Meh.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Small Businesses with Big Hearts
Lately I've had the pleasure of working with some really great small businesses. Though neither is in Houston, or even technically a restaurant, I felt compelled to give them a shout-out on here.
The first is Klassy Glass. I hosted a bridal shower for a friend at this wine bar in Waco a few weeks ago. Not only was the space beautiful (and affordable), but the people could not have been easier to work with. I absolutely recommend this place for parties, get together, or just grabbing a glass of wine.
Speaking of wine, I've also fallen in love with Pleasant Hill Winery in Brenham. Their wine tours and tastings are a lot of fun, their wine is affordable and tasty, and once again, the people are wonderful. We'll be going back this summer for grape stomping -- you should join us!
And now back to the restaurant reviews...
The first is Klassy Glass. I hosted a bridal shower for a friend at this wine bar in Waco a few weeks ago. Not only was the space beautiful (and affordable), but the people could not have been easier to work with. I absolutely recommend this place for parties, get together, or just grabbing a glass of wine.
Speaking of wine, I've also fallen in love with Pleasant Hill Winery in Brenham. Their wine tours and tastings are a lot of fun, their wine is affordable and tasty, and once again, the people are wonderful. We'll be going back this summer for grape stomping -- you should join us!
And now back to the restaurant reviews...
New Yang
We just can't find good Chinese takeout in Houston. Maybe I was spoiled, since my home town has great Chinese. And Houston has great Japanese and great eat-in Chinese (Yao's and Auntie Chang's come to mind). But Chinese takeout just isn't happening for us ...
However, on a Sunday night after a long weekend with friends, sometimes a girl just doesn't want to cook. So my husband and I took our chances on New Yang. I say "took our chances" literally, because New Yang is apparently a dangerous place after hours. The staff serves the food from behind bars.
Yes, you read that right. We get our Chinese food from a place with bars around the counter.
So, how was the food? Not bad. The beef pot-stickers had an odd sweetness to them; I don't think it was accidental though. Maybe some people like them that way. The vegetable lo mein was actually pretty good and held up well the next day. All in all, it wasn't terrible take-out. And it looked awesome on my left-over Super Bowl plates.
However, on a Sunday night after a long weekend with friends, sometimes a girl just doesn't want to cook. So my husband and I took our chances on New Yang. I say "took our chances" literally, because New Yang is apparently a dangerous place after hours. The staff serves the food from behind bars.
Yes, you read that right. We get our Chinese food from a place with bars around the counter.
So, how was the food? Not bad. The beef pot-stickers had an odd sweetness to them; I don't think it was accidental though. Maybe some people like them that way. The vegetable lo mein was actually pretty good and held up well the next day. All in all, it wasn't terrible take-out. And it looked awesome on my left-over Super Bowl plates.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Ginza
And now back to sushi...
We stopped into Ginza on a very busy Saturday evening, and right away we knew it would be good. The place was PACKED. Yet, in the first of many testaments to their impressive service, we were seated right away. You see, Ginza runs like a well-oiled machine. No table has one server; every server works with every table, and no orders are written down. Yet we got the correct food and the correct bill -- and quickly. That would be impressive even if everyone working there spoke perfect English, but they don't. Add on the sheer volume of customers, the noise, the relativily small space and well .... I don't know how they do it.
I've never been to Japan, but I'd wager that Ginza is the closest experience I've had so far. It's small, loud, crowded, and very little of the menu is in English. IN keeping with the spirit of things, we decided to stick with traditional favorites: beef gyoza (dumplings), edamame, yellowtail and tuna sashimi, sake. We only went off the reservation one time and ordered a Lava Roll, which is a fried salmon roll with eel sauce.
The sashimi was very good -- fresh, nicely cut, and arrived in 5 very generous pieces. I liked the texture of the lava roll, but there wasn't much flavor there. The eel sauce tasted good, but unfortunately it gave my husband heartburn (or at least we think it did - it was the only thing he hadn't tried before, so we're assuming it was the culprit). Edamame, and even gyoza, are fairly difficult things to mess up, and Ginza didn't.
For dessert my husband tried a house specialty, green tea ice-cream. The bright green color of the ice-cream belied its delicate flavor and creamy texture. This came highly recommended, and we can see why -- it's a perfect dessert after a light Japanese meal.
Unfortunately we weren't given much time to enjoy it, or the massive amounts of sake we ordered to go with it, as we were handed our bill and rushed out the door by a waitstaff that obviously thought we owed them our table back. And that's my one complaint about Ginza: the atmosphere, though lively, isn't very relaxing. For the same kind of food, at similar prices, I prefer to go someplace a little more inviting.
We stopped into Ginza on a very busy Saturday evening, and right away we knew it would be good. The place was PACKED. Yet, in the first of many testaments to their impressive service, we were seated right away. You see, Ginza runs like a well-oiled machine. No table has one server; every server works with every table, and no orders are written down. Yet we got the correct food and the correct bill -- and quickly. That would be impressive even if everyone working there spoke perfect English, but they don't. Add on the sheer volume of customers, the noise, the relativily small space and well .... I don't know how they do it.
I've never been to Japan, but I'd wager that Ginza is the closest experience I've had so far. It's small, loud, crowded, and very little of the menu is in English. IN keeping with the spirit of things, we decided to stick with traditional favorites: beef gyoza (dumplings), edamame, yellowtail and tuna sashimi, sake. We only went off the reservation one time and ordered a Lava Roll, which is a fried salmon roll with eel sauce.
The sashimi was very good -- fresh, nicely cut, and arrived in 5 very generous pieces. I liked the texture of the lava roll, but there wasn't much flavor there. The eel sauce tasted good, but unfortunately it gave my husband heartburn (or at least we think it did - it was the only thing he hadn't tried before, so we're assuming it was the culprit). Edamame, and even gyoza, are fairly difficult things to mess up, and Ginza didn't.
For dessert my husband tried a house specialty, green tea ice-cream. The bright green color of the ice-cream belied its delicate flavor and creamy texture. This came highly recommended, and we can see why -- it's a perfect dessert after a light Japanese meal.
Unfortunately we weren't given much time to enjoy it, or the massive amounts of sake we ordered to go with it, as we were handed our bill and rushed out the door by a waitstaff that obviously thought we owed them our table back. And that's my one complaint about Ginza: the atmosphere, though lively, isn't very relaxing. For the same kind of food, at similar prices, I prefer to go someplace a little more inviting.
Pollo Campero
It's been so long since we ate at Pollo Campero that I almost feel guilty writing about it. They just put one in on Washington Avenue next to my husband's building, and his coworkers were raving about it. I wish I could say the same.
Maybe it's just that I'm not used to Latin fast-food. I was impressed with the variety of the offerings -- not just entrees, but also sides, salsas, even the drink menu. I had the empanada trio, with one of each offered filling (Cubana pork, grilled chicken and spicy chicken). I didn't love my empanadas. They were a little bit greasy, a little bit floppy, a little bit doughy -- a little bit everything but delicious. The rice and beans I had on the side were good though.*
The people couldn't have been nicer. If anything, they were a little overly friendly; I think that might have been new-restaurant nerves though. The space itself was nice, and clean, and everything was moving efficiently. And in fairness, the fried chicken (their specialty) did look and smell very good.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't try Pollo Campero. Washington Ave has changed in the few years we've been here, and there's a great need for affordable lunch choices in this area. I'm just really hoping that they step up and work out some of the kinks, and soon. Some other places need a little competition.
*I'm trying so hard to give this place a good review. It's killing me.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Vietnam Restaurant
Sorry it's been a while, blog fans. The hubs and I spent Valentine's weekend in NYC, where we went to Colicchio & Sons (AMAZING service, impressive yet approachable food, great prices for Manhattan -- if you're travelling, try it!).
We're back now though, and we had lunch yesterday at Vietnam Restaurant.
Vietnam is located in a very modest building, across from a car garage and an upholstery place. Not exactly an ideal location, but the outside belies the nicely appointed interior and the attentive waitstaff.
We went a little before noon and found a healthy crowd. Obviously people appreciate the lunch specials, which are a good value. I had the chicken with oriental vegetables. It came with an eggroll, brown rice, and a cup of the soup of the day (chicken with mustard greens).
The soup consisted of a thin broth with plenty of greens and (as my husband pointed out) very little chicken. It was tasty though, and probably authentic and healthy.
My chicken with vegetables was served piping hot -- almost not edible, but once it cooled, it was good. Nothing was overcooked, the chicken was all-white meat and there was a nice variety of vegetables (carrots, cabbage, beans, etc). Did it stand out in any way? Not really. Was it healthy, cheap, and filling? Yes. Was that really all I can ask of a lunch special at an Asian restaurant in a not-so-nice area? Yep.
But if given the choice between Vietnam and Colicchio and Sons, take the latter.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Casey's
The hubs and I spent a great day at Galveston State Park and worked up a huge appetite, so we were happy to find a casual sit-down place called Casey's. The promise of 20 beers on tap lured us in -- and yes, we did enjoy some of them -- but we were surprised and delighted by how delicious the food was.
We started with the mozzarella sticks, which were basic but tasty. I had the Gulf Coast burger (also known as a Po Boy burger) with waffle fries. This was a very nice beef patty topped with lettuce, tomato, and fried shrimp and crawfish in a remoulade sauce. If you don't think that sounds appetizing (WEIRDO), take my word for it, and give it a try. The seafood really shown without overpowering the burger, the meat was juicy but didn't make the seafood soggy, and the homemade bun it was served on was still warm and very tasty. A creative, filling sandwich.
For whatever reason, my husband decided we needed to see the desert menu. We ended up sharing a piece of the key lime cheesecake. Like my sandwich, this dessert combined two classics without ruining either of them. Do you like cheesecake? Do you like key lime pie? If so, you'll like this. I did.
Our server was very sweet and attentive. We certainly never wanted for anything while we were there, and honestly -- we're both so full that we're still hating life right now, hours after our meal. Go to Casey's with a big appetite and an open mind. You won't be disappointed.
We started with the mozzarella sticks, which were basic but tasty. I had the Gulf Coast burger (also known as a Po Boy burger) with waffle fries. This was a very nice beef patty topped with lettuce, tomato, and fried shrimp and crawfish in a remoulade sauce. If you don't think that sounds appetizing (WEIRDO), take my word for it, and give it a try. The seafood really shown without overpowering the burger, the meat was juicy but didn't make the seafood soggy, and the homemade bun it was served on was still warm and very tasty. A creative, filling sandwich.
For whatever reason, my husband decided we needed to see the desert menu. We ended up sharing a piece of the key lime cheesecake. Like my sandwich, this dessert combined two classics without ruining either of them. Do you like cheesecake? Do you like key lime pie? If so, you'll like this. I did.
Our server was very sweet and attentive. We certainly never wanted for anything while we were there, and honestly -- we're both so full that we're still hating life right now, hours after our meal. Go to Casey's with a big appetite and an open mind. You won't be disappointed.
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