Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 17/06/2025Bille's Mexican-inspired cooking draws from so many different cultures. It's just one of the many reasons to love Houston's food scene. 000
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 17/06/2025One of my favorite Belly of the Beast pop-ups was at Tenfold on a misty, overcast day in April 2023. Brought my good friend @deannating.bsky.social so we could order one of everything. 100
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 17/06/2025The @houstonchronicle.com was the first to write about Belly of the Beast (re)opening in Spring back in fall 2023. I had been following Bille at pop-ups across town and loved his cooking. It's great to see him win Best Chef Texas. Here's that opening story: www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comSome of Houston’s most exciting Mexican-inspired cooking returns with Belly of the BeastChef Thomas Bille’s revival of Belly of the Beast brings back his brilliant cooking... 100
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 17/06/2025www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comSpring restaurant chef wins Houston’s only James Beard Award this yearThomas Bille closed his opened and closed his restaurant during the pandemic. It's back better than ever with the awards to prove it. 100
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 17/06/2025Belly of the Beast chef Thomas Bille has been cooking for two decades. Opened his first restaurant 5 weeks before the pandemic and closed in July 2021. No PR. His wife quit her job to help him reopen in a strip mall. Now he's a Beard Awards winner. 🧵 100
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 12/06/2025The berlinesa, carrot taco and cafe de olla alone make Casaema one of my favorite restaurants in Houston right now. But there's so much more to love about this special spot. Here's my review: www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comReview: Mexican restaurant Casaema nails savory dishes, pastries and coffeeConchas, tacos and other Mexican classics find new touches at a Heights restaurant that’s one of Houston’s best. 010
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 30/05/2025Lots of us in food media are told to "just stick to food." It's rarely so simple, though. Here's my take on Trump Burger in Houston for this week's restaurant review: www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comReview: At Houston’s Trump Burger, politics are bold but burgers are blandTrump Burger opens new Houston location with burgers, fries and grilled chicken sandwiches with marketing endorsing President Donald Trump. 141
Reposted by Bao OngAlan Fossler @alanfossler.bsky.social · 27/05/20257 Houston-area spots land on Texas Monthly’s prestigious Top 50 barbecue list, via @baohaus1.bsky.social www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comTexas Monthly’s prestigious Top 50 barbecue list includes 7 Houston-area spotsTruth Barbeque and six other Houston-area BBQ joints place in Texas Monthly’s Top 50 barbecue list picked by editor Daniel Vaughn. 022
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 23/05/2025One of my goals before taking on the @houstonchronicle.com critic job was to expand the types of restaurants we review: the types of cuisines, price points, geography and the people cooking the food. Granny Dee's Kitchen was all that: www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comReview: This Houston suburban gas station is home to top-tier, hearty soul foodChef Delores Hutching serves family recipes for soul food dishes like oxtails at Spring restaurant Granny Dee’s Kitchen located inside a gas station. 152
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 23/05/2025Next best thing to actually buying Le Beurre Bordier in France is that a shop in Houston is now selling it. C'est super! www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comHouston store becomes first to sell fancy butter loved by chefs and social mediaTruffle Lady Diane Roederer’s DR Delicacy is the first shop in Houston to sell the popular French butter Beurre Bordier loved by chefs and social media. 021
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 06/05/2025Thank you! I haven't eaten at Vietnamese restaurants in Bryan-College Station, but I did try the food from Nam Cafe, a College Station restaurant, at the Viet Cultural Fest here in Houston last fall. The quail eggs with tamarind sauce were fire! 010
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 30/04/2025On the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, I wrote an essay in the @houstonchronicle.com about how the city's Vietnamese restaurants have helped me connect with my heritage. Thank you to all the restaurant staffers for sharing their stories. www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comHow Houston’s restaurants helped connect a critic to his Vietnamese rootsHouston Chronicle restaurant critic Bao Ong on how he connected with his Vietnamese heritage on the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. 132
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 25/04/2025Lots going on with seed oils and restaurants. Chefs weigh in. RFK Jr. has thoughts about it. Talked to dietitians, too. Here's my report: www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comA national war on seed oils spills over into Houston restaurantsA national debate over the use of seed oils spurred on by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. poses challenges for restaurants across the country including in Houston. 020
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 01/04/2025About a month into the new job, here are my 10 best dishes in March: www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comThe 10 best dishes our restaurant critic Bao Ong ate in MarchThe best dishes Houston Chronicle critic Bao Ong ate in March were from restaurants including the Pit Room barbecue joint and Ishtia in Kemah. 030
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 29/03/2025Come work with me at the @houstonchronicle.com to cover the best food city in the U.S. Apply here: eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.comFood ReporterThe Houston Chronicle is seeking a Food Reporter to cover the city’s vibrant and diverse culinary scene in fresh, innovative ways. This reporter will focus on breaking news about Houston’s restaurant ... 010
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 26/03/2025Order the "big plate chicken." Dumplings. Goshnaan. I wanted to review Turan Uyghur Kitchen the moment it opened last fall. Here it is: www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comBao Ong review: Rare Uyghur fare is destination worthy at Asiatown restaurantTuran Uyghur Kitchen in Asiatown serves big plate chicken, kebabs and hand-pulled noodle dishes from China and Central Asia rarely found in Houston. 030
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 13/03/2025I love all noodle soups, but some are definitely better than others. A review of three new-ish ramen restaurants in Houston: Afuri, Kazzan and Mensho. www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comBao Ong review: Ranking Houston’s buzziest ramen restaurantsHow new Houston ramen restaurants including Michelin-recommended Mensho, Afuri and Kazzan rank for Japanese noodle soups. 010
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 26/02/2025My first @houstonchronicle.com restaurant review is live. Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen got my attention with a mint lemonade (it looks like a green juice meets shave ice dessert) and won me over with its seafood dishes. The full review: www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...houstonchronicle.comBao Ong review: Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen shines with Middle Eastern cookingPalestinian chef-owner Mohammad Ismail’s Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen serves food from the Middle East in West Oaks neighborhood of Houston. 010
Bao Ong @baohaus1.bsky.social · 11/02/2025It's my first day as the @houstonchronicle.com's new restaurant critic. There's a lot of ground to cover in the country's fourth largest city. As always, appreciative of any and all restaurant tips! TIA! 0145