In the last couple of years, the acronym AMA has gone from a somewhat obscure reference to a subforum on a website called Reddit to a full-fledged internet phenomenon. This growth in popularity was sparked in large part by President Barack Obama's decision to participate in an AMA—short for "ask me anything," a session in which a person/celebrity/public figure submits to unfiltered questioning from the general public in an open forum—in August 2012. Today, the AMA has become ubiquitous, with Reddit's past AMA sessions including everyone from Bill Gates and Neil deGrasse Tyson to a woman who was "mauled by a bear, fought it off, and drove 4 miles down a mountain with [her] face hanging off."

AMA sessions in other subforums on Reddit's site are less frequent, with very few occurring in the popular subreddit devoted to Houston. Yesterday, however, chef Mark Cox of the highly-regarded Mark's American Cuisine in Montrose surprised the subforum by popping up for an afternoon-long AMA session in which he gamely answered dozens of questions from Houston diners. Below are our 10 favorite answers from Cox's AMA, which proved to be both entertaining and useful.

On the weirdest time a diner sent a dish back to the kitchen:

This one time, a couple comes in and sits at a table, opens the menu, orders a custom off-the menu Italian dish which we were happy to execute since this is a scratch kitchen. They start eating, then realize they weren't even in the right restaurant. They thought they were at Da Marco and were confused why we didn't have any Italian food on the menu! No harm no foul, but we had a nice laugh about the whole thing.

On what he cooks at home:

Well, at home I make a mean tuna fish & noodles. I save the fancy stuff for my restaurant, it's all one-pot cooking when I'm preparing something for myself. Bet that surprised some of you huh?

On his current favorite restaurants:

Out of the current restaurants, I really respect what Tony's and Brennan's are doing and they are near and dear to my heart. For Japanese, I love what Addison is doing over at KUU. Can't forget BCN, Chef Luis is great.

On his knife of choice:

A Henckels Classic 8" Chef's Knife. I keep it pretty simple. I also have a whole set of Globals.

On what Houston's official dish should be:

Well, Ninfa mainstreamed the fajita in 1972. A struggling single mother, using skirt steak, started serving them over on Navigation, and the rest is history! So, fajitas...and chili...and bbq (but only Texas bbq).

On his restaurant's former life as legendary clothing store Dream Merchant:

On the urge to keep up with current dining trends:

There's always a pressure to change I think, no matter the industry, and the restaurant industry is one of the biggest "trend-following" industries around. Staying true to yourself not only ensures that you're able to master your craft, but I believe that people can taste the passion in your work if you truly believe in it. I've worked with a myriad of techniques, ingredients, cuisines and styles of plating, but at the end of the day, I'm just me.

We're always experimenting and keeping track of what's going on in the industry. We're always going forward with our cuisine but we're never straying too far from what we believe separates us from other restaurants and frankly, what has given us the opportunity to serve Houstonians for 18 years. So, in summary, there's always pressure to change, but the disappointment that would come along with changing for the sake of changing just wouldn't suit me.

On Houston as a dining destination:

I think that Houston is STILL one of the most underrated restaurant markets in the country, and its not just because of the great young chefs that are coming up, but because of the quick rise of our dining culture and their knowledge. It takes knowledgeable diners to create great chefs and to push limits, and its great to see Houstonians turning into foodies.

I think we're right near that Chicago/L.A./NYC quality, but there's still a stigma around Houston as a tourist destination. That's beginning to change, but we still have a way to go. Renovating Buffalo Bayou and focusing on bringing up business downtown certainly helps that. In the next few years I think you'll see Houston become more modern, have more experimental cuisine with more tasting menus leaning towards protein-centric plates with an emphasis on quality. That's where I see things going.

On how the oil and gas markets affect Houston's economy:

Great question. Especially in fine dining, O&G is a big driver of revenue. I feel terrible for all the people getting laid off right now in that industry, because so many of them are loyal guests of ours. Like most things, the boom-bust cycle is just that, a cycle. Understanding how to limit overhead and adjust quickly is the key to success, and understanding where to redirect expenditures to get full value out of it can also help. From my understanding, it affects everyone throughout the city, but its certainly nothing new that most of the old guard haven't experienced before.

On cooking sous vide at home:

You know, the best way to go about practicing sous vide is to just document everything you're doing and adjust from there. One thing I will say is that for vegetables, take it down right below simmering, to 175 degrees, otherwise you won't break down the fibers. Overall, just document based on the product you're buying but here's a general guide:

Beef Ribeye - 145 degrees for 15-20 minutes (thicker cut for 30 mins), Chicken - 155 degrees for 20 minutes, Short Ribs - 155 degrees for 48 hours, Lamb Belly - 170 degrees for 11 hours,

There are others..but then this response would be so long you'd be reading until your eyesight goes!

On what makes Houston a culinary capital:

As for what makes Houston a great food city, I'd say it's the underdog attitude of Houston. It used to be that there was this inferiority complex that hung over a lot of diners way back in the day, but now you see that humility turning into confidence in what we stand for. We're a hard-working city that gets after it even when its 100 degrees out, and more and more diners are willing to venture out into different cuisines, which coincides with the melting pot of cultures that Houston has.

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