Dish of the Week: Art Car Curry at Jenni's Noodle House
One of these days, I'll do a post rounding up all the best Houston-themed dishes in local restaurants, i.e., the Olajuwon at Kahn's Deli and this week's Dish of the Week: Art Car Curry at Jenni's Noodle House. For today, however, let's just focus on what makes the Art Car Curry so craveable aside from its irresistable name.
Jenni's Noodle House
2027 Post Oak Blvd. (and two other locations)
713-666-3537
noodlesrule.com
The Art Car Curry is a vegan dish, but this shouldn't stop carnivores from ordering it. The fragrant yellow curry, thick with coconut milk, could make a dishrag taste good. Luckily, instead of a dishrag, the curry covers an assorment of tender vegetables: potatoes, whole baby carrots, and meaty straw mushrooms (these are my favorite, and I always eat them all first).
Also soaking up that rich curry: jasmine rice and cubes of tofu that have just enough bite to them. If, for some reason, you find the Art Car Curry too spicy, don't worry; Jenni's will re-cook it for you, along with adding a $6 "wuss charge" to your bill. (Hey, don't be a wuss.)
Disco Dumplings
Image: Katharine Shilcutt
Jenni's Noodle House has long offered a menu that's attractive to people on all parts of the dietary spectrum, from vegan dishes like the Art Car Curry and Angry Udon (wuss warning: "angry" means "super spicy") to vegetarian options like Faux Pho (available only at its Shepherd Dr. location) and the Teddy's Not Gay Noodles.
There are also plenty of gluten-free dishes—in fact, much of the menu is naturally gluten-free by virtue of its pan-Asian inspiration, which features rice noodles and buckwheat noodles in many applications. And for carnivores, there's a delicious chili oil beef ramen, a steak salad, and plenty more. Which is why I so often end up cheating when I come here to eat a vegetarian meal and give in to its famous meat-filled Disco Dumplings.
Lucky for me, there's a "teaser" size of Disco Dumplings that features only two deep-fried pork dumplings, as opposed to the regular size that comes with five, in a bowl of tangy vinegar sauce. A little indulgence here and there is what keeps us all from going crazy after all, right?
