Foodie News

Pondicheri's chickpea fried chicken is a gluten-free winner

Photo by Sarah Rufca
Pondicheri
Pondicheri

Whether it's a celiac diagnosis or a commitment to a healthier diet, committing to a gluten-free lifestyle isn't without its drawbacks. (Hey, anyone who can't kick back with a six-pack of Hoegaarden has my sincere sympathies.)

So it's nice when a forbidden food is revamped and served up gluten-free and better than ever. That's what Pondicheri has done with fried chicken, a special served on Tuesday nights only in portions that feed two and cost $25.

Of course, fried chicken is accessible to home cooks simply by using gluten-free flour for the breading, but Pondicheri opts for chickpea flour, adding a bit of South Asian flair. The fried chicken comes out moist and juicy and full of flavor, just like the kind you grew up with, but ever-so-slightly crispier and not greasy.

From there it's improved by the dipping sauce, a swirl of traditional Indian cilantro chaat mixed with a tzatziki-like yogurt sauce. The combination, both refreshing and unexpected, was so addictive I had to take home seconds for use on pita chips, burgers, and anything else I could think of.

The fried chicken is served with forgettable curried potatoes and a nice blueberry salad with goat cheese and field greens, but I suggest ordering it with the desi fries, which are also fried in chickpea flour and deliver a spicy kick from cayenne.

Health food this isn't, but the subtle infusion of Indian flavors kicks up an American classic in a fun and unexpected way. The gluten-free thing? That's just a bonus.

unspecified

a spoonful of sugar

New Mexican eatery sweetens Houston with 150 spirits and bold flavors

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

A Dallas-based Mexican restaurant is coming to Houston. Mexican Sugar will open its first Houston location in Montrose this December.

Located next to Georgia James in the Regent Square mixed-use development, Mexican Sugar will occupy a two-story, 13,000-square-foot building. All that room offers seating for 375 as well as two private dining rooms with full audio-visual capabilities. Both the upstairs and downstairs patios will have a view of nearby Buffalo Bayou Park.

Its part of FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind Whiskey Cake, Sixty Vines, and Haywire, the Texas-inspired comfort food restaurant that opened its first Houston-area location earlier this year. Mexican Sugar has three locations in the Dallas area: Plano, Las Colinas, and Uptown Dallas.

In a release, Mexican Sugar touts its use of seasonal ingredients. It also makes its tortillas by hand. Menu highlights include skirt steak, lobster fundido, and a bone-in pork chop. At brunch, look for options such as cajeta French toast, Benedictos Rancheros, and vanilla-cinnamon pancakes.

Agave fans will find plenty of choices courtesy of more the 150 tequilas and mezcals. They’re available in individual pours as well as in flights that allow customers to compare the flavors of the different spirits.

“Our goal is to create a dining experience that blends bold Mexican flavors with our signature style of hospitality that stays two steps ahead,” Justin Beam, Mexican Sugar’s director of operations, said in a statement. “We’re excited to offer Houstonians an immersive Mexican experience in a fresh, light, and approachable way.”

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

news-you-can-eat openings mexican sugar