The 2023 Eater Houston Vacation Present Information

‘Tis the season of gifting, and for a spot like Houston, the place meals is definitely a love language, it’s no shock that the town’s many eating places, cooks, and creatives are packaging up a few of their favourite food-focused gadgets for the vacations. Other than clearly edible goodies, like goodies, salsas, spices, and smoked meats, there are additionally the items that carry on giving — like cookbooks, cooking courses, dishware, and branded swag that may function a standing reminiscence or expertise {that a} beloved recipient gained’t need to overlook.

Right here, Eater Houston has made it simpler for you by compiling a few of the most intriguing, flavorful, and Houston-centric items that meals lovers will get pleasure from.

Kin Dee Hand-Painted Dishware

Kin Dee

Lukkaew Srasrisuwan, the restauranteur behind Thai restaurant Kin Dee and the luxe fine-dining institution MaKiin, has sought to deliver a real Thai eating expertise to Houston — and all of it comes all the way down to the wonderful particulars, together with dishware. Now, diners who’ve fallen in love with a few of Kin Dee’s signature hand-painted dishes can deliver these intricate designs house or present them for the vacation. Kin Dee’s whole dishware assortment, together with its golden teapot ($20), its cappuccino cup ($20), its Pad Thai leaf plate ($20), serving tray ($110), gold cutlery set full with chopsticks ($15), and choose glassware, is now on sale. All orders, positioned on Kin Dee’s present web site or ordered in individual on the restaurant, are shipped instantly from Thailand.

Cacao & Cardamom’s Chocolate Present Units

Cat Modlin-Jackson

Texas chocolatier Annie Rupani expertly melds the world of spice and chocolate, making for chocolatey, virtually majestic bliss. Her chocolate enterprise Cacao & Cardamom presents lovely containers of hand-painted goodies — all the pieces from its satisfying units of eight truffles ($18) to its most decadent, all-inclusive Final Bon Bon Assortment, which comes with 80 truffles that embody its signature, basic consolation, and darkish chocolate collections. Better of all, Rupani stays in tune with the annual calendar, which means it’s simple to search out themed units, together with Diwali, Nutcracker, Sweet Cane, and vacation sweater-themed morsels that cater to the vacations.

Goode Firm’s Pies, Smoked Meats, and Condiments

Goode Firm

Really harness the Houston vacation with Goode Firm’s varied Texas treats. The family-owned restaurant group is at all times promoting its iconic Brazos Backside pecan pie ($54), however this 12 months, Goode’s packaging them in customized memento wooden containers which might be fire-branded with “Made in Texas” and its motto, “You would possibly give some severe thought to thanking your luck stars you’re in Texas,” so there’s no mistaking its origin.

Faucet into the town’s smoking meat tradition with Goode’s vacuum-sealed smoked meats, together with complete turkeys which might be cured in brown sugar and smoked over mesquite, plus jerky, smoky brisket, slow-smoked barbecue ribs, smoked beef tenderloin, and sausage samplers accessible a la carte, as mixture packs, or samplers. For skilled people who smoke, hold it easy with Goode’s collection of spices, rubs, and barbecue sauces — all of which can be found on-line at Goode’s Corridor of Flame web site.

A Sushi Class at Aya Sushi

Jenn Duncan

Reap the advantages from this present that retains on giving. Aya Sushi presents month-to-month hands-on sushi courses via the vacation season the place company can learn to make the classics, together with maki, crudo, and nigiri. The entertaining chef Yoshi Katsuyama presents an interactive expertise on the Bellaire restaurant’s coated patio, full with cocktails and a house sushi package with a slicing board, knife, rolling mat, and chopsticks to take house as a memento. Tickets might be bought on Eventbrite for the subsequent class on Saturday, November 18, or e-mail reservations@ayasushi.com for a present card that can be utilized for the category.

Pico’s Tamales

Annie Mulligan

The vacation season and tamales season in Houston are one and the identical. Fortunately, eating places like Picos perceive the excessive demand. This 12 months, the restaurant is providing up its Norteños-style 3-ounce corn husk tamales, its Oaxaqueños Type 6-ounce banana leaf wrapped tamales, and candy tamales by the half and full dozen for pick-up, supply, and delivery nationwide. Flavors embody the basic pork or beef in crimson chile, rooster in inexperienced chile, black bean and cheese, portobello mushroom and huitlacoche, and chipilin. Orders might be positioned via January 6 in-store, over the cellphone, or on-line on the Picos web site or on Goldbelly for orders outdoors of the Houston space.

The Woodlands Resort Present Field

Audrey Carni

Supply a style of Texas with the Woodlands Resorts’ present basket. This curated package deal presents a bunch of home-grown goodies, together with a Winfields Chocolate Bar, Texas Hill Nation Olive Oil, Native Honey Harvested from the resort’s hives, San Saba River Pecan Firm preserves, Texas marble charcuterie board, and a candle for $136. Buy the candles — the Woodlands Candle and Spruce Candle — individually to seize the essence of the Woodlands Resort resort and a soothing getaway at house.

Cochinita & Co. Salsa Macha

For these on the lookout for a splash of nutty spice to any (and each) meal, Cochinita & Co. chef Victoria Elizondo’s salsa macha is a dreamy present. The restaurant, which just lately made Eater Houston’s Important 38, presents the salsa by the jar, plus different goodies like totopos and tostaditos for dipping and dunking. Add Elizondo’s Tacotastic cookbook, which is full of greater than 60 recipes for Taco Tuesday, to seal the deal.

Backstreet Cafe’s Brandy Fruit Cake

Paula Murphy

There’s plenty of division in the case of fruit cake’s place on a vacation unfold, however Backstreet Cafe’s isn’t your common recipe. Award-winning pastry chef Ruben Ortega bakes up a lighter, more energizing, boozier model with brandy-soaked dried fruits — a mix of apricots, raisins, cherries, figs, pineapple, cranberries, and prunes — plus recent apples, pecans, ginger, orange zest, lemon zest, and orange juice. The ten-inch cake can also be packaged in a cute Backstreet branded tin, which makes for a enjoyable memento. Orders might be positioned now for delivery in December.

Phat Eatery Swag

Alex Au-Yeung

Followers of Katy’s Malaysian restaurant Phat Eatery can now present their loyalty with cheeky merchandise, together with ball caps ($30), T-shirts ($30), and tumblers ($20) with sayings like “WTF,” Phat’s acronym for “Wow Tasty Meals” or its oft sold-out shirt with the pun-ny “Phat Folks Are Tougher to Kidnap.” Present playing cards to the restaurant are additionally accessible.

Brennan of Houston’s Legendary Pralines

Brennan’s of Houston

Give these lacking a style of house one thing candy to savor. Houston’s iconic restaurant Brennan’s now presents its New Orleans-style mushy pralines for order on-line and ships nationwide, permitting these close to and much to get pleasure from a practice first launched in 1983. A field of a dozen will run you $25 plus delivery, or you possibly can go for a field of pralines, with a $50 present card for $75.

A Hugo’s-themed Present Set

Hugo’s

Houston’s James Beard Award-winning Mexican chef Hugo Ortega is bringing the heat of Mexican delicacies to kitchens across the nation with this present field ($60). Every field comes full with a personalised copy of Ortega’s Road Meals of Mexico cookbook, plus a molinillo, or conventional Mexican wooden wisk, two Hugo’s mugs, and 9-ounce tables of Hugo’s housemade chocolate — good for making mole or Mexican scorching chocolate in any house kitchen.

Pier 6 Merchandise

Pier 6

This San Leon sea-side seafood restaurant is getting into its area of interest with a brand new line of clothes and swag that’s good for followers, fishing fanatics, or pals who simply love being by the water. Discover outsized “Oyster” hoodies, breezy fishing shirts, bikinis, nifty bucket hats, Pier 6-branded baseball caps to shade you from the solar, and a lot extra.

Candy treats from Dessert Gallery

This Higher Kirby bakery and cafe has provided a few of the most decadent desserts year-round, nevertheless it will get notably festive for the vacations, which makes for simple gifting for family members with a candy tooth. Vacation favorites embody its To-Die-Fo Fudge Pecan pies; the Lone Star Sweets set, an assortment of Texas-themed cookies; and the Xmas Log, which options layers of chocolate, creamy white filling, and ganache, in 6- or 9-inch sizes. For these seeking to present an interactive expertise, attempt the adorning cookie kits, which are available in Hannukah, Christmas, and Interfaith themes, for one thing for the household to do collectively. Try DG’s menu of seemingly infinite treats for pick-up and delivery regionally and nationwide.