truffle shuffle

Fine dining chef serves up casual sandwich shop in Houston suburb

Richmond may not be top of mind among the Houston suburbs with destination-worthy restaurants — other than Larry’s Original Mexican, of course — but a new cafe could have sandwich lovers from across greater Houston contemplating a visit to Fort Bend County.

Meet Truffle & Rye Market & Café. The new restaurant, which celebrated its grand opening earlier this month, serves breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday. In the morning, look for freshly baked pastries such as muffins and banana bread alongside breakfast sandwiches that are made with organic sourdough bagels.

Lunch is built around sandwiches made with freshly baked schiacciata bread, an Italian-style flatbread that’s similar to focaccia, that Truffle & Rye sources from Houston's Artisan Bread Gallery. They include The Pig (mortadella, stracciatella, pistachio, pesto, and pistachio crumble), The Boar (spicy salami, whipped ricotta cheese, Italian pepper spread, and arugula), and The Bird (roasted turkey, basil pesto, provolone, roasted tomato, and arugula). Three salads are also available.

Beverage options include a full coffee program, including lattes made with Mill-King milk and house made syrups, as well as teas, lemonade, and bottles of wine.

Truffle and Rye restaurant Kaitlyn Chavez and Joey Chavez Truffle and Rye owners Kaitlyn and Joey Chavez.Courtesy of Truffle & Rye Market & Café

Photo by Hungry AF Media

The Bird is made with turkey, pesto, provolone, and roasted tomatoes.

Chef Joey Chavez and his wife Kaitlyn are the husband-and-wife duo behind Truffle & Rye. Prior to launching his private chef company The Hidden Truffle, chef Chavez worked at a number of notable restaurants, including The French Laundry, Thomas Keller’s legendary, three-star Michelin fine dining restaurant in California; the Caribou Club in Aspen; and Brennan’s of Houston, where he had a brief stint as executive chef. Kaitlyn Chavez also brings top-level hospitality experience, having worked for The Ritz Carlton luxury hotel chain.

“We built The Hidden Truffle around private dining and elevated experiences,” Kaitlyn shares. “But we kept coming back to the idea of wanting something for our community, somewhere people could come in regularly, feel taken care of, and enjoy food that still holds that same level of quality.”

While the restaurant won’t serve dinner daily, it will be open on select nights for wine tastings, sourdough classes, pop-up dinners, and other happenings.

Although he has a fine dining background, chef Chavez said he’s excited to bring this more casual concept to Richmond. “We wanted to build something we would want to go to ourselves,” he said. “A place where the food is intentional, the ingredients matter, and people feel comfortable coming in multiple times a week.”

Truffle & Rye is located in Richmond at 107 S. Third Street. It opens at 7 am Monday-Thursday and 8 am on Friday and Saturday.

news-you-can-eat openings

water, water everywhere

The quest for a Topo Chico replacement — we rate 9 sparkling waters

Photo by Eric Sandler

We purchased sparkling water at five stores across the inner loop.

Topo Chico drinkers nationwide are in a bit of a tizzy. Coca-Cola, which acquired the cult-favorite sparkling mineral water in 2017, announced that the product will be unavailable for at least the next few months.

CNN reports the shortage is due to “facility upgrades at the water source and production facilities in Mexico.”

“We are now making further investments at the source to improve source stability and quality and enable increased production, requiring us to temporarily stop production,” Coca-Cola said in a letter to CNN.

For Topo Chico fans, the shortage brings an obvious question. What should a person drink until the supply is restored? Or, what’s a permanent replacement that will avoid this issue altogether?

After collecting suggestions from people via Instagram, I went to Spec’s and inner loop grocery stores to purchase nine varieties of sparkling water with one goal in mind — find something that’s similar enough to Topo Chico that it will earn a spot in my refrigerator.

In the interests of science, I only included sparkling water brands that are similar in size (approximately 12-ounce bottles) and price (between $1 and $1.50 per bottle). Whenever possible, I purchased glass bottles instead of cans or plastic. Although many are available in flavors, I only purchased unflavored waters. All waters were chilled overnight in a refrigerator prior to tasting.

Sparkling water taste test Each water was chilled overnight prior to tasting.Photo by Eric Sandler

Not surprisingly, my top three choices came down to two other Mexican sparkling waters and a convincing dupe from H-E-B.

Most Similar to Topo Chico

Agua de Piedra
Purchased from Spec’s (can also be found at La Michocana), this water from Nuevo Leon, Mexico can be found at several restaurants and coffee shops around town. It offers both strong carbonation and just enough saltiness to satisfy a Topo craving. As long as I can source it reliably, this will be my new house water.

Mineragua
Available at both Whole Foods Market and H-E-B, this water from Jarritos is almost as carbonated as Topo Chico. Its flavor profile is salty with a slight, citrus-style acidity. I prefer the flavor of Agua de Piedra, but others may like this more.

1877 Mineral Water by H-E-B
H-E-B’s house brand sparkling mineral water is sourced from Texas, in Mineral Wells. It has carbonation that persists from opening until finishing. Its slightly salty flavor will be welcomed by Topo Chico drinkers. Overall, it’s probably the best choice for more people, since it’s so readily available.

Less Like Topo, but Still Tasty

Rambler Sparkling Water
This mineral water from Austin is available everywhere, including many restaurants and bars. Since it's only available in cans, its more mild carbonation doesn’t match Topo Chico’s; however, it has a lightly salty taste that makes it very refreshing. This is a good option for those who find Topo to be too fizzy.

Tehuacan
Purchased at Central Market, this water is sourced from springs within Citlaltépetl, Mexico’s highest mountain. The mountain’s volcanic rock gives the water a noticeable saltiness with a slightly sour taste. Although it wasn’t quite to my taste, its strong carbonation and distinct flavor could appeal to other Topo devotees.

Private Selection Sparkling Mineral Water
Available at Kroger, this water is neither as carbonated nor as salty as Topo Chico. Still, it has enough fizz and minerality to do in a pinch, particularly for people who prefer shopping at Kroger over other grocery stores.

Your Mileage May Vary

Richard’s Sparkling Rainwater
Admittedly, a non-mineral water was unlikely to emerge as a favorite in this taste test. Since it’s made with filtered rainwater, Richard’s has a very clean taste and a mild level of carbonation.

Saratoga Carbonated Spring Water
Like Richard’s, this water is too lightly carbonated and too mildly flavored to satisfy a Topo craving. Still, it’s clean and refreshing, which could appeal to non-Topo drinkers.

I’ve Had Better

Liquid Death Mountain Water (Sparkling)
Bland and flat-tasting, this water was the only one I wouldn’t purchase again. Maybe the flavored versions are better.

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