Houston's Hottest Food

The last days of a hot food festival produce a foodie panic: Where to get your fix

Hatch chilies rock. They just do. I get so excited every year during Hatch season, which includes the 18th annual Hatch Chile Festival at Central Market featuring the New Mexico beauties (it runs through Tuesday).

There are also several local restaurant menu items that have caught my eye that celebrate the hatch.

First, let’s talk about the chilies. Hatch chile refers to the varieties of chiles grown in the Hatch Valley, an area stretching north and south along the Rio Grande from Arrey, N.M. in the north end of the state to Tonuco Mountain towards the south of Hatch, N.M.. Most of the varieties of chile cultivated in the Hatch Valley have been developed at New Mexico State University for more than a century.

I use the mild ones more so than the hot ones and am almost paranoid about running out.

They range in heat from very mild to quite hot and growing conditions in the Hatch Valley contribute greatly to the consistent flavor, which is unique. Most importantly, distribution outside of the region is limited, so when I can get them, I get happy. They’ve received the “New Mexico True” stamp of approval from the New Mexico Tourism Department so the Hatch Chile Festival is the real deal and not something to be taken for granted.

For years, I have taken the opportunity during the Hatch Chile Festival to buy the roasted onsite chiles (both mild and hot), do a rough puree in the food processor and then keep the treasures in small freezer bags to use throughout the year. In everything from soups and stews to burgers, corn chowder chicken enchiladas and au-gratin potatoes, or just stirred into mayo for a sandwich spread, I find that the chiles add a unique flavor — sweet, clear and defined.

I use the mild ones more so than the hot ones and am almost paranoid about running out.

Through the years, Central Market has continued to expand Hatch product offerings during the festival and this year there are more products than ever. Some that have obtained holy-grail status include the Beemster Gouda from Holland studded with the roasted chiles; a crazy-good apple/Hatch chile cobbler from the bakery; an incredible yummy spread I’m dying to put on crab cakes and a fabulous limited-edition bar of chocolate by small-batch producer Patric American Handcrafted Chocolate.

I was also excited to learn that Hotel Icon's Line & Lariat's mixologist Houston Farris is currently pouring a new cocktail called the Hatch-22, using the seasonal chile in an infusion cocktail. Hubcap Grill is doing a Hatch Tamale Burger on random nights during the season and I’ve fallen in love with the Hatch Green Chile Double Cheeseburger at Del Frisco’s Grille that's on both the lunch and dinner menu.

Hatch chiles, fresh from the field

Central Market

Hatch chiles, fresh from the field

unspecified

a CultureMap Exclusive

Houston's 'Chinese takeout bar from the future' touches down in Webster

Courtesy of The Rice Box

A rendering previews The Rice Box's new location in Webster.

Houston’s Chinese takeout bar from the future is coming to the Bay Area. The sixth location of The Rice Box will open in Webster later this summer.

Located at 114 El Dorado Blvd, the new location will be called Rice Box Space Center after NASA’s headquarters at the nearby Johnson Space Center. Founder John Peterson tells CultureMap that it’s a bit of a homecoming for him and his wife/business partner, Jenny Vo, as they grew up in the area. As with every new location, the restaurant created a movie-style poster to announce its opening.

Rice Box Webster movie poster The Rice Box Space Center is expected to open later this summer.Courtesy of The Rice Box

For its first truly suburban location, Peterson plans to offer a more efficient pickup system for to-go orders. Dubbed The Rice Box Pickup Reactors, the system applies Rice Box’s sci-fi aesthetic to curbside ordering. As seen in the rendering above, the building will have six slots that drivers will pull into to get their orders.

“The goal is to have guests in and out with food in hand in around 90 seconds,” Peterson writes in an email. “It’s still pickup, but we’re trying to make that moment feel more intentional and more connected to the digital side of Rice Box instead of treating it like an afterthought. We’re looking at this opening as both a new store and a prototype for how Rice Box can work in more suburban markets without losing the part of the brand that makes it feel like us.”

Bay Area-area diners can expect the same menu as the Rice Box’s other locations. That includes staples such as General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, and orange peel beef. The restaurant also serves traditional Chinese-inspired fare such as Chongqing chicken, cumin beef, mapo tofu, and chow fun noodles.

Recently, Peterson rolled out a new version of Rice Box’s dumplings. Available in chicken, pork, or vegetable, each style of dumpling comes with a different wrapper that enhances the filling’s flavor. They’re also available either steamed or fried.

The Rice Box started as a food truck in the early 2010s. After moving to a permanent location in the Greenway Plaza food court, it has opened brick-and-mortar locations in the Heights, River Oaks, Rice Village, and Memorial.

openings news-you-can-eat the rice box