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    Houston in the spotlight

    Celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern films at 6 Houston restaurants for Travel Channel show

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 9, 2018 | 8:00 am

    Houston's dining scene will soon make another appearance in the national spotlight courtesy of one of the country's most popular celebrity chefs.

    Andrew Zimmern spent the weekend in Houston filming at a number of local restaurants for the second season of The Zimmern List, his Travel Channel show that guides viewers to the chefs favorite things to eat in various cities across America. While the chef is best known for his show Bizarre Eats where he travels the globe eating unusual food, this program is designed to give viewers a list of places they can easily visit.

    "This show is really very personal to me, but also very easy for fans to duplicate,” said Zimmern in a statement. “It’s about being really friendly and making it actionable. When I’m living with an African tribe, traveling by boat, not very many people are able to do that. In The Zimmern List, anyone can go and do what I’m doing.”

    While it's difficult to tell all of the places Zimmern filmed at during his visit, stalking social media shows that he included Himalaya, Better Luck Tomorrow, Crawfish & Noodles, Hugo's, The Original Ninfa's on Navigation, and Gatlin's BBQ.

    Himalaya is the only stop that Zimmern acknowledged on Instagram. In a video that showed an extensive array of the restaurant's signature dishes — including fried chicken, hunter's beef, goat masala, chicken masala, steak tikka, and saag paneer — he wrote that Azra and Kaiser Lashkari's Indo-Pak restaurant is "almost indescribably delicious in every sense of the word."

    Lashkari tells CultureMap that Zimmern's preparation impressed him. "Just like Anthony Bourdain, he had done his research. He knew about us. I was surprised at some of the things he said. He knew how the hara masala was made. I'm hugely honored."

    At Better Luck Tomorrow, Zimmern tried the bar-restaurant hybrid's Party Melt (a patty melt), beef tartare, and the Not a Pizza, a scallion pancake topped with burrata, onions, and anchovy-garlic bagna cauda.

    "He noticed that all the food was easily shareable," chef-owner Justin Yu tells CultureMap. "And had a lot of texture, which to me is a sign of someone who's just eaten at a lot of difference places and notices a lot of details."

    Zimmern's exact menu at Crawfish & Noodles is still a mystery, but one Instagrammer grabbed a picture of him with James Beard Award winner Chris Shepherd and chef-owner Trong Nguyen. Another Instagram user also spotted Shepherd and Zimmern at Gatlin's.

    Thank you Chef Trong Nguyen for this wonderful experience. It was a great pleasure meeting Andrew Zimmern and Chris Shepherd! Episode coming soon!!#foodies #crawfish #andrewzimmern #chrisshepherd #crawfishandnoodles #houston #travelchannel

    A post shared by Ramiro Lucas Jr., PBD (@lucasdesigngroup) on

    Jul 7, 2018 at 5:07pm PDT

    At Ninfa's, Zimmern ate fajitas, natch, but also spent time in the kitchen with executive chef Alex Padilla where he observed the preparation of a whole fish and octopus tacos — both of which utilize the restaurant's wood-burning oven. Legacy Restaurants CEO Jonathan Horowitz echoed some of Lashkari's comments about Zimmern's preparation.

    "The experience was really very good. His crew was great — extremely professional and well organized. They did a lot of work on the front end and were very prepared; they knew exactly what they wanted and what they were doing," Horowitz says. "Andrew was quite nice and spent some time visiting with guests and staff. We certainly are looking forward to seeing the episode."

    Thanks so much to Andrew Zimmern and crew for checking out The Original Ninfa’s today! 🎥🌮

    A post shared by Ninfa's on Navigation (@ninfasoriginal) on

    Jul 8, 2018 at 2:01pm PDT

    On Sunday morning, Zimmern stopped by Hugo's to experience the restaurant's signature Sunday brunch. A representative confirms that Zimmern tried almost the entire spread, including "ceviches and salads to barbacoa, carnitas, arroz a la tumbada (rice with seafood) poached eggs on sweet cornbread, chiles en nogada, chilaquiles, enchiladas de pescado a la Veracruzana, a variety of tamales, huevos con chorizo, and more."

    We had a very special guest for #brunch today. Welcome to #Houston, @chefaz. #HugosHouston #HugoOrtega #AndrewZimmern #Montrose #MontroseEats #HTown #HTX #HTXEats #HoustonEats

    A post shared by Hugo's restaurant (@hugos_houston) on

    Jul 8, 2018 at 12:26pm PDT

    Look for the episode to air sometime in the fall. If the frenzy is anything like the buzz created by the Houston-focused episode of David Chang's Netflix show Ugly Delicious, curious diners will want to visit these establishments now, rather than after Zimmern shows them to the world.

    Kaiser Lashkari, Andrew Zimmern, and Azra Lashkari at Himalaya.

    Andrew Zimmern Azra Kaiser Lashkari Himalaya
      
    Photo by Michael Shum
    Kaiser Lashkari, Andrew Zimmern, and Azra Lashkari at Himalaya.
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    With or Without Whiz

    Houston burger mastermind fires up new pop-up devoted to Philly cheesesteaks

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 19, 2025 | 4:35 pm
    Bas's Cheesesteaks Abbas Dhanani
    Photo by Michael Ma
    Abbas Dhanani is serving up cheesesteaks at his new pop-up.

    Abbas Dhanani is at it again. The food influencer-turned-restaurateur behind the CultureMap Tastemaker Award-winning smash burger concept Burger Bodega is firing up a new pop-up concept devoted to another iconic sandwich.

    Called Bas’s Cheesesteaks, the new concept will Dhanani’s take on the classic Philly cheesesteak, made with sliced ribeye and white cheese on a seeded hoagie roll — onions and a spicy sauce are optional. A second version swaps the white cheese for Cheez Whiz. Like Burger Bodega, Dhanani is using halal beef for his cheesesteaks.

    Bas's Cheesesteaks cheesesteak sandwichThe cheesesteak is served on a seeded hoagie roll.Photo by Michael Ma

    “We have experimented with cheesesteaks as specials on the menu at Burger Bodega and received amazing feedback,” Dhanani said in a statement. “However, the cheesesteaks at Bas’s are the most refined versions we have done so far. I am excited to bring authentic Philly cheesesteaks to Houston as a new flavor experience while continuing to build on the energy and community we have created at Burger Bodega. This is a huge passion project for me, and I plan to take it step by step, just like Burger Bodega."

    As Dhanani notes, he introduced Burger Bodega with a series of pop-ups throughout Houston. To answer the obvious question, of course a restaurant could be in the cards for Bas’s, too.

    “I think thats the goal of any new pop-up concept,” Dhanani tells CultureMap. “Like Burger Bodega, we want to take it one step at a time and see where it goes.”

    Bas’s Cheesesteaks will have its first pop-up on Monday, June 30 at Burger Bodega’s location (4520 Washington Avenue). In addition to the two cheesesteaks, diners can get fries. Future pop-ups will be announced via Instagram.

    As for Burger Bodega’s second location in Katy, Dhanani says it’s still working through securing the necessary permits to begin construction.

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