"houston" news and stories

A look at the banh mi craze currently sweeping Gotham, with young Vietnamese chefs interpreting the classic sandwich in non-traditional ways.

Critic Frank Bruni visits Feast, a Houston restaurant whose British ex-pat chefs turn Texans on to the unexpected joys of offal.

Twenty-five percent of Newark, N.J.'s population is of Portuguese descent. Here's what they're eating.

Some bars and restaurants are storing their by-the-glass wines in kegs and serving them as though they're beer.

More about our beloved Momofuku Milk Bar; a writer weighs in on the tooth-bendingly sweet treats.

Add Albertson's to the roll call of companies shutting doors due to the recession. The grocery chain has announced that they will be closing multiple stores in economically slammed locations like Florida, Texas, California and Nevada. Albertson's will still be the second-biggest supermarket chain in the U.S., but a bit of the bloom will be off the rose (or, if you prefer, ripeness off the tomato or mayo off the macaroni salad).

Of course, this means that there are bargains to be had at stores that are being terminated, with discounts of 10-90% off. I myself have picked up bags full of Indian specialties for 75% off (thus, my normally overpriced $4 jaipur vegetables are now a solidly discounted dollar), as well as staples like soup and beans for less than a buck and stacks of disposable foil baking pans for a dime apiece. I also scored some Bumble & Bumble hair products for under $10, but you can't eat those.

If you see an Alberston's with a "Store Closing" sign, it's worth checking out.

A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.

The Ginger Man began as a Houston legend. Opening in 1985, some consider it to be the first true multi-tap bar in America. By 1994, locations had opened in Dallas and Austin making it a Texas-wide phenomenon (a fourth establishment opened in Fort Worth in 2007). And in 1996, The Ginger Man moved up to the big city (though, yes, Houston is quite a big city) when a "cousin" location, inspired by that original Ginger Man spirit, opened in New York City where people pronounce the word Houston a little bit differently. (Since that time, the NYC pub has even expanded with two locations in Connecticut, Greenwich and Norwalk. Phew.)

But let's get back to that original Ginger Man. Still going strong well over 20 years later, The Ginger Man has taken up the power of the internet to keep their current draft list online. As they say on their site: "We're making a new effort to keep [our draught beer list] page updated, since it is arguably the most important page on the whole web site." Here, here.

After the jump, let's take a look at what The Ginger Man is currently serving up on tap...

It doesn't get any better than this. If I had magical powers and could transport myself to any food festival in the country this weekend, I don't think I'd be able to decide where to go! We've got BBQ in Missouri and Pies in Florida, and starting next Wednesday (4/23), Texas is the place to be with festivals in both Houston and Dallas.

Read on for details about all of these yummy events, and check out the gallery from last weekend's Scottsdale Culinary Festival!

Ever had a hankering to order up a 78.5-pound hamburger with 12 hours notice? Now you can thanks to Bob's BBQ & Grill. This Texas 'cue joint recently cooked up what it calls the Texas Belt buster in a bid to unseat Fuddruckers Guinness World record for the largest burger.

Bob's grilled the gargantuan ground beef sandwich in honor of the King of Thailand's 60th year accession to the throne. And just why is a Texas BBQ celebrating a Thai holiday? Because the restaurant is located in Pattaya, Thailand. It was founded by Bob Schindler, a former comepetive barbecuer from Houston.

Once it gets certified, the Texas Belt Buster will hold the record. Fuddrucker's burger weighed in at a paltry 29.9 pounds. The Texas Belt Buster used 55 pounds of ground beef and took more than six hours to grill up. It comes topped with two large heads of lettuce, 35 slices of cheese and four jalapeños, among other things.

For a mere 15,500 baht ($400) you can try to take down this monstrosity. I wonder if Takeru Kobayashi has heard of this megaburger yet.