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    Dessert Wars

    Tears & funnel cake: Top Chef: Just Desserts sends home one talented Texan,another takes a bump

    Sarah Rufca
    Sep 22, 2011 | 10:43 am
    • The Top Chef: Just Desserts contestants hit the pool.
    • Katy's Amanda Rockman was sent packing too soon.
    • Rebecca Masson and teammates Katzie and Megan celebrate their eliminationchallenge win.

    I think the Top Chef: Just Dessertsproducers have gotten the message that no one cares about their fancy schmancy competition-style cakes. Lately the challenges have all been about nostalgia with Willy Wonka, soda shops and on Wednesday night, a challenge that will remind everyone of childhood — a refreshing dessert for a hot day. I can practically feel the pool and the Fudgesicles from here.

    But first, the quickfire challenge is all about making candy bars for epic pastry chef Pichet Ong. Just as the chefs all run for their ingredients and equipment, Carlos Enriquez bangs some trays against Houston's own Rebecca Masson's injured arm, bringing her to tears, and Orlando Santos is predictably callous about it.

    So later when Rebecca drops part of her dessert, it's astonishing to us — as well as Rebecca — when Orlando drops everything to help her finish and plate her candy bar. Is it possible that Orlando is a nice guy who's playing the villain for camera time? He does seem to enjoy it a bit too much. Rebecca says the final product isn't what she wanted, but at least it's something to show.

    Pichet dings Katzie Guy-Hamilton for making a melty mess on a stick and Matthew Petersen's bar for having a soft bottom. Pichet's favorite candy bars are by Sally Camacho, who deliberately uses the Asian ingredients Pichet's known for to make a "Who's It" of peanut butter, chocolate, black forbidden rice, cocoa nibs and milk chocolate ganache.

    Just as the chefs all run for their ingredients and equipment, Carlos Enriquez bangs some trays against Houston's own Rebecca Masson's injured arm, bringing her to tears, and Orlando Santos is predictably callous about it.

    Also on top is . . . Rebecca! Her "Fruit on the Bottom "is granola and Greek panna cotta with orange marmalade and vanilla inside a white chocolate shell. Pichet is interested by the ingredients and the novelty of a candy bar with panna cotta inside. But in the end Pichet picks Sally for the win and immunity. It would be nice to see Rebecca nab an individual win, but as long as she's ending up on top I won't complain.

    The contestants are divided into teams of three and are tasked with each making a refreshing treat to serve at a water park. Yay! Fun! Rebecca is with Katzie and Megan Ketover, Amanda From Katy is with Carlos and Sally and Chris Hanmer, Matthew and Orlando are together. There's drama over the ice cream machines and the liquid mitrogen, but everyone seems to get their stuff together before heading out to the water park. (Sorry, sponsors, I didn't catch the name of the place and I'm not looking it up. It has water slides. What else do you need to know.)

    During his walk-through, judge Johnny Iuzzini declares Chris, Matthew and Orlando a strong team, but it's quickly clear that they are out of their element at the park. These guys are so serious about their craft they seem to have entirely forgotten how to tailor their ideas to the situation at hand. Chris's ice block passion fruit drink comes off syrupy, Orlando's dry take on a root beer float has neither soda nor ice cream, nor anything else refreshing, and Matthew keeps the judges waiting for hot strawberry shortcake that doesn't really fit the weather.

    On the other hand, team sassy ladies (Rebecca, Katzie and Megan) decides to go simple and classic. Opening with a spritz of lavender mist, Rebecca serves a lemon snickerdoodle ice cream sandwich, Megan creates a strawberry soda float with white peach and basil sorbet. Unlike Orlando, her float has both soda and something sweet and frozen, and the judges love it. How novel!

    Katzie makes a baked Alaska on a stick with spumoni inside toasted meringue with a cherry. Rebecca served virtually the same dish at a Revival Market dinner earlier this summer, so I can say from personal experience that the mixture of sweet and tart is delicious.

    Carlos breaks out the breakfast cereal for the third time with a Cap'n Crunch popsicle but the judges aren't into the overwhelming layers of sugar. Sally makes a berry smoothie with white chocolate Rice Krispies. Amanda From Katy goes third, and her funnel cake goes from fresh to hard and crispy as her teammates present, and the judges take note.

    So what we've learned today is that the judges will yell at you if you make them wait while you plate a fresh dish, and they will yell at you if you pre-plate and it gets stale.

    The unsurprising winning team is Rebecca, Katzie and Megan, who seemed to make all the most popular desserts, and for the second episode in a row Katzie gets the individual win. Maybe we shouldn't underestimate people because they're silly and sometimes they spill their ice cream all over the kitchen, eh?

    Among the other two teams, the bottom three are Carlos, Amanda From Katy and Orlando. Did you realize as early as I did that Amanda From Katy was getting the proverbial cowboy boot? It was partly judge Gail Simmons terming her funnel cake "unacceptable" and partly the foreshadowing of hearing about Amanda's braided, tan, child-of-Russian-immigrants, water park-free childhood in Texas. I think if you want to win Top Chef, tell them all the photos of your childhood were lost in a fire and they'll never be able to send you home.

    Amanda Rockman (who is the pastry chef at two Chicago restaurants now) is the first chef I'm really sad to see go, and it's not just because I'm counting her as a Texan (for her Katy roots). She had a lot of great ideas and some serious talent, and it sucks to see her go home because of an issue of execution. Also it has to be awful to have to explain to your Texan family that you got eliminated with a funnel cake. I'm guessing the Houston Rodeo will never be quite as fun again for our dear, departed Amanda From Katy.

    We started with three Houston chefs, and now we're down to one. Do you think Rebecca can go the distance? And what nostalgic challenge will they think of next?

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    news/restaurants-bars

    where to drink now

    16 Houston establishments churning out refreshing frozen cocktails

    Brianna Griff
    Jun 10, 2025 | 3:06 pm
    Solarium Frozen Cocktails
    Photo by Swiggard Creative
    The newly opened Solarium serves up racketball games and four frozen cocktails to sip on.

    If we’re going to endure another scorching Houston summer, we might as well do it with a frozen cocktail in hand. Fortunately, the city’s bartenders know how to keep us cool, serving up an impressive array of boozy adult slushies. Go ahead and bookmark this list—you’re going to need it.

    Brennan’s
    The most elaborate drink on this list, the Bananas Faster at Brennan’s is an ode to the original bananas Foster at Mr. B’s Bistro in NOLA. Bartenders sauté bananas in butter and sugar, then flambé them with rum and cinnamon before blending with Bacardi rum and soft serve. It’s topped with a banana slice, cinnamon, and an optional Mount Gay Dark Rum floater.

    Confessions
    Pair a bowl of hookah with Sweet Surrender, an adults-only take on the Dreamsicle, at Confessions. The new South American-inspired spot in Upper Kirby swirls vanilla and whipped vodka with oranges, evoking the childhood treat.

    Grand Prize
    Ease up to the downstairs bar of this Montrose haunt for the 20th Century, a frosty concoction of gin, lemon, Lillet, and crème de cacao. Upstairs, the Frozen Miami Vice is on tap: a half-strawberry daiquiri and half-pina colada, which can also be served separately if desired.

    Happy Go Lucky
    The team behind The Burger Joint opened its new shaved ice and frozen cocktail concept just as Houstonians begin to melt. Here, patrons can find more than 20 frozens, from tart palomas to zesty mules. Order the Espresso and Cream — an espresso martini meets a scoop of vanilla ice cream — for a decadent treat.

    Hudson House
    It may claim to serve the “World’s Coldest Martini,” but for a truly shivering experience, order the frozen Bellini. This East Coast-esque establishment blends up “copious amounts of” vodka with fresh peach puree, before topping it with a Grand Marnier floater.

    Il Bracco
    The Post Oak Italian eatery is blending up The Bracco, a frozen greyhound of Aperol, New Amsterdam, and fresh grapefruit. Best of all, it's available to-go in half-gallon bottles.

    Johnny’s Gold Brick
    The Tastemaker Awards’ 2025 Bar of the Year winner offers a savory slushy sipper this summer with the Garden Party. Inspired by watermelon gazpacho, bartenders Ryan Suhl and Trent Lee created a refreshing gin-based blend of juniper-forward genever, watermelon, bell pepper, herbal liqueur, lime, salt, and lemon olive oil. Or, opt for the frozen margarita, a staple on the menu.

    Monkey’s Tail
    This tropical Linden Park spot features two frosty mainstays: Tommy’s Marg, built with blanco tequila, agave nectar, gomme syrup, and fresh lime, and the sweet-spicy Chile Mangonada, a rum-tequila combination with mango nectar, passion fruit, and a chamoy swirl. Current seasonal specials are the Northside (cucumber gin, tequila, mint syrup, lime, and firewater bitters) and the dessert-like combo, Banana Colada (Jamaican rums, pineapple, banana liqueur, banana pudding mix, coconut cream, and whipped cream) — but operating partner and frozen fan Lainey Collum reserves the right to switch things up at any time.

    Refuge
    The lively cocktail bar's Tropic Summer returns for 2025 with a fresh menu that includes the Blended Sling, a vibrant drink made with saffron-infused Vietnamese gin, pineapple sherbet, pomegranate, cherry liqueur, Curaçao, Benedictine, and a dash of Angostura.

    The Savoy
    This historic neighborhood bar in Third Ward features Sneaky Link, the locale’s rendition of a Branson Peach Sidecar, and the Emancipation, which blends the house frozen margarita with 818 Tequila Reposado, pineapple, and fresh strawberries.

    Solarium
    What’s a better pick-me-up after a sweltering game of pickleball than a frozen cocktail at Rex Hospitality’s latest addition to the racket sport craze? The stylish lounge offers four options worth sipping: the 820 Marg (blanco tequila, curaçao, lime, agave), El Mercado (a house take on a mangonada), Purple Drank (12-year aged rum, coconut, ube, pineapple, lime), and the Courtside Frosé, made with blood orange vodka, citrus, and rosé.

    Starduster Lounge
    The recently-opened, West Texas-inspired bar in the Heights serves an updated version of the Frozen Shandy that was a smash hit at D&T Drive-Inn. Now dubbed the Rio Red Shandy, the drink combines Lone Star beer, lemon, grapefruit, and vodka for a refreshing, citrus forward sip.

    Two Headed Dog
    This intimate Midtown dive always has four frozens on rotation. The current lineup includes the gin-based Blood of My Enemies, featuring pomegranate, hibiscus, and pineapple, and the Siren’s Drawl, a rum-based concoction with kiwi, mango, honey, and allspice, served with a flaming lime boat. Mezcal lovers will appreciate the Smoking Diablo, featuring crème de cassis, ginger, and lime, while the no-nonsense Big Ass Margarita rounds out the offerings.

    Under the Volcano
    The tiki bar offers two simple, yet delightful, frozen riffs on classics: the Screwdriver, where orange juice meets vodka, and a Cuba Libre, which is essentially a Coke Slurpee with the addition of rum and fresh lime juice.

    Voodoo Queen
    This daiquiri dive is a frozen fan’s paradise, with eight machines spinning boozy slushies at all times. Owner Brandon Young recommends the house-favorite The Bends, a banana daiquiri consisting of two rums, 151, and Everclear. Most of the bar's other creations are made with rum and 151, but the margarita keeps it classic with 100 percent blue agave tequila and orange liqueur.

    Still can’t decide? The bar will also combine its frozen creations to make over-the-top combos, such as the Caribbean Xanax, a crowd favorite that combines The Bends, Tropical Depression, Mango Larry, Pineapple Express, and a splash of Demerara 151. And don’t sleep on the hand-spun 151 daiquiris.

    Winnie's
    The Midtown bar has created a frozen version of the tiki favorite the Saturn that's made with gin, toasted almond orgeat, passion fruit, and lemon. Get it for $12 regularly, $6 during happy hour, or as part of a frozen flight with the bar's three other frozens — margarita, strawberry daiquiri, and peach bourbon iced tea.

    Happy Go Lucky frozen espresso martini
      

    Photo by Becca Wright

    Cool off with a frozen espresso martini at Happy Go Lucky.

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