Houston highlights dumplings, kebabs, pastries

Click2Houston published a new “Eat Like a Local” installment on May 16 that sent host Chris Shepherd to three Houston-area food stops for Turkish kebabs, handmade dumplings and Yemeni-Mexican pastries. The KPRC 2 feature framed the episode around places “tucked inside gas stations, strip plazas and places you’ve passed by a dozen times without stopping,” according to the station’s write-up. Shepherd’s route in the published episode ran from Southwest Freeway to the Katy corridor and then west Houston. The report and companion video were posted Saturday morning, and KPRC 2 said the show airs Saturdays at 10 a.m. ### Which places did Chris Shepherd actually feature? Beikos Mediterranean Cuisine at 6800 Southwest Freeway was the first stop named in Click2Houston’s article. The station said the restaurant sits behind an Ethiopian restaurant and next to a car lot, a location it described as easy to miss from one of Houston’s busiest roads. The meal shown there included mezze such as hummus, baba ganoush, roasted eggplant salad and an ezme-style dip, followed by kebabs, manti dumplings in yogurt sauce, simit bread and rice. (click2houston.com) Dumplingholic House at 20940 Katy Freeway, Suite F, was the second stop in the episode. Click2Houston said Shepherd went there for dumplings and noodles, and described the kitchen as hand-pulling noodles and rolling fresh dumpling skins for each dish. The station’s write-up said he ordered steamed and pan-fried dumplings, with pan-fried versions filled with pork, shrimp and cabbage, followed by soup dumplings. (click2houston.com) Yemex Bakehouse & Specialty Coffee at 18006 Park Row Blvd., Suite 100, was the bakery highlighted for Yemeni-Mexican pastries. Yemex describes itself as a Houston bakehouse blending Yemeni and Mexican flavors, and its site lists pastries including a Café de Olla Roll, chorizo pinwheel, labne and za’atar croissant, and feta, tomato and za’atar danish. ### What was the through-line of this episode? Click2Houston said the episode was built around “off the beaten path” eating rather than formal destination dining. (click2houston.com) The station’s own description emphasized strip centers, overlooked storefronts and hidden-in-plain-sight counters instead of marquee restaurant districts. That framing matched the three addresses listed in the article: a Southwest Freeway storefront, a Katy-area strip-center dumpling shop and a west Houston bakehouse. (yemex.com) Chris Shepherd has used that approach across the broader “Eat Like a Local” series. Click2Houston’s topic page describes the show as a recurring guide to Houston-area food stops, while Shepherd’s own site says the program is inspired by his interest in local cuisine and the people behind it. ### What dishes stood out in the station’s reporting? Click2Houston’s May 16 article put Turkish manti and kebabs at the center of the Beikos segment. (click2houston.com) The station said Shepherd’s table included sesame-crusted simit bread, multiple mezze dishes and a honey cake dessert, and quoted his takeaway as praise for how the family seasons its food. (click2houston.com) At Dumplingholic House, the station focused on technique as much as fillings. Click2Houston said the dumpling skins were rolled fresh, the noodles were hand-pulled, and the pan-fried dumplings arrived with “crisp lacy bottoms.” The write-up also singled out the soup dumplings and broth as standouts in Shepherd’s visit. (click2houston.com) Yemex’s own menu shows how the pastry stop fit the episode’s fusion theme. The bakehouse lists sweet items such as the Café de Olla Roll and savory pastries including turkey, cheese and salsa macha croissants, alongside drinks such as Adeni chai and a Café de Olla latte. ### Where can viewers find the episode now? Click2Houston posted both a written feature and a video page for the May 16 episode. The article and video carry the same theme — dumplings, kebabs and Yemeni-Mexican pastries — and both identify the installment as Episode 79. (click2houston.com) KPRC 2’s “Eat Like a Local” pages continue to aggregate recent installments, including this one. (yemex.com) The station said viewers can watch “Eat Like a Local with Chris Shepherd” on Saturdays at 10 a.m. on KPRC and KPRC 2+, and the May 16 post remains listed on the show’s topic page. ### What happens next for readers who want to follow the trail? (click2houston.com) The May 16 Click2Houston post lists the three featured stops by name and address: Beikos Mediterranean Cuisine, 6800 Southwest Freeway; Dumplingholic House, 20940 Katy Freeway, Suite F; and Yemex Bakehouse & Specialty Coffee, 18006 Park Row Blvd., Suite 100. KPRC 2 said new episodes of “Eat Like a Local with Chris Shepherd” air Saturdays at 10 a.m., with the latest segment available through the outlet’s food and show pages. (click2houston.com)