Laderach

Friend of mine introduced me to this chocolate place in the Galleria.

First off, I haven't step foot in the Galleria for a long time.  Since my office used to be inside one of the towers in the mall, I kinda got burnt out from going there.  Much like downtown, if I don't have to go there, I try to not. 

Luckily, she showed me this awesome chocolate shop.  First off, you walked in, they are handing you chocolate, how can you not like them?  And if you have any questions regarding the flavors they have, they are more than glad to break off a piece from their giant slab for you to try.  So cool.

Not to mention, they have rows and rows of truffles waiting for you to take them home. 

Besides the pre-made boxes, they also have mix and match, which for someone who has never tried their chocolate before, this was a great option.  First off, the flavors are the ones that they have in slabs, so you can try them before buying.  Second, if you don't want to commit to a slab, or fraction of one, these snack size is great.  Third, for friends and family gifting, having variety is great.  You can make your own box   Also, if you're gifting to a group, this is also great for sharing.

Of course, I got some truffles.  I got Pistachio Gianduja, Hazelnut, and Nougatine.

I like them, very milky not to dense.  But let's be honest, I like all things chocolate, so that's not a fair assessment there. 

At any rate the story goes, they are from Switzerland, started out as family business and to this day, there are Laderach family running the operations. They pride themselves on freshness and finest ingredients to make their chocolate.  And yes I can attest that is true.  See for yourself.

Laderach

inside Houston Galleria

5135 W. Alabama St

Houston, TX 77056

713-571-2970

https://laderach.com/us-en/

 

Sucre'

Went back to Sucre for some afternoon treats.

Besides macarons, cakes, and coffee, they also have a giant selection of gelato. 

I picked Cookies and Cream.  I know I can have couple flavors, but one was good enough for me.  As expected, the flavors were on point.  Texture is light and fluffy.  It's a great weekend treat stopping in here.  Friendly staff and wonderful dessert. 

Sucre 

5404 Kirby Drive

Houston, TX 77005

877-312-0914

https://shopsucre.com/

 

Burger Chan

Haven't been back in a while, but always happy to come back here. 

Back at Burger Chan to get me some good burger and tater tots. 

So here they are + aioli sauce.  Their tots has shichimi - Japanese 7 spice seasoning, which has a little kick to it.  The scallion aioli sauce has green onion, garlic, mayo and lemon juice; also one of their best seller in the sauce category. 

I asked for burger with no bun.

Guess I could've asked for veggie and made it into a lettuce burger, but it really was not necessary.  I did add spam on my 2 oz patty, so while it is meat on meat, it's not as bad as it sounded.  It's actually pretty dang delicious too. 

As usual, we came around 11:30a, and talk about perfect timing, even on the weekend.  If you don't find parking out front, they do have parking in the garage (very helpful during rain), and you can cut thru the building to the front.

Burger Chan

5353 W. Alabama 

Houston, Tx 77056

832-408-0860

https://burgerchanhtx.com/

 

Bouchee Patisserie

Was at Post Oak hotel for a meeting, so snuck out to Bouchee for some goodies.

Always looks so cute!

Look at all the colorful yummy goodness.

All the cakes, and desserts. 

I grabbed a peach danish, nice and fluffy.  I heated it up for 15 seconds, and it was awesome with tea.

And a mango panna cotta.  I will say, the puree was too zingy, I can hardly taste the mango.

You can spend more time, go there and enjoy the morning or afternoon.  The place is very pretty and cozy.  If you valet parked, you can get a discount at the Bouchee counter, just present your ticket.

Bouchee Patisserie

inside Post Oak Hotel

1600 West Loop South

Houston, TX 77027

https://www.thepostoakhotel.com/restaurants/bouchee-patisserie/

 

Niko Niko's

Friend from out of town really missed Niko Niko's so we obliged. 

Grabbed a soda to start.

This is the Greek style fried cheese - this is Saganaki Cheese, it's breaded and you dip tzatziki sauce.  So good.

I got the mini Gyro sandwich, it's cute they even stuff a few fries in there.  The sandwich is a tad smaller but it also doesn't have any sides.  So it worked out perfectly. 

Of course we also indulged in dessert.  Apparently between 4-6pm they have a dessert happy hour and dessert is discounted.  And you don't have to twist my arm.  There's Greek cookie - kinda like the Mexican wedding cookies.  A chocolate torte like cake, and a chocolate box - that's my favorite. There's so many to choose from in the case, you don't need my help on that.

Niko Niko's - Memorial

1040 W. Sam Houston Pwky

Houston, TX 77043

832-981-GYRO

https://nikonikos.wpengine.com/locations/memorial/

 

Willie G's Uptown

While waiting for a work dinner to being, I decided to wait at the bar.

Turns out, if you don't have certain amount of eye lashes stuck to you, you really should not be at the bar.  You'd just be in the way of the ladies workin'.

Anyway, I got the Watermelon Collins Crush - it has zero proof gin, watermelon puree, lemon juice, and basil.  It's pretty light and easy going.  Not too sweet.

Here's some apps- calamari - darn it, I have to share?

This is a platter - where's Crab Cakes, Sea Bass Bites, and Bang Bang Shrimp.

I asked for a cup of the lobster bisque - it came with these mini corn breads.  Super cute and there's decent amount of meat in the soup.

For entrees, I got the Blackened Seared Scallops, it has a bed of roasted street corn, slices of pork belly, and tomato jam.  It was really delicious.  I highly recommend this one.  Not too rich with all of that.  Totally worth getting. 

For Willie G's definitely make a reservation.  The uptown location doesn't have self-parking, so you are pretty much forced to valet.  That said, they give you a ticket and you use the QR code to pay before you end the ticket to retrieve your car.  So keep that in mind. 

Willie G's - Uptown

1640 West Loop S

Houston, TX 77027

713-840-7190

https://www.williegs.com/location/willie-gs-houston/

 

Burge & Board

It's been a while since I got a cheese board from Burge & Board.

This is, however, my first time experiencing the larger board.  I always get the box, which is good for 1-2 people.  And if you're watching a movie at home and have a box, it's the perfect munch-along you could ask for. 

For our book retreat, we asked for a cheese board, and it has 3 cheeses, 3 meats, olives, fruits, nuts, jam, cracker, scones, sliced baguette and my personal favorite pesto.  For some reason, their pesto is the best I've had.  It more than feed us for the party, and afterwards I used the pesto to make pasta.  Talk about yum!

Please support small businesses.

Burge & Board

https://www.burgeandboard.com/

 

The Original Ninfa's - Uptown

So happy to have lunch with my friends.  

Happy to have some yummy goodness at Ninfa's.  Started out with an Arnold Palmer.

I got the Verde Salad with Fajitas Steak.  Instead of salad dressing, I got the queso as dressing.  I mean, talk about balance right?  Some greens, some cheese.  I ate the whole thing.  YOLO, amirite?!

Yes, not the most healthy choice, but hey.  I only do that once in a long while, so I felt justified.  LOL.

For large parties even for weekday lunch a reservation is always appreciated by the staff.  Otherwise they do a good job accommodating.  Everyone was super friendly and efficient.  Always enjoy coming here. 

The Original Ninfa's 

Uptown

1700 Post Oak Blvd

Ste 1-190

Houston, TX 77056

346-335-2404

https://ninfas.com/ninfas-uptown/

 

Sugar & Rye

Another cute brunch place in Galveston, thanks Yelp!

is Sugar & Rye.  Lots of review and we have to go check that out. 

They were so busy that we asked to be squeezed into a smaller table so we get seated faster.  They do not take reservations for party of 8 or less.  

But that wasn't going to stop us!  Got our beverages...

Had Fried Green Tomato to start.  It's interesting, the tomato itself fell apart a little, usually the slices are pretty hardy.  But they drizzled the Jalapeño Ranch on top and have corn bread at the bottom.  Altogether one bite was very delicious, that combo worked!

For entree, I got the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.  There's enough chicken but I felt not enough sausage.  Also their roux is actually spicy.  You don't taste it in the first few bites, but once you get going, I feel it.  It's not bad, but wish there were more meat. 

The place is cute, decor is neat.  They have patio seating at the front (street side) and their back patio.  Inside has 2 dining rooms.  But for brunch, getting there early is wise.  Parking is street parking only, so keep your eyes peeled, we were lucky 2 cars were leaving and we were able to park with ease. 

Sugar & Rye

2401 Church Street

Galveston, TX 77550

409-539-5318

https://www.sugarandryegalveston.com/

 

The Sunflower Cafe

By recommendation, we went down to the Sunflower Cafe for brunch.

We caught the tail end of brunch really, but it was crowded for families coming here for breakfast. 

We got the Bread Pudding French Toast topped with fresh fruit.  Definitely the table's favorite.

Challah French Toast, which was a tad dryer than the Bread Pudding one. 

This is the Barbacoa Omelete, 3 eggs with brisket inside.  YUM!

Slice of Spinach Quiche with a side of fruit, that is also a crowd favorite. 

On the other side of the shop, is their bakery.  Talk about pies galore.  The one that stands out the most here is the Pecan Chocolate pie, which is a slice of Pecan pie dipped in chocolate very unique.

They also have regular meringue and chocolate meringue too, puffs and individual size pies.

Or breakfast pastries.  P.s. their Banana loaf was great. 

All in all, it's a cute mom & pop type diner/breakfast joint.  It's very homey and you can tell they are not pretentious about their food despite how successful at this business. 

We were super lucky, when we pulled up someone was leaving and got an excellent parking spot.  They do have a few parking at the front of the shop, a small lot next to the building, but you can do street parking.  Should you do that, please pay attention to the signs. 

The Sunflower Cafe

512 14th street

Galveston, TX 77550

409-763-5500

https://thesunflowerbakeryandcafe.com/

 

Trattoria La Vigna

We came to dinner for our group. 

The place is quaint, it's small but expanded piece by piece in the old buildings in the area.  Keep in mind, even though there's a huge parking lot next door, they are not related to the restaurant, so park at your own risk.  Or! Take advantage of the Trolley in the area. 

Funny thing, when we sat down, the menu was 90% wine list and 10% food list.... 

Luckily, we got the Blue Crab Ravioli - It was delicious and has lots of crab meat inside the ravioli.  The sauce was divine. 

Now with that said, the whole experience was a tad weird.  First off, they only have 2 restroom for a huge space, and one of which was not working.  When we informed our server, she told us to tell someone else.  we weren't sure if she was joking or actually meant it.  And while taking our order, it was definitely not a warm experience.  We're not asking you to chit-chat with us, or upsell us on dishes or wine, but at the same time, the sentiment felt like we interrupted her evening by coming to dine there.  All the while, the owner person is playing gambling game online on her laptop.  

The two dining rooms were full of guests, but it's kinda weird that the owner is playing a game so openly.  Meanwhile, I'm eyeing the tables around us, who are getting better service and friendlier staff attending to them.  Sigh.... 

Trattoria La Vigna

412 20th Street

Galveston, TX 77550

409-497-4927

https://trattorialavignagalveston.com/

 

Pineapple Parlor

This week will be featuring Galveston's eateries....

I saw on IG that there's a speakeasy, thought we'd go check it out.  The place is super duper small, so if you have a party between 5-8 people, make a reservation.  

What we had learned is that, even if you had a reservation, you did not get 'the code'. 

Welp, because you need the code to open the gate.  Psst, the trick is to subscribe to their newsletter and you'll get the updated code as they change them periodically. 

Once you open the gate, there's a hostess stand to greet you and get you seated. 

For this Tiki themed speakeasy, there sure have alot of pineapple paraphernalia.  Which also reminds us the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song. 

So how it works here is that you order a drink and food pairing comes along with it.  Here's our challenge, we were here for happy hour then dinner after.  So food at this hour wasn't really needed. 

Didn't take pics of the drinks because it was too dark anyhow, so here's the food.  (Clockwise) There's Spam Musubi - it was like a sushi roll cut in half.  It's not bad, but nothing outstanding.  Then there's Crab Rangoon Nacho - that one actually was very delicious.  I wouldn't mind having more of that. 

Then we have Pineapple Macaroni Salad, which was meh.  Then Chicken Skewers. 

You can also order food on top of what they offer with the pairing.  So I ordered the Mango Sticky Rice, sadly that tasted like old rice with whip cream and chunks of mango.  That was super disappointing. 

If you wonder if you got the right place.  The bar upfront has pineapple wallpaper, you can always grab a drink there if you didn't get in or have a reservation.  The bar has decent amount of seating at the bar, but now that weather is getting nicer, they have plenty of tables in their back patio for all to enjoy.

Pineapple Parlor

2701 Market St

Galveston, TX

409-497-2760

https://pineapple-parlor.com/