Greek Festival Houston, TX

Info: Houston Greek Festival

http://www.greekfestival.org/

Must Tries: The beef Souvlaki, gyros, Never on Sundae!

Healthy Options: Plenty of grilled foods and diet drinks.

Price: $5 gets you into the festival grounds.

What to Expect: The Greek festival is a yearly event in Houston which celebrates a great culture and its food. Lines are usually long but well worth the wait. The festival also showcases Greek dancing, music and a gift shop.

My Experience: The 2009 Greek festival was my second visit to the annual Houston event. Due to the in-climate weather I was forced to make the best of the festival within a two hour window. The good news was the bad weather kept most people at home, so the lines were not long at all.

Food tents and covered seating areas are scattered throughout the festival grounds.

 

Gyros were 1/2 price during the last two hours of this year's festival.

The meat for the Gyros was being cooked and sliced on site.

The Gyro is served on a pita bread and topped with tomato, onions and a special Greek sauce. 

The most popular booth is the Beef Kabob booth known as Souvlaki.

The beef tenderloin is seasoned and marinated, then skewered with onions.

As I waited in line the beef smelled amazing. I was a little disappointed when I actually got to taste the meat. It was fresh and very tender but lacked flavor. The beef had a distinct Greek seasoning which gave it a olive taste. 

A year ago I was introduced to "Never on Sundae".

"Never on Sundae", is vanilla ice cream topped with baklava. Baklava is a rich dessert made of thin layers of flaky pastry filled with nuts and honey. The booth also has chocolate syrup and sprinkles to add to your sweet indulgence. Initially this dessert is too sweet. But after the ice cream softens up and the baklava is worked into the ice cream you will find this is a great dessert indeed. 

Wine can also be purchased on the grounds by the glass or bottle.  Because of the weather, this year’s Greek festival was short on visitors and food selection but not short on good food.

Miami: La Camaronera

Destination : La Camaronera , Miami, FL

1952 W Flagler St

Miami, FL 33135

http://www.garciabrothersseafood.com/

Must Tries: Fried Lobster, Minuta Sandwich!

Healthy Options: Not a healthy everything is fried!

Price: Minuta Sandwich 3.25, Lobster is market price.

What to Expect: I first learned of this place on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives. This place is a definite “hole in the wall.” There are no tables or seats! You can eat on counters which over see the fryers.

My Experience: Having lunch at La Camaronera was my goal when leaving Houston for a trip to Miami. With my camera phone and appetite in hand I made my way to Flagler street. The restaurant is in a small shopping center and parking is tight.

The menu is takes some thinking but if you speak Spanish the servers will be more than willing to help you out.

The fried shrimp was hot and crispy. The food comes straight to you seconds after being prepared.

I have enjoyed shrimp, chicken and even beef with rice, but when I saw Arroz con Pescado on the menu, I had to try it out. The rice was more of a Caribbean rice, very soft with not much flavor.

The fried lobster was definitely a highlight! You get to choose your lobster from the market and they will chop it up and prepare it for you. The fried lobster is actually marinated in a tomato based (cocktail sauce like) marinade and then battered and fried. The lobster was crunchy on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside with a hint of cocktail sauce flavor. This lobster had great flavor which went well with the homemade hot sauce. 

This was the dish I came here for, the legendary “Pan con Minuta.” This simple and inexpensive sandwich consists of a yellow fin snapper battered in an egg and flour mix and deep fried (with the tail on) and topped with diced onions and ketchup. 

The sandwich was served hot and on fresh Cuban bun. The fish was crispy but moist and tender through the bite.

When in Miami La Camaronera is a must try.

Miami: Calle Ocho Versailles Restaurant

Destination: Versailles Restaurant, Miami, FL

3555 SW 8th St

Miami, FL 33135

Must Tries: The Café Cubano!

Healthy Options: Not a healthy designation the coffee is packed with sugar!

Price: 2 Coffee’s $1.30

What to Expect: Versailles is a legendry restaurant located in Miami’s Cuban neighborhood known as Calle Ocho! This restaurant serves up great Cuban dishes. This trip I decided to drop in and enjoy a Café Cubano from Versailles street side window.

My Experience: Choosing not to eat at Versailles this visit, I had to stop in for a Café Cubano. A Café Cubano is a Cuban Espresso, the difference is that sugar is added to the container where the espresso drips into, which allows the espresso and sugar to blend as it brews.

The Café Cubano is usually very strong and served in small cups.

A crowd of locals stood, drank their cafe and talked as cars drove by Calle Ocho, just another day in Little Havana.

NYC Trip Serendipity 3

Destination: Serendipity 3, NY

Upper East Side

225 E 60th St

http://www.serendipity3.com/

Must Tries: The Famous Frozen Hot Chocolate!

Healthy Options: The restaurant serves lunch and dinner dishes. To be honest, I have only been here twice, and it was for dessert both times!

Price: Frozen Hot Chocolate $8.95, Forbidden Brownie Sundae $15

What to Expect: Large portions! This place serves some of the best desserts I have ever had. Usually a line so be prepared. The menu is a large piece of paper that has some sort of organization which is hard to understand at first.

My Experience: I first learned of Serendipity 3 from the Movie “Serendipity”, starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. The building looks to be an old living residence. It is decorated with random artifacts and nick-knacks. To put it in Texas terms, it was very Austin-ish! Once you fight the crowds and wiggle your way to a seat your faced with the biggest decision of the night, which dessert do you want?

The Frozen Hot Chocolate is served in a huge goblet and topped off with whipped cream. The Frozen Hot Chocolate itself has a consistency similar to a Wendy's frosty. It's got a great chocolate taste and can feed more than one person. The whipped cream is the perfect topping. I really like Serendipity 3's whipped cream because it’s not sweet as my taste buds would expect after a life time of consuming grocery store whipped cream. This lite, fluffy, and almost quiet whipped cream balances perfectly with the sweet frozen lava below.

The table favorite was the FORBIDDEN BROWNIE SUNDAE. The sundae consisted of a warm brownie, vanilla ice cream topped off with warm chocolate syrup and the fluffy whipped cream. It might of been the blending of all the sweet and not so sweet flavors that made this dessert a must order. 

This is definitely a splurge place. The desserts were great and I have yet to find a place that has the Frozen Hot Chocolate or the fluffy hypnotizing whip cream I found at Serendipity 3.  

NYC Trip: Levain Bakery

Destination: Levine Bakery Manhattan, NY

167 W 74th St

New York, NY 10023

(212) 874-6080

http://www.levainbakery.com/

Must Tries: 6oz. Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies!

Healthy Options: The cookies were designed by Tri-athletes.

Price: $3.75 a cookie.

What to Expect: A small bakery located on the basement level of an apartment building. It is a pretty much to go establishment baking the best cookies!

My Experience: I learned of Levine Bakery from the 4th Season of Bobby Flay’s Throwdown! The bakers of Levine beat Bobby Flay with their chocolate chip walnut cookies! The story goes back to 1994 as these two founders were training for an Ironman. They set out to create the perfect cookie which would help them meet their calorie needs and sweet cravings.

I showed up around 9am and the cookies were just coming out of the oven! The cookie was moist and chewy with the perfect composition of melting chocolate chips and walnuts.

Now this is not your normal cookie. At 6oz this cookie it's huge!

The size of the cookie allows it to have a crunchy exterior which still having a warm and soft interior.

The cookies are very dense and filling, beware!

NYC Trip: Fried Dumpling

Destination: Fried Dumplings, Manhattan (Chinatown), NY

106 Mosco St
New York, NY 10013-4321

Must Tries: Fried Dumplings!
Healthy Options: You made it this far, just enjoy!
Price: 5 dumplings for a $1!!!
What to Expect: Fried Dumpling is a small hole in the wall on a alley street in New York’s Chinatown area. The space is small and crammed but the flavor and price cannot be beat.

My Experience: I learned of the Fried Dumpling by reading a excerpt in the New York Times which listed local NYC chef’s favorite Cheap Eat locations. Two chef’s listed Fried Dumplings as their low price getaway.

With a dollar in hand I decided to give Fried Dumpling a try.

The menu was simple, dumplings! That's all!

Dumplings were being made by hand behind the counter.

This small operation was run by two people.

Most visitors took their orders to go.  

The handmade process looked tedious, the dumplings were stacked upon each other and cooked to order.

The final product was hot and juicy dumplings. The skin was thicker than most dumplings I have had at Houston establishments. It was the perfect cheap snack while making out way on foot through Manhattan.

NYC Trip: Di Fara Pizza Brooklyn

Destination: Di Fara Pizza

1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn NY 11230

http://www.difara.com/

Must Tries: Pizza!

Healthy Options: Just have the pizza! It’s an experience!

Price: Under $30 bucks for a large pizza, $5 a slice.

What to Expect: Take the subway to Brooklyn, the corner shop in about a block from the station. This place has a funny schedule so check the website and plan accordingly. On this day the shop was opening at 12 noon, I showed up at 11:15 am to find a line about (12) twelve people deep. The shop itself is tiny beware!

Expect a wait, Di Fara has only three oven slots and Dom DeMarco's, referred to as "Dom" makes every pizza himself!
*Locals ordered a whole pie and a slice. I soon found out that the slices come out quicker which will help during a two hour wait!

The space is tight and the wait is long, but every pizza is a show and camera flashes brighten every move that Dom makes.

Dom has a few helpers who collect the money and grate some fresh cheese every now and then. But he personally did all the work this morning. 

Dom often just adjusted the pizza with his bare hands.

Before the pie is handed to you, Dom personally tops it with freshly cut basil (which he cuts with a pair of scissors) and douses the pie with olive oil. 

Freshly cut basil

The final touch! Olive oil

Others in the shop said Dom known the locals by name! After my 1.5 hour wait my pie was ready and Dom asked to meet the purchaser of this pizza. I walked to the counter nervous and hungry by this time, he asked "Are you Will?" I answered in the affirmative. He then said, "Thank you, enjoy." 

I made my way to the table and saw this masterpiece of pizza which many argue is the best pie in all of America!

The flavor was out of this world! After the first bite, I realized the shame that was commercial pizza joints! I realized what I was missing all these years! I realized the journey and wait was worth it! The pizza was thin with a crispy crust. The sauce, cheese and fresh basil created this new yet comforting flavor. I am not sure what the purpose of the olive oil was but it gave the pizza a buttery effect when eaten. The olive oil did not make the pizza soggy at all.

Then and there I realized this was pizza!

To sum it up, I hope I get the chance to make it back to Di Fara. It was the best pizza I ever had!