Foodie News

A Houston restaurant institution spills its Tex-Mex secrets on network TV

The Chew's Evette Rios (right) talks with some Molina's customers.
Photo by Karen Burd
Evette Rios tastes a dish alonside third-generation owner Ricardo Molina.
Photo by Karen Burd
Photo by Karen Burd

It's been two months since Evette Rios from ABC's The Chew brought a camera crew to Molina's, and now we can see what she found.

Rios spoke to third-generation owner Ricardo Molinas and second-generation owner Raul Molinas — the restaurant has been family-owned for three generations and 71 years —as well as many customers who described the restaurant as their favorite, including one married couple who confessed that Molina's was the location of their first date.

Ricardo Molina even gave Rios a very necessary lesson about chile con carne as he showed her how they make the Enchiladas de Tejas.

When Rios asked if there were beans in the chile con carne, Molina gave it to her straight:

"No, absolutely not. Chile con carne is a true Tex-Mex dish, originated in the state of Texas. It has no beans and no tomato." Yes, amen, someone please put it on a bumper sticker. "We can't claim that we invented it, but we think we perfected it," Molina added of the family's Tex-Mex tradition.

Early lunch crowds at all three Molina's locations watched the video live, but if you missed it you can check it out below.

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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.