Virgin Australia Voyeur — May 2017

MAY 2017VIRGIN AUSTRALIA 063

EAT

In 1984, Hugo Ortega crossed

the Rio Grande to get to the

US from his native Mexico

and Houstonians remain

eternally grateful. His famed

flagship Hugo’s ( 1600

Westheimer Rd; http://www.hugos

restaurant.net) and seafood-

based sister Caracol ( 2200

Post Oak Bvd; http://www.caracol.net)

are known for their Sunday

Mexican bufet brunches,

with sumptuous food and

cocktails especially kind to

those still feeling the night

before. Helen Greek Food

and Wine (2429 Rice Bvd; http://www.

helengreekfoodandwine.com)

makes quintessentially Greek

village food in a Gulf Coast

kitchen, merging fresh,

seasonal produce from both

regions. Try Frixos Catch,

a whole fish guaranteed to

have been caught in the four

hours before it hits your plate.

Blacksmith Cafe ( 1018

Westheimer Rd; http://www.blacksmith

houston.com) proves you can

get great cofee in America,

and features a selection

of healthy breakfasts and

lunches, too. You can’t come

to Texas without indulging

in a steak, and Pappas

Bros Steakhouse ( 5839

Westheimer Rd; http://www.pappas

bros.com) is where you’ll find

locals getting their fix. Stop by

Ninfa’s on Navigation ( 2704

Navigation Bvd; http://www.ninfas.

com) to see where ‘Mama’

Ninfa Laurenzo is said to have

introduced Americans to the

food of Mexican labourers on

the Rio Grande — the fajita.

Watch the tortillas being

made by hand in the open

kitchen as you enjoy a frozen

margarita and wait for your

sizzling dishes to arrive. To n y

Mandola’s (1212 Waugh Dr;

http://www.tonymandolas.com) serves

up classic Gulf Coast fare with

a heavy Louisiana accent. If

you’re looking for indulgence

of a diferent kind, head to the

patio of Captain Foxheart’s

Bad News Bar & Spirit Lodge

(308 Main St; +1 718 387 6962) for

a signature cocktail list that

reads like an autograph book.

Prepare to be utterly charmed by the house, created when
Milkovisch began inlaying marbles, rocks and metal pieces
into concrete and redwood to form unique features. When he
got “sick of mowing the grass”, he moved onto landscaping his
backyard with empty beer cans, then the facade of his house,
forming a guard of honour from some 50,0000 units of his
beloved drink, many consumed by the man himself.
On the walls of the house you’ll find quotes by Milkovisch,
providing insights into what motivated him. “They say every
man should leave something to be remembered by,” says one in
the living room. Above a portrait of the couple is a quote from
his wife Mary: “He thought beer cured everything.”
More than just a tribute to the tipple, the house is a perfectly
maintained exhibit of America’s golden age, with a turquoise
1950s kitchen that makes you feel like you’ve stepped on to
the set of Mad Men. Open the cupboards to see oferings of beer
cans left by fans from around the world.
Postal worker Jeferson Davis McKissack also turned his
passion for consumption into a life’s work, albeit consumption
of a much healthier kind. A devotee of the humble orange for
its nutritional value, McKissack spent almost 25 years creating
the Orange Show in homage to his favourite fruit, a fun fair-
styled outdoor exhibition made from scrap materials.
A loner with a vision of how the world ought to be, McKissack
was a quintessential ‘outsider’ artist, but in a sad twist, his
passion ended in tragedy, like many forebears of the genre.