Alison Cook
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alisoncook.bsky.social
Alison Cook
@alisoncook.bsky.social
3.2K followers 1.3K following 1.3K posts
Omnivore, part-time misanthrope, rabid Houstonian. Lapsed restaurant critic, newsletter writer at https://alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
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alisoncook.bsky.social
Not ready to see Christmas decor at the superstore today, but I made an exception for these holiday taco piñatas 👹
A row of crepe-paper trimmed taco piñatas with yellow curlicues represented the shell, and curlicues of matte brown, shiny green and shiny red representing the meat, lettuce and tomatoes.
October 25, 2025 at 11:02 PM
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My first Vampiro of the season. Layered fresh-pressed beet, carrot and orange juice at La Guadalupana #2 in Pasadena, Texas, just outside of Houston.
A goblet filled with layered juices and afloat with little square ice cubes. Bottom layer is orange juice; middle layer more vivid orange carrot juice; top layer deep red beet juice topped with rose-colored foam.
October 16, 2025 at 6:06 PM
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New on my newsletter: there are few things more cheering than discovering a serious new bakery within striking distance. Coastal Bake Shop is a boon to Houston’s east side and the Bay Area: read about it at alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A well-browned croissant with many layers swirled across its circumference, and a pointy, layered little tail end that makes it look like a pastry sea creature. It sits on a vintage spring-green plate with scalloped edges, and a peach and its darker green leaves peeking out on the left side.
October 3, 2025 at 2:39 PM
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New on my newsletter: made a pilgrimage to Molina’s Cantina, Houston’s oldest Tex-Mex restaurant, to pay my respects to their classic Enchiladas de Tejas. But something was missing: sign up to read it for free at alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A plate of cheese enchiladas smothered in deep-russet chile con carne and chopped raw onion, with Spanish rice and refried beans crowding in from either side. Vintage-look laminated menu in pastels and dark red, featuring a senorita in a yellow folkloric blouse wearing a hibiscus flower in her long black cascade of curls. Text reads “Molina’s Cantina” and “A Houston Tradition Since 1941.”
September 26, 2025 at 7:52 PM
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New on my newsletter: Is this the world’s best easy breakfast? Super-indulgent. Healthy-ish. Made in a flash. Sign up to read about it for free at alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A snowy scoop of labne, the satiny yogurt cheese, topped with garnet- hued sour cherries in their syrup. Fresh green mint leaves and broken brown walnuts are strewn on top. It all sits in cobalt and sky-blue patterned bowl with a green vine twining through.
August 26, 2025 at 6:16 PM
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New on my newsletter: startlingly good shrimp—and fish!—at the Pappas family’s new Yiayia’s Greek Kitchen. Sign up to read about it for free at alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A plate of four huge prawns,butterflied and roasted in their shells so they look like red-rimmed baby lobster tails. They are scattered with dark purple chopped olives and bits of mint leaves and feathery dill. A lemon wedge sits at lower right, and a golden ribbon of olive oil circles the left hand quadrant of the plate.
August 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
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New on my newsletter: Houston’s best falafel is at a bar in Clear Lake. World-class stuff. Sign up to read about it at alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A small globe of falafel in cross-section, with sun catching the varying shades of green in the generously herbed ground-chickpea mixture. The outside looks crackly and deep-brown. On the celadon-green plate sits a vivid magenta spear of pickled turnip and a glossy dab of ivory tzatziki.
July 29, 2025 at 5:13 PM
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How I learned to love the little grey shrimp of Belgium, which come off very differently than our big ol’ Gulf Coast specimens. It’s new on my newsletter, & you can sign up to read it for free at alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A grey shrimp (crevettes grises) omelette at the old-school Brussels bistro Au Vieux Saint Martin. The tiny pinkish shrimp ride on top of the folded,slightly bubbled and browned egg surfaces, and there’s a vivid heap of microgreens salad in front of them on the shallow white bowl. A grey shrimp croquette at L’Ogenblik gastropub in Brussels. The square-cut croquette is coated in well-bronzed breadcrumbs, and there’s rich bechamel/cheese filling oozes toward the white plate from the cut surface. A lemon wedge, a sheaf of dark green flash-fried parsley,, and a frilly little salad topped with pale magenta onion slices come with it on the plate.
June 30, 2025 at 4:30 PM
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New on my newsletter at alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io: I checked out Houston chef Nick Wong’s new Asian diner, Agnes and Sherman. You should, too:
The pale facade of Agnes and Sherman by night, silhouetted against deep-blue sky. On the upper left corner, the restaurant name is spelled out in red neon above a small red awning, the colors reflected in a curve of red tracing a car pulled up below. The window reveals a crowd inside the lemon yellow dining room, lit by high globe lamps. A deep-pocketed, round scallion waffle holding a round scoop of red-flecked, orange-hued sambal butter. It sits on a shiny white plate with a silvery knife laid at an angle, from upper midpoint to left center. A sliced-tomato sandwich oozing pinkish fermented-tomato mayonnaise. Gold-bronzed triangles of thick toast,cut into triangles, hold it together. A dark edge of flash fried perilla leaf peeks out at lower right of a triangle that has been swung wide to show the sandwich interior. A tall sundae in a coupe glass, with bright mint-green pandan ice cream ascending to a swirled peak of whipped cream. It has been showered with toasted peanuts and dark ribbons of syrupy sauce based on an old-school Asian herbal remedy.
June 10, 2025 at 2:23 PM
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Timeline refresh:
A grey and white kitten sits on a vintage sand pail amid three old candlesticks and a bottle of barolo. On the right are shelves of cookbooks.
June 2, 2025 at 4:19 PM
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I thought this was a Pizza Rat, but turns out it’s a Pizza Armadillo. 😹
A diorama scene of a small armadillo eating a giant slice of pizza. It sits in a warmly lit wooden case with various buttons and placards scattered around it.
May 26, 2025 at 12:34 AM
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This painting, The Angriest Man, has been haunting me since I saw it at Houston’s Cleburne Cafeteria last week. Read about the darkness that lurks beneath the sunny, pastoral surface on my newsletter. It’s free to sign up at alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A dark-framed oil painting of a bearded Greek shepherd, dressed in a blue coat and blue beret-like cap, playing a goatskin pipe instrument in a rocky meadow framed by trees. Ranged upslope are his white sheep and goats. In the background loom pale mountains and blue sky. His expression is knitted, intense and somewhat fierce, his cheeks deeply creased.
May 21, 2025 at 2:39 AM
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I tried to divine whether Austin’s culty P. Terry’s Burger Stand is all that. Sign up to read it for free on my newsletter alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A double cheeseburger with orange melted cheese cascading down the sides of the patties. The bun top is shiny. A leaf of iceberg lettuce peeks out at right. It sits on a crumpled red-and-white tissue wrapper. Well-browned, skins-on, stick-thin French fries clasped in a red and white graphic tissue that’s tied into a handkerchief knot, so that potatoes protrude on both sides. Interior of a burger stand with a Neo Midcentury Modern look. The walls, one of which curves into the space from the left, are aqua, with white tile beneath.. A narrow cherry red planter, topped with stones and spiky, dark greenery, bisect the room from lower left to slightly upper right. Big globular pendant lamps hang from a high ceiling in front of a window wall filled with blue sky and clouds. In the middle, customers line up in front of the counter. An angular, Midcentury Modernesque burger stand is lit up beneath a deep blue sunset sky rimmed with pink. Letters on a raised portion of the roofline read “P. Terry’s.” Narrow, slanted faux pillars range crisscross a covered front patio. The interior is warmly lit in tones of aqua. A covered red drive-thru lane extends to the left.
May 18, 2025 at 3:25 PM
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My eyes bugged out at the jello station:
An array of deep-hued jello desserts on a cafeteria line. From left to right, the clear plastic containers hold bright emerald green, deep blue and red cubes of jello. To the right of them sit 2 rows of square plastic clamshells holding a pale green lime congealed salad with a big rosette on top.
May 15, 2025 at 5:29 PM
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I wrote about my first visit to Houston’s legendary Cleburne Cafeteria, family-owned & now in its 9th decade. Read about it at alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A hulking slab of German chocolate cake with a dark crumb and generous, caramel colored frosting. It sits I. A shiny plastic clamshell container. A plate of roasted turkey slices crowned with spherical scoops of dressing and a little buff-colored cream gravy. Ranged above it are a high-topped yeast roll, a side of candied yams and another of broccoli-rice casserole with yellow cheese. A gleaming cafeteria line showing two big silver hemispherical heat lamps dangling from on high; a white-coated, baseball-capped staffer heading through a partially open kitchen door with an emptied tray of food in his hands, and in back of the glass divider, an array of rolls and muffins next to vegetable dishes that include whole brown mushroom caps, orange yams, yellow corn and emerald broccoli. Signs affixed to the glass read “Today’s Special Blueberry Muffins” and “Dessert Specials/Caramel Praline Pecan Pound Cake .” A piece of sun-yellow lemon chess pie in a shiny plastic clamshell, with a handlettered label on the aluminum shelf beneath it reading “Lemon Chess.” To the right, a slice of cherry pie is partially visible.
May 15, 2025 at 4:11 PM
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In a bit of culture shock from my first visit to the venerable Cleburne Cafeteria. Much to chew on. 👹
A piece of sun-yellow lemon chess pie in a shiny clear plastic container, sitting on an aluminum cafeteria shelf, to the left of a partially visible wedge of cherry pie. A black label hand-lettered “Lemon Chess” hangs beneath it on the shelf.
May 12, 2025 at 8:41 PM
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On Friday, Houstonians’ thoughts turn to Mexican. While scouting enchiladas, I ended up discovering a promising all-day Mexican brunch menu, killer Cuatro Leches & more. Read about ‘em on my newsletter at alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
Two crisp corn tortillas cradling a sunnyside egg on red salsa (top) and green salsa, crowned with white flurries of queso fresco, cotija and crema. A slice of fresh jalapeño and a nest of microgreens ride on top. At lower left is a fan of avocado slices and red onion crescents. At upper right is a small cobalt-rimmed bowl of refried black beans scattered with grated cotija cheese . A tamarind margarita on the rocks in a short glass tumbler. The liquid is a warm golden brown, the glass is rimmed in bright orange tajin seasoning. A black straw leans left and on top of the ice sits a slice of dehydrated orange. A plate of three enchiladas in shiny deep-mahogany mole sauce, with skinny ribbons of crema zigzagging across the top amid a snowstorm of grated queso fresco. On the lower left sits a vivid orange marigold flower. At the center is a small sheaf of microgreens.
May 9, 2025 at 8:25 PM
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It’s a good day when you have leftover cuatro leches for breakfast: 👹
A small, round cake with whipped cream frosting on a patio table in sunlight. A small wedge has been removed, revealing a rough-textured yellow interior oozing pale yellow cream that covers the white plate. On top are strawberries and grated coconut. The rounded backs of black bistro chairs form a backdrop.
May 9, 2025 at 2:54 PM
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Look who I just found squeaking piteously and LOUDLY outside my bedroom window. We’re both drying off now, thank goodness for emergency lanterns,
A wet and bedraggled kitten snuggled into a white towel. It has dark fur and tiger stripes.
May 9, 2025 at 4:12 AM
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Love it when the most innocent looking salsa in a trio turns out to be the most lethal. 👹
A small black dishful of creamy spring-green salsa, with a totopo stuck in at an angle and sailing upright.
May 8, 2025 at 10:27 PM
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Want to read about some stellar onion rings at a classic Houston joint? Of course you do! 👹 it’s free when you sign up for my newsletter: alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A 5-high stack of deep-gold, girthy bronzed onion rings with slightly craggy crusts.
May 8, 2025 at 12:28 AM
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I think I found the best bite in Houston at Annam Vietnamese restaurant. The food’s as gorgeous as the space. Shrimp-stuffed squash blossom? Unforgettable. Read about it on my newsletter at alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A shrimp stuffed squash blossom with a golden bubbled crust that’s translucent in places. The torpedo-shaped morsel sits on a shiny white porcelain plate rimmed in gold, pooled in pale orange, translucent nuoc cham sauce flecked with bright red chile. Microgreen snippets and dots of basil-avocado oil scatter across the plate. A pale ochre squash soup swimming with green herbs, scallion and a bubbly-surfaced shrimp dumpling rests in a gold-rimmed white bowl on a gold-rimmed saucer. A Vietnamese crepe, banh xeo, rests folded taco-style in a silvery holder. The underside is lightly browned in spots, the edges are thin and irregular, and a bright orange, green and white profusion of pickled vegetable shreds and cilantro leaves rides on top. Restaurant interior showing a tile floor patterned in black, white and taupe, leadypast a long white bar counter lined with high taupe chairs. A tall, narrow doorway leads to a darkened dining room beneath stylized white trusses that makes it look like a nave. At the front stands a pale wooden stand showcasing wine bottles.
May 5, 2025 at 4:25 PM
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It’s Enchilada-&-Margarita Friday on my newsletter. I made a pilgrimage to Cuchara in Montrose for their encacahuates, and you can sign up to read about it for free at alison-cooks-grown.ghost.io
A rectangular black enameled tray holding 3 enchiladas swathed in a sunset-orange peanut sauce, with a scatter of chopped raw onion on top. At the rear of the chipped, white enameled plate underneath sits a white enameled cup holding soupy black beans topped with grated cotija cheese. A lime margarita in a tall screw-top jar, with cracked ice to the brim and a rim crusted with big, light-catching salt crystals and a lime wedge. The pale golden hue comes from piloncillo sugar.
April 25, 2025 at 8:31 PM
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I blundered into an unusual omakase recently, and it turned out to be a wild ride. Sign up for my newsletter to read about it for free: alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
A bricked room washed in violet light from a neon sign reading “This is not Sushi” in script. Scallop sashimi on bubbled green glass, with thin slices of lemon fanning out from underneath and a shiny dark gold ponzu baste. Two gentlemen behind a sushi counter. One, on the left, wears a porkpie hat and wields a black bubble gun that had expelled a large white oval-shaped bubble.The young man on the right wears a black chef’s coat,and a ball cap, with his arms crossed in front. The background is all shiny stainless steel. A white ceramic bowl containing a slivery heap of tuna, flounder and Malaysian-style bean sprouts.
April 25, 2025 at 2:30 AM
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It’s Burger Friday! This banh-mi-style specimen at the glamorous new Saint Augustine Hotel in Montrose is the essence of Houston. Sign up to read about it for free, and to gawk at the hotel, on my newsletter: alison-cooks-htown.ghost.io
An imposingly tall, plump burger on a sesame-seeded roll. Kewpie mayonnaise spills out beneath a beef patty, its sear burnished to a rich shiny brown, crowned by a tangle of Vietnamese-style pickled vegetables and cilantro leaves. Not visible: a final sploosh of duck liver mousse.
April 18, 2025 at 1:38 PM