Bao Ong
@baohaus1.bsky.social
Houston Chronicle restaurant critic. Proud Vietnamese-speaking Midwesterner. Slowly learning French. Gin collector. Tennis fanatic.
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Bao Ong
@baohaus1.bsky.social
· Feb 11
It'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!
Belly 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. 🧵
June 17, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Belly 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. 🧵
The 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...
Review: Mexican restaurant Casaema nails savory dishes, pastries and coffee
Conchas, tacos and other Mexican classics find new touches at a Heights restaurant that’s one of Houston’s best.
www.houstonchronicle.com
June 12, 2025 at 2:41 PM
The 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...
Lots 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...
Review: At Houston’s Trump Burger, politics are bold but burgers are bland
Trump Burger opens new Houston location with burgers, fries and grilled chicken sandwiches with marketing endorsing President Donald Trump.
www.houstonchronicle.com
May 29, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Lots 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...
Reposted by Bao Ong
7 Houston-area spots land on Texas Monthly’s prestigious Top 50 barbecue list, via @baohaus1.bsky.social www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...
Texas Monthly’s prestigious Top 50 barbecue list includes 7 Houston-area spots
Truth Barbeque and six other Houston-area BBQ joints place in Texas Monthly’s Top 50 barbecue list picked by editor Daniel Vaughn.
www.houstonchronicle.com
May 27, 2025 at 6:34 PM
7 Houston-area spots land on Texas Monthly’s prestigious Top 50 barbecue list, via @baohaus1.bsky.social www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...
One 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...
Review: This Houston suburban gas station is home to top-tier, hearty soul food
Chef Delores Hutching serves family recipes for soul food dishes like oxtails at Spring restaurant Granny Dee’s Kitchen located inside a gas station.
www.houstonchronicle.com
May 23, 2025 at 12:39 PM
One 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...
Next 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...
Houston store becomes first to sell fancy butter loved by chefs and social media
Truffle 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.
www.houstonchronicle.com
May 23, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Next 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...
On 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...
www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...
How Houston’s restaurants helped connect a critic to his Vietnamese roots
Houston Chronicle restaurant critic Bao Ong on how he connected with his Vietnamese heritage on the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.
www.houstonchronicle.com
April 30, 2025 at 4:38 PM
On 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...
www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...
Lots 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...
A national war on seed oils spills over into Houston restaurants
A 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.
www.houstonchronicle.com
April 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Lots 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...
About a month into the new job, here are my 10 best dishes in March: www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...
The 10 best dishes our restaurant critic Bao Ong ate in March
The best dishes Houston Chronicle critic Bao Ong ate in March were from restaurants including the Pit Room barbecue joint and Ishtia in Kemah.
www.houstonchronicle.com
April 1, 2025 at 4:21 PM
About a month into the new job, here are my 10 best dishes in March: www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...
Come 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...
the best food city in the U.S. Apply here: eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
Food Reporter
The 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 ...
eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com
March 29, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Come 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...
the best food city in the U.S. Apply here: eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
Order 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...
Bao Ong review: Rare Uyghur fare is destination worthy at Asiatown restaurant
Turan Uyghur Kitchen in Asiatown serves big plate chicken, kebabs and hand-pulled noodle dishes from China and Central Asia rarely found in Houston.
www.houstonchronicle.com
March 26, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Order 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...
I 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...
www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...
Bao Ong review: Ranking Houston’s buzziest ramen restaurants
How new Houston ramen restaurants including Michelin-recommended Mensho, Afuri and Kazzan rank for Japanese noodle soups.
www.houstonchronicle.com
March 13, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I 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...
www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture...
My 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...
Bao Ong review: Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen shines with Middle Eastern cooking
Palestinian chef-owner Mohammad Ismail’s Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen serves food from the Middle East in West Oaks neighborhood of Houston.
www.houstonchronicle.com
February 26, 2025 at 7:17 PM
My 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...
It'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!
February 11, 2025 at 9:55 PM
It'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!