Saturday, June 21, 2014 • Page 1B
Cedar Creek’s Berry Mule There are not one, but three new cocktails at Cedar Creek Bar & Grill, 1034 W. 20th St. The Midnight Special, the Blueberry Shandy and The Leader’s Cocktail of the Month, the Berry Mule.
Muddle/mash two raspberries in the bottom of the glass. Add the vodka, simple syrup and lime juice. Top it off with ginger beer and garnish with lime wedges and two more raspberries. Enjoy.
Bar Manager Paxton Rogers said it was inspired by the fact that it was summer and he likes raspberries. He’s also a fan of the Moscow Mule. Rogers and bartender Donnie Walker came up with the recipe which is as follows.
Ingredients • 4 raspberries • ounce and a quarter of Three Olives® Berry Vodka
Zelko Bistro, 705 E. 11th St., serves the Captin’s Chicken for $16.
Zelko Bistro’s ~ Captin’s Chicken By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Chef Jamie Zelko said she came up with the Captin’s Chicken ($16) when Zelko Bistro, 705 E. 11th St., opened five years ago because it was the kind of food she liked to eat.
“Every chicken restaurant has to have a chicken dish,” she said. “It’s simple and good.” Hers starts with the chicken which comes from Sanderson Farms and is 100% natural. The chicken is soaked overnight in yogurt and buttermilk, and then breaded with a mix
of Japanese bread crumbs and Kashi Organic Corn Cereal. It used to be the not so organic Cap’n Crunch but Zelko made some healthful adjustments along the way. After it is flash fried, the chicken is finished in the oven and then served with Yukon mashed potatoes and seasonal
Locavore: Houston
• half ounce of simple syrup
vegetables. And it’s topped with a shallot jam. Leader readers like Stephanie Keitt are big fans of the Captin’s Chicken as are many of Zelko’s regular customers. “People want us to keep it on the menu,” said Zelko. “You go back for your favorites.”
• ounce of lime juice • ginger beer • lime wedges
Berry Mule is The Leader’s Cocktail of the Month. (Photo by Betsy Denson)
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Dairymaids
Hangs their hat on Texas cheeses
811 Collingsworth Street Houston, TX 77009 (713)227-3369
Our
By Betsy Denson
Peach Milkshake is Back!
betsy@theleadernews.com
While the strict definition of “local food” is food grown within 100 miles of the person who buys or eats it, sometimes you have to go a little bit further. Heights resident Lindsey Schechter of Houston Dairymaids, 2201 Airline Dr., says that while there are nearby dairy farms like Swede Farm and Blue Heron, both in Waller, those farmers sell a lot of their wares at farmer’s markets so there’s not a lot of surplus. The closest farm Schechter buys regularly from is Pure Luck Farm and Dairy in Dripping Springs at 182 miles away, and Schechter carries their whole product line of handmade artisan goat cheese. “Amelia Sweethardt is the cheese maker there and we’re very lucky to buy from her,” said Schechter. “She could be selling across the country.” Sweethardt is indeed well-known in the industry - her goat feta was named one of best cheeses of the year by Culture Magazine. Another Hill Country farm Schechter purchases from is CKC Farms in Blanco. Houston Dairymaids offers their goat milk brie and goat milk blue. Wondering why all the cheese around here is goat cheese? According to Schechter, the Hill Country is friendlier to raising goats because it’s drier there and goats are browsers. They don’t graze like cows do. The cow cheese is made in places like Dallas and Waco. Regardless of direction, Schechter likes to keep it in state: “For us, local is Texas, that’s where we started, that’s where we hang our hat.” Lindsey Schechter of Houston Dairymaids
Limited Time Only So Come Get One Like Us...
Yes We Cater Open Mon-Thurs 6am-10pm Fri & Sat 6am-11pm
13240 Northwest Frwy 713-462-7698
Nibbles: A Kickstart for Kolaches By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Kickstarter campaign for Hugs & Donuts What’s better than a hug and a donut? For Jason Hill and Matt Opaleski, co-owners of the popular food truck H-Town StrEATs, it’s their donut and kolache shop soon to open at 1901 N Shepherd Dr. But first they want to raise $50,000 though a Kickstarter campaign to finish the electrical work, plumbing, interior finishing touches on the building they are already renting. Word went out this week about the campaign from the Mangum Park Food Truck folks and others. Here’s what Hill and Opaleski have to say about the endeavor: “We’ve determined that Houston is lacking in artisan gourmet donut and kolache shops. Between the two of us, we possess all the knowledge, creativity and love of the craft to bring awesome donuts to this great city.” We have been testing the market by doing pop-ups and special events over the past year.
These events have proven very successful and have given us the motivation to move forward with our dream.” Want to help them? Kick some funds their way. El Tiempo on Washington is raking it in CultureMap recapped the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission’s report on the amount of money bars and restaurants pay each month in Mixed Beverage Gross Receipts taxes. We’ll sum it up further - while Washington Avenue is down overall, the El Tiempo on Washington is the exception at #77 ($196,000), out of 3,600 bars and restaurants around the state. But you knew that. It’s always packed. Gumbo and Coffee coming to Durham A restaurant and a coffee shop are moving into a new strip center at 2155 Durham, near Durham and I-10. Gumbo Jeaux’s, which currently has a location near Bush Intercontinental Airport, will
serve spicy Lousiana seafood and burgers in the Heights within a few months. Next to Jeaux’s will be P.J.’s Coffee, a New Orleans-based franchise, will open its second Houston location. The other one is inside the Royal Sonesta in the Galleria area. The strip center, owned by Silvestri, is still looking for one more tenant. Where’s the best Mac and Cheese in town? If you believe Houstonia Magazine, we have the corner on the market. The Glass Wall, 933A Studewood St., Liberty Kitchen and Oyster Bar, 1050 Studewood St., Jus’ Mac, 2617 Yale St., and Shade, 250 W 19th St., all made the list. Arteries, prepare for battle.
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There’s a new taco on the bloc at Torchy’s Torchy’s, 350 W 19th St., posted the new arrival on their Facebook page. “Meet The Vagabond: Grilled fajita beef on a bed of sexy bacon topped with grilled onions, Chimichurri sauce, feta cheese, and pico. Served in a warm flour tortilla.”
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WI-FI
GREENWOOD KING Reaching #1 in the Heights in 2013 713.864.0888 G
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1801 Heights Blvd. K
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