DineOut
by Eric A.T. Dieckman

LIGHT BITES

Spring is the ideal season for salads, sandwiches, and soups

When choosing a meal, nothing pairs better with warm weather than cool and light food. If this idea strikes you as overtly Martha Stewartian, try to imagine how your body would react if you consumed a bowl of habañero chili outdoors in the middle of August in Houston, mid-day. You might explode. When April hits and the air gets balmy, light meals like sandwiches, salads, and soups help keep spring in your step.

Salads (see photo)
ARIES
Food and Wine named Aries owner/chef Scott Tycer one of the top 10 best new chefs in America. His inventive menu at this trendy see-n-be-seen hotspot changes with the availability of the freshest ingredients. The upside: There’s always a tantalizing surprise in store. The downside: Favorites like the marinated tomato salad with crispy chicken skin might not be there (that last bit of description may sound curious, but it’s fantastic). If that one’s not available, try the raw vegetable salad with buttermilk and caraway, or maybe endive with avocado dressing and applewood smoked bacon. Even something as simple as mixed spring greens with balsamic dressing and blue cheese is an elegant composition, with tart greens underscoring the sweet vinegar with pungent top notes of blue cheese.
4315 Montrose Blvd. • 713/526-4404 • www.ariesrestaurant.com

Sandwiches
BRASIL
Though the staff sometime fits the less-than-congenial stereotype, the food and drink more than compensate. The sandwiches—served on focaccia or baguette—are creative and delectable. Brasil’s take on the BLT, for example, includes bacon, garlic aioli, blue cheese, red onion, tomato, and lettuce, with avocado as an option. Then there’s the pepperonata with goat cheese, basil, and red and yellow peppers. You can order this sandwich, like most of their veg-friendly items, with meat for an extra dollar (prosciutto for the fresh mozzarella, smoked salmon for the hearts of palm, and so forth). Not merely sandwiches, these are meals you do not want to end. Another item to look for: the spinach-mushroom quiche. Some people drive from as far as Sugar Land for a slice.
2604 Dunlavy • 713/528-1993

Soups
KRAFTSMEN BAKING CAFÉ
To be honest, this really counts as secondary props to Aries. It’s Aries soups that Kraftsmen (under the same ownership) sells weekdays, one style per day. The soups range from complex (carrot-ginger) to classic (white bean) and are always astounding, even for those who don’t normally fancy a bowl of liquid lunch. Besides, Kraftsmen charges a fraction of the original price. Get a cup for $3, a bowl for $5 (compared to an average $10–$14 at Aries). This way you can enjoy the mastery of Aries’ kitchen in more casual surroundings and with a smaller dent in your wallet. Additionally, the Krafsmen breads are among the finest in the city, their sandwiches run neck-n-neck with Brasil’s quality, and bottled-water lovers will gladly boggle their minds at the extensive selection.
4100 Montrose Blvd. • 713/524-3737 • www.kraftsmenbaking.com

Eric Dieckman reported on wonderful al fresco dining in the March issue.

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