Who says you have to go to New Orleans to get a good muffuletta? Murphy's Deli, with 18 locations to choose from, gives the Big Easy a run for its money with its hefty, heavy-on-the-meat-and-cheese rendition. Hot hickory-smoked ham, Genoa salami and provolone cheese are stacked inside a huge round sesame seed-studded bun and made to order while you watch. This means you can tell them, "Go heavy on the olive salad," which is what any normal, God-fearing moof lover would do. Their version of the trademark salad, a punchy mix of chopped parsley, kalamata olives, green olives, garlic, celery and pepperoncini, is made fresh on location. They've also introduced a turkey moof for the fat-conscious. A whole muffuletta ($7.50) is a meal for two hungry people. Half-sandwiches go for $4.50. Grab extra napkins. You'll need 'em.

Mussel ecstasy reigns at this warm Belgian bistro, with diners endlessly spooning tastes of their steamed mussels into their companions' mouths like priests giving communion. The reaction is always the same -- thoughtful mastication followed by an energetic nod of delight. Once your own black mussel pot arrives, the real fun starts. Under the fragrant fog sit two dozen of the black-shelled devils, awash in a broth of wine, salt, pepper, celery and onions. Inhale deeply and you'll be transported to the coast of Maine, Washington or Canada, where the cafe buys the mollusks. The flesh is at once soft and chewy, yielding the saltwater-and-sand taste of the shoals. Served with delicious french fries and homemade bread perfect for dipping, the moules frites are worth every cent of the $13.95. Wonderful with a glass of chardonnay.:

While many will argue that the only good oyster is a raw oyster, we believe that the oysters in garlic sauce at Fung's Kitchen will cause anyone to reconsider that position. Large (usually huge) oysters on the half shell are steamed just enough to bring out their maximum, well, oysterness, and topped with a transcendent sauce of garlic and ginger, cilantro and scallions. M.F.K. Fisher titled one of her best books Consider the Oyster. This is one oyster definitely worthy of your consideration.

Farrago For a complete Farrago mussel experience, lean over the large bowl of steaming shells and inhale the broth when the dish comes to your table. If you close your eyes, you'll be transported to an exotic locale. Open them, and you'll find yourself at the bright little spot in Midtown that specializes in lighthearted fusion dishes. The dish consists of a whole pound of Prince Edward Island mussels, which are renowned for their flavor and texture. They're steamed in a broth of coconut milk and green curry paste with green onions, fresh basil, cilantro and mussel liquid stock. The mussels come with a grilled baguette to soak up the broth, but it's tempting just to pick up the bowl and drink it.

Pho Nguyen There's a whole lot of slurping going on at Pho Nguyen, where $4.50 gets you a regular-sized bowl of the heartwarming Vietnamese beef noodle soup known as pho. Don't be put off by the ingredients of the 16 or so different kinds of soup available. Tripe, soft tendon and fat brisket fill the bowls at Pho Nguyen, and they all have the same hearty broth base. Get creative and customize your soup with the bean sprouts, fresh basil leaves and jalapeño slices that accompany each order, and go crazy with sauces like hoisin, fish and the fiery-red sriracha. In its shopping-strip digs, the place may seem sketchy at first, but open the door and you'll immediately catch the savory aroma that keeps the crowds gathering in this tiny place.

Urban Foods, a friendly deli/gourmet food store in the Rice Lofts, makes one of the best sandwiches we've ever tasted. Here's the blueprint (as Ken Hoffman might say): house-smoked salmon, sliced hard-boiled eggs, slightly bitter arugula and a sprightly, creamy dill spread. We suggest you have it on ciabatta. As each of the ingredients adds to and enhances the others, the flavor dances across your taste buds, which, of course, is exactly what a great sandwich should do.

Kubo's Japanese Restaurant Chef Kubo was the best sushi man in Houston. Unfortunately, he left town several years ago, but he trained his replacement, chef Hori, very well. The new sushi master is doing an admirable job of filling Kubo's sandals. There's always something interesting on the specials board at Kubo's, and the fish is always the very finest in quality. An even younger chef named Suzuki, who is fresh from Japan, is executing some splendid renditions of traditional sushi preparations. His chirashi, presented in a textured, three-tiered bowl, offers artful compositions of sashimi, radish shoots, seaweed, rice and other elements tucked one beneath the other. Crazy rolls and the like are done by a pair of imaginative Latin American sushi chefs. They also run a special all day Sunday, when every piece of sushi sells for $1.25.

Jarro Cafe Houston hot sauce has been in a slump lately. Maybe they toned down the heat level for visiting All-Star Game fans and forgot to zip it back up again. If you've gotten used to insipid picante sauce, Jarro Cafe's salsas will open your eyes -- wide. At this bright and sunny little taco joint on Gessner north of Long Point, they bring you different salsas and some lime quarters in six brightly colored bowls with every order. But these aren't your ordinary Houston salsas. There's "Mayan" salsa, made of chopped purple onions flecked with Mexican oregano and chile powder; an oily, brick-red chile arbol sauce; a deep green salsa that tastes like chopped jalapeños and cilantro; and a bright orange sauce made with lots of pureed red chiles. Last but not least, there's a neon-green salsa made with pureed tomatillos and serranos that will rip out your tonsils.

Marine's Empanadas When you name your business after yourself, you'd better be good at it. The empanadas ($2.35 each) at Marine's are better than good -- they're outstanding. Marine's offers 47 different versions; most are savory, but some are sweet, distinguished by a dusting of powdered sugar. These made-to-order, stuffed, doughy, fried little wonders are the ultimate finger food. Funky favorites include "the hippy," made with salami, fried onions and raisins; "the avocado," a smooth blend of mashed avocado and melted cheese; and "the fig," made with fig jam, melted cheese and walnuts. Anyone would be proud to lend his name to these beauties.

Brown Bag Deli You get a brown bag and a pencil when you walk into this busy lunch counter. On the bag are a series of commands like "Choose Bread," "Choose Meat" and "Choose Cheese." Oddly, the fabulous sandwich filling of a Southern childhood, pimento cheese, is listed under the meats. Not that we're complaining. Where else can you get a decent pimento cheese sandwich these days? If you aren't from around here, you may be wondering, What is this stuff exactly? In an article titled "P'minnuh Cheese: The Pâté of the South," author Kendra Myers explains that while all versions of PC include cheddar or American cheese and chopped pimientos (generally bound with mayonnaise), regional variations might include garlic, cayenne, buttermilk, pickle juice or cottage cheese. In some parts of the new multicultural South, pimento cheese is eaten on toasted bagels. We recommend you try the excellent Brown Bag Deli version on white bread.