Time to Dine

Place your order now! Thanksgiving-to-go from some of Houston's top restaurants

If you’re worried about burning the turkey, opt for a stress-free Thanksgiving and order to-go from some of your favorite restaurants. And since turkey doesn't have to be at the center of the plate, we've got other options, too.

TRADITIONAL

LUBY'S
The fare: Get a home-style feast of sliced roasted turkey, sliced baked ham, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, and giblet gravy at Luby’s. Desserts and additional sides are also available.
Pricing: Created for groups of 10 or more, packages are priced from $6.99 to $10.99 per person.
Available: Multiple locations. Advance notice of 48 hours is requested.
To order: Lubys.com or 877-GO-LUBYS.

SPARROW BAR + COOKSHOP
The fare: Sparrow Bar + Cookshop has your entire Thanksgiving dinner covered. Choose from a selection of hearty soups and sides -- plus proteins like local whole pastured turkey, beef tenderloin, pork loin, quail or scallops. Don’t forget “must-haves” like cornbread stuffing, giblet gravy and pumpkin cheesecake.
Pricing: Group packages start at $50 per person or order items a la carte.
Availability: Order by Monday, November 25, at 5 p.m. Pick up on Wednesday, November 27, from 4 to 8 p.m.
To order: 713-875-7496 or monica@monicapopehouston.com.

PAPPAS BAR-B-Q
The fare: At Pappas Bar-B-Q, order everything from flavorful whole smoked turkeys and hams, to sides made from scratch, and homemade pies and desserts.
Pricing: Whole smoked turkey from $44.95, smoked ham is $29.95, a package of seven sides is $39.95.
Availability: Place your order 24 hours in advance. Pick up Wednesday, November 27, or Thursday, November 28.
To order: Call your nearest location.

CIAO BELLO
The fare: Turkey, gravy, mashed or sweet potatoes, corn bread stuffing, green beans, bread, and pie are all part of Ciao Bello's “Thanksgiving To Go” menu.
Pricing: Ranges from $159.95 for 6 people to $299.95 for 12.
Availability: End of day Monday, November 25.
To order: Call 713-960-0333.

GOODE COMPANY
The fare: For a bird and dessert, head to Goode Company for the mesquite-smoked turkey and decadent, handmade pecan pie.
Pricing: $60 per turkey. Pies from $17.
Availability: Turkeys can be pre-ordered through Goode Company’s three BBQ locations. Pies can be pre-ordered or picked up at Goode Company's Pecan Pie Booth on Tuesday, November 26, and Wednesday, November 27, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To order: Call or stop by the pie booth.

LA BALANCE
The fare: La Balance's take on a traditional meal includes oven roasted turkey, butternut squash soup, Brussels sprout salad, gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, sweet potato puree, corn bread dressing, and La Balance bread. It also comes with either pecan or pumpkin pie.
Pricing: Package feeds 6-8 people, $145.
Availability: Order through Tuesday, November 26.
To order: Call 281-206-7974.

HOLD THE BIRD

ELEVEN XI
The fare: Chef Kevin Bryant is offering a Thanksgiving take-out feast with a la carte items enough for 12. Starters include gazpacho shooters and seafood stuffed mushrooms. Save room for pulled pork baby back ribs, mini sliders, sweet potato casserole, smoked Gouda blue grits, and more.
Available: Orders are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, November 25. Pick up is Tuesday, November 26, and Wednesday, November 27, from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.
To order: Call 713-529-5881 or email lauren@elevenxihouston.com

HUGO'S
The fare: Spice things up and go south of the border this Thanksgiving with a variety of tamales, chile rellenos and enchiladas from Hugo's. Go big and order the Lechoncito Rostizado (whole suckling pig).
Pricing: A la carte prices vary.
Availability: Order by end of day on Monday, November 25. Pick up on Wednesday, November 27.
To order: Call 713-524-7744 or order on-line.

A LITTLE SOMETHING ON THE SIDE

BACKSTREET CAFE
The fare: As long as you can handle the turkey, Backstreet has plenty of to-go items to round out your holiday meal. Soups like duck gumbo and wild mushroom are available by the half gallon. You can also get sides like cauliflower gratin and wine-poached pears, and desserts like the chocolate pumpkin hot cocoa.
Pricing: Soups by the half gallon start at $15. Pricing for sides varies by size, but starts at $22. Desserts are $12 and up.
Availability: Orders should be placed by Monday, November 25 for pick-up with re-heating instructions on Wednesday, November 27.
To order: Call 713-521-2239 or order on-line.

REVIVAL MARKET
The fare: At Revival Market, you'll find the likes of duck fat fingerling potatoes, cornbread stuffing, marinated beets, and more. There's also a list of several sweets.
Pricing: From $5.95 to $13.95.
Availability: Through November 27.
To order: Stop by and pick up.

SWEETS

TRINITI
The fare: The perfect end to Thanksgiving dinner, Triniti’s offering of sweet confections includes apple pie, lemon meringue, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and a holiday classic, yeast rolls with a hint of honey.
Pricing: Pies are $30 each. Yeast rolls are $8 per dozen.
Availability: Through December 22.
To order: Call 713-527-9090.

OOH LA LA
The fare: For traditionalists, the quintessential collection of All-American Thanksgiving pies includes pumpkin, pecan, apple, cherry, chocolate cream, coconut cream, and key lime. For those looking to up the ante, outclass your pie competition with Snickers, Reese's, Twix or Oreo pies.
Pricing: $19 to $28.95 per pie.
Availability: Order by 9 p.m. on Monday, November 25. Pick up on Wednesday, November 27.
To order: Call 713-465-6338.

Apple pies at Triniti

Photo courtesy of © Triniti Restaurant

Apple pies at Triniti

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he finished the job

Houston chef Tristen Epps dishes on his Top Chef victory — and what's next

Photo by David Moir/Bravo

Kristen Kish, Tristen Epps, Gail Simmons, and Tom Colicchio.

Houston has played a leading role in America’s culinary scene, but the city has never been home to a Top Chef winner — until last night. In the final episode of season 22, chef Tristen Epps earned the title and a $250,000 cash prize.

Epps secured his victory by remaining true to the Afro-Caribbean cuisine that helped him secured an impressive four Elimination Challenge wins and $35,000 in additional prize money from two Quickfire wins and as a member of the team that won the show’s signature Restaurant Wars challenge. His four-course menu took a panel of celebrity judges on a journey that also referenced the finale location of Milan, Italy.

In particular, Epps wowed the panel with his second course — Chicken “Durango” with injera shrimp toast and shellfish jus — that referenced both the Ethiopian chicken stew doro wat and the Italian dish pollo durango, a sly nod to the history of imperialism between the two countries. He finished his savory offerings with Oxtail Milanese Crepinette with Carolina Gold rice grits, curry butter, and bone marrow gremolata, which earned praised from the panel.

“Historically, we’ve been underserved oxtail,” Top Chef alum and James Beard Award winner Gregory Gourdet said during the episode. “Tristen took the time to pull it, create that beautiful, huge, maybe too big, portion of oxtail. And cover it with that gremolata. He did not forget the bone marrow. That’s very, very smart.”

Throughout Top Chef’s run, Epps has been holding a series of pop-ups devoted to everything from hot dogs to steakhouses. Now, he can turn his attention to Buboy, a tasting menu concept that will celebrate the Afro-Caribbean cuisine he championed throughout his time on the show.

CultureMap caught up with Epps on Friday morning for a brief chat about his victory and what’s next.

CultureMap: What do you remember from the day you cooked that final dinner?
Tristen Epps: It was an extreme amount of focus. A lot of writing in my notebook. I didn’t want to laugh. I didn’t want to cry or do anything except finish the job, regardless of whatever the outcome would have been. I remember wanting to call my mom. I really wanted to talk things out so I could calm myself down and stay within my focus. Once I got into cooking, I felt so much at ease. It’s my happy place. It’s my serenity.

CM: How did you feel when you saw Gregory Gourdet on the panel? Did you feel like you had an advocate in the room?
TE: I’ve cooked with gregory before, a long time ago. It was really fun. I loved what he was doing.

I felt like I had kind of an advocate. I was worried my food wold be too spicy or too overpowering [for the European chefs]. Seeing Gregory was really good, especially with what I was doing.

CM: Other chefs, including Gregory Gourdet and Houston chef Dawn Burrell, have done well on the show with Afro-Caribbean cuisine but they didn’t win. How important was it to you to finish the job and use those flavors to win the title?
TE: To me that was super important. There’s adventurous people who make phenomenal food. They’ll go once because it’s interesting, bu they’re usually skeptical. When you don’t nail it, they say, that’s why I go to the regular places that are familiar.

Finishing the job was really important to me. People have come up short on this. I wanted to get this right for everyone who’s made that step forward and created the ladder.

CM: What have your last 12 hours been like since the episode aired? Have any celebrities reached out to you?
TE: A lot of calls, a lot of good luck. A lot of everything. It’s been amazing.

A lot of past Top Chef winners reached out to me, giving me a lot of support and telling me what they did after they won.

[ESPN football commentator] Mina Kimes did, which was really cool.

CM: What are your plans for the prize money?
TE: It’s going to go to Buboy. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, it can go a little faster.

CM: You’ve been holding a series of pop-ups that range from tasting menus to hot dogs? What’s next?
TE: Part of getting the restaurant open has been introducing myself to all of Houston. These pop-ups represent my interests and my fun. They’re the things that Buboy is going to represent. It can be fun, it can be a conversation, it can be educational, it can push the limits of cuisines we know. It’s an expression of culture in whatever way I see fit that day.

The hot dog concept will probably be a separate venture, but who’s to say there’s not a hot dog at the end of that meal?

Photo by David Moir/Bravo

Kristen Kish, Tristen Epps, Gail Simmons, and Tom Colicchio.

chefs interview q&a top chef tristen epps

Time to Dine

Place your order now! Thanksgiving-to-go from some of Houston's top restaurants

Apple pies at Triniti

he finished the job

Houston chef Tristen Epps dishes on his Top Chef victory — and what's next

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