369 Oriental Bistro

We got some takeout from 369 on a Friday night. The place came recommended by my husband's secretary, the same woman who gave us our cat (who is awesome) and recommended Auntie Chang's (not quite as awesome). We ordered thirty dollars worth of standard Chinese take-out fare: crispy spring rolls, General Tso's chicken, pork lo mein, white rice and two kinds of dumpling (vegetable and the ambiguously named "meat").

Our order arrived relatively quickly and still piping hot. Here's what the chicken looked like:



Yum.

Everything was good. Nothing was standout. We ordered typical Chinese take-out, and that's what we got. No more, no less, but a nice break from cooking.

The prices were a smidge high, but we got a lot for our money -- enough for dinner on Friday, lunch on Saturday and a snack for me on Tuesday evening. Should you drive across town to pick up food from Oriental Bistro? No. Should you consider ordering from there if you're feeling lazy and live within their "limited delivery area." Sure. Just remember to tip your driver.

A Shameless Plug

Sorry it's been so long, blog fans. We have been very busy with full time jobs, looking for a house, and a bit of bad weather (followed by a bit of amazing weather). We did get a fairly decent Chinese takeout meal the other day which I promise to blog about by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, I want to shamelessly plug a product I use very frequently: Groupon. Don't let the tasteless Super Bowl ad put you off*, because it's a good service. I recently purchased two Groupons for local Houston restaurants (which I promise to blog about); however, there's a different deal everyday, so even if eating out isn't your thing you're sure to find a deal you like eventually. Check it out.

* Actually, by all means, do let the commercial put you off. Even sign the petition demanding an apology and make a donation to Save Tibet. And then sign up for Groupon with a clean conscience :)

Central Market Cafe Meals to Go

We didn't go to a restaurant this week. The weather has been terrible (for Houston) and so has my husband's work schedule. We did get a meal-to-go from Central Market last night, so I'm going to blog about that.

Before anyone stops reading, you should know that this isn't just a regular grocery store. Central Market purports to offer restaurant-quality meals for two, and even has an attached cafe for those who would prefer to eat in. So it's kind of like a restaurant; enough so that I don't feel completely ridiculous writing this.

The menu at Central Market changes daily. Last night was honey garlic flank steak with mashed potatoes, Asian slaw and dinner rolls. The food is prepackaged in paper bags with insanely simple reheating instructions. For around $20 you buy a bag and get everything you need for dinner in one fell swoop.

The steak was good, but tough. The meat had been cut into little 1 X 3" strips, which made reheating easier but sucked most of the moisture out of the beef. The flavoring was good, and had it been a little more tender (perhaps by including instructions on rehydrating the meat with a wet paper towel, a trick I thought of too late) it would have been restaurant quality.

The mashed potatoes were serviceable and heated up well in the microwave. The dinner rolls were a throw-away, added simply because many people don't believe you can have a meal without bread. The real stand-out side dish was the Asian slaw. The vegetables (carrot, daikon, lettuce) were still crispy, despite being bathed in a very tasty spicy dressing. I was worried that the salad wouldn't pair well with the meat and potatoes, but surprisingly nothing looked or tasted out-of-place on the plate.

Portions were VERY generous. This is supposed to be a meal for two, but you could easily feed three or even four out of the bag. We actually ate the leftover steak this morning with scrambled eggs, meaning we really got two meals for the price of one. This is a very economical option for couples or small families who want well-balanced, nutritious food but don't have the time to shop and cook. Is it a substitute for a restaurant meal? No. Is it a really good substitute for (or even a step-up from) homecooking for busy people who care about eating well? Absolutely.

Ruggles Green

I'm a huge supporter of green living. My husband and I recycle, we use only natural cleaning products, and we fully intend to compost (once we have a yard). I'm also a firm believer that just because something is natural and healthy doesn't mean it has to taste bad or be very expensive or difficult to procur. Unfortunately, the "first certified green restaurant" in Houston doesn't seem to agree with my philosophy. While the food was alright, getting in was quite an ordeal and the overall experience was not very pleasant.

My husband and I decided to check out the Ruggles in River Oaks for lunch on a Wednesday. The parking lot in front of the restaurant is tiny, and most of the spots are designated "20 minute parking only"* or reserved for the medical spa next door. The lot across the street is also reserved for other businesses, with a sign specifically warning Ruggles customers not to park there. We finally gave up and parked on the road about a block away.

Things didn't get better once we were inside. Ruggles is very small, and though there is some outdoor seating available, they didn't seem prepared to handle the lunch rush. After waiting on line to place our order, we managed to find a booth -- but we were lucky. Plenty of people came in after us and were forced to wait for a seat, or wander around the (crowded, noisy) restaurant aimlessly until they found one. A few customers walked out.

Ruggles was very busy and very noisy. There was absolutely nothing relaxing about the atmosphere at all. I felt rushed and even a tad bit guilty watching other patrons look for a place to sit, and I could barely hear my husband over all of the noise. Not a good place to be if you have jangled nerves, or are susceptible to other people's nervous energy.

Our food was actually pretty decent. I had a vegetable sourdough panini. I don't know if I loved the way the sourdough paired with the goat cheese spread. However, the serving of vegetables (onions, mushrooms and zuchini) on the sandwich was generous and very satisfying. The accompanying fries were also very good. The meal cost $8.95, which is not bad for a filling lunch.



My husband had the cuban pork sandwich, which is a dollar more, and he said that he felt like he didn't quite get enough for what he paid. He was also disappointed that he ordered sweet potato fries but was served regular fries instead. I think any problems with the order were probably due to the pace of the place; it's so extremely hectic in the dining room that I shudder to think what the kitchen is like.

Overall, I would recommend Ruggles for take-out. The food is actually very tasty, and I feel like I need to support anything or anybody who is trying to make Houston greener. I would not recommend going for a sit-down meal, especially around lunchtime. If you're in the mood for a sandwich in a less stressful atmosphere, there are other places available to meet that need.

*We spent about 45 minutes in Ruggles for lunch. When we left the restaurant, we noticed that the same cars were parked in the 20 minute spots as when we got there. If the restaurant is not going to enforce its own parking rules, the signs should come down. That would open up a lot more space in the lot.

Mockingbird Bistro

Occasionally, you find a place that is so comforting, so cozy, just such a great space to occupy that the food seems almost secondary. Mockingbird Bistro is such a place. Tucked inside a tiny little brick building on the corner of Welch and McDuffie, Mockingbird beckons with a beautiful hardwood bar, gold and brick walls, and a sweet little upstairs dining room that almost encourages quiet conversation.

When I say the food is secondary to the atmosphere, I mean that in a very literal sense: the food follows the decor, so that just by looking at the restaurant you can tell what kind of meal to expect. It's going to be high-quality, expensive (but not pretentious), satisfying and comforting. I'm happy to report that the food at Mockingbird was all of those things.

I didn't take pictures (it just felt wrong to disturb the mood with a flash), but I had the onion soup and a warm spinach salad, as well as a glass of the house white. My husband went with the chef's special, kobe beef short ribs. My meal was good; quality ingredients, prepared simply. My husband's meal was truly a thing of beauty. The ribs were so incredibly tender, they pretty much dwarf any other beef dish I've ever had. Ever.

For dessert we shared apple bread pudding with cinnamon ice-cream. This was a very creative take on the traditional apple pie a la mode. The texture of the bread pudding was perfectly dense, and the ice cream had a light cinnamon flavor that tasted great paired with the pudding and alone. Another truly wonderful dish, and worth saving room for.

Service at Mockingbird was attentive. My husband commented that we didn't seem like our waiter's first priority, but I didn't get that impression. We never needed anything for very long before he appeared, usually with a smile, suggestion or joke. His demeanor fit the atmosphere -- laid-back but professional. I feel that if he had checked in on us any more than he did it would have disturbed our conversation and the experience as a whole.

Chef John Sheely has created a very special little bistro on the corner of Welch and McDuffie. From the moment you arrive, you feel like you belong to a special club. A club full of hip, friendly and upscale people who know how to relax and how to eat. Go once, and you'll want to go back.

El Tiempo Cantina

I'm not feeling well today, so I'm going to keep this review of El Tiempo short and to the point.

The food: fine, for the most part. I had chicken tacos, which were composed of tasty, fresh ingredients. We also shared a flan, which was extremely pretty to look at (see picture above) but tasted off. The custard was a little bit grainy with a strange crust on the bottom, like it had either been overcooked or had sat too long.

Service: our food was delivered so quickly to our table that I believe they probably pre-make a lot of popular lunch choices. Once our food arrived, however, our waiter disappeared. Eventually another waiter (or maybe a bus boy) bagged up our leftovers and cleaned off the table.

Price: we paid $33 (before tip) for two taco platters off the lunch menu, as well as cokes and desserts. Not a horrible price for a sit-down meal, but there are better lunch deals out there.

Overall: El Tiempo is alright, provided you have time to spare and don't order the flan. If you're in the mood for Mexican and you're on Washington Avenue, however, there are better options. Of course there are much worse options in Houston as well. El Tiempo isn't anything special, but it's not awful either.

TQLA

TQLA is located in my husband's building, but so is The Counter, so don't think that I'm going to give it a good review solely because my husband's boss collects rent from the restaurant.

But I am going to give TQLA a good review. I liked almost everything about this restaurant. The decor is very pretty and modern; I especially like the almost-neon-orange and black bar. There are two big-screen TVs above the bar which were showing the football game on the night my husband and I were there -- a great alternative to the overcrowded sports bar down the street. Service was a little green, but our waitress was friendly, and we didn't want for anything while we were there.

Let's start with the drinks. The menu at TQLA is impressive, if predictably heavy on tequilas and tequila-based drinks. I had two cocktails. Both were very pretty to look at, plenty strong, and tasted good. One minor critique: the martini glasses that the margaritas are served in are a little bit odd, and the ice is too big and difficult to drink around. A little thing, but the experience was so close to perfect otherwise that I had to mention it.



My husband and I love to do appetizers for dinner, so that's what we did at TQLA. We had the Queso Blanco with Poblano, the Wild Mushroom Tamale and some Beef Empanadas.



This is not your typical Tex-Mex fare. TQLA tends to use some more adventurous ingredients: goat cheese, mushrooms of all kinds, toasted pumpkin. No ingredient seems wasted, however; everything is used for a purpose, and unexpected flavors melded together beautifully. We ate every bite of food and never tasted anything we didn't like. Whoever is in the kitchen at TQLA is clearly ambitious, adventurous, and very talented.

The prices, at least on the apps, were uncommonly low. To eat so well for so little money was a very pleasant surprise. This area of Washington Ave is quickly becoming a local hot spot, and TQLA is a great addition for both the lunch and late-night crowd.