Avalon Diner

Went to meet my friend for breakfast.

photo credit: Yelp

For a good hearty breakfast, I got two eggs, sunny side up, bacon, hash brown and toast.  

Don't think this is easy peasy, it's actually alot of food.  While it doesn't look like anything special, this is a great start of the day.  They don't take reservation, it's first come, first find a seat.  I happened to arrived when there's a gap, there were several tables opened when I arrived, so I can just walk up and sit down.  That said, if they are busy, you just sit at the bench and wait.  The staff is friendly and definitely efficient, you get your food fast and they do give you time to enjoy your food, so don't worry, you won't be hurried out. 

I like this location, it's right by I-10, and there's plenty of parking spots.  

Avalon Diner

8823 Katy Freeway

Houston, TX 77024

713-590-4377

https://www.avalondiner.com/

 

The Brunch District

Came to Brunch District.

Very cute brunch place for the suburb of Dallas. 

Lots of seating at the bar, but it's also cutely decorated. 

And in case you want to use your phone for menu, just scan the cube.

But first! Coffee!

I just have more hydrate issue.  I have my coffee, my OJ, and my water.  You know stay hydrate and all that. 

I got their Migas.  Mainly because I haven't had one in a long time.  But also, it's not heavy like egg Benedicts or omelets.  Migas was good scrambled eggs, tomato, onion, jalapeño, tortilla chips and jack and cheddar cheese.  Plus very generous portion for diced potato.  You can add meat to it as well, they have: chorizo, brisket, chicken or pork.  Service was good, everyone is chipper and happy on a weekend morning, when the whole place is packed. 

This is definitely a hoppin' place on the weekend.  As it goes, they do not take reso on weekends, so be early and bring patience, you'll definitely have a good meal. 

The Brunch District

3855 Glade Rd

Ste 170

Colleyville, TX 76034

682-503-4702

https://thebrunchdistrict.com/

 

Anonymous Cafe

After a doctor appointment, I can really use a good breakfast. 

Right at the bottom of my doctor's office is the Anonymous Cafe. 

Breakfast was perfect for this hot busy day.

I got the Watermelon Cucumber Mint - it's pretty light, not sugary at all.  Perfect for the hot day. 

I got the 3 egg omelet - it came with bacon, sausage,  tomato, bell pepper, onion, spinach, cheddar and feta cheese.  I mean, talk about a full meal.  I'm all for all the cheesy goodness.  Of course the meat and veggie just made it all well-rounded.  Definitely left the place belly full and happy.

They have covered parking right outside of the door of the cafe.  It's part of the building's parking.  Very easy to get in or out and free.  Definitely makes it easy. 

Anonymous Cafe

3701 Kirby Dr

#160

Houston, TX 77098

713-515-6551

https://www.anonymouseats.com/

 

Orlando Hotel breakfast

Even if you don't stay on site for Disney World, you can still get decent deals.

You can stay at the Good Neighbor hotels right outside of their property.  There's actually a lot of hotels leading up to Disney Springs, where you can grab a bus from those hotels to the Disney properties.  Actually, some go to Universal too.

Anyway, after all the theme park food of carbs, fried carbs, and sugar carbs.  I needed some real food.  And I know this looked super boring, but sometimes simple is good. 

American Breakfast at the hotel with 2 eggs, I asked for sunny side up, but it came as over easy.  Bacon, and hash brown. Of course, I need some coffee to boost myself up before tackling the Parks!  They also have a breakfast buffet too, but sometimes, you just order what you need.  

And here's the beautiful castle!

Yes, sometimes, other than junk food, we need something that's not junk.  May you have a great breakfast this morning. 

 

Marigold Club

So grateful to get to come here and brunch with friends.

This is my first time at the Marigold club, and the parking situation can be challenging.  The valet works for not only them, also the other restaurants on the block.  So you may end up sitting for a bit.  Hopefully, street parking opens up as you drive up.

Fancy menus and table settings.

Got a zero proof Pimm's Cup - it's actually pretty good.  Refreshing, not sweet at all.

Started with the Caesar Salad, it has parmesan and sourdough croutons. 

Mussels in white sauce, very delicate balance and done well. 

Caviar & Potato Soldiers, which is really hash brown topped with creme fraiche and caviar.  It's a one-bite ordeal.

From the Boulangerie - we got the Profiteroles - which is sweet.  It's supposed to have bergamot flavor, but I couldn't taste it.  I did taste the vanilla. 

For entree, I got the French Style Omelette - it's nice and smooth on the outside.  The inside has cheese, nice and creamy.  It can be rich, so best share this with a friend.  Also came with a side of salad.  The vinaigrette had some lemon zesty something, which was a bit tart for my taste. 

For dessert, we orderd the Julia Child's Chocolate Mousse, everyone at the table lauded over this one.  It has a lattice cookie on top (very pretty pattern).  You break that, and dig into the mousse, just to find chopped hazelnut and praline on top of chocolate mousse and creme anglaise.  Everyone at the table loved this dish.  Definitely worth getting it again. 

Had to show how pretty the dining room is.  Even the wallpaper told a story.

The bathroom is just as fancy.

Details in the wallpaper is very unique.

A place like this is great for fancy date or girls dinner out.  The place is very Gram-able.  Our situation was weird, the day happened that they have a baby shower and a Sweet 16 happening, and we were sat in the back bar room.  That's not a problem, but the service was delayed quite a bit to where we were wondering if they forgotten our food.  For a busy day like that, I would've hoped and expected that they staff the kitchen appropriately.  It's not uncommon for restaurants to host large events and keep up with the normal dining, at the same time, time management on their side should've been allocated appropriately.  

If you are interested in trying for yourself.  Be sure to make a reservation, and feel free to call ahead and see if the volume of the day of dining is hectic or normal traffic.   I do see that they offer Afternoon Tea, that reso is done on OpenTable separate from the restaurant itself.  You can access via their website.  It's $75 pp.

Marigold Club

2531 Kuester St

Houston, TX 

832-781-1901

https://themarigoldclub.com/

 

Hypsi

Here's another, I tried it so you don't have to...

Inside Hotel Daphne, is this cute little place called Hypsi.

Decor is hip, coloring is bright.  Got seatings both inside and out, which is great for weather like this week.

Ordered a N/Americano - no, not the coffee.  But a mocktail with orange bitter,  non-alcoholic vermouth and soda.  It's actually pretty good. 

For entree, I got the Frittata with a side of fries.  As pretty as the Frittata came out, it was tasteless.  I was begging for salt after a bit.  It's kinda sad for a $18 dish,  I can barely taste the pancetta in there, yes on the greens and some of the cheese, but no pancetta. 

Fries was good though. 

For dessert, we ordered a Tres Leche Tiramisu to split.  It was pretty tasty but that is after having waited over 15 minutes for it. 

Here's the hotel's lobby, very welcoming and pretty.

So here's my gist on this place.  It's aesthetically pleasing.  It looks upscale enough to where you want to brunch in.  That said, the staff are not experienced enough.  When I sat down there were 2 other tables occupied, I have sat down maybe 5-7 mins before someone decided to provide water.  You have various staff, and water should be the first when you sit down.  

When we decided to get the tiramisu, if you've tried to make it, or understand what it is, it's not something they make to order.  They have to have prepared it in advance and put it in the fridge before serving.  We sat for good 15 minutes and asked the server before our dish arrived.  Which said to me that they have forgotten.  Coupled with the food was tasteless, I don't need to come back.  The only saving grace is that it gave me more time to catch up with my friend. 

If you want to come see it for yourself, no need to make a reso for brunch, not sure about dinner.  There is a valet service offered.  Here's another weird part, we asked our server to validate us, she said, they do it out front.  We thought meaning at the host stand.  When we arrived at the host stand, they said it's validated out at the lobby check-in desk.  So we saunter over.  But then the staff at the check-in desk said the valet driver will take care of it.  That seems like no one knows what's going on.  Which adds more to the negative side of this experience.

Hypsi

inside Hotel Daphne

347 W. 20th St

Houston, Tx 77008

346-613-1265

https://www.hypsirestaurant.com/

 

Ruah Café

Ended up in Conroe for a conference.

Lucky my friend did a wonderful job in her research and found this cute coffee house.  They also features crepes and fancy toasts.

I got the New York for breakfast.  It has bacon, chives, gouda cheese in the scramble eggs on top of Sourdough toast.  The whole thing is more filling than it looks.  It also has the side of diced potato and fruits.   By the time you add a cup of coffee, that's alot of food.  Truly, I was full till mid afternoon. 

They offer even more savory toasts, bruschetta flights, crepes both savory and sweet.  The staff are super friendly and we do see alot of professions from the university nearby and office spaces next door to stop in for food and coffee, it's very lively. 

Ruah Cafe

1219 Grand Central Pkwy 

Ste 100

Conroe, TX 77304

936-447-9206

https://ruahcafe.com/

 

Common Bond

Got some time on the weekend after errands, so decided to stop in for breakfast.

The Medical Center location has a large parking lot on the side.  So that shouldn't be a problem. 

Got a latte to start the day.  Much needed coffee.

Got the Chef's Scramble - it came with 3 eggs scrambled - it has pepper, cheese and tomato.  Hash brown and toast with jam.  

The hash brown is in the casserole style.  I like it all nice and dense.  The jam was strawberry and you really do get some strawberry bits in there.  Very nice. 

As usual, the good weather, folks sits outside, but don't forget to check beyond the espresso bar, there's more seatings over the corner. 

Common Bond

2278 W. Holcomb Blvd

Houston, TX 77030

346-327-8393

https://www.commonbondcafe.com/location/medical-center/

 

Weights & Measures

It's been many years since I've been back to Weights & Measures.

Down in Midtown it's tucked in a little corner. 

But first! Coffee! 

I got the S'more Latte.  No real marshmallow chunk on here, but they do a bit so they can burnt the top, and it does have that smell and feel of a real s'more.

I got the omelette, boy is that thing huge or what!  In it has cheddar, bacon, and veggies with tomato sauce at the bottom.  There's also diced potato to accompany all that.  It's crazy big plate of breakfast, obviously cannot finish all that. 

For brunch, making a reservation is wise.  What I have a problem with is that they seated us on high tops.  For brunch, high top is hard to relax into.  I feel like high top is great for happy hour, but for brunch, please let us seat at natural sitting level to enjoy our food instead of having our feet dangling.  Anyway, our server definitely fluttered everywhere, and literally touched our table and flitter away.

What was a nice surprise though, was we got to meet the brain behind Love Croissant, Omar Pereney.  He was super friendly and we chatted a bit.  Fun fact: my favorite of mini croissant, Omar made it for his nephew, and hence a product to share with us peons.  Thank you, nephew!

Weights & Measures

2808 Caroline

Houston, TX 77004

713-654-1970

https://weights-measures.com/

 

Bean and Bottle

Was pointed to Bean & Bottle by a friend.

We were looking for a coffee place in the area that's open early.  Turns out, unless you're Starbucks, alot of mom and pop coffee shops don't open that early.  Wha?!

I got the Honey Cinnamon latte, it does have that cinnamon kick and a hint of sweetness from the honey.  It's actually pretty good and I used Oat milk which gives it more texture. 

I got their breakfast sandwich.  It has bacon, cheddar and eggs. But what I'm thoroughly impressed was the sourdough bread that makes the sandwich.  It works so well with the butter for the toast, but it's just so good, I can't stop eating the bread. 

Anyway, the place is tucked between office buildings.  I can see the joint is jumping during a work day, its other door is literally a building's lobby.  But on weekends, it's a ghost town.  They have a few spots out front you can park, if not, there's covered parking for retail at the garage.  

At first, when I walked in, I see the cashier, espresso machine and pastry case.  But there are more seatings  at the back.  You can have seated meals there with a wine cellar.  Plus, there's a few tables outside to enjoy the patio weather.  But WAIT! There's more!  They even have a party room called Bloom adjacent to the coffee place.  So if you want host a tea, shower, or even dinner, they've got plenty of room. 

Bean and Bottle

9655 Katy Fwy

Ste 100

Houston, TX 77024

281-501-2336

https://www.beanandbottletx.com/

 

Jane & the Lion Bakehouse

Been hearing this place on IG, so thought we give it a try. 

It's a cute little place in the back of a shopping center. 

I got a honey latte.

They got a cute space inside for seating. 

I got the sando, they use focaccia bread made in-house.  Topped with veggies canned in house.  Forgot what the meat was inside, but the sandwich was delicious. 

In case there's any interest on the pickled veggies, jam, or bacon fat.  You can buy some on your way out. 

They have beer cheese, vinaigrette, marinated olives, jammy olives.

If you love their bread, you can definitely get some, but they also have a case full of gluten free goodies.  They have cookies, muffins, pie, biscuits, quiche.

They have sourdough, focaccia bread to take home too. 

Jane's place pride themselves of not using any seed oil, no artificial food coloring or flavors.  They also support local farmers by sourcing from local and organic.

They have lots of parking in the shopping center.  So no need to worry about that.  They are open for breakfast and brunch.  Sometimes they have special dinner events, you will have to check back to see when the offerings are happening.  

Jane and the Lion Bakehouse

4712 N. Main 

Ste M

Houston, TX 77009

https://www.janeandthelion.com/bakehouse