Hugo's

Mexican Cuisine...with a Special Surprise!

On Tuesday night I met my adventurous food friend Kristi for a unique dining experience in the Montrose area.  I love this classy restaurant housed in an 88 year old building, with the luxuries of valet parking and world class recipes created by Chef Hugo Ortega.   Kristi and I were eager to participate in Houston Restaurant Week, which supports the Houston Food Bank.  It was all about enjoying a delicious feast, not a dining blog write up.  Let 100 other bloggers write about Hugo's and I'll share about the places that don't usually get any attention. But... there was one curious dish that made me decide this outing was blog worthy.

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My Meal

It wasn't this platter of food that I'm talking about.  My achiote rubbed ribs and cemita, which is a classic Mexican sandwich of braised pork, guajillo pineapple sauce and mango pico de gallo...was excellent.  

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Kristi's Meal

It wasn't the Costilla de Borrego, wood-grilled rack of lamb in mole coloradito sauce.  It wasn't the very cute yam tamale either.  Although that was Kristi's favorite, even though it took a while before she realized eating the edible-looking green leaves was not a good idea.

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Appetizers and Dessert?

It wasn't the crisp potato tacos or the dried Ancho pepper stuffed with housemade chorizo. They were both yummy. (however the pepper was  pretty darn hot.)

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The chocolate crepes with mousse and black berries were mighty tasty.  And the corn flan with caramelized peaches was even tastier...but I still haven't gotten to the highlight!

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It was this!

This was actually the first thing we ate.  In truth, it is this dish that lured us to this dining night at Hugo's.  We look pretty excited...or maybe nervous about what we're tasting.

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Chapulines

We asked our server if she liked the pan-sautéed grasshoppers and she said no.  She did remind us that it came with guacamole and chipotle salsa, so we could munch on that if we decided we didn't like the little insects.  I was surprised at the salty, tangy flavor when I took my first bite.  In the bowl it looked like chopped mushrooms.  "Not bad!" I thought.  Then I put on my glasses and had a closer look.

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Oh Man!

That thing has legs...and some antennae!  We had a whole bowl of these tiny critters!  I'd say we did a pretty good job, but we didn't finish the bowl.

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A more scientific look...

I did have a moment of fretting when I felt a tiny leg perhaps, poking me far  back in the gums.  I shared this news with Kristi, since I wasn't sure how to gracefully remove it. Then I had a moment of relief when I realized all was good. "No problem." I told Kristi.  "I'm having my teeth cleaned tomorrow at 9!"  My grasshopper part finally came loose, but I did share the story
with my hygienist the next day.  I waited until she was done cleaning!


Yea for grasshopper dining!
 

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