Rice University’s Student Newspaper — Since 1916

Thursday, March 28, 2024 — Houston, TX

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Velvet Taco brings eclectic fare from Dallas to the Heights

(04/19/16 3:23am)

With taco trucks, restaurants, pop-ups, shacks and every other imaginable form of taco-selling establishment scattered throughout Houston, Velvet Taco stands out among the bunch as a quirky and unique restaurant in the Heights. Originating in the Dallas area, though Velvet Taco is not a unique Houston establishment, it has gained quite a cult-like following. Upon arriving on Washington Street, hot pink and lime green tiled walls outside the building beckon you inside the casual, cozy interior of the restaurant. A huge ceiling-to-floor menu fills up the wall beside the cash register allowing you to agonize over your order from the choices that are neatly divided into categories based on filling: chicken, beef, veggie, pork, egg and sides.


Banh mi shines in Houston’s diverse food scene

(03/23/16 9:16pm)

In a city as diverse as Houston, great Asian food is so easy to come by that it’s difficult to pick a favorite restaurant. Banh mi is one of the most traditional off-campus foods for Rice students, serving as a hearty snack, delicious meal or late-night food run. The banh mi, a Vietnamese-style sandwich, contains a French baguette that is typically stuffed with some sort of meat (pork belly, chicken, pate, etc.), pickled cucumbers, carrots and jalapeno. Inspired by Buzzfeed’s Feast Mode Hunger Squad, three brave friends and I went on a quest to find not only our favorite banh mi in Houston, but also the favorites of the experts who craft them on a daily basis. After eating at a restaurant, we would ask the restaurant workers where they would grab a banh mi if not at their own establishment. There were several rules for all of the restaurants visited. First, they had to be within Houston’s inner loop, with the reason being most Rice students cannot easily get to places outside of it. So, as a disclaimer, this review excludes any restaurants in the Sharpstown/Viet-town area, which may or may not have better banh mi. Additionally, each restaurant was judged on several factors: baguette quality, filling quality and the baguette-to-filling ratio. 


Cooking Girl trumps Mala Sichuan

(02/17/16 1:34am)

The first time I was handed a bowl of dan dan noodles, it was on the side of the road under the hot sun in Chengdu, China. I was told there were two components to Sichuanese food: “ma,” the numbing of the tongue caused by Sichuan peppercorns, and “la,” the spicy, burning sensation that most of us are familiar with. Ever since I left the birthplace of Sichuan food, I have always craved the exciting juxtaposition of the two sensations. Naturally, I was thrilled when I found out that there were not one, but two Sichuan restaurants inside the Houston loop where I could satisfy my spicy Chinese food cravings without making the lengthy drive out to Chinatown. During my recent visit to Cooking Girl, I sought out the classic dishes in order to adequately compare the two establishments. 


Going abroad, a valuable opportunity

(09/06/13 12:00am)

Whenever I tell people I spent this past summer doing research, they usually wrinkle their noses over how boring it sounds. Maybe it is because I love science, or maybe it is because I did my research in southern France, but the past summer was easily one of the best of my life. Though Rice has hundreds of opportunities and internships on campus, all students should explore beyond the comfortable hedges - in my case, all the way in Europe.