so inspired by the Floyd family’s resilience are hopeful that this meeting continues to advance the mission of justice for George Floyd."

Following the Floyd family’s departure, the Former Vice President taped an interview with CBS Evening News in Lucille’s dining room. The interview will air tonight in at 5:30 pm in Houston.

Open since 2012, Lucille's is named in honor of Williams' great grandmother Lucille B. Smith, a legendary African American chef, educator, and entrepreneur. Her signature chili biscuits — a staple of Williams' menu since the restaurant opened — earned wide acclaim, including being served at the White House. Just as Smith once served civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., Williams noted a kinship with serving the Bidens and the Floyd family.

"This morning was also such a full circle moment for my family and I," Williams added. "My great grandmother Lucille was visited by the Roosevelt’s, and we still have her letter of commendation from President Lyndon Johnson hanging in our dining room. So for Vice President Biden to come here and personally gift me a challenge coin, then to see him interacting with my family under this roof is definitely one of my proudest moments thus far."

Biden has had opportunities to dine in Houston before. In 2013, he had dinner at D'Amico's Italian Market Cafe while his son Beau received treatment at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. In 2017, Jill and Joe ate brunch at Down House after attending the Final Four.

Chef Chris Williams and Vice President Joe Biden share a fist bump.

Lucille's Joe Biden Chris Williams fist bump

Courtesy of Lucille's

Chef Chris Williams and Vice President Joe Biden share a fist bump.

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truffle masters recap

Street corn shines at Houston's truffle-powered chef competition

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Marcus Benedict, Daniella Johner, and chef Luis Roger of MAD and BCN.

One of Houston’s top Mexican restaurants took the top prize at this year’s Truffle Masters competition. Victoria Elizondo, chef-owner of Cochinita & Co., bested 24 other Houston chefs with Elotitos, corn brushed with chiltepin aioli, dusted with seven chile spice, and finished with shaved truffles and Parmesan.

“The team killed it last night,” Elizondo wrote on Instagram. “We won 1st place at @thetrufflemasters all while having fun and cooking with love! Food doesn’t need to be fancy, it just needs to be made with corazón!”

The attention couldn’t have come at a better time. As CultureMap reported last month, Cochinita & Co. is currently in the process of opening a second location in Lindale Park. Customers can invest in the project via the NuMarket platform in exchange for credits at the restaurant.

Second prize went to Camaraderie in the Heights for its black sesame and black truffle gelato, while Cocody, a French restaurant in River Oaks, took third place for its truffle-shaped Lollys Persillade Escargot Cromesquis, essentially an escargot lollypop with with black truffle and quail egg in the middle.

Montrose sushi restaurant Soto won People’s Choice with its Engawa fin muscle with truffle balsamic unagi sauce, kizami, and chocolate black truffle masago arare. Aniket Bhingare, a bartender at Michelin-starred restaurant Musaafer, won the cocktail competition with his Pour Me a Slice, made with truffle and herb-infused and a clarified mix of roma tomatoes, fresh basil, oregano, basil, and truffle oil.

Other standout dishes included a Yukon Gold potato with truffle brown butter from Michelin-recognized sushi restaurant Hidden Omakase, truffle s’mores from Israeli-inspired steakhouse Doris Metropolitan, beef tartare and truffle ice cream from fine dining sushi restaurant Katami, and Credence’s truffle duck sausage with plums and truffles. Maximo, a Mexican restaurant in West U., maximized (sorry) its truffle usage with a Cachetada de Barbacoa Taco, made with nixtamalized truffle tortilla, truffle-braised barbacoa, and sottocenere al tartufo cheese with black garlic-habanero salsa

More than 350 attended the sold-out affair, which took place at the Astorian events space in Sawyer Yards. The judging panel include both media members (such as this author) and hospitality pros. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the KNOWAutism Foundation.

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Marcus Benedict, Daniella Johner, and chef Luis Roger of MAD and BCN.