The Beauty of Chocolate

There’s a new indulgence in the city of Houston, handmade chocolates that are as beautiful and interesting as the young entrepreneur who makes them.  I’m never one to pass up an opportunity to try fine chocolate, so when Al agreed to go with me to check out this new addition to the Houston food scene, I jumped at the chance.  Down to the Galleria area we went to visit Cacao & Cardamom.

Walking in the door, the rich wooden shelves and shining glass cases communicated a dedication to quality as well as an atmosphere of decadence. Dazzling like diamonds in a jewelry case, the beauty of these chocolate creations immediately caught our attention. If you could sculpt chocolate into gems, this would be the result.

Annie Rupani, the chocolatier and proprietor of Cacao & Cardamom, was standing behind the counter as we surveyed her goods.  With a friendly smile and confidence in her work, she eagerly introduced us to these chocolate creations. Using spices like Szechuan peppercorn, cardamom, rose water, black sesame, ginger or sweet basil and infusing them into guava, pineapple, coconut, strawberry and blueberry combined with the finest chocolates, Annie has created unique flavors that warm your spirit while delighting your taste buds.  

So glowingly beautiful that you almost don’t want to eat them, these handmade chocolate treats are both exotic and delicious. She uses a variety of colors and shapes to create a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.  Even the packaging, which displays each creation to perfection, adds to the overall experience.

Annie’s story is as interesting as her creations.  This young lady started her love affair with creating chocolates while still in college.  During her time at Boston University, she won the Miss Pakistan World contest, interned at the United Nations, and worked in the offices of Senator Ted Poe and the Texas Governor. Annie completed her degree in anthropology and took some time off from school before continuing on with a plan to attend law school.  During this break, she studied for the LSAT 6 days a week and with her one free day created chocolate treats.  Along the way she traveled to Pakistan to do volunteer work and attended a pastry school in Malaysia where she learned even more about chocolate.

Abandoning her plans to go to law school to pursue her passion, Annie worked as a chocolatier for a chef at a private club in Houston.  Her creations received immense recognition, including awards from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. With encouragement from these accomplishments, Annie decided to start her own business.  After success of selling chocolates over the internet for a year and a half, she opened her store front at the corner of Westheimer and Post Oak.

Following a pleasant conversation with Annie and purchasing a selection of chocolates, Al and I hurried home to try more of these chocolate gems.   We loved the blueberry lime and the garam masala pistachio flavors and are looking forward to sampling more of our treasured treats as we travel Texas Thru My Back Door!

Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum

 If you grew up in my era and dreamed of being a cowboy, you may have wanted to be a Texas Ranger. The Texas Rangers were the baddest of the best law officers in the world. With a star badge cut from a Mexican coin as his calling card, one ranger on a horse with two pistols blazing and a repeating rifle at his side could take on a whole gang of bad guys and win hands down. They never backed down and always got their man.

The Texas Rangers were the stuff of wild west legends. While in real life all the stories may not be exactly true, these men were heroes to the pioneering families of their times. They did their best to keep the peace in Texas then, as they still do today.

Visiting the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum is a must when you visit the Waco area. Whether you are interested in learning about frontier history, are a gun aficionado, or like western art and film memorabilia, you will find something fascinating at this museum. The “Larger than Life” law officers are individually displayed with stories, portraits and the elegantly engraved guns they possessed.

The rangers were known for introducing advanced weaponry into the Texas frontier.  In 1844, Captain John Coffee Hays learned that the Texas Navy had 5 shot revolving pistols available.  He obtained them for his Texas Ranger Company and the multi-shot pistols gave the Rangers a great advantage in their gun battles with the outlaws they tracked.

A little known fact about the Rangers is their involvement in surveying the Texas settlement. Their knowledge of the terrain and ability to defend themselves made them excellent candidates for this task and many Rangers supplemented their income by working as land surveyors.  Since Rangers were sometimes paid in land rather than cash, this also gave them the opportunity to identify the choice properties as their reward for protecting the citizens of Texas.

One of our favorite sections of the Museum was the popular culture area. Here we viewed many Lone Ranger collectibles, “Walker, Texas Ranger” memorabilia, movie posters about Texas Rangers as well as books about these heroes. We also enjoyed the collection of western art currently on display and the portraits of some of the earliest rangers. The artist masterfully captured in these portraits not only the man but one or more significant events in his life as a ranger.

As you leave the museum, you can’t help being proud of these Texans. Today, the men and women of the Texas Rangers are still the elite of Texas law enforcement. The stories of bravery and accomplishments still live on. Knowing they are still protecting us today just like they did in yesteryear is a comforting thought as we see Texas Thru My Back Door!

Dosey Doe – Music Café

 

On the outskirts of The Woodlands north of Houston one Friday evening, Suzanne and I had the chance to check out The Dosey Doe Music Café. The idea of listening to some good old Texas country music while eating a down home dinner sounded appealing. The café was just what we thought it would be – rustic and friendly. The staff of the café was courteous and helpful in every sense. The mismatched tables and chairs and country themed décor on the walls were to be expected, but the old wooden doors positioned on the ceiling were not. What we didn’t know until later, as explained by the announcer, was that the doors were positioned to create the best possible acoustics for this building. They were right on!

While waiting for our performer to grace the stage, we concentrated on the food and drink. Ordering up an appetizer of chicken-fried steak pieces with cream gravy and Shiner Bock beer was our starter. Suzanne opted for a Black Angus burger while I tried the cashew chicken salad sandwich. Both were excellent. Good food and great conversation made time fly as we waited for the show to begin.

Soon, the object of our quest arrived onstage, Gary P. Nunn. Gary is a Texas Hall of Fame Country Western Singer/Songwriter who has been around the Texas music scene since the early 70’s. He has played with the likes of Willie Nelson, Michael Murphey and Jerry Jeff Walker and wrote songs for Roseanne Cash, David Allan Coe, Jerry Jeff Walker and Willie Nelson. Gary’s iconic “London Sick Blues” performed by Jerry Jeff Walker at the beginning of PBS’s “Austin City Limits” is adored around the world.

The intimate stage setting was fantastic! It was like having Gary P. Nunn playing in your living room. Gary played for about an hour and a half without a break. He mixed the old with new songs off his latest album “Taking Texas to the Country”. Our favorite songs include “My Way or the Highway”, “Dreamer”, Feels like Texas”, “Adios Amigo”, and of course “Taking Texas to the Country”.

If you enjoy a close encounter with your favorite artist or searching for new talent to check out, Dosey Doe Music Café should be on your radar. Give them a look-see and let Suzanne and I know if you agree. Good food, good music and good beer are good reasons to see Texas Thru My Back Door!