Every week, we connect with an enterprising Houstonian and learn what they love to do and where they love to eat in Houston. This week’s “My Top 5“ features Houston pastry chef Sandia Horng, founder of Bite Macarons, who shares her own food-driven favorites around the Bayou City.
My Top 5 Things to Do in Houston
by Sandia Horng
- Houston Rodeo – Yee-haw, I’m a Texas girl! I love everything about the Rodeo in Houston, whether it be the fun games or the imaginative foods that the vendors have there. It’s a place where my inner child comes out and can truly enjoy some great family fun.
- Kata Robata Sushi & Grill – Not only is Japanese food my favorite food but I get a lot of my inspiration from techniques used in the Japanese art of cooking. Kata and Chef Horiuchi show great technique and emphasis on detail on their fish. And their O-Toro is one that I simply cannot live without when I visit. It’s an absolute butter-y favorite of mine.
- Houston’s – The romantic ambiance in this restaurant makes this a favorite place for my fiancé and I. From the moment we go inside, we’re always invigorated by the energetic heartbeat of the restaurant. We are creatures of habits and always start our course by sharing their home smoked salmon appetizer paired with their chef’s dressing. As for the main course, at least one of us will have to get their Hawaiian Ribeye. Honestly, this may be my favorite steak.
- Christy’s Donuts on Montrose – I used to go to Christy’s Donuts every Sunday morning to start my day. Go there a little later in the morning and you’ll see a long line of people waiting for fresh donuts and kolaches. This place defines the All-American, old-fashioned donut shop for me.
- Don Café –This is my go-to Vietnamese sandwich (Banh Mi) shop in China Town, and I’ve been a fan of Don’s since my middle school days in Houston. No matter what time I go there, I can always witness someone there assembling endless lines of sandwiches. This is my own hole-in-the-wall type of shop and one of the few places I still visit after so many years.
About Sandia Horng
Specializing on baking French macarons and desserts with a modern twist, Pastry Chef Sandia Horng conceptualized Bite Macarons and opened its in West University Place in Fall 2013. While Bite’s macarons are created true to the pastry’s authentic French roots, Chef Sandia infuses each of them with her unique personal signature. Each macaron is crafted to have a unique texture and distinctive not found in other bakeries. Before launching Bite Macarons, she also won online attention for her “Jordan XI Bred Cake,” a “sneaker-concept cake” so real that it was difficult to tell it apart from the original sneaker model. Still considered the best sneaker cake ever made, it was the subject of many popular forums, blogs and other international publications. Sandia was born in Houston and was raised here, as well as in Austria and Germany, which strongly influenced her European confections. You can watch Sandia discuss her inspiration and vision or learn more about her story on Bite Macarons’ website, where she plans to reveal a couple of new projects before Summer 2014.
