Hidden Treasures: Boardwalk on Bulverde

When I asked my husband to go with me to eat a taco truck, I got a resounding ‘no’. Even when I told him there was also a Moroccan food truck. And a barbecue truck. And a cupcake truck.

I finally got my chance to try the Boardwalk on Bulverde when a friend visited from out of town. An adventurous friend, who loved the idea.

Tucked away on the Northeast side is what looks a bit like a gypsy camp- half a dozen food trucks of various shapes and sizes encircle a picnic area with playground and strings of party lights. Some nights a portable projector shows a Spurs game or American Idol.

The trucks are powered by generators, which sometimes go out, shutting down a truck for a few minutes or, at night time, blacking out the eating space. Nevertheless it seems like a place where neighbors can meet- a real sense of community pops up and people share tables with strangers, Freetail Brewery  brings a free keg out nearly every Friday and Saturday and the staff at the trucks joke with you while they take your order. A friendly server hunts down a glass of ice for my dad then chats with him about moving to the US from Belgium.

The food isn’t half bad either- but I will leave that commentary to some much more eloquent foodies at Yelp, on various food blogs and in the newspaper.

Houston’s Finest 24 hour dining

Houston has something to offer every culinary taste, depending on the neighborhood and time of day. If you’re a bit of a night owl, the choices can be limited but you can still go beyond fast food. The first place to try is Chacho’s, some of the best Tex-Mex you’ll ever eat and open 24 hours a day. Until 2am you can get wonderful frozen margaritas, that have quite a bit of a kick. Try the chicken flautas and you’ll never want them anywhere else again. I usually go with a simple black bean taco or steak fajita taco, both delicious. They don’t have a lot to offer the health concious, but then again what are the health concious doing up past 10?
Not even three blocks away is the House of Pies, which serves much more than pie, but truly pie is king. There are dozens of varieties of pie, including a wonderful strawberry rhubarb, something I’ve never seen before outside my mother’s kitchen. If you’ve never been try it, or try the house special ‘Bayoo Goo’, a chocolately, sticky concoction that goes great with coffee. The food does leave a little to be desired, but is totally edible and you can even find something remotely healthy like a vegetable soup or turkey sandwich.
If you’re closer to downtown, try Bibas (aka Greek Village) on West Gray.  The spanakopita is crispy and flaky, the souvlaki is hot and juicy and the coffee is fresh. I hear the gyro is pretty awesome as well. You may run into many interesting people, students from Rice up late talking to friends, slightly inebriated folks trying to sober up with a greek sandwich or a couple out on a late night date. Overall the venue feels like college, but the food is not reminscent of your school cafeteria.
The atmosphere is unique no matter which dive you choose. Chacho’s late night is filled with the pre or post nightclub crowd, and occasionally a family. You can certainly call it diverse. House of Pies is mostly filled with couples, professionals out for coffee and pie or young adults catching up with a friend. The older crowd is usually gone by 9pm. Either place offers quick takeaway and is very inexpensive. When you’re up past 10 and have a big hunger try one, or maybe one and then the other. They are sure to satisfy.