Symone's Favorite Dishes From The NOSH Culinary Showcase
Thursday evening I had the pleasure to attend the NOSH Culinary Showcase in honor of Houston Black Restaurant Week. This event had everything I love: food, food, drinks, dessert, and more food! I literally could not contain myself! To celebrate all the delicious dishes and beverages I had the opportunity to sample, here is a list of my top five favorite dishes from the night!
1. CHAI-MEATBALLS: Growing up, I became accustomed to my mother's meatballs, but I have never had anything quite like the Chai-meatball. The tantalizing meatball consists of: pineapple, cucumber, relish and sweet chili glaze. This honestly was my favorite food. It was truly love at first bite. In total, I ate four of the meatballs. I wanted more, but I did not want to seem like a fat, greedy pig. I will be placing an order with Flavaz Personal Chef Devown Hines for his meatballs very soon.
2. Chicken with smoked peanut & sesame seed: Have you ever tried chicken, smoked peanut, and sesame seeds? If you answered no, then I am with you. I have never heard of someone mixing these three ingredients together either. I am a chicken lover, but I'm not a fan of peanuts and sesame seeds. Thursday night, I was feeling bold, and I was also mesmerized by the look of the dish. Javani King of JK+Co had the set-up looking absolutely amazing! Not to mention,he grilled the chicken to perfection! The thing that I enjoyed most about this dish was that it was sweet. I didn’t taste any peanuts! Yummy!
3. Mikki’s Soul Food Café: I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I have lived in Texas all my life and I have never tried Mikki’s Soul Food. I know you are most likely thinking "Girl, why not?Mikki’s is a staple restaurant in the Houston area,” Well as of Thursday night, you can consider me a stan for Mikki’s. I tried their peach tea, along with some ox tails, macaroni (my fave thing to eat),cornbread and greens. I was very impressed, and all I could think about is how my dad eats at Mikki’s and doesn't share his food with me. I can see why! I’m very picky 
about my mac & cheese, and they hit the nail on the head! It was the prefect blend of cheese, milk, and pepper.
4. Sugar Bear: It would be strange for me to title my blog “Syppin With Symone” without me offering suggestions that you should “syp on.” Martell Cognac was the official drink sponsor for the showcase. Before the bar competition, we were able to sample the drinks that would be judged. My good friend Brenda of Brennew.com tried the Sugar Bear, which consists of fresh honey, lemon, and of course Martell. Check out our reaction below!
5. My Dainty Cupcakes: I’m no stranger to tasting My Dainty Cupcakes! I met her a while ago,and feel in love with her miniature cupcakes! They are small (dainty) which makes them perfect to throw in your tote bag as a snack! Did I mention how cute the cupcakes are? They are topped with white frosting with hints of gold. How adorable is that!
Food wasn't the only thing that had the Nosh Showcase popping Thursday night. As stated above, there was a bar tender challenge held. Some of the judges included the likes of Houston rapper Kirko Bangz and Tay Mitch from Martell. They judged three bartenders on their ability to create a tasty beverage using the drink of the night-- Martell. The winner was Andrew, who created the "Sugar Bear." The judges loved his drink just as much as they loved his presentation.
There was a special surprise guest during the night! Actor and comedian Chris Tucker dropped by The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum. I was shocked! I watch this man in Michael Jackson's "You Rock My World" video at least once a week. I can tell that he is a very nice person. Everyone bomb-rushed him to get a picture. He didn't turn anyone away. I think that is a very noble thing to do, considering the fact that he was trying to eat his food.
Overall, I really enjoyed myself. The Houston Black Restaurant Week pays homage African American & Caribbean dishes! The two- week event kicked off on April 16 and will go until the 29th. For a full list of the restaurants that are participating, visit TheHoustonBlackRestaurantWeek.com. #syppinwithsymone #lemonlimelightmedia #houstonblackrestaurantweek #loveatfirstbite #houston