Most people know Spec’s for wine and spirits, but Houston’s Smith Street location holds a surprise: a gourmet food selection that rivals specialty grocery stores.

From imported cheeses and handcrafted pastas to apricot-glazed rotisserie duck, it’s a one-stop shop for home cooks and entertainers alike.

Setting Smith Street apart

The food selection at Spec’s started decades ago when the family first introduced deli items.

“We originally got into the food business ... in the mid-’80s,” said Lisa Rydman-Lindsey, charitable giving, marketing and advertising manager. "My grandfather was Spec, and he started with ... making po’boys in our deli.”

Over time, the Smith Street location grew into a destination for specialty and international products, and it now carries items not typically found in other locations, including:

• 50 types of pasta
• An entire aisle of jams and jellies
• One of the largest cheese selections in the state of Texas
• A full produce department
• Fresh-baked baguettes

“Our family loves to cook,” Rydman-Lindsey said. “We've always enjoyed food, and because our main business is wine and liquor, those two just [formed] a natural marriage. Food plays such a big part of what this location in particular is.”

Must-try specialty foods

Rydman-Lindsey shared some of her favorite items from the store:

• Buchasella de Paris spinach pasta: “It has no preservatives, so it's just flour and water,” she said. “I feel good about having products like this on our shelves because, number one, I can't get it anywhere [other than Italy], ... and number two, my family is going to love it.”
• Époisses triple-cream brie: “You can leave it [sitting] out at room temperature, and in 30 minutes, it’s warm,” she said. “You can take your baguette and spoon [the brie] out. It's great.”

• Carbonara with real guanciale: “Guanciale is like thick bacon, and it's dry-cured,” she said. “Carbonara is a cream-based pasta, and it's made with little pieces of guanciale, ... pepper, cream and parmesan. ... It’s very hard to find elsewhere.”
• Fig and walnut confit: “It goes very well with manchego. It also goes very well with brie, ... so it’s great for a charcuterie board,” she said.

Some items, such as Époisses, are imported only three or four times a year and sell out quickly.

What are the best food and drink pairings?

Rydman-Lindsey recommends these easy entertaining options using products from the store:

• Damian Family Lasagna + Chianti or Italian red wine
  • “It’s veal, pork, beautiful layers of pasta and the ragu that we have. ... People can grab that from our case, get a big batch of salad and then go over to our wine department, [which has] two entire isles of Italian wine. ... That’s their dinner,” Rydman-Lindsey said.

• Apricot-glazed rotisserie duck + Burgundy, rose or Champagne
  • “We take an apricot jelly, and as [the duck] is roasting in the rotisserie in our deli, we glaze it,” Rydman-Lindsey said. “[Customers can] then take some off, and go get a bottle of Burgundy. It goes very well with it.”
• Époisses triple-cream brie + fresh baguette + salami + red wine
  • “[The triple-cream brie] is great. When people pair that with some of our salamis, sliced meats, a baguette that we bake fresh and of course a great bottle of red wine, they have a meal,” Rydman-Lindsey said.
• Caviar + Champagne or vodka
  • “Vodka and caviar is a very traditional pairing. I prefer Champagne to vodka because I’m more of a bubbles girl. I really enjoy that,” Rydman-Lindsey said.
• Truffles + pinot noir
  • “With truffles, ... I prefer Burgundy wines, [such as] pinot noir. ... That’s probably my favorite variety [of wine], and with truffles it’s beautiful,” Rydman-Lindsey said.

How can customers stay updated?

Rydman-Lindsey said the best way to stay informed is through the Smith Street Foodies email, available to customers who sign up for Spec’s Key loyalty program.

“When people sign up, they can select what they’re interested in,” Rydman-Lindsey said. “If they tell us, ‘I’m [interested in] food,’ they're going to receive our food email.”

The monthly email shares new arrivals, seasonal favorites and tips for pairing food and wine.

Click here to sign up today, and never miss a foodie favorite.

Location: 2410 Smith St., Houston

The above story was produced by Multi Platform Journalist Sydney Heller with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.