Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It's a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It's a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern cuisine and beloved tenets — and everything in between.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian or just enjoy having a lighter meal occasionally, it’s in your best interests to know the offerings at Backstreet Cafe. Like sibling restaurant Hugo’s (which also has an entry in our 100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015 list), it does an especially good job of showcasing vegetables at their best.

The cauliflower steak is a full-fledged meal that won’t weigh you down. There’s a huge hunk of cauliflower (like half a head) roasted to a golden brown nestled in chunky, seasoned tomato sauce. Off to the side is a goodly amount of another vegetable — usually a green one. On our last visit, it was a stack of broccolini.

The wine program at Backstreet Cafe is also geared to be particularly vegetable-friendly. A crisp Austrian wine (like just about any white from Heidi Schröck) or Sauvignon Blanc goes really nicely with this dish.

Also check out the Spectacular Vegetarian Platter (it really does live up to the name) and the Mixed Grains and Deeply Roasted Root Vegetables.

The List of Top 100 Dishes of 2015 So Far:

No. 51, Telur Balado at Rice Bowl II

No. 52, Green Curry at Asia Market Restaurant

No. 53, Foie Gras Breakfast at Triniti

No. 54, Korean Fried Chicken at ToreOre at Super H Mart

No. 55, Bulgogi Bibimbap at BiBiJo Express at Super H Mart

No. 56, Vegetable Plate at Hugo's

No. 57, The Cured Plate at Revival Market

No. 58, Simply Grilled Fish at Ibiza

No. 59, Tonkotsu Black Ramen at JINYA Houston

No. 60, The Rancor Burger at The Petrol Station

No. 61, Heritage Sampler Platter at Rudi Lechner's

No. 62, Oxtails at Le' Pam's House Of Creole

No. 63, The 420 Slice at Pi Pizza Truck

No. 64, Frenchy's Fried Chicken On Scott Street

No. 65, 3 Pig Mac & Cheese at Urban Eats

No. 66, Pucchia Pugliese Foggia at Sud Italia

No. 67, Triple-Smoked Pastrami On Rye At Kenny & Ziggy's

No. 68, Fume Pizza at Pizaro's Pizza Napoletana

No. 69, Banh Mi Thap Cam at Café TH

No. 70, Caramelized Onion Soup at Mockingbird Bistro

No. 71, Milk Chocolate Stout Malt at Fat Cat Creamery

No. 72, Pork Ribs at Roegels Barbecue Co.

No. 73, Carrot Pizza at Weights + Measures

No. 74, Jalisco Wings at El Big Bad

No. 75, Mussels at Cafe Brussels

No. 76, Cresta di Gallo at The Pass & Provisions

No. 77, Beef Fajitas at El Real Tex-Mex

No. 78, Chicken Tikka Masala from the Tandoori Nite truck

No. 79, Chocolates at Cacao & Cardamom

No, 80, Hummus Supreme at Al's Quick Stop

No. 81, Red Oil Dumplings at Mala Sichuan

No. 82, Tex-Cajun Fries at BB's Café

No. 83, Mac & Cheese at The Oceanaire Seafood Room

No. 84, The Principal Burger at Bernie's Burger Bus

No. 85, Hunter's Honey-Roasted Duck at Brennan's Of Houston

No. 86, Fish & Chips at Good Dog Houston

No. 87, Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuit at Blacksmith

No. 88, "Saucy Balls" At Brooklyn Meatball Company

No. 89, Perry's Steakhouse/Perry & Sons Pork Chop

No. 90, General Tso's Chicken from The Rice Box

No. 91, Eggs, Refried Beans, Hash Browns and Hugo's Sauce at 59 Diner

No. 92, Shipley Do-Nuts Plain Glazed

No. 93, Housemade Bologney at Public Services Wine & Whisky

No. 94, Bo Luc Lac at Cheno's (formerly Chino's) Fast Food

No. 95, Combo #5 at Soto's Cantina

No. 96, Carnitas Salad At Chipotle

No. 97, Pickled Shrimp At Punk's Simple Southern Food

No. 98, Lobster Roll At Maine-Ly Sandwiches

No. 99, Chili-Cheese Coneys At JCI Grill

No. 100, Corned Beef Hash And Eggs At House Of Pies

