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

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BOGO Banh Mi

Houston Vietnamese restaurant rolls out new Spring Branch outpost

Courtesy of Saigon Hustle

Saigon Hustle will open its new location on Thursday, October 10.

A rapidly growing Houston Vietnamese restaurant has big plans for National Banh Mi Day, which is this Thursday, October 10. Saigon Hustle will mark the occasion by opening its new Spring Branch location.

Located in a converted gas station at 1223 Witte Road, the new Saigon Hustle both preserves all of the things that have made the original Garden Oaks location a success for founders Cassie Ghaffar and Sandy Nguyen and takes advantage of having twice as much space to add new menu items and a more complete dining experience.

Saigon Hustle Spring Branch rendering A rendering previews the restaurant's new location.Courtesy of Saigon Hustle

By going from just over 800-square-feet to 2,000, Saigon Hustle will be able to offer indoor seating for the first time. Total capacity is about 70 diners.

“The dine in is huge. We don’t have a lot of customer interaction [at Garden Oaks],” Ghaffar tells CultureMap. “We’re excited to have the customer facing side, interacting with them, watching them eat our food, without losing the drive-thru.”

A larger kitchen means that Saigon Hustle will be able to add pho to its menu for the first time. Diners will have their choice of chicken — made with sous vide chicken breast — or beef, which will come with the traditional round eye, brisket, and meatballs.

“There are so many people who come in expecting pho. When they can’t get it, they walk out,” Nguyen says.

As for the rest of the menu, it will include all of the banh mi, egg rolls, spring rolls, and rice dishes that have made the original a hit. Beverage options include both Vietnamese iced coffee and a tea bar that includes both milk tea and Thai-style iced tea.

Saigon Hustle Cassie Ghaffar Sandy Nguyen Saigon Hustle co-founders Cassie Ghaffar and Sandy Nguyen.Photo by Al Torres

Perhaps even more importantly, this new location is the first since Ghaffar and Nguyen partnered with Savory Fund, a venture capital firm that’s invested in a diverse range of concepts including Austin-based Detroit-style pizzeria Via 313. Originally, Saigon Hustle received a $1 million investment; since then, Savory has committed to helping it grow to as many as 40 units in Texas and the Midwest, Ghaffar and Nguyen say.

“Being a business person, this was the vision from day one. This [investment] has manifested the route we were aiming toward,” Ghaffar adds. “We’re very fortunate Savory believed in us and is helping us create a legacy for our families.”

Saigon Hustle will celebrate its opening with buy-one-get-one free banh mi sandwiches from 10 am - 3 pm on Thursday. Beginning Friday, October 11, it will open daily at 10 am.

news-you-can-eat openings spring branch