Julbord

Counter-clockwise from 11 o'clock - herring, gravlax, lingonberry sauce, cucumber salad, kottbullar (Swedish meat balls), red beet salad, Julskinka (Swedish style Christmas Ham), prinskorv (Prince's sausage - Swedish cocktail franks), wedges of lax kallrokt (hot smoked salmon, served cold), and a soft roll.  In the center of the plate, another variety of herring and an apple salad; underneath the roll a creamy, dilled Swedish potato salad.

Glogg Alkoholfri - hot, spiced, non-alcoholic 'wine'

Swedish Rice Pudding with almonds

At Ikea, Houston.  There were other offerings on the buffet including hard boiled eggs with mayonnaise and shrimp, gravy for the meat balls, mashed potatoes, Janssen's Temptation (potato casserole), crisp bread and poached salmon with mustard sauce, Swedish cheeses and other desserts, but I didn't take a picture of my second, smaller plate.

Charcoal Rotisserie Chicken

Peruvian style charcoaled rotisserie half chicken with black beans and french fries,

from Super Chicken on South Post Oak at South Willow.

Turkey Sub

Turkey breast, tomatoes, mixed greens, dijon, mayonnaise, provolone and cranberry sauce on a baguette

from Zpizza.

Pate Chaud and Banh Mi

Pate Chaud and house special banh mi with butter, carrots, cucumbers, jalapenos, cilantro, ham, head cheese, white ham,

From Parisian Bakery and Sandwiches, 203 Dulles Ave., Stafford

Roti Chicken Kebab Wrap

Chicken kebab with chillis, cilantro and onion in a roti, with date/tamarind chutney and raita for dipping.

At Bismillah Restaurant.

Bombay Sandwich

Double-decker sandwich on grilled white bread with mashed potatoes, tomato, cucumber, onion, chaat masala and mint-coriander chutney, with ketchup and additional mint-coriander chutney for dipping, plus a tall glass of chaas.

at Sagar Indian Cuisine

Chicken Kabob Plate

Chicken Kabobs (with onion and bell pepper) on top of pieces of roasted eggplant with tabouli and stuffed grape leaves, plus pitas

from Sharwarma King.

Salmon Skewer

Greek salad with fresh baked, warm flat bread and za'taar dip.

Wood grilled salmon skewer with vegetable skewer and Mediterranean rice

at Sayad Mediterranean Grill, 12225 Westheimer

Kerala Buffet

None of the dishes were labeled.  From 11 o'clock - Fish cutlets, a mild pickle involving a cucumber like vegetable and red pepper, an eggplant curry, a curry involving a gourd, red onion, Beef Fry, Cabbage Thoran.  In the center, rice topped with what turned out to be some sort of fruit in yogurt.

at Kerala Thanima, Missouri City

Gujarati Thali Too

From the top, Turia Patra (bitter gourd wrapped in colocasia - taro leaves - sliced and fried); dal (spilled); butter rotis on top of rice; onion and chilli pakodas on top of rice; garlic pickle; Doodh Pak (a variety of kheer/payasam); Chilli pickle; Red Chori Beans (adzuki); Potatoes and bell peppers; pappadum.  Pooran Poli was also served.

at Vishala Restaurant and Grocery

Dahi Puri

Puri shells with yogurt, date-tamarind and mint chutneys, chickpeas, diced onions, tomatoes and mango, sev and cilantro,

at Indian Spices and Snacks, 7320 US 90A, Sugar Land, Texas

Falafel Plate

with tahini sauce, pickles, tomatoes, peppers and onions, Lebanese salad and babaganough

from the drive-thru at Fadi's Mediterranean Grill, Sugar Land, TX

Chicken Afghani Korma

with rice and naan,

at Aga's Indo-Pakistani Restaurant, 11842 Wilcrest @ Southwest Freeway, Houston

Gujarati Thali

Clock-wise from 12 o'clock (some dishes were labeled only by principal ingredient and some were mislabeled):  puri and pappadum, white dhokla, potato cutlet, 'paneer' (paneer, peas, carrots, green beans, baby limas), dal, burfi, lemon pickle, cabbage (warm shredded cabbage, chilli,herbs), 'mixed beans' (only black eyed peas), rice.  In the separate cup, mango pudding.  Freshly made rotis and pooran polis were repeatedly brought around.

There were several more items on the steam table portion and maybe a dozen more on the cold table (desserts, salad, fruit).

at Bhojan, 5901 Hillcroft,(new location).

Vegetarian Sampler Platter

Cold plate - cucumber dill yogurt with walnuts, 3 kinds of hummus, muhammara, tabouli, lentils, Lebanese salad, mushrooms, herbs and spices and olive oil,

Warm plate - green beans, squash, potatoes, cauliflower, eggplant and rice, served with a warm, fresh baked pita,

from the Drive-thru window at Fadi's Mediterranean Grill, Sugar Land

Turkish Appetizers and Dessert

Mixed Cold Appetizer Plate - Cacik, Hummus, Patlican Salata, served with wedges of bazlava, a thick pita like bread,

Hot Appetizers - Baby Lahmacun - paper-thin Turkish crepes; non-spicy on the left, spicy on the right, one each, split, with shredded lettuce and pickled red cabbage

 Fırında Sütlaç - Turkish Rice Pudding, served chilled

at Nazif's.

Crab Roll

Half crab roll, lightly dressed with mayonnaise on a warmed roll

with an order of mini whoopee pies, house-made

@ Maine-ly Sandwiches, Shepherd location

Sucuklu Pi̇de

Turkish Sausage Pizza - mozzarella, egg and Turkish sausage (sucuk or sujuk) in a kayak shaped pide.  Served with lightly dressed salad with tomato, cucumber and romaine,

at Nazif's, Houston

Curry Khausa (Burmese Noodles)

Chicken and noodles in a curry based on coconut milk with garlic and spices, garnished with crispy fried onions and cilantro.  Said to be a popular dish in Myanmar and also in parts of India with Burmese immigrants.

At Nikoz Fusion Grill, 16754 Southwest Freeway @ Sweetwater Blvd., Sugar Land, Tx

Bánh mì đặc biệt

Special combo sandwich - Vietnamese baguette, Vietnamese cold cuts, rich mayonnaise, pate, marinated carrots and daikon, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno and sauces.

At Paris Sandwich Cafe, 8282 Bellaire

Bánh mì thịt nướng

Vietnamese Chargrilled Pork sandwich - tender, smoky pork, marinated carrots, cucumber, jalapeno, and cilantro on a buttered crusty Vietnamese baguette (veggies underneath the meat).

at Pho Tan Mai, Stafford

Hot Dogs

Two dogs (Sabrett's) on well-toasted buns, with mustard, sauerkraut and relish, at Ekko's Greek American Deli.

Brisket, Sausage and Pulled Pork

Thick cut smoked beef brisket,

Beef and pork sausage links,

at Killen's BBQ, Pearland

Frito Pie Burger

 

1/3 pound patty, chili, cheese, Fritos, grilled onion and jalapeno strips, on a freshly toasted bun @ Hubcap Grill in the Heights.

Pulled Pork and Brisket

Pulled Pork and Brisket plate with Green Beans and Coleslaw @ Gatlin's BBQ.

Three Piece Chicken Dinner

Three piece fried chicken dinner with Italian Pasta Salad and Mustard Potato Salad,

from the Signature Cafe @ Randall's (Safeway).

Double Spicy Spam Musubi

The Frederick - skillet fried teriyaki marinated Spam on a bed of furikake sprinkled sushi rice wrapped in seaweed at Phamily Bites food truck.

Muffalettas

A recent mini-obsession.  From best to worst.

New Orleans Muffaletta (1/2) with oven baked ham, salami, homemade olive mix, and mozzarella on muffaletta loaf, with

spicy boudin link, at Abe's Cajun Market & Cafe, Clear Lake.

King's Muffaletta (1/2) - Ham, Turkey, Salami, Provolone, Signature Olive Dressing on Muffaletta Bread

from Houston's Famous Deli, 2130 Holly Hall

New Orleans Muffaletta (1/2) - Logan Farms Honey Ham, Genoa Salami, Swiss and Provolone cheeses, melted, and shop-made olive salad, with chips and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookie.

@ Logan Farms Market Cafe

Shish Taouk and Falafel

Taouk (chicken kabab) wrap with pickles, tomato and tahini sauce, plus falafel with tahini

at Abdallah's Bakery and Restaurant, 3939 Hillcroft

Brisket and Sausage plate

An order of lean and fatty brisket plus sausage (2 meats, 1 side)

at Fargo's Pit BBQ, 720 N. Texas (Texas 6 Business), Bryan

Named one of the 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas by Texas Monthly, 2013, with a score of 4.5 out of 5.

Beef ribs, brisket and pork ribs

On the left, beef ribs.  On the right, fatty brisket atop pork ribs.

At Killen's BBQ Pop-up @ Killen's Steakhouse, Pearland.

Soup and Wurst

Hungarian Goulash Soup with beef tips, potatoes, paprika and parsley

Weisswurst with Austrian potato salad

at King's Biergarten, Pearland