Tuesday, October 31, 2017

100% Taquito

Needed to grab a super quick dinner, and stopped at 100% Taquito
It's conveniently located by Southwest Freeway and Buffalo Speedway.  Plenty of parking.
I got the Pork Quesadilla.  I'm always amused that their quesadilla is the 'street' version, not the 'pie' version.  Or rather, open-faced version.  I got pork, chihuahua cheese, and pineapple.  Also got some fresh pico to go with it.  Love the taste of the grilled meat.  Nicely spiced and topped with my pico, it was perfect for me.  I just love it.  

Not pictured, Melon Drink, just love that too, not sure what about it, but totally up my alley.  Of course, if you sit there, you get to watch the Hispanic version of MTV, which is just as vale as US MTV, but at least the music makes you want to get up and dance.

100% Taquito
3245 Southwest Freeway
Houston, TX 77027
713-665-2900




Monday, October 30, 2017

B&B Butchers

Beautiful day to enjoy the deck...
...B&B Butcher's deck, that is.
Came here with some out of town work guests.
Just in case you're wondering what's so great about the deck, let's check out the view!
Under advisement of a lot of folks, we got the bacon 3 ways.  Top one is thick cut bacon, bottom right is Chef Tommy's Bacon (which is blue cheese with truffle infused honey glazed), and lamb on the left.  They have a small side salad, in case you needed some balance.  All of them were awesome, I was most looking forward to the Chef Tommy's bacon, just because I've never had it before.  But turned out, lamb was my favorite.  I've never had lamb bacon before, but something about they way they cooked it, it was so good.
Of course, we have to get the Carpet Bagger on the Half shelf, that is: fried oyster on top, big piece of bacon in the middle and a small piece of steak at the bottom.  There's cheese crumbled all around with a touch of hot sauce.  Oh my goodness, soooooo good.  I know there were a few non-oyster fans at the table, but let me tell you, the fried oyster came out great and between the cheese and hot sauce, it just complements.  The oyster-slimey effect, totally non-existence.
Giant shrimp wrapped with bacon, so meaty, both shrimp and bacon, so delicious.
Beautiful weather and great food, what more do you want?!
And comes the entree, since I got my meat filling quota from the appetizers, got a lobster instead.  It's delicious, and as everyone at the table talking about everything business and not, I just scuffed down the lobster quietly... it was good, no words needed.  
Now for some sides.  We got (top) creamed spinach, pretty good.  (Bottom) bacon mac and cheese, so good that I keep picking at it.  I think I turned a few people at the table into believers as well.  It is really dang good between the cheese and more bacon.
Gotta have some greens at the table, even though not very many people touched it.  We have broccoli with almond, and asparagus.  I think I'm the only person that touched them.  By the way, I wasn't the one that ordered it.
Our big boss ordered dessert sampler who am I to say no?  We have (L to right): apple crumble, baked Alaska, and Mango sorbet.
And we have FLAMBE'.  That's really our whole reason for getting it.  For the fire....  

they are delicious too, the apple crumble was my favorite.  The baked Alaska has a cookie bottom and it's 3 huge layers of Napoleon ice cream.  And the mango sorbet has some real fruit in the mix, very fresh and refreshing for a hot day.
At the end, this is our view.  You don't get any better than this.

The food is top notch, there was no compliant from anyone at the table about their food.  Even the fish was done well, and the steak of course was delicious.  The service is also top notch, out of a table of 8, not once did our server forget anything.  I would say the music was a bit loud for a dinner service, and we did bright it up to the server, but it never was lowered.  Just made it a tad difficult for conversation.  Of course, always make a reservation here.  Funny story, I had done my reservation online, the 2 days before I got an email reminder, the day before I got a text confirmation, and the day of, I got a phone call.  I get that you want to confirm, but wow 3 forms of communications, they REALLY want to make sure you're coming.  Lastly, you don't need to valet, they do have a huge lot for parking.

B&B Butchers
1814 Washington Ave
Houston, TX 77007
713-862-1814
http://bbbutchers.com

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Class 502

Last time coming to Class 502 was for a drink.
This time is for their rolled ice cream.
Last time I had Rolled Ice Cream was in Vegas.
It's a little MMarble Slab cross with Creamistry (minus the nitrogen).
Spread it out in a square...
... then rollin', rollin', rollin'.
So we got the lychee flavored ice cream, and it came with all these cute decor (all edible).  I posted this way just to really show off the Post-It Superman, too cute!
So what's all are there?  2 types of Pocky sticks (strawberry & matcha), mint, strawberry, mango, blueberry, teddy graham, and lychee.  

Of course, I was really here for the experience, too cute, too neat.  That said, this is actually a lot of ice cream.  It may not look it, but it is.  Luckily, we were sharing.  Feel less like a pig that way.

I just love how kitchy the place is.  Really bringing you back to school.  Though might not be the traditional American School, the desks (aka seats and tables) are shorter.  They even have pencil case, school notebooks, school text books, and even the staff has a 'school-like' uniform.  Very cute theme cafe.

Class 502
9889 Bellaire Blvd
Ste D220
Houston, TX 
832-831-8152
https://www.facebook.com/Class502.TeaHouse/

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Fuji Ramen King

Went back to Fuji Ramen King for some quick bite...
Starter egg roll, just wanted something crispy.
Got the Tonkotsu.  The portion is way smaller than last time.  Plus, this time they used the egg noodles, not even the Sun Noodles that are 'ramen'.  The 60 degree egg was way cold, they're usually warm, I didn't have the courage to eat the yolk, in case there's any issues.  The soup is also not as flavorful as before.  The meat, however was decent.

This visit was all around a bust.  I ordered a drink too, basically the 2 staff weren't communicating.  One person thought the other saw the ticket, while the other was busy binge watching a show on their laptop.  I understand sometimes there are lulls, but not checking is not acceptable.   The food definitely declined in taste, presentation, and quality over all.  I was coming here because I had a decent experience last time and hope I found a gem amidst the eateries in the area.  Alas, this was not it.  Sigh.

Fuji Ramen King
2518 W. Holcomb 
Houston, Tx 
713-660-0426
http://fujiramenking.com

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Peli Peli

Came to Peli Peli for lunch.
Didn't even know that they have a business lunch.  It is $20 with 2 course.
You get soup or salad with the entree.  Some of the entrees come with 2 sides, it's a lot of food for $20.
We started with Stuffed Peppodews, which is cream cheese stuffed mini bell peppers with their Signature seasoning.  It's very good with a little bit of cole slaw. 
For entree, I got the Kingklip & Scallop
The sauce really did the trick.  The Kingklip came with a bed of spinach at the bottom, and chopped cooked scallop on top and all over.  It is very light and the sauce is awesome.
My 2 sides, I got South African Rice and sweet potato fries.  I will say that the rice didn't have as much flavors as I've tried it previously.  But, after having the fries, it was a lot of food, I was pretty stuffed anyway.

The lunch service is pretty good or we have a good service.  Food came out fast and definitely with business people in mind with quick turn around.  I will say that as hip as he decor is in there, depends on where you sit, the decor might hit just right where you can hear the other people's conversation echo.  The acoustic is due to the double vault and it arch it's way down and prone to echo.

Peli Peli
inside Galleria Mall
5085 Westheimer Rd
Ste B 2515
Houston, TX 77056
281-257-9500
https://www.pelipeli.com/

Monday, October 23, 2017

Ohn Korean Eatery

Finally got a chance to go over to Ohn.
Been seeing pics on their food and decor, and been jealous ever since.
This is the Melona Makgeolli Smoothie.  This is a sweet alcoholic smoothie that has about 6-8% alcohol content.
Some side dishes that Koreans are known for, kimchi, scallion with sesame and soy, and pickle with spicy sauce.
When you watch enough Kdrama, you tend to crave some deokboki (rice cake).  You see the characters eating them at a street food stall and enjoy them so much that makes you want to too.  They're stir fried and this is done with sweet soy sauce which is totally up my ally.  It also has scallion and mushroom in the dish.
Chicken Wings, per our server's recommendation, we got the garlic soy wings.  The other options are spicier, which is not really my cup of tea.  That said, these wings are pretty damn good.
This is the reason for coming here - Army Soup... it does makes me wonder if the mandatory service for all the Korean men, if they really eat this. 
Here's the other view, so let me tell you what's in this gigantic mess.  It has ramen noodles, beans, lettuce at the bottom (not seen), tofu, sausage, kimchi, baked beans, and spam.  I know what you're thinking.  I thought it too, but since I was curious, I had to know what it taste like.

So, the kimchi is pretty strong, and after soaking it while it cooks, it's pretty strong and empowering.  I would say, the soup starts out as not spicy, but by the time you stir up everything else, it's pretty darn hot.

Over all, it's a lot of food, even for 2 people.  the environment is really cool, makes you feel like you're at a food stall.  They are also smart that the walls in the middle booths are moveable to accommodate bigger parties but yet still feel separated from other guests.  They play lots of Kpop, and I actually recognized a few songs too.  Mind you, I've only been watching Kdrama for less than a year.   Definitely want to try to soju next time.  

Ohn Korean Eatery
9630 Clarewood Dr
A-16
Houston, TX 77036
832-831-1862




Thursday, October 19, 2017

Asahi Sushi

On weekend, you get Happy Hour all day long at Asahi.
To start, vegetable tempura, it has mushroom, onion, squash, sweet potato.  Appetizers are $3 all happy hour.
Agadashi Tofu
Yellowtail, Toro Tuna, Salmon sashimi.  The Tuna was a bit more fishy that I'd cared for, but take a look at the size of the cut.  It's $6, it comes in 3 pieces but you can cut in two.  Bottom line, they're huge!
I just got some unagi because it's just my favorite.

I love their Happy Hour, you can eat and eat and the bill is not huge, but plenty of full belly(s) to go around.  Happy Hour is weekday 4-9pm, weekend is 11-9pm.  After 9pm, everything is 15% off.  Go check that out.  Parking might be a challenge during lunch time, but it's worth it.

Asahi Sushi
8236 Kirby Dr
#200
Houston, TX 77054

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Bernie's Burger Bus

We went to Bernie's Burger Bus on a Wednesday.
Apparently, Wednesdays are $3 Sliders and all day Happy Hour.
Of course we start out with Chocolate Shake, yummy!
Left is mini Kindergartner, has blue cheese with burger and onion and bacon.  Oooo, so good.  The middle is the pork belly burger.  Double Ooooo, so good.  The far right is the cheeseburger.  I should've started that one first.  Or rather I didn't need that one, so next time, I probably should've done 2 mini sliders and be done.  That was a lot of food.  I picked up a few fries from my friend's plate and on top of that, it's a lot of food.  Wednesday is the day!

Bernie's Burger Bus
5407 Bellaire Blvd
Houston, TX 77401
713-349-9400
http://berniesburgerbus.com

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Tango & Melbec

Went to a business lunch at Tango & Malbec.  I've never been there, but knew that they have Milonga   for Tango dancers.
They have a business lunch menu.
To start, for the table, and highly addictive is the homemade potato chips with chimichurri sauce.  So good...
To start, first course, mushroom soup, which is really like vegetable soup but with mushroom.
Main course was Lomito Salted, which is beef tenderloin tips sautéed with red and green pepper, onions, jalapeño on a bed of rice.  If I didn't tell you the dish's South American name, you would've thought I was eating at a Chinese place.  As a matter of fact, it taste a lot like Mongolian Beef or Pepper Steak.  
For dessert, we got Panacota de Chocolate Blanco, which is white chocolate creamy panna cotta with chocolate sauce.  I would say that they weren't lying when they say creamy.  You can tell there's a lot white chocolate and cream.  

Overall, the service is good.  The place is small and you can tell that the wood floor is really for practica.  The food is ok, is it great?  Not really, is it bad?  Not really.  It's neither here nor there, but the atmosphere is good and the service is good.

Tango & Malbec
2800 Sage A-100
Houston, TX 77056
713-629-8646
http://tangomalbec.com/

Monday, October 16, 2017

Melange Creperie

It's definitely been a long time since I've had me some Melange Crepe.
 They just got a brand spankin' new place in the Heights Merc (that's what the hip kids are calling it).
 So good to see Shawn at this awesome space doing his thing!  We were here at the soft opening
 They even showcase some of the new menu items, which features few different types of salad.
Check out that new space, so spiffy and classy.
We have (L to R): unsweetened tea, cucumber mint fresca, hibiscus fresca, I hope they make it on to the menu, they're very refreshing.
 Classic Ham and Cheese crepe.
 Thai Chicken, totally a MUST TRY!  So good and not to be underestimated.
 This is a vegetarian option, which is veggie and gouda, which was very good-a.
 They even offer us to try out the coffee.  This is the Nutella Coffee.  I think I'd like to try it when it's warm, but happy that they're offering that as an option.  And they have an espresso machine, can imagine they offer the typical array of coffee beverages.
 Last but not least, Chocolate Nutella crepe.  It is one of their most popular ones for the sweet tooth that I am.  Now, this is a mini crepe size and totally do-able after trying all the other crepes.

The space is totally hip and spiffy.  It is at 11th and Heights, where the new Heights Mercantile is located.  They are facing the inside, but not hard to get to, and there are plenty of parking between the buildings.  If not, the parking on Heights Blvd is friendly enough, just need to pay attention to kids since they are across from a playground and a lot of kids at the nearby Cloud10 ice cream.  It is also where a bike trail cuts thru, so pay attention to pedestrian traffic.

I have literally been supporting Buffalo Shawn since the first day he set up at Mango (the Montrose location).  I am ever so proud that I'll be running late for work to wait for him to set up his stall in front of a bus stop so that I get my Patty Special (which I confirmed with him that it'll survive as long as the ingredients are fresh).  I supported him at the City Hall farmers market to Eastside Farmers Market to the stint at HEB to the Conservatory. I look forward to going there for a beautiful day to enjoy a cup of coffee and crepe.

Melange Creperie
711 Heights Blvd
Building B
Houston, TX 77007
http://www.houstoncrepes.com