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Saturday, June 16, 2016 • Page 1B
A Food Drink focus issue.
Conveniently located off of Shepherd and I-10, just 10 minutes away from downtown
Join us for LunCh
and BrunCh!
Also featuringhong Kong Style Lunch Plates
8 Course Dim Sum Brunch Saturday happy hour
hourSTuesd-Thu 11am-10Fri-Sat 11am - 11pm
Closed MondayshAPPy hourS
Tues-Sat 2:30PM - 7:00PMBrunCh
Sun 10:30AM - 3:30PM
The root of Chinese cookingand craft cocktails
4705 Inker Street houston, TX 77007 [713]861-8883
gingerforkrestaurant.com
On-site and off-site catering services available
2521 N. DurhamSW corner of 26th & Durham
(713) 703-7544 www.MelsSeafood.com
BESTSeafood
Best of 2016
Readers' ChoiceTHE LEADER
Louisiana styLeBoiLed JuMBo shriMpTo-Go or Enjoy at Our Picnic Tables [BYOB]
Over Stuffed Po-Boys
New Orleans Style
HOurSThursday (4pm - 8pm) • Friday (4pm - 8pm)Saturday (noon - 8pm) Sunday (noon - 5pm]
THE LEADEr’sreaders’ Choice Winner
Roast beef & Fried (shrimp, oyster, fish)
Reader favoritesFIND IT 4B
Paint the town with Art Valet FIND IT 2B
Urban Eats launches their Summer Punch Saturdays FIND IT 2B
Best cocktail bars voted by Readers
We just finished our Readers’ Choice awards and there is a fit-ting category for this month’s Food & Drink Focus issue: cocktail bar. We had over 3,000 votes in total and Leader Readers nomi-nated the following: Cyclone Anaya’s, first place cocktail bar; Johnny’s Gold Brick, second place cocktail bar; Lei Low, third place cocktail bar. A big congratulations to all three, but now to the good stuff.
Each bar was asked to make us a featured summer cocktail for all of you to go enjoy. Here is their lineup.
1. CyCloNE ANAyA’S
2. JoHNNy’S golD BRICK
3. lEI low
Cyclone’s Perfect Peach
Cyclone’s Perfect Peach is made with Deep Eddy Peach Vodka, lemon and orange juice, simple syrup and topped with a floater of Malbec.
Find this on the menu at Cyclone’s Heights area location at 1710 Durham Dr.
The High Dive
Pink pepper corn infused gin, Cocchi Americano rosa vermouth, blackberry, cilantro tincture, lemon juice and topped with soda water.
The cocktail is inspired by a day at the pool: cool, refreshing and grassy.
Find this on the menu at Johnny’s at 2518 Yale St.
Tiki Tatanka
Zubrøwka bison grass flavored vodka, lime juice, lemongrass syrup, yellow chartreuse and an absinthe wash.
The cocktail is inspired by one of their own, Izabela, and her homage to her home country of Poland.
Find this on the menu at Lei Low at 6412 N Main St.
go Behind the Bar FIND IT 3B
Summer MocktailsArea look into kid approved summer cocktails
By Betsy [email protected]
It was a selfish motiva-tion that inspired me to so-licit opinions about the best place to get a sweet icy treat in the area. And of course, once readers answered, it was practically a job re-quirement to go sample the suggestions. I only wish I’d had more time. Here are three I visited, plus the ones I’ll plan to try, or visit again, before summer is done.
Flamingo’s Chill, 6404 Airline Dr.
I was intrigued by Clau-dia Xi’s mention of Flamin-go’s Chill on Airline.
“Both drive-thru and wait are ridiculously long no matter what time of day or month for that matter, but the best “Raspas” I’ve found nearby,” she wrote. “The sweetened condensed milk or “crema” makes the typical snow cone delicious.”
First of all, I didn’t realize how far north on Airline this was but no matter. After a 15 minute drive from my house – OK, more like 25, I got lost – we arrived. Even with a ton of road construction around Flamingo’s there was indeed a line at the order window and the drive-thru. I only wished I spoke Spanish bet-ter because it might have facilitated my ordering. After giving my kids noise makers to ramp up the festive vibe, the woman at the window recommended the strawber-ry snow cone. Done. It was tasty, sweet and hit the spot. They are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily so there’s plenty of hours in the day to get a fix.
MAM’S SnoBalls, 1040 w Cavalcade St.
A number of people mentioned MAM’s and my husband who lived in New Orleans is a fan, and sno-ball nut, so this had to make the list. Owner Christopher Martin who bought the place from Mam gave me a quick education about the differ-ence between a snow cone and a sno-ball. Sno-balls are made with finely shaved ice,
whereas a snow cone’s ice is coarser. The syrup sinks to the bottom in a snow cone. With the sno-ball, the ice absorbs the syrup. We tried the Tiger’s Blood (Mam’s fa-vorite) with fruit juices and coconut milk – it was a hit with my son – and the in-sanely sweet Kitty Kat which was right up my daughter’s alley. A nearby patron had something called the Orchid which was beautiful looking and tasty too, according to her. I didn’t test this but their website says they’ll do a ca-nine sno-ball for a buck.
Steel City Pops, 420 E 20th St.
This is the first Houston location of a national chain I had heard about from neigh-bors. Their website says that the pops are made with all-natural or certified organic ingredients, and locally-har-
Photo by Betsy Denson
There seems to be no sign of disapproval from a youngster at MAM’s Snoballs.
See Mocktails, P. 2B
350 W. 19th St. • 713.360.6204 • www.haroldsheights.com
Tap Room hours:Tuesday and Wednesday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Thursday and Friday 11a.m. – 2 a.m.Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 a.m.Sunday 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
* Food service ends an hour before closing.
Harold’s Tap Room’s
Just in Thymefor Summer
House-made red sangria mixed with thyme, raspberry-and-mint-infused
vodka, a splash of ginger ale and lemon lime soda topped with an
edible orange flower.
SummerThyme Sangria
Page 2B • Saturday, July 16, 2016
Dart To-Go 9x9100ct $8.99
Frito Lay 50ct assorted
$12.98 Takis 36.2oz.
$15.99
Cutlery Kit Pic Nic Pac
250ct
$12.95
CiTy WiDeWhoLeSaLe SuPPLy
801 Service St. 713-862-2530(1 light inside 610 N @ Airline)
Monday-Friday 6:30am - 5pmSaturday 7am - 2pm
CiTy WiDeWhoLeSaLe SuPPLy
Over 6,000 Items Open to the Public
Service Rd.
Link Rd.
Sylvester Rd.
Airl
ine
Dr.
610
45
Chaffing Dish $29.95
Maseca 50lb
$17.99
e-Z Crank Can opener
$11.99
Coffee Percolator
40 Cup
$109.95
Snickers & M&M Peanut
48ct $25.99
Schools, Churches, Organizations Restaurants, Vending Machines, Concession Stands and more!
• Candy • Store Supplies • Frozen Sandwiches • Packaging Supplies • Vending Machine Supplies • Sodas • Bags • Snow Cone Syrup
w FREE WI-FI
13240 Northwest Frwy713-462-7698
Like Us...
Open Mon-Thurs 6am-10pm Fri & Sat 6am-11pm
We Cater
New HealtHySelectS
Chopped Broccolini® and kale blend, tossed in a sweet and tangy Maple Vinaigrette dress-ing and topped with flavorful dried sour cherries.
Slices of grilled spicy chicken breast, chilled and served on a fresh bed of chopped Ro-maine lettuce and baby greens, topped with shredded red cab-bage and carrots, grape tomatoes, a blend of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and a zesty combination of roasted corn and black beans.
SoutHweStSalad
Kale Salad
Art Valet By Mitch CohenArts Columnist
Travel back in time to chemistry lab at ColtivareIt’s the summer cocktail issue this
week and don’t you know I might have something to say about that! To me, it’s all about the atmosphere, I don’t neces-sarily equate cocktails with art shows, that’s an entirely different subject.
Where is my favorite artsy place to have a cocktail? In the Heights, there are many favorites: Public House, of course; Glass Wall’s Chris Stump is a master mix-ologist; taking a seat at Liberty Kitchen’s bar is by itself a blast, the cocktails are so much fun to read about that you want to try them all.
It was Coltivare, 3320 White Oak Dr.,that has won me over with their ver-sion of the classic gin and tonic. A good friend insisted that they serve the world’s best, even though the only time you’ll catch me saying gin and tonic is when I’m singing along to Adam Sandler’s Ha-nukkah Song, so I went.
When manager Jeb Stuart greeted me as I walked in, I knew I was in good hands. I told Jeb that I was up to no good, he suggested I try the classic gin and tonic first - they have two. He explained that the drink is made to sip and last awhile, giving the grapefruit and mint a chance to soak in the flavors and add their own. The gin they use is Citadelle, a French brand.
The Classic Gin and Tonic looks large, bowl-like glass it’s served in, and it is good. Amazing might be a better word, and do sip it slowly, it has a delightful end.
Now that I was feeling brave, and not driving, I ordered the “Fancy” gin and tonic. Watching bartender Michael work this one up, it almost felt like being back in chemistry class.
The ingredients are a German gin called Monkey 47, an anise based Span-ish liqueur, a very fancy looking bottle of tonic water, one entire rind of lemon and fresh fennel to top it off. WOW. Besides getting everyone’s attention at the bar, this was a great drink.
Today, though, I still remember that classic, and I know I’ll order it when I go back. Soon I hope!
On Friday there is a preview party/fundraiser for Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council from 6 - 9 p.m. at Affaire d’Art at 2227 Post Office St., Galveston. Featured artists include Stacy Gresell, and First Saturday Arts Market artists Rachel Stokes, Kimberly Schwarzkopft, and guest artist Lisa Morales.
Wine, hors d’oeuvres, live music, silent auction, raffle, live encaustic demonstra-tion, and artist talks.
One block over on Market at 23rd St. find The Proletariat, the preferred water-ing hole for all creatives.
ArtWalk Galveston takes place this Saturday from 5 - 9 p.m. www.galveston.com/artwalk
Cohen is founder of First Saturday Arts Market. Contact him through his website ArtValet.com.
Photos by Mitch CohenAt the top, bartender Michael is in his ele-ment crafting. Above, the “Fancy Gin and Tonic” at Colti-vare.
Mocktails, from P. 1B
vested where possible. They only use raw, organic cane sugar for sweetener. All pops are gluten-free and vegetarian. While this may sound too “healthy”, I’m here to tell you it’s also delicious. While the woman behind the counter said that the coconut, avo-cado, blood orange and strawberry lemon are their best sellers, I let my daughter pick the Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookie Pop – did I mention we’d just had a Kitty Kat? My son and I gladly took one for the team and helped her finish it.
Other suggestionsYeti Sunshine, 1025 Studewood St. See Facebook for truck lo-
cation.Tampico, 4520 N Main St.Nene’s, 4948 W 34th St.Bungalow Sno And Joe, 1219 Marconi St.Star Berry Snoballs; See Face-
book for truck location.
610
I-45
E. Whitney
Airline D
r
Crosstimber
NorthlineMall
www.whitneyoakshall.com
Spaghetti ThursdayEvery Thursday 11:00 am - 1:15 pm
North Houston’s 50 Year Tradition
Call for details
Spaghetti Meatballs Italian Sausage Chicken Pork Chops Lasagna Eggplant Parmesan Salad Garlic Bread Desserts Beverages
Drive ThruAvailable
816 E. Whitney Dr. 713-692-0198of Little York
SaCrED HEarT SoCIETy
Hall Rental available...
Another approving face from Steel City Pops.
Cocktail NibblesBy Christina Martinez
Johnny’s Gold Brick is growing. The Yale Street cocktail bar just added on a back patio addition, with an outdoor seating area and also a covered patio area. The covered patio is even equipped with a Simpsons arcade machine.
Beaver’s PokeStopFor my geek-squad cocktail-drinkers: Bea-
ver’s has launched a new special in correspon-dence with Pokemon Go. Stop in their “Poke-Stop”, show them your Pokemon Go Balls and they’ll show you their Beaver balls - AKA fried cake balls with ice cream and strawberries. The special is good through July, one per table.
Summer Punch SaturdaysUrban Eats is jumping in on the summer fun
action and launching Summer Punch Saturdays
this Saturday, July 16. Every Saturday until the end of August, you can try a new punch from their lineup for $5. The Blood Orange Sangria looks tasty, the Hibiscus Strawberry Punch is a must try.
Contributed photo Urban Eats’ Blood Orange Punch, from the Sum-mer Punch Saturday lineup.
Saturday, July 16, 2016 • Page 3B
2621 S. Shepherd at Westheimer | 713.524.8410Order online at AuntieChAngs.Com
Free Wi-Fi • Free DeliverylimiteD AreA ($12 min.)
Lunch SpeciaLSMango Chicken $6.50Sesame Shrimp $7.50
Try our
with Mary Li from Ginger and Fork
By Christina Martinez [email protected]
Carrying on her Cantonese culture, Mary Li and her team at Ginger and Fork set out to bring a dining experience that married great food, a great beverage program and great service. Alas, Ginger and Fork was born, opening earlier this year.
Originally born in Hong Kong, Li recalls her family eventually moving to Los An-geles in 1970 – the city where she grew up. Eventually she transplanted to Chicago in 1984 and then moved to Hous-ton in 1990.
“My family, (my former hus-band) opened up a restaurant in Chicago,” Li said. “Two of them acutally, but back then I did not have the bar knowl-edge I have today.”
What Li did learn in that Chicago restaurant, however, was the PR side, the front end of the house and the customer service that goes into building a restaurant.
“After moving to Houston, I started working at Houlihan’s on Post Oak near the Galleria,” Li said. “The General Manager saw that he wanted to train me to become a bartender be-cause he said I had the person-ality for it.”
A candid Li admits that, at
the time, about all she knew how to make was a screw-driver. The General Man-ager had a simple response for Li: “you can always train the knowledge, but you can’t train a personality or even at-titude.”
That bar on Post Oak is where it all began for Li.
Houlihan’s eventually broke the word that they would be closing and Li’s General Man-ager recommended a nearby restaurant for her to submit her application with: Tony Mandola’s. Li followed suit with her application and even-tually took a position with the upscale River Oaks restaurant.
“I started out in helping in different areas, but mostly as a bar tender at night,” Li said. “They eventually wanted me to take over the bar program. That is when I started gaining my knowledge and learning to run a bar. I’m very grateful that I had the chance and the experience with Tony’s.”
After being at Tony Mando-la’s for 24 years, the last two or three years Li recalls a lot of her friends encouraging her to see if she could put some-thing together on her own. She studied the restaurant scene on what was already out there, what people liked. Something that was missing from the equation was a restaurant that
reflected her culture and her love for being behind the bar.
“My love in being Canton-ese, born in Hong Kong and growing up and eating au-thentic Cantenese food, I felt like there was not an authen-tic style from Hong Kong in this area, especially with a full bar,” Li said. “That is what I’ve found that a lot of my friends have told me. You go eat Chi-nese food and you just go eat. They would like to have a dining experience, not just with great food, but with great cocktails and a wine program to compliment the food.”
“I’ve done research the past year and a half, prior to the opening, traveling to great craft cocktail bars all over: New York, San Francisco and even to Hong Kong to see what people were doing in the top notch cocktail bars. Together, with everything I’ve gained through the years and my research, I put together
a list of cocktails using fresh ingredients, juices and natural flavors to offer the true nation-al craft cocktail.”
There are two worldly es-teemed cocktail bars that Li did research at: The Dead Rabbit in New York City and The Lobster Bar in Shangri-La, Hong Kong. Last year, The Dead Rabbit ranked number two in the Word’s 50 Best Bars and The Lobster Bar ranked number 18. The Dead Rabbit ranked number one within the US.
“We became friends with Greg Buda, the senior bar ten-der at The Dead Rabbit, and he actually came down here to help us play with different recipes before getting the res-taurant open,” Li said.
From the cocktail menu at Ginger and Fork, there is a par-ticular cocktail that Li enjoys the most: the Panama Daiqui-ri. The ingredients are simple, but one ingredient comes from
Li’s research in Hong Kong and that is the sugarcane that goes into making their sugarcane syrup. Add the Hong Kong sugarcane, eucalyptus leaf,
freshly squeezed lime juice, simple syrup and panama rum and this drink carries into easy summer drinking.
The PanaMa DaquiriinGreDienTS
Calls for fresh lime juice and simple syrup, panama rum and a in-house cane syrup.DireCTiOnS
Shake for about 20 seconds, pour over a chilled glass and gar-nish with a eucalyptus leaf.
Photos by Christina Martinez On the left, Mary Li presents the Ginger and Fork panama daiquiri. On the right, Mary Li walks through the steps of making the daiquiri.
Cantonese inspired restaurant builds beverage program from Houston start, wordly research
2120 Ella Boulevard • (713) 869-6622www.Cavatores.com
Cavatore’s
Pizza PartyCavatore has the
perfect dining environment for you
and your friends to enjoy authentic
italian made pizzas, cuisine, live music
and friendly service.
When you want more than just a Piece of Pizza try our
Call for details
116 West Crosstimbers@Yale • 713-695-8112
TUESday – SaTUrday10:30 am - 9:30 pm
SUndayS & MondayS CloSEd
Southern Comfort Food at Its Best
www.thebarbecueinn.com
Seafood SteakS • ChiCken
Myti Local, Myti Classic...
2211 West 43rd • 713-686-7078MytiBurger
1 2
Visit some of your local neighborhood restaurants 1912 W. 18th Street 713-426-1800
www.KojaksCafe.com
NEW HOURS: Monday-Friday • 7:00am-3:00pm
paStrieS • SmoothieS • coffee
BreakfaSt • lunch • catering
Healthy Homemade
Food
Made Fresh Daily
Several flavors to choose from
We now have the
best Gelato in Houston.
10
610
610
45
North houstoN
INdepeNdeNceheIghts
greater heIghts
houstoNheIghts
woodlaNdheIghts
lazyBrooktImBergrove
washINgtoN avememorIal park
oak ForestgardeN oaks
Washington
E. 11th
E. 20th
W. 34th
W. 43rd
Pinemont
W. 18th
W. 11th
N. Shepherd
YaleElla Blvd.
Studewood
Airline
Crosstimbers
N. Main
N. Post Oaks
Antoine
Memorial Dr.
Mangum
N. Durham
Katy Rd.
T.C. Jester Blvd
T.C. Jester
Fulton
Westcot St.
Hempstead Rd
21
Page 4B • Saturday, July 16, 2016
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Mammograms are the first step in early
breast cancer detection and prevention.
Schedule yours online today.
Visit memorialhermann.org/locations/imaging-center-heights
Texas Caskets,LLCCaskets Sold To The Public
151 West Brenda St. • Houston, 77076www.TXcaskets.com
Made in the USA
at wholeSale raTeS!
713-497-5233
45
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Showings by appointment
Readers InsightLeader Readers tell all on favorite summer cocktail destinations
Jaime Cain-MirelesOak Forest
Frank Macias Heights
Laura Wengierski HoggeGarden Oaks
12801 NW Freeway (Hwy 290) Hollister/Tidwell Exit
Saturday July 23 • 8:30-3:00
For Info - 713-862-1690 or 713-409-9940
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Woodside Village
• Spacious 1, 2 & 3 Bedrooms• Unique 2 Bedroom Townhomes• In a Serene Residential Area• Lush Landscaping with Oak trees• 2 Sparkling Swimming Pools• Community Club House• Fitness Center• Great Inner Loop Location• World Class Dining & Shopping Nearby• Easy Access to Major Freeways• Professional Management Team
2400 HackettHouston, TX 77008
713-861-6172
ApArtment HomesLocated off of East T.C. Jester
Andrea CatalanoOak Forest
“BB’s St. Charles GinGin Mule--the
best!!”
“They have the pineapple vodka at Liberty Kitchen in
Garden Oaks too! I really like the mule in that as well.”
Jessica BrookerOak Forest
“Johnny’s Gold Brick. The midnight train is *hands to the
sky smoji*”
Rachael RivasGarden Oaks
“The sangria at Sassafras isn’t too sweet and perfect for Houston’s
summer nights.”
Robert A MorrisGarden Oaks
“I came to Ginger and Fork when they had a soft opening (3x)!! We are here
once a week for din-ner! Try the Whiskey
Root.”
“I’m loving the classic gin and tonic at Coltivare
for hot summer days!”
Elizabeth RichardsonRice Military
“Cajun Lemonade - Southern Goods.”
“Cucumber margarita from Skinny Rita’s on Main. They are so refreshing on a hot summer
day.”
Maureen HallW. Heights
“The bar manager at Glass Wall, Chris,
recently started making aviations.... because I
asked for one weeks ago! Now THAT’S service.”
Elizabeth SteinRidgewood
“The sangria at Los Cucos. Their recipe is so good, I can no longer order it else-
where.”
Megan Davies MennesNorhill
“The Chiapensis from Ritual is my new favorite. Watermelon, tequila, lime, honey, and hibiscus with a
salted rim.”
We took to social media for Reader Feedback on where
and what Leader Readers are drinking this summer to cool down. We had an incredible amount of responses, interactions. Thanks for all of your delightful responses. We hope you enjoy these features and get out to try some of these libations - responsibly, of course. And if you haven’t already, follow us on Facebook and Instagram/Twitter @FromTheLeader.
