The Fish

The Fish is a sushi restaurant in Midtown that I believe people just call "Fish."  In fact, I'm not sure why I'm so committed to using the article, but I've chosen a course of action.

The sushi here is good, but my memories of this dinner are more fond because of the company I was with.  We ate and ordered and then we wanted to order more and then Lauren said just wait, the rice will expand and then you will feel full.  And she was right, that rice is so predictable.

I don't really have a review of this place.  The thing about restaurants in Midtown is that they are like steak houses for lawyers, you just go there because you don't want to think about it too hard. 

That review is a little harsh, this place is a pretty good deal, and while I was waiting for the rest of my party to arrive I played Wheel of Fortune with Matt Johnson and the tv contestants, which was fun.

Be-Wiched Bistro

This is a first dear friends: I actually ate at a place on my list of places I want to eat!  And listen, I don't want to brag, but I know how to pick restaurants.  

The best part of the meal was the pumpkin lobster bisque.  I know you think I'm just making this up to make me sound like  I'm really great at picking restaurants, but I'm not.  This was probably the best soup I've ever had.  Bright in color, creamy but with a texture.  I've always thought that lobster just tastes like butter, but this bisque taught me that no, lobster tastes like heavy cream.

The sandwich was actually pretty sub-par, but you know, with carbs and all, no one should really be eating sandwiches anymore anyways.  Do the soup with a salad and you have a $9 lunch that is worth every penny.

Cons: no dessert options, at all.

Pros: when you order iced tea, you get your own personal french style glass bottle.  I don't know if french-style is what you call it, but its the one where you clamp down the seal.  Katie, what do you call that?

House of Blues

For post-election Wednesday, my coworkers and I had lunch at the brand new House of Blues in downtown Houston.  This place has kinda been a thorn in my side lately because there's loads of latenight traffic flowing into my parking garage as I'm trying to leave work in the late evenings, but it has also brought a great deal of excitement into my life, like when Jay-Z came the opening weekend and I imagined him hanging out in his wife's hometown with his wife, just doing their thing.

Anyways, that was all to say that this place has a lot of hype surrounding it (traffic, Beyonce, etc) so I was preparing myself to be let down by the culinary experience.  But let down I was not!  This food was right.  I had a crab/corn soup that was served with a sweet cornbread muffin.  It was sweet, you guys!  Then I had a shrimp po'boy that was served on super-soft bread (oh Holland...sigh) with salty fried shrimp, relatively dry but colorful coleslaw, and I subbed sweet potato fries for regular fries.  This shit was off the hook.

People around me were having catfish nuggets (like chicken nuggets), mac 'n cheese,  shrimp etouffe and pulled pork sandwiches.  All of these had nice and some adorable presentations.

The only bad part of the meal was the bill, about $30.  But don't hold it against this restaurant.  As a bunch of rowdy Obamamamas celebrating the election, someone mentioned a pitcher of margaritas to the waitress and no one shot it down.  So this is definitely an affordable lunch spot as long as you aren't celebrating the greatest election of your lifetime and one of America's proudest moments.  

YES WE CAN!

Berripop

Katie once asked me: "Have you ever been to Pinkberry?" and I responded "No, but there is something just like it in Austin."

This exchange has been the source of many a laugh since then, some at my expense, some at Katie's, but mostly at Austin's.  However, this is a story about Houston's version of Pinkberry: it's called Berripop.  

Located on Richmond near the movie theater that everyone loves to hate, this little fro-yo stop is unassuming in its strip-mall parking lot, but it is bold and bright inside.

The yogurt was cold, as was the A/C, but I didn't mind because the probiotics kept me warm.  Check out these toppings, ladies!

So the next time some snobby New Yorker wants to get up in yo' business about living in Houston, you can tell them to suck it: we have our own Pinkberry, our own Thanksgiving Day Parade AND a Kolache Factory.

Potbelly Sandwich Works

If you like your sandwiches hot and drippy, you will like Potbelly.  

A Potbelly sandwich consists of soft warm wheat bread, a load of meat, a little bit of cheese, and then a veritable shmear of assorted olives and peppers.  The first time I went to this place, I thought, wow, that little bit of heat from the peppers is nice, a fresh take on a sandwich.  But this week!  Good Lord!  Those peppers were hot.  My lips were burning so hot after finishing that baby off it looked like I was wearing ball-buster-red lipstick.  It really made my day.

Google lets me know that my readers in DC and Minnesota will have no trouble finding a location near them, but my loved ones in NYC are going to have to venture out into the greater Tri-State area.  I'm not going to say its worth a 45 minute train ride, as only few things are, but, if you find yourself in the neighborhood and work up an appetite (knocking on doors, perhaps) you might find one in Philly and chow down.  

Striphouse

The Striphouse is a downtown business-oriented restaurant that is completely inappropriate for today's business world.  The walls are draped in pornographic images of the past, probably the 1950s.  Were there breasts in 1950's porn?  Because there are exposed breasts on the walls of this restaurant.  There is an aura aureola. 

[I'm sorry, but let's all stop and take a moment with that last sentence.  How great is it to read this blog?]

So even though it's kinda creepy to go there in mixed company, my co-workers and I ventured over when the newly-opened House of Blues was running a 45 minute wait for lunch.  I would have been happy to wait because it was Friday, but then I would have had to work all weekend.  Oh wait, I worked all weekend anyways.

Wow, this post has  a lot of personal asides.  Probably because reviewing steakhouses is boring.  I guess I just don't like steak.  I like the sides associated with steak though.  For instance, this place has great creamed spinach.  Maybe I will start getting veggie plates at steakhouses, although that's a pretty big professional risk at this point in my career.

Lankford's Grocery

This place is a dive, to say the least.  The day I went it had rained in the morning, and it appeared as though it was still raining inside at lunch time.  Nevertheless, a great time.

First of all, while waiting for a table, I saw tater tots being consumed all over the place.  Tater tots!  You just don't see that on too many menus these days, and for no good reason.  Tater tots are definitely in the top five potato preparation methods, yet rarely do you hear drunk girls screaming about how much they want tater tots.  I mean, I'm no carbaholic, but I've had a potato or two in my life, and thick flaky tater tots are about as good as it gets in spuds.  

Back to Lankford's: this place is in the Midtown area, but it is nothing like Midtown.  I mean, it is Midtown in the sense that it is across the street from three-story townhouses, but it's more like whatever Ward Midtown used to be -- or, even older, perhaps even pre-Ward.  So sure, it's old and the roof leaks, but there's a reason this place is still in business: somebody there knows how to use a deep fryer.

The special of the day was chicken-fried steak, which I had to forgo because I had Chick-Fil-A for breakfast and too much fried meat is what gets people on The Biggest Loser.  So I had a chicken sandwich (although the burgers looked amazing) and then tasted the assortment of fried sides: tater tots, fried jalapenos (called hot sticks or something) and onion rings.  Damn girl.  This is what I'm talking about.

I really want to go back for breakfast.  It's nice to find a place in Houston that's not in a strip mall and feels more than fifteen minutes old.

Udipi

This might be the best Indian food restaurant in Houston.  That is a bold statement, but its one that the fearless critic has already asserted, so I don't have to be so fearless to concur. 

Deeeee-lish.  That's all I can really say.  We started with some a plate of assorted fried appetizers: potatoes, mushrooms, various unidentifiables.  All of them hearty and good conduits for trying all the different sauces in the caddy.  The Indian donut was heavenly with the coconut sauce.  Do it.

Then the food came out with your choice of carbs: grilled bread (nan), fried bread (fried nan) or rice (white man's nan).  You can also get your fried nan stuffed with potatoes, but even I know when to say when when it comes to carbs.

The food was so flavorful.  Mine was the best, although James said David's was the best.  David had something with dumplings in a sauce.  Man, my details sound shady, but I am just going to recount as much as I can.  Mine (the best) had mushrooms.  Oh my God that's all I can remember!  Fuck!  I'll go back and eat there tomorrow and then update this post.  James's had vegetables and potatoes, but it wasn't as good as mine.  

I know this is a terrible restaurant review, but have no fear.  I will come back to this.  I just want to say that this restaurant is really good and I want to make it a habit to go here once a month, even when I'm working on important documents (shout out to David, who thinks I'm going to the dark side but won't say it out loud.)

Spencer's

Steakhouses and lawyers are like peas and carrots, perhaps because steak brings status without demanding too much skill.  

So, as a young attorney, I've been recruited at a lot of steakhouses in Texas.  My cardinal rule of eating at steakhouses is don't get fish.  It's not lighter and healthier than meat because it is swimming in butter.   It's generally just a bad version of whatever fish you were hoping to get (usually salmon). If you have to go to a steakhouse but you aren't that hungry, just order steak and eat a little bit of it.  

I switched sides of the table this week and became a recruit-er and then broke my own damn rule.  We started with some crab cakes and coconut shrimp that were really good, so I thought, shit, I'm gonna order some ahi tuna.  What a mistake.  It was disgusting.  And not just because I had just had really really good ahi tuna at Ibiza.  This ahi tasted briney.  And the texture was...raw.  The steak was really thick, so the  outside was chewy and overcooked and the inside was chunky and undercooked.  Very inconsistent.  I would take central market day-old tuna rolls over what I got at this place.  

So, Spencer's.  It has interesting architecture inside, the desserts looked good, apps were great, and lunch menu is reasonably priced.  Don't order fish at a steakhouse.

Ibiza

This is a pretty solid choice when you are looking to upgrade your evening without going over the top.  The lunch crowd is a veritable facebook of downtown lawyers, the kind that like to eat hot fresh french fries drizzled in truffle oil.  I started with the crab bisque and it was heavenly, nice big chunks of melt-in-your-mouth crab.  Then I had an ahi tuna salad.  I remember that the salad part of it was really dark green and healthy looking, but I can't remember what vegetables were in it.  No matter because the star of this salad was the ahi.  Ordered rare, it came out in a half-dozen thin strips of sushi-quality tuna.  The flavor was delicate and the texture was perfect.  I know that the french fries at this place are like crack, but they're not the only thing on the menu worth stopping in for.

Known for its wine list, a great place to bring a lady when you are dressed to impress.

Reef

This is a midtown restaurant that isn't too midtowny.  It has the best sliders in town.  I know what you are thinking, what the fuck is a slider?  It's a miniature hamburger.  How could you not love it?  

I didn't have sliders because I was planning Star Pizza for dinner.  I had a salad that was loaded with vegetables and big slices of parmesan, and then scallops with polenta.  They were good, but I think the best way to eat scallops is all alone.  What is polenta anyways?  Grits?  Someday, I'll get to the bottom of all this.  

El Tiempo (Richmond)

El Tiempo was Part II of Mama Ninfa's Friday and I was really really full on Mama Ninfa's Friday night.  My family always orders a combination of the following dishes at this restaurant, so I am not qualified to review anything but 

• carnitas
• veggie fajitas
• brisket flautas
• any given combo of shrimp and bacon

That being said, everything at this restaurant is top-notch.  The carnitas are the best in town, no doubt.  There is no other restaurant in the world that will give you as much variety of charry veggies that come with the veggie fajitas.  The brisket flautas have nothing to do with Mexico, but man are they Texas.  

For a review of the guac, see Ninfa's on Navigation.  It's the same, and it's delicious.  Ditto on the ritas.

I love this place, although last summer the valet crashed my dad's car.  

Ninfa's on Navigation

When you walk in to this place, the original Ninfa's, you are immediately struck by two things: a large beautiful oil painting portrait of Mama Ninfa (the owner) and the tortilla station where three women are rolling out flour tortillas.  Both of these things are very nostalgic for me, as I went to Ninfa's on Richmond almost every Friday when I was between the ages of five and ten.  I used to see Mama Ninfa herself more Fridays than not, and every Friday those nice ladies at the tortilla station and would give me a ball of tortilla dough in the shape of a swan.  So when I walk in to Ninfa's on Navigation, my heart swells a little.

Start with guacamole.  Do it because you won't be sorry.  This is the only place in Houston (the world?), with the exception of other Mama Ninfa joints, where you get to mix your own guacamole.  You get a big plate of mashed avocado and tomato and then you decide how to mix in the onions, jalapenos, cilantro and garlic.  It's fun, and it's good.

Then just order anything on the menu that you like: enchiladas, fajitas, whatever.  It's all good.  The rice and beans are just average, but by the time your attention falls on them, you should be hella full anyways.

The rest of the Ninfa's in town (the world?) are not like this Ninfa's.  Go to this one.  It's just east of downtown.  It has a patio.  It is what all the other Ninfa's should be.

Empire Cafe II

I have to hold up my end of the blog I spose. I had never eaten at Empire Cafe except for 1/2 price cakes and it
is the only place where you can really get Boston Creme Pie, my uncles favorite cake. Why it is called pie, I will never know. Empire has the best coffee. 1) it is unlimited 2)it comes with a cookie 3)the mugs are the perfect size to keep the coffee the correct drinkable temperature. I always come for coffee and love sitting on the porch out front to watch cars go by on Westhiemer. It is not as special as Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans but what do we really have here that is close to comparable?

For the Hurricane, I got to venture out and eat at Rucci's again. And finally, I have paid for breakfast at Empire. The quantity is large and the quality is great. It is a full, complete meal. But then again, I did not have a chance to make a moronic mistake of eating french toast, as I always do for fear of not eating a substantial meal during hurricane power outages.

The first day, I ate Hunter's Eggs. Sunny side up eggs on top of bread, with sauteed mushrooms and tomatoes. I think the bread under the eggs made the meal complete. So the next day I ordered Foccacia Eggs, which had two scrambled eggs on top of foccacia bread. The side was a cheddar hash brown, just crispy enough. Both of these meals came with fruit. Yum!

Eat a meal here! I recommend eggs.

Empire Cafe

Special Edition: I have no power for 5 days 

and eat at Empire for every meal 

since restaurants are still limited by the 

mother-of-a that left a trail of No-Power 

all over the Can-Do Capital of the World

Empire Cafe has great breakfast, and I should know since I ate it today and twice yesterday.  I was just so happy to have hot hot coffee that I couldn't leave.  Someone clever might say "Ike 'ant get enough."  

There are a million reasons to go here: foccacia eggs, gingerbread waffles, generous fruit plates, half-price cake on Wednesdays, but the train whistle that keeps blowing in my ear is the free cookies you get with your cup of joe.  There was a sign today that listed everything they didn't have (basil, liquor, bacon, pinot grigio, portabellas, etc) but the only thing on that list that was accompanied by a frowny face was cookies.  So yeah, I was sad that there were no cookies, but I ordered my coffee with a shot of espresso and let all my worries slip away.

Parts of this city are scary dark. I am grateful for the coffee each morning brings.

Ruchi's

Special Edition: Hurricane Ike 

Ruchi's was the first restaurant we went to after that son-of-a blew through town, and it was great.  We waited outside the restaurant -- velvet rope style -- to be let in.  Then we snatched up a table for seven and ordered a round of eight drinks.  My dad said this was all very New Orleans, which I believed and relished. 

One of our dining companions claims Ruchi's green sauce is the BEST salsa in town.  For my part, I'll claim that Ruchi's has the best bang for your barbacoa buck.  I had a barbacoa torta and I ate the whole thing.  Sure, afterwards I felt pregnant with regret, but I'd do it all again.

Bottom line on Ruchi's: Cheap, delicious, and you can drink there when you're under 21

Baba Yega

David hadn't been here since the fall of 1998 when he awkwardly ran into his Calculus teacher the day he dropped Calculus for being the second worst student in the class.  So to celebrate this 10 year anniversary, we stopped in for some meat-free dinner.

Not everything at Baba Yega is meat-free, but we felt inspired by vegetarians tonight.  The thing about vegetarians is that you cannot put them in a box; vegetarians run the gamut from meanies to weenies.  

I was starving so we started off with chips and queso which were pretty average.  Then I had a grilled portabella sandwich.  What a delight!  It's like a big juicy mushroom topped with a healthy green salad surrounded by a soft (not mushy) wheat bun.  David had a black bean burger, half of which he is saving for lunch tomorrow.  He told me he is going to give it to Mr. Trout as an apology for giving up all those years ago.

El Rey

I do not love pictures of myself. Peggy simply had the camera out while I was driving, texting, drinking coffee and eating El Rey tacos at the same time. There were no deaths, but an accident did occur. Black beans spilt all over my crotch and Peggy said, I am not cleaning that mess up. So what if I went to dinner and art openings in Austin looking like I defecated all over myself. No biggie. I thought the hat which I purchased for a dollar at an estate sale, would draw attention to my face. Well, I forgot my hat and it was all about bean crotch.

It was worth it. El Rey Tacos- people are chilling at the barstools, there is plenty of light and windows... it is like Taqueria meets Diner. The tacos- I got carnitas and then the Cubano- which is plantains, sour cream, black beans, and choice of meat. Peggys, chicken; Mine,beef. (I do not know if Peggy ate chicken but I wanted to use a semi colon). Kelly recommended this place to me the last time she and I drove to Austin. I recommend this place to anyone who needs a great weekend snack. While there is a long drive through line, I suggest going inside and sitting down.

I say yes to this place.

Nidda (Westheimer)

That's right, this was my third meal out today.  The fullness factor was intense, you guys, but I pushed through it and enjoyed the shit out of this restaurant.

(Confession time: I'm writing this 48 hours after eating there so I can't remember what the names of the food was that we ordered.  Ignore that and keep reading with your belly open.)

We started with fresh spring rolls which I usually avoid because I think they're often too rice-y, like who wants a bunch of rice vermicelli wrapped in rice paper?  But these were GREAT.  They were loaded with veggies (ok carrots) and fried tofu.  They also came sliced open (great for sharing) and with a delightful peanut sauce.  Who doesn't love a good peanut sauce? No one, that's who.  Even people with nut allergies can eat peanut sauce because peanuts are legumes.

Then the 3 of us ordered two main dishes: (1) a curry with sweet potatoes and other vegetables and chicken and (2) a garlic pepper beef w/ broccoli.  Both were good, but the curry really stood out.  As I recall, the sweet potatoes were carved in flower shapes and thickly sliced so they had a nice texture all coated in that sweet/spicy curry.  Yum!

The ambience is the only detraction, but that might be an idiosyncratic complaint.  According to me, thai food should be consumed on a shady front porch on a hot night.  But that's because I grew up on Thai Noodle House in the weird capital of Texas.  

Pico's

Chiles en nogada translated literally means fucking delicious.  It is a poblano pepper stuffed with pork (or rice if you are a vegetarian aka carb freak) in a creamy walnut sauce with almonds and raisins, topped with dried cranberries.  What else can I say?

Cost was $9 on the lunch menu and it came with a random salad with iceberg lettuce and a cilantro dressing which I ignored.  But, speaking of cilantro! the red salsa at this place is loaded with cilantro: thumbs up! 

Also, I was tempted by but did not partake in $2.75 margaritas at lunch.  The reasons for this abstention are both frivolous and serious.  My dining partner was achin' from a bachelor party last night so he was no fun, but more importantly, these margaritas are potent and this restaurant is out in Bellaire.  And I don't know anyone who lives there anymore, so if I had gotten hammered (see El Pueblito), I would have had no one's house to walk to.  Jaime said that's why I should go on dates: so that my date can drive my ass around drunk.  Sounds like a recipe for date rape, I say.  

All in all: great Mex-Mex.  Some say the BEST in town.  Well well, let the games begin.

This is David now. I hacked in.... let me just show you.... this is a human head next to an out-of-this-world gianormous 'medium' margarita.

Bibas (One's A Meal) (West Gray)

Martin and I went running at Memorial, and then we treated ourselves to some yummy breakfast food at Bibas.  We tried to go to the one on Memorial, but it wasn't open.  Which makes me think it's closed for good, which would be a shame, but really, we all knew there was only one location ever worth going to anyways.

Waffle: A great blend of fluffy and crunchy, it was loaded up with buttery goodness.  They did not bring me any maple syrup (aka corn syrup) which didn't bother me in the least.  Let me just take a moment to say that the ubiquity of fake maple syrup is on my top 10 list of What Is Wrong with America.

Eggs: fine.

Martin got a bunch of shit; he said the grits were good.  I don't eat grits because I don't know what they are. Corn? Please, I didn't just fall off the turnip truck.

Demeris on Shepherd

I said No no no

This woman with feathery hair and a textured shirt could not take her eyes off of Peggy's necklace. She said "Is that one
necklace?" The answer was yes. It was only one necklace, not. And then she kept staring at it while she was waiting for the credit card transaction.

Years ago, I said Demeris is not good.  I still think it is not worth going to.  Go to Goode Company.

Peggy's turkey plate had green beans from a can, $10. Overpriced. The onion rings are good, but what onion ring is bad. The sandwich was fine, but why not have a better sandwich at a place with ambience.

Berryhill nachos

Nacho regular nachos!

I had a craving for nachos and it was a pleasant surprise when I ordered nachos from Berryhill since tamale is in their name
and they are known for delicious fish tacos. The nachos were large and in charge.

Large portions, tasty fajita beef and chicken, good guacamole, tomatoes, onions, cheese, beans, and jalepenos. Yum yum! Even though it is under apps it could be a meal.

I approve.

DaMarco

DaMarco: the best lunch special in town!

$25 for a three course lunch.  It was fabulous.

Course 1: I had a grilled eggplant salad which was served with warm creamy goat cheese that integrated the salad.  It was the special salad of the day.  Dining companions had a creamy corn soup which was also very good, light.  Another ordered the frisee salad with pears, which was a mound of frisee, so pretty!

Course 2: All but one of us went with the highly recommended parpadelle with rabbit.  It was really good.  I said "what does rabbit taste like?" and everyone predictably said "chicken" but that really wasn't true.  Since I've never had it before, this could be in the preparation, but the rabbit was very moist and tender and it had more flavor than chicken.  It's a flavor I don't feel confident in describing right now (I must admit that although the time stamp says otherwise, this is not live blogging from the restaurant.  Live blogging makes me want to vomit, which wouldn't be good in a restaurant.)

Course 3: The best course, as always.  2 people went with the flourless chocolate cake with coffee ice cream, a safe choice.  I tried it and it was good, the cake wasn't overwhelmingly chocolate, although it would have been too dry without the ice cream.  I had the panna cotta, what a dream.  So light and delicate, and as the waiter served it to me, he poured about half a tablespoon of aged balsamic vinegar on it.  Sounds bad, right?  It's not!  The tartness of the vinegar  cuts the sweetness of the dessert and the sweet cream highlights the sweet flavor of the vinegar (it was very very mild).  

Four stars, what a deal.  Although you might want to dress up a little, we got looks when we all went in there lookin' unemployed, which we all were (all but one of us, but she had already changed into jeans).  I am loving Houston.

Pho Sai Gon at Milam

Thumbs down! This place sucks.

But we were trying to be adventurous after going to Spec's.
Spec's First Tuesday of the Month has a wine tasting, which I give
several thumbs up, although we did not partake on this night. I was
too tired and too hungry to feel that drunk and have to fight a mob to
'taste' wine. But you pay ten dollars for a wine glass and get to taste
20 different wines. There is a report card that you get to evaluate each
wine with and you leave with all of your information and opinions, in case
you want to purchase any of these beverages.

Why Pho Sai Gon Sucks
-the lemon beef vermicelli had gristle and bones
-it just was not tasty

The Upside
-an interesting Salty Lemon Water- a little bit sweet and a lot of salt, it was tasty
-the Thai Coffee was like every coffee, yum!

People We Love
-the man in the seer sucker-white and blue stripes-suit...
he was wearing a republican elephant tie and had band aids
all over his face

---$ (minus minus minus $ = cheap!)
not worth the cheap price we paid....
you can always go to Nit Noi, even though they have upped their prices,
at least their food is good

Aka Sushi House

Aka Sushi House is great.  I went with a friend from out of town and we spent $47 for one beer, four rolls and some edamame.  Pricey, sure, but (1) if you want cheap sushi, you might as well just order food poisoning and (2) some of those rolls were really good. The highlight, I think, was the red moon roll, a reverse roll of pepper tuna, avocado and spicy salmon with wasabi tobiko. We also had a dragon roll which was delicious (grilled eel, shrimp tempura and crabmeat) but even I couldn't fit that whole thing in my mouth so it was kinda a disaster to eat.

Location: W. Alabama between Shepherd and Kirby

Something to keep in mind: Happy Hour all day Sunday!

Barnaby's (River Oaks)

California with grilled chicken & honey mustard: good, adequate, fine.  I always forget that the California comes with artichoke hearts, no avocado!  Petaluma has avocado, but it also has tortilla chips which I don't care for.  The best salad there is the Mediterranean, I have to stop denying it.

Mom had Bacon Blue Cheese burger, she said the blue cheese lacked flavor.  

A note on the location: I hate that location.  We only went there because we were so hungry.  (I knew I was hungry because I had just made a major purchase and felt more tired than excited.  I knew mom was hungry because she suggested we go to the Container Store, then eat, even though we hadn't eaten in over 5 hours.  Hello, blood sugar!)  That location sucks.  It's full of people who get dressed up to go out to lunch, the service is only good when they are really busy (which means it's really loud) and it's always way cold inside.  Fairview is the one.

Avalon on Westheimer

This place is always a trip down memory lane.
I always thought it I were living in the country on a manor as
a privileged child in the 1940's, the breakfast experience would
be similar except in the breakfast nook of my wealthy parents home.
I could go riding and then eat grits. I love grits and I love the
waitresses at this restaurant. They are always so welcoming.




However, do not order Tex Mex breakfast here. Eat
the bacon and grits and classic breakfast. But if I had my
choice, I would eat pancakes at Buffalo Grill or the French Toast
and wings at Breakfast Klub.

Avalon Diner

An oldie but a goodie.  

I won't get in to the cultural (historical?) aspects of that place that make me slightly uncomfortable, but let me share this gem with you. I had just arrived back from Costa Rica, and I was excited to tell my parents how I had caught Barack's acceptance speech on satellite during a thunderstorm at a random bar in Santa Teresa.  Because satellite doesn't work in the rain, a lot of the stations weren't coming in so I ended up watching Barack's speech on BET.  I'm telling my dad this as we are being served our coffee, I say "BET! Isn't that crazy?" and he goes "what?" and I say "BET" and he says "what?" and I say "BET" and by then we all had our coffee and the waitress just walked away smiling.  Then he said "I thought you were saying BEC."

I had the vegetarian omelette with fruit and a biscuit.  Avalon has the best biscuits in town. (Breakfast Klub? Maybe...)  Fruit is always a little lame, but this bowl was ok.  It paled in comparison to what I was eating in CR.

My mom had huevos rancheros which she did NOT like.  Something about the cheese being bad.

David had migas, poorly reviewed.  Also a cheese issue.

My dad proudly discovered two menu items that were virtually indistinguishable.  He ended up with the Western Scrambler. 

Luigi got carbs.

El Pueblito

David and I accidentally ordered a pitcher of margaritas for just the two of us.  A pitcher is enough to get four people hammered, so I don't know how accurate my review of the food is.  

I love this place for the elephants outside and for the pineapple salsa.

I ordered vegetarian enchiladas, I think 3 came? it could have been 2.  I was hammered.

David had shrimp fajitas, he would recommend it: "for $12, it was cheap."  It smelled good, as I recall.

The patio is really nice, but we were in a spot that was pretty loud.  

Something to consider: Midnight happy hour on Fridays and Saturdays