Downhouse

Went to brunch at Downhouse.

Sunday is hard to find a seat, so go early.

Iced Brewed Coffee, very good.  It's super refreshing for a semi hot day.

We got the popover.  We got it for split. It's very souffle-ish.  Once you cut it open, it has holes for your yummy lemon curd or their raspberry jam that was made in house.  I'd get this again.... 

Sitting at the patio made me extra thirsty, ordered an Arnold Palmer.  OH Goodness, it was good... talk about it was curing the heat.

I got the Pork Hash, you can't see it underneath the eggs but they're there.  It has smoked pork, potato, feta.  The sauce it has it's so good, I wish they gave you a piece of Texas Toast and soak it all up.  Ok, let's be honest, I didn't finish it all, because that's actually alot of food.  But, if you ever looking for a hangover cure, this will be the one.

We have awesome service even though sitting at the patio.  The inside wait does have a 40 mins wait compare to sitting outside.  Luckily, it's covered, so it's not bad at all with a little breeze.  All of the servers have a great sense of humor, and it's pretty awesome.  They always stop by to check on us and made sure we got our drinks and our orders came out right.  I'd go back again.  And by the way, if you do have to wait, the coffee by the door is complementary.

In terms of parking, don't let the small lot to the side of the building intimidate you.  Drive down the side street, there's another lot available to diners.  Of course, if it's Sunday don't expect any street parking, as the nearby churches would've been there before you.  But any other day, parking on street is absolutely kosher.

Downhouse

1801 Yale Street

Houston, TX 7708

713-864-3696

http://treadsack.com/downhouse/about/

HRW: Peska

Another late post for Restaurant Week.  Went to Peska.

It was all nice and shiny for sure in the brand new space.  I would say, if your olfactory is strong, do not sit near the bar or the front area, the fish smell is strong.

 Amuse bouche is a tomato shrimp soup to get you started.

 This is the Oyster Trio for starter.  Pretty fresh, not gamey at all.  It came with a little sauce that goes well, but not what I would choose.

 Tostada Caramelo, minced yellowfin, citrus soy and caramelized red onion.  The yellowfin was in sashimi style.  I liked this alot, wouldn't have minded a lot more of this.

Pappardelle al mare, calamari and clams, butter, garlic, and of course pasta.  The butter and pasta goes super well together, the clams I think I would've liked more taste from it.  The calamari was good, it's weird they are all good, but together they don't exactly make the best dish.  It's not bad, but not as great as I'd hoped.

The service is great, from the hostess to the server to the bussers.  They all made sure that we have what we needed and we get our food in a promptly timing for lunch.  So, I can't complain about that at all.  Maybe, next time I will go by the menu and maybe it'll be better.

Peska Seafood
1700 Post Oak Blvd
#1-190
Houston, TX 77056
713-961-9299
https://www.facebook.com/PeskaSeafoodCulture

HRW: Arcodoro

It's a little late on this Restaurant Week post, but totally deserve a post to its own.  

It's been a loooong time since I've been to Arcodoro, mostly because of the location.

For HRW, it was $20 for a 3 course lunch.  

 For starters, they have bread and olive oil.  

 Amuse bouche, they got this eggplant and toast for start.  That little ball, is fried risotto, very yummy.

 Minestrone soup, very nice and taste very homemade.

 Rigatoni with Ragu, as recommended by the server, which I wholeheartedly agree.  It's not overwhelming and still very much have a taste of what grandma would make, if mine was an Italian.  It has lamb, and unusual to have jalapeno and cilantro.  But overall, it tasted awesome.

 Tiramisu, of course, you can't go wrong with that.

 Got a cappuccino, super yummy, especially if you add the sugar on the rocks, it's super yummy.

I went at lunch by myself, and cannot tell you how great their service was to a single diner.  They made sure I got a good view,  they checked on me and made sure I have enough food, recommend dessert types, and the manager personally see that I get a cup of good coffee.  So, it was a great experience.

Arcodoro

5000 Westheimer Rd

Houston, TX 77056

713-621-6888

http://www.arcodoro.com/ 

La Madeleine's

Was looking for a quick lunch...

I was at a conference thing and not familiar with the hood, but saw a tried and true La Madeleine and you know you're all set.  The first day we went kinda late, and the line was out the door.  The next day we smarten up and got there early.  And line wasn't so bad, but the seats were filling up quickly.  I got the Strawberry and Bacon Salad with marinated chicken.  Little did I know, they are super filling.  They have tons of meat, spinach, and talk about overflowing.  I didn't even finish it's so much food.  Of course, my eyes were bigger than my stomach, so I got the lemonade and a dessert.  The lemonade, sadly, were super zingy and tart, like someone forgot to put in sugar.  The dessert was a Sacher tart mini, super chocolately, but since I couldn't even finish my salad, I can't eat the dessert and ended taking it home.  It was just alot of food for a very good price.

La Madeleine's

Carillion

10001 Westheimer Rd

Ste 2123

Houston, TX 77042

http://lamadeleine.com/

Kata Robata

Don't even know how, but my mom has never been to Kata before.  How can that be?!  So, we quickly corrected that problem. 

Chopped Scallop and Uni Sushi (yum)

Octopus sushi, not super chewy, nice and fresh.

This is the Rising Sun, which has peppercorn tuna, yellowtail, avocado, and truffle oil.  You know, I was there for the truffle oil.  Not that the rest aren't tasty, but that was the star for me.

Toro & Short Ribs, it was so delicious, I didn't even offer it to Mom.  Definitely loving the Toro in the middle, spicy tuna style.  And short ribs on top, yummmmm.  The olive oil they used has ponzu in it, and it's not too tart, but you can taste it.

We got the Uni Chawanmushi, which is a little mini teapot size soup.  As you can see and noted on the name.  It's weird to eat cooked uni, it's super soft but not in a bad way.  And it is really egg custard with chicken, mushroom, shrimp, and nut inside.  That was very good.  It's not what you normally get or see people get, but when it's done well, it's super delicious.

Once again, awesome service, then again, we had the same server as last time.  So, that's the pro of sitting at the sushi bar.  The tables were hard to come by during peak lunch anyway.  So, always be open to sitting at the bar.

Kata Robata

3600 Kirby Ave

Ste H

Houston, TX 77098

713-526-8858

http://katarobata.com/ 

Liberty Kitchen

Was looking for a good brunch spot and took myself to the Heights.

I like their food and last time I was with the kiddo it was a good experience, so why not. 

I got the short rib potato hash, which the bread is covering up the meat so you can't really see, but take my word for it, it's delicious.  I can dare say that I never had a bad dish at LK.  The rib is fall of the fork good.  The potato is nice and not mushy, definitely toddler approved.  And to balance in all, there's a mini salad, too.  Delicioso!

So the servers are kid-friendly.  The problem is, in the Heights, all the other families are having the same idea as you are about having brunch.  So, the only seating we had was the half booth that are bar height.  The problem with that is that there's nowhere to sit your active Toddler.  There are also no room for the coloring pages they generously offered us.  So, next time, with a kiddo, demand a table or a real booth. 

Another thing that was odd was that they were informing all customers to be sure to not leave anything valuable in the car.  Now, granted that message is not new, but what comes after is.  The hostess then said, recently we had alot of incidents.  That's unnerving for a breakfast bunch, you want to get some yummy breakfast, and now have to constantly think if my car will be broken into or not and hope a cop car drives by soon.

Liberty Kitchen

1050 Studemont

Houston, TX 77008

713-802-0533

http://www.libertykitchenoysterbar.com/index.php

Three Brothers

Didn't know there's a Three Brothers down on Washington Ave, so went to meet a friend for a quick breakfast.  The problem is that everything they have looked so good, it was so hard to make a decision.

I got lox and bagel, the cream cheese is nice, and lox is out of a package.  But the combo is decent.

You can't come here and not get something from the display case, which has a wide array of everything.  I got an apricot danish and a rugalach.  The pastry was delicious, the side was flaky but not messy, the filling (which let's face it - is the whole reason) was fresh.  That part you can tell they made.  Not too sweet and not too blend, just right.  The rugalach was nice and flaky as it should be and didn't even last 2 bites.

I like the feel of the place very casual cafe style.  The servers however, is a hit or miss.  The lady we had assumed we know how it all works and even I told her that I've never been, she wasn't much helpful.  Conversely, my friend got a different person and she was above and beyond helpful, so it really depends on who you get.

Three Brothers Bakery

4606 Washington Ae

Houston, TX 77007

713-522- CAKE

http://3brothersbakery.com/

Smoosh

Been eyeing Smoosh truck for a while.

Finally in the area when they're open.  It's kinda tricky, because the lot they're right next to cost $6 to park, but if you can eyeball and see how long the line is, you can get away with parking there for a bit while you get your treat.

Smoosh is really known for their ice cream sandwiches.  So naturally, when you see the menu, you'd be like a kid in the ice cream store, and want a bit of everything.  Even though, it'll definitely give you this big tummy ache, they're so good, makes it all so worth it.

So, what did I get?  I got the mint chocolate chip ice cream, with white chocolate macadamia nut cookies dipped in sprinkles.  

OMG!  It's so good, so good, you see.  The white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are not overly sweet, especially you're already squeezing ice cream in the middle.  The texture is not super thick, but good enough, structurally to hold up the ice cream in between.  The ice cream is delicious.  It's definitely locally made, not store bought.  It's nice and whipped up creamy.  To make it all together, you get perfection.  The beauty of it is that you can mix and match so many times it's pretty much never get bored of the possibilities.  Not to mention, on Fridays, they have churros Fridays, which they made churros into circle shape, perfect for putting ice cream in between.  Give that a shot.

Smoosh Ice Cream Sandwich Truck

Mostly parked in Rice Village by Times & Morningside

http://www.smooshcookies.com/

Jerry's Built

Went back to Jerry's Built for a quick lunch.

Since this time we went during off peak hours, hardly anybody was there.  Much less hectic than last time.  Of course, you get your shake and burger faster too.  Yummy on the chocolate shake, which my toddler basically thought I ordered that for him and pretty much brave thru brain freeze to suck down at least half of the small size shake.  Slurp!

I got the Bacon Cheddar BBQ, which in many places is Hickory Burger with bacon.  The only difference is that you get the 'Ernie's Sauce', which I haven't figured out what it's closed to yet, because I was too busy licking the BBQ sauce.  Anyway, it's good, you just have to try it.  For $2 more, you can get the gluten free buns too.  Now, if you want to try something entirely different, you can ask them to put portobello mushroom as buns too.  I'm going to have to remember that for next time.  Anyway, I just love how their beef tastes just as good as it smell on your way up to the door.  Definitely worth going back.

Jerry Built Burger

3501 W. Holcomb

Houston, TX 77025

713-664-2874

https://www.jerrybuiltburgers.com/

Barnaby's

Took the kiddo for an early photo shoot.  Driving around looking for decent breakfast besides IHOP or Denny's.  Then, in a very dugged up Shepherd, I remembered that Barnaby's is tuck inside there.

So happens that they're open at 8am, and we're one of the first few customers there.  The 'regulars' were already poised at their 'usual' tables and chatting away with their buddy servers.  I was a tad clumsy, since I was much less equipped with a non-hungry toddler.

Nonetheless, I ordered Corn Beef Hash with Eggs.  Since I haven't been here in ages, totally forgot that they put it on a skillet.  Which makes cutting up the egg a tad challenging.  And I'm one of those people who doesn't like my egg yolk ooze into my other food.  So, that's even more challenging as things were.  

That said, the Corn Beef Hash, which you cannot see because it's underneath the eggs, were delicious.  They have little chunks of meat instead of tiny bits of meat.  When you get it, you'll know what I mean.  It's definitely hearty.  

And I want to thank the server who took a pity at my clumsiness with a fussy toddler and didn't make me walk up to the cashier to pay and did it for me.  Bless you.

Barnaby's Cafe

1701 Shepherd Dr

Houston, TX 

713-520-3191

http://www.barnabyscafe.com/

Kata Robata

Been a while since I was at Kata.  Figured we grab a quick lunch.

If you order their pre-set lunch menu, it has an option of soup or salad.  I got the salad with ginger dressing, the dressing is not the other Japanese places, there's something else in there that makes it sweeter than the others.

My prix fixe was 5 pieces of nigri and 2 rolls.  So I got Unagi, Scallop (whole), Salmon, Yellowfish (I think) and Tuna.  The rolls are really half rolls which makes a whole.  There's a California and a Spicy Salmon.  I would say the Tuna is the freshest I've had from them, the rest are good.  And had I remembered, I would've asked to have King Crab in my California Roll, with an up charge, of course.  But boy is it worth it!

Most impressed of all, is their service.  Always up to par, but I've had this server before.  We told him that we were in a hurry, not only does he make sure the sushi chef helps us out, he even came by to check on us just to make sure we got out of there in time.  Talk about efficient, and much appreciated in a time crunch.

Kata Robata

3600 Kirby

Suite H

Houston, TX  77098

713-526-8858

http://katarobata.com/

Bar Bazzar

Drove by this very hip, well in Clear Lake standard, hip coffee shop in the area.

but found no good info online, so had to stop in to check it out.

Bar Bazzar besides, chocolate, coffee, and espresso, they also serve breakfast & lunch.

If coffee is not your thing, you can get Smoothies, teas, juices, and crafted sodas.

Very nice and upscaled decor and this is just for the chocolate section.  You can do fudge, artisan chocolates, just pay to your right, which looks like...

This, sorry it's a tad dark.  This is where they make coffee, take your order (and your money) and it's attached to their kitchen.

I ordered a Green Tea Chai Latte.  Had to say that because it's To-Go, they didn't do the latte art on there.  That was a bit disappointing, BUT!  The taste of the latte made up for it.  It's pretty damn good.  I don't mind getting that again.

I also got a chocolate cookie to go.  Which cost $2.  That said, I get that they're trying to have some sort of presentation with my to-go order.  So, I waited longer for the cookie than I did the latte.  So, it's nice and piping hot.  It's so hot that you can't pick it up to eat right away.  Well, the wise thing would be to let it cool off, so I did.  EXCEPT, it became rock hard, harder than moon rocks.  I can't even taste the chocolate chips, which I can see it's in there, but don't know where the taste went.  Curious.

The place does give off the hoity toity vibe, but it's none of the sort when you walk in. All the servers are friendly.  The afternoon I went, there was not a seat to be found, and it's not because people bought a cup of coffee and camp out all day.  These people are buying food and enjoying the afternoon.  So, don't be surprise when you get there, it's packed.  Definitely will go back and try other coffee or non-coffee drinks.

Bar Bazzar

702 West Bay Area Blvd

Webster, TX

281-332-1735

https://www.facebook.com/barbazzarwebster

The Counter

I know this is a weird combo, but it's not really, right?

 We got a Chocolate Milkshake, because the little one's favorite, and it's hot outside.

I got their Caprese salad.  You can see they got huge tomatoes, red & green.  And generous slices of mozzarella.  They use balsamic glaze, and the funny thing was that the onion with the glaze tasted awesome.  Don't ask me why or how, that combo somehow produced awesome results.

Anyway, told you it was a weird combo.

The Counter

4601 Washington Ave

Houston, TX 77007

713-966-6123

http://www.thecounterburger.com/HoustonTX/

Ramen Jin

Didn't realized it's been a while since I've been back to Ramen Jin.

 Menu changed alot since then.  The cute egg cakes, certain appetizers has been replaced.  The main staples are still there, don't you worry.

 Got a can of iced green tea, they imported from Japan.  I love anything UCC, which are hard to come by, some are difficult to locate even at the local Japanese grocery store across the street.

Got the Gyoza, sadly, you can tell it's not made in house and it's frozen.  No bits of frozen in there, but the taste was robbed a bit.  But no worries... I can smell my noodles coming!

I got the Tonkotsu, I do miss my egg though, which was nowhere to be found.  The meat is good, and it's the fall apart good, as you stab into it.  But, the soup, it's nice and rich, and I wouldn't mind if it gets a bit more fat, though I know not everyone likes that.

If you've never been, you place your order at the counter after you studied the menu board.  You go find a seat, and make sure they have chopsticks, spoons, and napkins.  I do know sometimes right after a rush, they don't replace quick enough.  They will give you a number and bring you your food.  You feel free to slurp, though it's not customary in US, it is part of the dish's culture.  Slurp away!

Ramen Jin

11181 Westheimer Rd

Houston, TX 77401

713-278-8702

https://www.facebook.com/ramenjin

Japaneiro's

I've never been to Japaneiro's before, so I was excited to try the Japanese/Spanish fusion.

The feel is very contemporary.  I got their Lunch Special for 3 courses.

1st Course, I got the seaweed salad.

2nd Course, I got the Ika Frita, which is fried octopus, it's like a calamari but thicker.  It's almost like a fry.  They have pico di gallo on top with lime, which is like a little salad.

Here comes the 3rd Course, sushi roll and nigri.  I got the spicy salmon roll with 3 nigri of yellowtail, tuna, salmon.  You can make variation of the lunch combo with alot of stuff they offer.  You basically can use their lunch menu to try out every appetizers and small plates they offer.  My friend got the plantain chips and dips and the rest pretty much like mine.  But it just goes to show that you can have your cake and eat it too.

The entire lunch combo is $12, you can't beat that.  They're very good about letting you substitute, some may have up charges, but it's noted on the menu.  They do get busy but they still get very efficient at their service.  They are good at getting you in and out for lunch. 

Japaneiro's

City Walk in Sugarland

2168 Texas Drive

Sugar land, TX 77479

281-242-1121

http://www.japaneiro.com/