Koffeteria

Rare occasions that I'm in EaDo in the morning.... 

Decided to stop in Koffeteria for some yummy goodness.

Wow, look at all the offerings.

Got the Yuzu Palmer, one of the yummiest drink in a long time.  Love their to go cup that's environmentally friendly. 

Got the Chinese sausage and chive scone.  Nice and salty.  Definitely ask the staff to warm it up for you. 

French Onion Danish - the middle does taste very true to the French Onion soup, it's pretty amazing.

I got a lovely cake - forgot the name - but it is not too sweet and the top is a little custard, so it balance things out with the fruit very nicely. 

Just throwing in a pic for funsies - right next door is Truckyard, this is just cool to see unclose.

Koffeteria

1110 Hutchins 

Ste 102

Houston, TX 77003

https://www.koffeteria.com/

 

Milton's & Lee's

After a long day of shopping, we ended up at Lee's for happy hour. 

We were early, so it was easy to get in for a drink.  The service was great, except the a/c was strong. 

I got the Mini-Mart, which is a zero proof version of the Corner Store. It has grapefruit, vanilla, honey, and soda. 

When reservation time came up, we just walk down the hall and grab a seat. 

We started with the Arancini - truffle risotto and charred lemon aioli sauce.  I'm in love with the sauce. 

Then the Milton's salad came to our table.  It has red wine vinaigrette, heap of parmesan, oil, chickpea, lettuce.  Amazingly, it's pretty delicious. 

We got the brisket lasagna. . This is the first time I'm seeing lasagna presented this way.  It's a very compact/ condense slice of the beloved dish.  There's plenty of marinara sauce, but trust me, that was barely enough.  You really got the brisket flavor in there.  And as much as I do love the noodle part of the lasagna, having it this way is kinda good, not super filling. 

We split the eggplant parm.  The parm is huge, and we split with leftovers.  And as you can see it came with a side of spaghetti.  It is so good.... just give me more cheese. 

For dessert, we got the tiramisu.  It's not overly coffee flavored, nice and light texture.  It went with my coffee just right!

Milton is kinda a small place, so a reservation is highly recommended.   Now, here's the thing, their door is hidden.  Lee's place is in a set of black door on the side of the building.  Once you go in, you walk in some, and there's a set of stairs, and walk up, and you'll be greeted by the hostess.  If you were to go to Milton's, it's literally down the hall from Lee's.  

If you're going to Milton's, skipping Lee's.  Their entrance is on the side of Local Food's patio.  There's an M on the glass door, and that's your entrance.  You go up the stairs and the hostess station is right as you reach the last step. 

Milton's & Lee's

5117 Kelvin Dr

Houston, TX 77005

713-492-2490

https://miltonandlees.com/

 

Sandoitchi

So excited to have Sandoitchi's pop-up back in town. 

Especially before that, they were at the Japan Fest in Hermann Park and the line was winding around the reflection pool, and that's where I draw the line. 

I got the Yuzu Arnold Palmer - so good. 

The Crispy Japanese Sweet Potato is now my MUST GET!  And I don't even care how it's stuck to my teeth, it's so yummy.  This is on my list anytime they're here in town.

I love their new packaging, much more tidy.

I got the Waygu Burger Sando, and it is very much like a burger, that has cheese and pickle with decent yummy waygu beef pattie. 

Did I mention how I love the window for my sando?!  So tidy and neat!

For dessert, I got the Strawberry Sando.  Love that the bread wasn't too heavy, it's light and fluffy.  And the cream was not sweet, so it allows the strawberries to have the flavors.   

I shared this with my foodie coworker, and he was so impressed that he emailed and came to my office to rave about how much he liked it.  So hopefully more converts will get them to have a shop here.  

For the most up-to-date of their whereabouts, check their IG, it's frequently updated by them. 

Sandoitchi

https://www.sandoitchi.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sando.itchi/

 

Yia Yia's Greek Kitchen

Yia Yia's finally came back to Houston after 5 years off of the Houston food scene.

And 10 yrs since I've been to one. 

I got the Xino Sour with zero proof. It has cucumber, sesame, lemon, and pasteli.  It's a less sour and less sweet version of a sweet and sour drink. 

For appetizer, we got hummus

Dolmades - it has beef & lamb with basmati rice, covered in grape leaves and sprinkled pistachios on top.

Calamari - yum!

Kastoria beans with tomato, olive oil, and oregano.

Green beans with almond on top, and Patatas - lemon roasted potato

Grilled Sea Bass - you have tomato, onion, and olive oil. 

Lamb Chops - yum!

Chicken Souvlaki

Baklava 

Baklava Cheesecake - which is not so honey filled as I thought.

Panna Cotta - which is more like a brûlée than pan cotta. 

The place is pretty popular, so reservations is highly highly recommended.  In terms of parking, at their location at Kirby & Richmond, they have a huge lot.  They have valet and there are parking on the 2 sides of the lot. 

Yia Yia's Greek Kitchen

2410 Richmond Ave

Houston, TX 77098

281-297-8061

https://yiayiasgreekkitchen.com/

 

Kasra Persian Grill

Despite having been in the area forever, this is my first time coming to Kasra for dinner. 

Luckily we bought a ringer with us, so we know what's good and what to get. 

This is a Warm Eggplant Dip - it has eggplant, cream of whey, sautéed onion, garlic, and mint.  They bring. you these bread that's heartier than naan and you eat it with this dip it's super delicious.  All of us practically clean up this dish. 

I got the Khorake Karafs with beef.  This is very unusual for me because first off, I'm not a celery person and this dish is basically a celery stew.  The stew had celery (of course), onion, lemon juice, parsley.  It brings on a bit lemony/zingy but with the meat, it brings out the acidity and thank goodness the meat are fall off the bones pull apart.  Put that with basmati rice, it's very yummy.  And thank goodness for leftover.  Super delicious.

Another idea, is to get the kebab a la carte and get a salad, it's actually better deal than an entree, especially if you know you don't need that much food.

Kasra Persian Grill

2514 Times Blvd

Houston, TX. 77005

713-493-2414

https://www.kasrarestaurants.com/

 

Esclante's

Went to Escalante's for dinner.

On a weeknight it's actually super chill.  Easy to grab a table and have great service. 

I ended up with steak enchiladas with queso sauce on top, and instead of beans, I got a side of grilled veggies to boot.   Totally not the most healthy meal, but having veggies made me feel like I'm eating something good for me. 

Again, service was great, and I'm sure being a weeknight not as busy has something to do with that.  For big party, though, you should definitely make a reservation.  Parking is super convenient, you can park out front and there's parking on the side of the building too.  

Escalante's

590 Meyerland Plaza

Houston, TX 77096

713-663-7080

https://www.escalantes.net/location/escalantes-meyerland-plaza/

 

Silk Road

Went back to Silk Road for dim sum. 

They got the fancy napkins now. 

Came back for the crispy shrimp Cheung fun, still one of my favs here. 

Chicken Curry Puff - it's was only ok. 

Baked BBQ Pork bun - It's nice and flakey.  Sugar dough topped to give that flakey texture. 

Of course, there's a steamed version of the BBQ buns.  And of course since it's not Canton style, the BBQ inside is brown with brown sugar instead of red ones. 

This is the Mushroom Bao - I just love how cute it is.  Just like a real mushroom.  It's a steamed bun where the filling is mushroom.  Definitely cute.  

Not pictured: Xiao Long Bao, Turnip Cake, Har Gow, Siu Mai - the usual dim sum faire. 

I think the place has gotten its rhythm, and everyone is operating more syncopated than before.  Staffing seems to be managed properly, and the staff also have gotten to know the menu better.  The experience is still quite enjoyable.  Doesn't look like you need a reservation as much as you needed it before.  But couldn't hurt to have one. 

Silk Road

2929 Westpark Dr

Houston, TX 77005

713-576-6018

https://silkroadhtx.com/

 

The Honey Hole

Trying a new brunch place.

Turns out it's a very popular brunch place.  If you don't have a reservation, I wouldn't even bother.  The wait is long for walk-up.

Had the My Pear Lady mocktail - which has pear, lychee and non-alcoholic vodka.  It's decent, but one was enough for me.  I think I would've liked the Cucumber Refresher which seems to be pretty popular. 

And here we are all sharing our food... lots of it.

First, is the Acai Ice Cream bowl.  It has strawberries, banana, blue berries, granola and honey.  It's really a very fancy açai bowl.  Worth trying though.

Smoked Salmon on Toast, and the bread is challah.  It has cream cheese, smoked salmon, white truffle onion.  It's so good that I instead to take the left over home. 

We had contemplated the Lobster & Grits or the Etuoufee, but that seems to be alot.  So we went with Stuffed French Toast.  Very light whipped cream, fruits, puree, and honey on top.  The bread here is a croissant, not challah.  It gives it super flakey goodness.  Definitely different take on an old classic.

Original Chicken and Funnel Cakes, it's their take on Chicken & Waffles.  Honestly, I enjoyed the funnel cake alot, the chicken was only ok for me.  Can I just get the funnel cake on the side please?!  (Actually you can, it's their Funnel Cake Fries - not the full cake, but same idea). 

I will say, brunch can be intense here, the place gets packed easily. So having a reso is definitely, highly recommended.  Food is not bad, some misses, but overall decent.  Service is where it's a hit or miss for me.  As the dining room fills up, we see less and less of our server.  Oddly enough, I did see a photographer making us pose in all sorts of ways, then her cohort comes by with framed photo and for $25 a pop.  While that's clever, it's also cheesy.  While I do believe people do want to memorialize their outings, having multiple people in the group, it's less likely we'd buy multiple photos.  That venture is kinda weird in this day and age. 

Parking is no issue here, the parking lot is free and have ample parking. 

The Honey Hole

2327 Post Oak Blvd

Houston, TX 77025

832-234-4260

https://thehoneyholehtx.com/