I'm back!

This has been a crazy time for a lot of us. Things beginning and ending, hurricanes and loss. Yes, my skinny comrades it has been trying, but the Fatman is back now, so fret not.

I just thought I'd share some of the places I have been to in the last few months, briefly, and then get to work on processing all of the different Mexican food places I have been surveying in Houston(I should have the results of my little experiment up by next week).

One place that was pretty cool as far as mom/pop joints here in Tejas I stumbled upon by chance while searching for gas during the recent disaster. Going to Brenham is never a frequent occasion for me, but there is a little pizza place on 290 going through town that was pretty damn good. It is called Rebecca's Cafe, and it serves a variety of home cooked sandwiches and pizzas that are well priced, and well made. The service was friendly, and they had free wifi, which after days with no power or Internet was like drinking spring water in the desert.

Another place that always impresses me is Vespaio in Austin (check out the menu/pics at www.austinvespaio.com). Their take on Italian food is very well executed, and always fresh. Now this place is not for the thrifty-hearted, but the plates are very well designed with food, and cooked perfectly. Another cool aspect of the food was the portion sizes. They were filling, but NOT overcrowded and heavy. One thing about Italian food, is that some places love to kill meats and pasta dishes with sauce, diminishing the effect of some basic skill mastery(ex: tasting the pasta in ravioli, or the subtle nuances of flavor in delicate seafood) The chef at Vespaio is able to bring out very well balanced and powerful meaning in the food without over doing it. I had a hangar steak there, and it was the first time in over a year that I received a perfectly cooked piece of beef when it arrived at the table. Also, though in the middle of the Texas hill country they still had some of the freshest Malpac oysters I have ever been privileged enough to eat. Even the wine list and service were outstanding. In the end, the bill wasn't pretty, but the satisfaction of really being treated like someone special was well worth it.
Hope you all are well, and you will hear from me soon

-mk-