Food Musings from Space City
A gastronomic blast off
At Xochi, the Mexican restaurant at the Marriott Marquis in Houston, I spoke with a chic Californian who had become a Houstonian. This young woman cut a svelte figure, wearing a form-fitting top, slacks, and slingback clear dress shoes with a short vase-like heel.
“It’s my first time visiting Houston,” I said. “I can’t believe how big and spread out the city is. A car is a must; as a New Yorker, I’m more used to cabs, buses, and subways.”
She said, “They say Houston isn’t a great place to visit, but it’s a great place to live,” as she turned on her plastic heels to pursue the rest of her night.
I knew what she meant. NYC and San Francisco attract tourists to their cities like bees to honey, but Houston might not be the first city that comes to mind for travelers. However, Houston has diverse neighborhoods and a great food scene. Even if some hole-in-the-wall eateries and arts weren’t completely obvious to visitors like us, they were as clear as a sunny day to residents.
When I considered her statement in the context of food, I’d have to disagree. Houston has cuisine for all palates and much to discover in every direction. From my perspective, I was interested in how the restaurants would use vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, and carbohydrates in their meals. So, let’s check out a couple of meals Phil and I had, commentary included.
Breakfast
At check-in, the JW Marriott Houston Downtown told us we had access to the Executive Lounge on the same floor. That made life easy. We didn’t have to go out for coffee, eggs, toast, cereal, oatmeal, and other foods.
But where was the salad? I needed green in the morning, so I began to look around to see how I might retrofit something they had into something I needed. Lo and behold, the little bowls of cut peppers, spinach, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and jalapenos meant for omelets would make the perfect small salad.
While the young woman was making eggs for someone, I dipped into each to make a lovely little salad. While snipping bits from the bowls, a man I later found out went to Harvard’s Divinity School and now worked in the energy industry as a contractor said, “That’s great. I didn’t even think of that.” And he grabbed a plate and made a salad, too. Phil just looked at the two of us in disbelief! All I could think was we have a convert, yippee!
I needed protein, though, and usually, at home, I make hard-boiled eggs for the week. In this case, the cook at the egg station said she could make egg whites. I noticed she was using vegetable oil on a Teflon pan, and the plastic on the spatula had a few burnt edges. This was not going to work, so I decided to have a chat with her.
“Do you have extra virgin olive oil?”
She said, “No, not right now.”
“Ok, what else do you have?”
She then offered PAM spray, which seemed like a better option.
I wasn’t thrilled about her using a Teflon pan. I don’t cook on anything but stainless steel or high-resistant ceramic. Maybe Teflon is fine, but I think it ultimately can chip, and I don’t use any surfaces for cooking if they have the potential to chip. I lost that battle with the cook. The Teflon pan was all she had.
Then, I asked her if she could use a stainless steel spoon instead of a spatula. I know people use a plastic spatula, and I never know why when some of it will melt off into the food. She refused, saying it would chip the pan. I replied, exactly why you shouldn’t be using Teflon! Mind you, all this was shared in the lightest of ways. Eventually, I got the egg white close to what I’d make at home.
The following day, the cook in the lounge said, “I got this for you.” And she produced a container of extra virgin olive oil.
That’s great. With this oil on low heat, as you have it, it should be fine as long as it doesn’t start smoking.
“And just in case someone else asks for it too,” she said.
“Now you’re in the right direction,” I said.
“In my religion, we eat a lot of vegetables. Do you know the community in Loma Linda that has people who live until they are very old?”
“The Seventh-day Adventists?”
“Yes, they focus on what you’re asking about – vegetables, and we eat protein but not so much meat. And good fruit,” she said. “Someday, I’d like to get into this even more in my career.”
“I’m sure when you do, it will be great. And your egg white omelet is perfect.”
Gathering a few veggies from the omelet prep bowls provided my morning greens during the week.
On the weekend, however, the hotel’s lounge doesn’t make omelets, so I had to ask one of the staff if she wouldn’t mind getting me some spinach. She kindly obliged, bringing me a small bowl of spinach on Saturday and a plate on Sunday.
Lunch
Moving over to lunch, Phil and I stopped at Mendocino Farms. We liked the healthy foods and drinks on the menu and went inside to order.
Phil ordered the Turkey Avo Salsa Verde on sourdough. He said no jalapeño salsa aioli, not only because sauces on a sandwich can add many calories but also because he doesn’t like hot sauces. He also got the spicy potato salad, hoping it wasn’t too spicy.
I got an Avo and quinoa Salad with the dressing on the side, but no cotija (cheese) or superfood Krunchies. I passed on the cotija because I try to keep it primarily vegetables when looking for a salad. I’m sure it’s very good with the cheese, but I didn’t want it on my greens.
I also passed on the superfood Krunchies when the salesperson said they were flash-fried. Not to be picky, but all these extra toppings can ruin a salad. Others may not feel this way. They may love these things. I don’t. I think a salad should be green with some other vegetable colors. That’s it.
We also ordered the Vegan Banh Mi, a tofu-like center with grilled ciabatta. It seemed to have a sweet and sour sauce on it.
I thanked the person who took our order and apologized for all my customizations—dressing on the side and so many tweaks. She assured me it was no trouble. I reminded her that healthy eating – certainly, at least when you’re my age and battle worn by menopause – is a must. Don’t eat the fried, blackened food or have sugary drinks! And she found great amusement in my passionate, animated discussion around this. She handed me the receipt and said they’d bring the food to the table. Before I walked away, she asked, “What other advice would you give someone my age?”
Without missing a beat, I said, “Know what you want and pursue it. By the way, how old are you?”
“I’m 20.”
“Well, you should go for it.”
Overall, I’d give the meal a solid B+. I liked the salad once I deleted the items I didn’t want, and Phil’s sandwich was very tasty. The bread was grilled, but I could see char marks and generally avoided eating anything blackened. We just ate what was in between, which was okay but not fantastic to me. The little tofu seemed to be fried, and I rarely, if ever, eat anything fried.
I didn’t try Phil’s potato salad, but I thought the curry cauliflower couscous was tasty, although it was a bit too hot. I would have just preferred cauliflower with a little curry on it. It had too much sauce, or was it the mayo? I wasn’t sure.
Before we left, we chatted again with the person who had taken the order.
Knowing she was young and guessing she was probably in college, I asked, “What’s your major?”
“Accounting.”
Phil said, “Have you heard of ChatGPT?”
“I’ve heard of it.”
I pulled out my phone and opened the app. I typed in ‘What is the quick ratio?’
I turned the phone to show her.
“Wow, that’s fast.”
"Good luck with everything,” I said, adding, “We enjoyed the meal.”
Dinner
A dear friend from New Jersey who moved to Houston recommended Xochi. She said you can’t come to Houston without having Mexican food. I love Mexican food. It was a done deal.
For the starter, I didn’t realize I had chosen a dish that would be fried. There was pulled chicken in the fried casing. I’m sure you know what I did—I cracked open the roll and ate just the pulled chicken inside. Delicious. Then I thought, I bet this same dish would be equally great with shredded lettuce, guacamole, and this scrumptious pulled chicken—something to try in the Fischer Kitchen one of these days.
For the main meal, I got the fish of the day: grouper, which was fluffy and meaty at the same time. Vegetables were under the fish. I liked that they had them. I didn’t ask them to make them plain; in other words, skipping the salt and other seasoning. Usually, I like to figure that out myself. But in this case, they were well-seasoned, and combined with the fish, they made for a very satisfying meal.
Phil ordered a vegetarian dish, a pizza with refried beans, where an Italian pizza would have red sauce and mushrooms. His pizza also had lettuce and goat cheese. We both liked it, especially how they used beans, a mix of complex carbs, fiber, and protein. I want to create some variation of this vegetarian dish in our New York City kitchen.
I never eat dessert, but I did have a decaf cappuccino and splurged, big time, on the vegan chocolate cake. I had one small bite and got in trouble for ordering it because Phil had the rest and blamed me for that (no worries; we blame each other playfully all the time). Overall, I give Xochi an “A” because it’s a fun place with inventive and tasty food. The menu had a lot to love.
Bloom & Bee Brunch
With its pink floral chairs, bright roses, and purple-hued glasses, Bloom & Bee feels like an Easter celebration every day. At my insistence—because I had read it had an organic, fresh, and locally inspired menu—we grabbed a car service from downtown Houston to the Post Oak Hotel in Uptown Houston.
The food on carts was beautiful, and the meal was fresh and tasty, though not especially memorable. I distinctly remember the main dish being chips with a small amount of beans and chicken. It was nice, but I wished for more vegetables in the dish.
The buffet featured quality ingredients, though I felt I could recreate a similar experience at home with top-tier products from Whole Foods. We had a good time and enjoyed some of the food, but I’m not sure I’d make an effort to visit there again for food.
Of the Post Oak Hotel’s dining options, the most exciting restaurant in the Post Hotel to us was Craft F&B. We ordered salads to go to and, while waiting, checked out the luxury cars for sale in the showroom next door. Southern craft food and hot cars – now that’s a combination!
