PIZZAIOLO

ismael romualdo alva HEAD COOKmiguel barrerarestaurant piola | cuisine italian  3201 louisiana st. #103 | 713.524.8222 | www.piola.it

Favorite late night spot for a bite?

Alva When I happen to be out late with my wife we always head to La Tapatia on Westheimer and Hillcroft for Mexican “antojitos” (cravings).

Barrera Truth be told, I never eat out late at night.

Best brunch?

Alva Any place that has good pancakes for me and crispy waffles for my kids, but we don’t have a favorite place.

Barrera When I crave a sweet brunch I can’t resist pancakes at IHOP.

What ingredient can you not live without in the kitchen and why?

Alva Like every good Mexican I freak out if I don’t have several onions and plenty of garlic.

Barrera EVOO. It’s my go-to oil of choice for flavor and of course, health reasons.

What utensil can you not live without?

Alva I love a good pair of tongs. Tongs for turning big pieces of meats, tossing salads or pasta, and grilling.

Barrera I cannot do without a GOOD knife. I don’t care what brand as long as it is sharp!

What’s your pet peeve?

Alva Speaking of tongs, I’m super strict about never using the same tongs for different dishes.

Barrera When kitchen appliances breakdown and I’m really busy trying to get things done.

Favorite affordable wine?

Alva I’m a simple man so I drink Miller Lite.

Barrera I’m not a wine drinker, but my favorite beer is Peroni.

Favorite place for dessert?

Alva The tres leches at Artista is out of this world.

Barrera Any place that makes a great tiramisu. I love one made with strong espresso.

What is your comfort food?

Alva I love seafood. A good shrimp cocktail always sets me right!

Barrera A side of frijoles volteados (refried black beans Guatemalan style) with anything.

Do you use a recipe or wing it?

Alva No recipe because it adds more variety.

Barrera No recipe, but sometimes I like a dish so much I write down the recipe so I won’t forget!

Who are your favorite chef, restaurant and dish?

Alva I’m a huge fan of Chef Arturo Boada’s osso buco.

Tell us your worst client experience?

Alva When a customer complains about the wellness of their meat. If they order rare, it’s too rare. If they order well done, it’s overcooked. Meat can be hard like that and one person’s medium is another’s well.

Barrera There was a specific pasta I had to remake twice and the client still wasn’t happy. To this day I never discovered why he didn’t like it and it still bothers me.

Is there a food you won’t eat?

Alva I refuse to eat anchovies.

Barrera I dislike the saltiness of capers and string-like quality of green beans.

What do you see as the next food trend?

Barrera Hopefully Houston will have chicken wing trucks soon.

At home, what do you keep on hand to serve drop-in guests?

Alva For guests I love to make a simple, but delicious arroz con pollo.

Barrera We are a typical Latino household so we always greet our guests with cold Coca-Cola. As for food, I always have chicken, tomatoes and onions on hand and with that I can conjure something!

What magazine cover, other than 002’s, would you like  to be featured on?

Alva Any foodie magazine.

Barrera People en Espanol- Los 50 mas Bellos.

 Favorites:

Favorite sandwich- Alva Meatball sandwich on good, crusty bread. | Barrera I really don’t like sandwiches. Favorite ice cream mix-in/topping- Alva Natural strawberry (like Haagen Dazs).|Barrera Vanilla with farofa (Brazilian cashew topping) and drizzled chocolate. Favorite truck food- Alva Taquitos of course. | Barrera I miss the ATL chicken wing trucks! Favorite picnic spot- Alva Lakeside. | Barrera Anyplace on the water. Favorite spot to exercise/run- Alva Arthur Storey Park near my house. | Barrera I’m a Bally’s kind of man.
 

CHEF teresa lin

china’s julia child makes mouth-watering taiwanese food go hollywood

While expertly folding thin slices of tofu into dumplings – a recipe she devised for the Oscar®-nominated film Eat Drink Man Woman – Teresa Lin explains how the isoflavones in soy help the brain produce necessary hormones, regardless of one’s gender. She is speaking to a class of student chefs at the Art Institute of Houston and her captivated audience is hanging on to her every word – a lesson in Taiwanese cuisine peppered with culinary pearls of wisdom.

“Some yams are good as vegetable Viagra,” she says. Goji berries, a topic she seems especially passionate about, are purportedly essential for optical health. “My father has degenerative eye disease because he didn’t eat enough goji berries in his life. So now I make sure he eats them every day so it doesn’t get worse,” she explains. Lin recommends sprinkling them on salad, and buying them from Asian markets, where they are significantly less expensive. “I saw them at some fancy health food place in L.A., and they were like $100 per pound,” she laughs.

Dubbed by film director Ang Lee as “the Julia Child of China,” Lin has achieved celebrity status in the chef world. She is the author of 16 Chinese-language cookbooks, has hosted countless television and radio cooking programs around the world and has shared her expertise at venues like the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

Her defining moment came when she was chosen as Executive Food Designer for the 1994 film Eat Drink Man Woman. While showing a short clip from the widely acclaimed film, Lin divulges a few secrets. “Those are not really the actor’s hands,” she reveals during a shot where the inside of fresh fish is being scored. “We criss-cross the inside of fish so it will blossom when it cooks,” she adds. Another cooking scene is demystified as she matter-of-factly describes what’s in the sizzling pot: “This is the pork tendon; it’s delicious.”

Unlike Julia Child who hails butter as the foundation to delicious food, Lin’s Taiwanese cuisine relies heavily on frying in oil. “You should never over-cook food,” she cautions. “Just like Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, who died in their prime, you must take the food out of the pan when it is just ready,” she emphasizes.

Case in point, Lin is removing shrimp, marinated for 5-10 minutes in cornstarch and salt, after a few seconds of deep-frying. They are immediately added to six beaten and seasoned eggs. The mixture is poured back into the wok with a little oil and some lightly sautéed green onion. The shrimp omelet is then gently coaxed into cooking, creating layered textures – golden brown on the bottom and medium rare on top. “Don’t mix it too much. It should not be very “smashy,” like the McDonald’s ones,” she cautions.

Despite all the frying, Teresa Lin shows no signs of overindulgence. “We balance everything – more vegetables than meat. And we have herbal things to make us thin, to carry out the dirt from inside your intestines, not only the outside surface, not superficial.” Moyu (a.k.a. Konnyaku, made from the Konjac plant) is one such allegedly slimming ingredient. The stringy white vegetable, best purchased already cut in a sealed plastic pouch, is added to a cold salad-type dish she demonstrates. “We serve this for the Chinese New Year. Everybody takes their chopsticks and mixes the salad together, which is supposed to bring you good fortune,” she explains.

As for the chopsticks themselves, she explains they are used in China in lieu of forks and knives which are considered too aggressive and uncivilized. She muses carefully, “some countries have culture but are uncivilized….America may have only a 200-year history, but the people are so civilized.”

Lin, who splits her time between Taiwan and Los Angeles, credits her success to hard work and a can-do spirit. Passion, however, is what transpires most. “I love cooking because it has no politics – only art!” she exclaims.

Teresa Lin’s Top 3 Ingredients

-Tofu

-Kimlan Soy Paste (“because it’s all natural!”)

-Bell Peppers

By Nadia Michel | Photography by Jill Hunter

W. I would have a field day with the airbrushing!

CHEF candace nelson

restaurant sprinkles cupcakes

cuisine cupcakes only!

4014 westheimer rd,

houston, tx 77027

713.871.9929

www.sprinkles.com

Favorite late night spot for a bite? In ‘N’ Out Burger.

Best breakfast? The Fountain Coffee Shop at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Ruth and Denise always take great care of everyone. The silver dollar pancakes and fresh squeezes orange juice are just delicious.

Brunch? Gigi’s Asian Bistro for dim sum.

What ingredient can you not live without in the kitchen and why? Avocado oil. It is amazing in salad dressings, bumps up the flavor in guacamole and is so healthy!

What utensil can you not live without? My offset spatula.

What’s your pet peeve? Nice restaurants that don’t have a designated pastry chef! Pastry chefs are always the first to go during tough economic times but what a difference they make in a memorable dining experience! I always look for the name at the bottom of the dessert menu to know I am in for a treat.

Favorite affordable wine? The Prisoner.

Favorite place for dessert? Laduree in Paris for their exquisite

macarons.

Who are your favorite chef, restaurant and dish?

Thomas Keller, French Laundry. His tuna tartare “cones” have been widely copied but they are still the most exquisite.

Is there a food you won’t eat? Liver! (Now, foie gras… that’s a different story…). I still have nightmares about being forced to eat it as a kid.

What is your comfort food?

Chocolate! Typically in the form of dark chocolate cupcakes or warm chocolate chip cookies.

Do you use a recipe or wing it?

I’m a baker. I never stray from the recipe!

At home, what do you keep on hand to serve drop-in guests?

I always have a great selection of cheeses from the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. Midnight Moon is one of my all-time favorites.

What would people be surprised to find in your home

refrigerator? Almond milk! It’s delicious and packed with protein.

I love to make lattes and smoothies with it.

What magazine cover, other than 002’s, would you like to be featured on?

W. I would have a field day with the airbrushing!

Last but not least, tell us your worst client experience?

We always train our cupcake associates to ask for customers’ ID when they are using a credit card because it helps to protect them (and us) from fraud. But I’ll never forget watching one ask for Keanu Reeves’ ID in a store packed with customers. He was completely gracious about it, though. He just laughed and handed it over!

FAVORITES:

ice cream mix-in/topping Malt! My husband hates it and always begs me not to add malt when I order a chocolate shake but I can’t help it. I’m a malt junkie. Plus, I don’t really want to share anyway! truck food Kogi. (Their short rib sliders are insane!) picnic spot Jazz night at the Hollywood Bowl is the perfect place to pack an elegant picnic complete with a crisp white wine. spot to exercise/run I love the gym at the Houstonian. It feels so civilized.

Photography by Jill Hunter

CHEF JANET BATES

restaurant octane coffee+wine bar | cuisine pastry | 3402 n. shepherd, houston, tx 77018 | 281.974.1693

Favorite late night spot for a bite?

The Movie Tavern. You can enjoy both a late night movie and a bite to eat.

Best breakfast? French toast at Pie in the Sky.

Best brunch? Steak and eggs at the original Ninfa’s.

What ingredient can you not live without in the kitchen and why? Butter. It adds so much flavor and creates that flaky crust we all love.

What utensil can you not live without?

My spatula – that thing is used in every recipe.

What is your comfort food?

Don’t laugh! I love my grandma’s pot roast. I know it’s a classic but that’s what makes it so comforting.

Favorite place for dessert?

Octane I love my Esspresso Cupcakes with White Chocolate frosting Paired with our Cielo Wine.

What’s your pet peeve?

My pet peeve is when people talk on their cell phones inside. There’s always one person talking very loudly on their cell inside!

Is there a food you won’t eat?

I’d like to say onions, although I’ve had a few family members try to sneak them in my food just to tease me. I probably didn’t notice but if I know onions are a main ingredient I won’t eat it!

Do you have a cookbook published? I do not have a book published although I have enough recipes to create a small library –  lol. Someday I would like to create a kids’ cookbook.

Favorite affordable wine?

Yulamba.

Do you use a recipe or wing it?

I wing it, despite my attempts to follow my own recipes I usually change the ingredients based on what’s in

season.

What do you see as the next food trend? Simple foods. People are becoming more aware of preservatives and chemicals. More homemade, simple dishes will prevail as people would like to control what they put in their bodies.

What would people be surprised to find in your home refrigerator? Pine nuts.

I love toasting pine nuts and adding them to salads and stuffed chicken.

At home, what do you keep on hand to serve drop-in guests?

Hummus, roasted red peppers and pita bread.

What magazine cover, other than 002’s, would you like to be featured on?

Woman’s Day.

Last but not least, tell us your worst client experience?

Oh, the worst is definitely when a customer walked up and at the same time the coffee machine was overflowing onto the floor. A few seconds later I heard a huge crash in the kitchen. I just smiled and slowly backed into the kitchen to find cups everywhere. They just fell out of nowhere. It was super funny to the customer who was laughing at me while I had flour all over me and a garbage can trying to catch the overflowing coffee!

FAVORITES

SANDWICH: Tomato bruschetta

ICE CREAM : MIX-IN/TOPPING White chocolate with pineapple on top

TRUCK FOOD: Tamales

SPOT TO EXERCISE/RUN: Heights Blvd. They have a great track and I can bring my dog with me!

Photography by Jill Hunter

CHEF ROBERTO CASTRE

restaurant latin bites cafe | cuisine south american-peruvian | 1302 nance st., houston, tx 77002

713.229.8369 | www.latinbitescafe.com

Photography by Jaime Lagdameo

Favorite late night spot for a bite? La Tapatia.

Best breakfast? Black Walnut Cafe.

Best brunch? La Duni – Dallas.

What ingredient can you not live without in the kitchen and why?

Aji peppers. They are the essence of flavor in my kitchen.

Favorite place for dessert?

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop.

What utensil can you not live without?

Chef’s knife!

What’s your pet peeve? Bad service.

Favorite affordable wine?  Ikal 1150 Malbec.

Who are your favorite chef, restaurant and dish?

Gaston Acurio. La Mar. Tiradito Nikkei.

Is there a food you won’t eat?

Monkey’s brain.

Do you anticipate publishing a cookbook?

We are planning a recipe book for next year.

What is your comfort food?

Aji de Gallina.

Do you use a recipe or wing it?

Wing it.

What do you see as the next food trend? Gourmet food trucks.

At home, what do you keep on hand to serve drop-in guests?

Empanadas.

What would people be surprised to find in your home refrigerator? A burrito.

What magazine cover, other than 002’s, would you like to be featured on?

Bon Appetite.

Last but not least, tell us your worst client experience? Once a client asked me to prepare a special dish for which he brought some of the ingredients, but I refused because I was too busy. He left upset.

FAVORITES

SANDWICH Lomo Saltado Sandwich

ICE CREAM MIX-IN/TOPPING Lucuma

TRUCK FOOD Fusion Taco

SPOT TO EXERCISE/RUN soccer

OWNER PIERO SELVAGGIO
CHEF LUCIANO PELLEGRINI

restaurant valentino houston, las vegas | cuisine italian
2525 west loop south freeway, inside hotel derek
713.850.9200 | www.welovewine.com