Special Out of Town Edition: Caffe Capri

This weekend was our friend Ramblin' Stew's birthday, so we headed up to College Station and had a nice meal at Caffe Capri. I thought that maybe some readers will be travelling to, or through, BCS for the holiday this week, so this trip and this review might be timely.

Caffe Capri is located downtown. The space is small, but it doesn't feel crowded, just cozy. We waited about 20 minutes for a table, which was very manageable, considering we showed up without reservations on a Friday night (and were told we would have to wait an hour by the borderline-incompetent hostess). Our waitress was a sweet college-age girl with a high tolerance for our rowdiness.

The birthday boy handled the wine selection, since he knows a lot about such things. We ended up with two nice bottles of white wine off of their very user-friendly list. We also had some very good calimari, which I would absolutely recommend.

I went with the seafood ravioli. I wish I could say more, but the wine was working at that point. I know the food was good, because I ate most of it. There was plenty of crabmeat and lobster in it, and a thick cream sauce, which is always a good thing. I can't say I would recommend it (since I can't 100% remember it) but I can't say I didn't like it either.

We told the waitress is was Stew's birthday, so she brought out a dessert. She didn't tell us what it was, but looking at the menu, I think it was the chocolate toffee mousse with kahlua. It was very good -- creamy, rich and perfect for sharing. Much better than a plain old piece of birthday cake.

We had a good experience at Caffe Capri. A lot of it has to do with the company we had and the occasion (not to mention the bottles of wine). However, the food -- or what I can remember of the food -- was very good, and the atmosphere was lovely. If you're headed that way this weekend, give it a try. And let me know how it goes -- maybe it'll trigger my memory.

Special Out-of-Town Edition: Cowboy Chow

Cowboy Chow in Dallas, Texas is an amazing place. Its decor is best summed up as "modern Western fun." Above the bar/"wedding chapel" there are a pair of stuffed buffalo heads, appropriately dressed as a bride and groom. The check is delivered to the table folded into an empty playing card box. Even the bathroom sports some Old West charm: there's a hog's head in the ladies room that looks cool, but is a little uncomfortable to urinate next to.

I have been to Cowboy Chow a handful of times, and every time I get the same thing. This meal is perfect so I don't feel the need to experiment. I always start with a carafe of watermelon sweet tea, which is not-too-sweet and delicately flavored, like the end of a perfect summer's day. Then I move on to a Navajo fry bread appetizer.



The spicy and piping-hot fried tortilla is served with sweet honey and mashed black beans for dipping. The contrast between the saltiness of the bread and beans and the sweetness of the honey is very appealing, and there is always more than enough bread to share. This is a very unique appetizer that should not be missed.

For my meal, I always get a cowboy parfait. The parfait is layers of mashed potatoes, brisket, corn, tortilla strips and shredded cheese, all served in a glass jar. Meaty, savory, satisfying and fun, this is the kind of food that will fill you up for the trail ahead -- even if that trail is just a highway headed back to Houston.



Cowboy Chow is a fun, funky little place in the Deep Ellum section of Dallas. There's really no way to categorize the food and the experience except as enjoyable. If you are travelling to or through Dallas for Thanksgiving, or any time of the year, try it. You won't be disappointed.

Pappas Brothers

We all know that Pappas is a huge chain; the company owns Pappasito's, Pappadeaux's,Yia Yia Mary's and lots of other restaurants all over Texas. However, there are only two Pappas Bros. Steakhouses (one in Houston and one in Dallas). We had a WONDERFUL meal at the Houston steakhouse this weekend, and I feel compelled to write about it, corporate chain or not.

Let's talk about ambiance and service first. Both are exemplary. Pappas is modeled after a 1940s steakhouse, with dark wood paneling and waiters in black ties. In the front there's a piano bar, where we enjoyed drinks as we waited for our table. Everyone -- the bartenders, the hostesses, and especially our waiter -- was friendly and professional. We were in a good mood when we sat down.

Our waiter suggested we try the chef's special appetizer, braised bone marrow. I've never had bone marrow before, but what we got was very special: savory, salty and totally satisfying. Our waiter claims that the waitstaff convinced the chef to try that recipe. If that's true, the chef should be listening to his servers a lot more, because this was delicious.

For dinner, I had the filet duo: two filets, one topped with red wine sauce and a shrimp and the other topped with cracked crab. The filets were wonderfully tender. The seafood was tasty, although my shrimp was a bit overcooked. We had two family style sides: mashed potatoes and mac and cheese with crab. We didn't actually order the mac and cheese (my husband is allergic to shellfish) but the waiter brought it out accidentally and let us keep it for free. We were happy to have it. Both sides were fantastic.

At the end of the meal we declined dessert, as our stomachs were seconds from popping. Our sneaky waiter asked us what we had been thinking of, and then brought it up out to us for free for my husband's birthday. It's little things like that which make a meal special. And the creme brulee we got was one of the best desserts I've ever had. Creamy, cool, rich and fantastic. Get it, even though you'll probably have to pay for it.

Pappas is a special-occasion place. Our meal took 3 hours and cost us over $200. That's not a bad thing. It's nice to have a great meal every once in a while. And everything about Pappas was great -- the service, the atmosphere, the food and wine. If you have a special event coming up, give Pappas a try. Don't let the corporation behind the place scare you off; Pappas is special.

Recipe: Better Than Almost Anything Cake

Since it's looking like I may not go to a restaurant this week, I thought I would post a recipe instead. This cake really is better than almost anything. I believe this recipe came from my mother-in-law, Miss Rana Ball, but I'm not 100% sure.

Ingredients:

Box of chocolate cake mix (cheap is fine b/c we're going to dress it up)
Small can of sweetened condensed milk
Jar of caramel ice cream topping
Cool Whip
Bag of Heath Bar pieces

Directions:

1) Bake cake according to recipe on box.

2) Remove cake from oven and using the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes in the hot cake.

3) Pour the milk and caramel topping over the cake. They will soak into it as the cake cools.

4) When the cake is completely cool, frost using the Cool Whip. Pour Heath pieces on top.*

5) Refrigerate and enjoy!

Makes about 10 servings.

* There will come a point when you wonder, is this too many Heath pieces? No, it's not. That's because you can NEVER have too many Heath pieces. Pour the whole bag on there!

Les Givral's Kahve

This is pho.



Pho is complicated stuff. It's a Vietnamese soup/stew comprised of clear broth, rice noodles, meat, onions and various aromatic herbs. Don't let that simple description fool you; there's a lot going on in a good pho. And the pho at Les Givral's on Washington is great.

First, a note on atmosphere. Les Givral's is eclectic. There's just no other way to put it. Take, for example, this thing built around the doorway separating the dining room from the counter:



I don't know what this is, but it's there and it works. That's kind of how the food is too.

I don't know what exactly goes into the broth that the pho is built on. It smells slightly like nutmeg. The soup is served with a large plate of extras, some that I recognized: basil, cilantro, lime, jalapeno, bean sprouts. I decided to go for it and chucked a bit of everything into the bowl. What resulted was a beautifully synchronous chaos. Any given bite might be spicy, or sour, or savory, but together it was all very tasty.

Pho is also surprisingly filling. I ate a little over half the bowl before I felt full. My only complaint is that the sliced chicken that they use in their pho is a little hard to eat. Shredded chicken -- the kind used on the sandwiches -- might be easier to eat with a spoon. That minor complaint aside, you're not going to find such a satisfying and nutritious meal for $6.45 anywhere else in the city.

My husband had a sandwich with barbecued pork. Like the pho, the sandwiches are packed with fresh ingredients (carrot, cucumber, hot peppers) and are very affordable ($2.75 ... I'm not kidding). However, they're a little dry for my American/must-have-mayonnaise taste, so I'd rather stick with the pho.

Les Givrals is a must-do if you're on Washington Avenue around lunchtime. Word to the wise: if you're going for lunch, go early. We arrived at 11:40, walked up to the counter, and had the food delivered to our table fresh and hot in ten minutes. When we left at 12:30, the line for food was literally winding out the door. People are starting to catch onto this little gem of a place.

Porch Swing Pub

Yet another place I wasn't planning on eating ...

A small group of friends and I went out on Saturday night, looking for another bar that I had visited once before. Unfortunately the parking situation around that place was no good, so we headed to the Porch Swing Pub.

The seating at Porch Swing can't be beat. Outside there are two large, semi-covered patios with at least 4 big screen TVs. Inside, there is a very nice bar with some tables, pool tables, and more TVs. Even the ladies room was large and clean. This was definitely one of the nicer sports bars I've ever been to.

My girlfriend and I both had grilled buffalo chicken sandwiches.



The chicken was all white meat, with a slightly spicy sauce that was cooled down by lettuce, tomato and blue cheese dressing. Everything tasted fresh and well-cooked, and the fries were nice and crispy. Was it anything special? Not really. Was it good bar food at a very decent price? Yes.

Our server was a friendly college-age girl who was doing a very good job handling a large crowd. Everyone seemed well-meaning and happy, even when it started to lightly rain. My only complaint is that Porch Swing delivers exactly what it advertises: every TV had a college football game on, and therefore my husband and my friend's boyfriend were pretty much MIA the entire time. Overall, Porch Swing is a very nice college/sports bar with great outdoor seating, but it's probably not the place to go if you want to spend any time with your men.

Daily Grill

I didn't really want to have dinner at The Daily Grill. We were in the Houston Galleria on a Tuesday night, and the restaurant I wanted to eat at was empty. For some reason, being the only person in a restaurant makes me uncomfortable, so we sought out food elsewhere and kind of stumbled upon Daily Grill.

I started my meal with a pomegranate martini. My drink tasted more like juice than alcohol, but it must be loaded with it, since it cost $13. To pay that much for a mixed drink you have to be a little tipsy. Fine drink, but not worth it.

My meal was far better. I was craving fish, so I got the fish and chips.



The fish was lightly breaded and fork-tender. It was served with lemon wedges and vinegar (which I didn't even have to ask for) and serviceable french fries. Very satisfying meal. My husband had a ribeye and he was very happy with it as well.

We decided to have a dessert at our waiter's suggestion. We shared the strawberry shortcake. The chef was very generous with his strawberries and real, fresh whipped cream, but the real standout of the dish was the extremely flavorful strawberry syrup that lined the bottom of the bowl. Truly heavenly, it more than made up for the fact that the biscuit was a little too thick and too dry.

Service at The Daily Grill is exemplary. Our server was attentive and helpful without being pushy. There were a lot of little touches we weren't expecting: the server scraped bread crumbs off of our table with a knife, the manager came by to check on how we were doing, the bus boys quickly moved used and empty plates almost as soon as we were done with them. As far as service was concerned, The Daily Grill is more like a fine dining restaurant than a place in a mall.

Unfortunately, The Daily Grill also forgets that it's in a mall when it comes to prices. Everything was just a little too expensive (except, of course, for my $13 drink, which was MUCH too expensive). Don't get me wrong -- the food here is good. I just don't think that The Daily Grill will be my first choice from now on when I'm shopping and need something to eat. Chances are, if I'm in the mall, I've probably spent too much already to afford a pricey meal. And at $13 a pop, I'll NEVER be able to drink enough to justify it to myself.