Houston Takes Center Stage in Netflix’s New Documentary Food Series High On The Hog

Welcome to AM Intel in the time of coronavirus, a round-up of the city’s newest bits of restaurant-related intel. Follow Eater on Facebook and Twitter for up-to-date details on how COVID-19 is impacting the city’s dining scene.

Houston takes center stage in Netflix series on Black foodways

A new Netflix series focused on the influence of Black culture on American cuisine takes a close look at Southeast Texas in its fourth and final episode.

High on the Hog, which debuts for streaming on May 26, follows African-food historian Jessica B. Harris and food writer Stephen Satterfield as they travel through West Africa and the United States, tracking the influence of the Africa diaspora on culinary culture in America. The four-part series sees the duo travel from Benin to Charleston, S.C., Pennsylvania, and New York before heading South, to the Texas Gulf Coast, for the final episode, according to the Houston Chronicle.

While in Texas, Satterfield talks about the history of Juneteenth with Black Girl Baking’s Jerrelle Guy; meets and rides with Black trail riders in Rosenburg; eats barbecue at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Huntsville; and hooks up with pitmaster Greg Gaitlin of Gaitlin’s BBQ in Houston. The episode ends with a meal at Lucille’s, the Museum District restaurant run by the grandson of an African-American culinary pioneer.

High on the Hog debuts on Netflix May 26. All four episodes will be available for streaming.

New Anglo-Indian cafe and wine bar debuts at M-K-T Heights

Da Gama Canteen, a new Indian restaurant and coffee shop from the owners of Oporto Fooding House, is now open in the new M-K-T development at Shepherd and 6th Street in the Heights. Whereas Oporto takes its inspiration from Portuguese cuisine, Da Gama is inspired by the Portuguese-Indian territories of Goa, East Africa, and Portugal. (The restaurant’s name is a reference to 15th Century Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama.)

Fans of The Queen Vic, owners’ Shiva and Rick Di Virgili’s British-Indian pub which closed in 2018, will find similar cuisine at De Gama, including dishes like Q.V.’s Lamb Kebab, served with gunpowder fries, and Mom’s Chicken Curry, in a tomato-coconut milk sauce. The restaurant also has a Chai Naasto cafe window, perfect for M-K-T shoppers to grab a coffee or snack while window-browsing.

Latin Restaurant Weeks returns June 1

Latin Restaurant Weeks, the two-week celebration of Houston Latin and Latin-owned culinary businesses, will return June 1 with twice as many restaurants as previous years. More than 45 restaurants will participate in the event, which runs through June 14, offering discounts on signature dishes and special prix-fixe menus. Participating restaurants include La Fisheria, Tony’s Tex Mex, Harris County General Store BBQ, Paisa’s Twin, and more Mexican, barbecue, Puerto Rican, Central and South American and fusion restaurants. See a full list of participants here.