The Rice Box

Heights, Houston · Chinese · $

The Rice Box has cracked the code that dozens of Houston spots haven't: Chinese-American food that feels genuinely craveable, not just convenient. In the Heights, that means chow fun noodles and honey walnut shrimp served in generous boxes, to a crowd that's equally likely to be eating in or taking it to the park. The tofu - battered and fried to look exactly like chicken - has become something of a local legend among vegetarians who've given up explaining it.