Little Sheep Hot Pot

Whenever the weather turns cold, hot pot always comes to mind. The pain about doing that at home, and believe me, we used to do that at home. Is to find the right ingrediants, right soup base and right sides to go along with everything. Not only do you have to whip up everything, it's just seems like a lot of work for something you are laying out for other people to cook.

I do remember when I was little, my parents would invite friends over to our place and there must've been 20 ppl in that apartment my parents had in Hong Kong. If you go there now, you will soon realize how small that really is. But when you're little, everything seems big. Anyway, it is always a party thing because everyone will dip their food in there, and you truely keep warm cooking. Not sure if it's the act of cooking that warms you up, or that there's so many people you're all huddled over that hot pot that did the trick, either way, it was a winter thing.

Nowadays, you can have hot pot all year around. They opened a Little Sheep Hot Pot in Houston. So what it's 100 outside in Houston, they just crank up the a/c. This company is based out of Mangolia, but the concept is the same nonetheless. Call it Chinese melting pot, if you will... you're cooking your own food either way.

What you do once you sat down, they give you a menu of items to check off. They offer anything from meat, veggies, side dishes, seafood. The main thing to start with is your soup base. The popular choices are the basic soup base or spicy soup base. Either way, they will throw in the Chinese herb to a, spice up your soup, and b, make it healthy. The goal is not really to make it healthy, but since it is the natural way to create taste to water, it's a by-product to make it healthy w/ the healthy traditional Chinese herbs.

You can do what we did, and split the pot in half and don't worry, they do not comingle unless you mingle it yourself. They give you the usual search and rescue spoons because you know there are times you need to go-fish... ba dum!

Anyway, when you order stuff, looks like a lot of food, but don't forget once you cook them, it's not as much as it seems. For the 3 of us, I think average about $20 per person, and that's about the same if you were to go to other restaurants. And you'll be sure to be full.

And one more thing, I know you're dying to know... yes, you can drink the soup if you want to. It is healthy ingredients after all.

Little Sheep Hot Pot
A-5901, Westheimer Road,
Houston, TX 77057
Tel:713-975-0687
Reservations are recommended on cold days.

Macaron

Let's talk macaron, shall we? Not the coconut w/ chocolate ones, but the French ones... you know the one w/ only one 'o' instead of 2.

Anyway, the recipe I tried this weekend is here. This is a better recipe that I've tried. I think too that since I know how to do it, I did alot of prep work overnight. First thing you should do ahead of time is set the egg whites aside ahead of time. And take it from me, using pre-made egg white yield to a very different result. This time I used real eggs and separated them apart the night before.

I was baking something else and I thought while I was at it, I also went ahead and sift the flour ahead of time. Here's another tip for you, do not use the sifter that has 2 layer sift. In theory, that was a good idea, but in reality, you can't clean that thing. What's more ridiculous was that I was searching online if there's any info on how to clean, some people say don't clean it. WTF??? You need to have to have a way to clean it because stuff gets stuck and it will remain stuck in between the layers. Bleh! Either use a grinder style to sift or use a tamis. A tamis will be a pain, and your arm will hate you the following day, but it will get the job done and cheap.

That said, this time around, I didn't achieve the 'feet' that a French Macaron would. Unlike last time w/ the beginners luck. However, the taste of the cookie was not shabby. The consistency was good. According to recipe, it was supposed to bake for 11-13 mins. Personally, I left them in there while working on piping the batter and about 16 mins or so, and that was nice and golden brown. Now, I have yet to try to add food coloring in there, so that obviously will come into play. But for plain janes, wait till they are golden brown.

The whole piping thing too, there's a trick to it. I used a size 12 piping tip and as someone described, its like making a chocolate kiss and have that little tip on top. When it bakes, the tip disappear. So, don't worry.

That said, I did space them out, and made them smaller. Last time I made them too big. But, because there's nothing in the batter to raise the dough, it won't expand more than what you pipe out. Oh, and parchment paper, saved my butt. If it's golden brown, it'll pop out nice and easy. If it's not golden brown (read: under baked) it will stick. As a matter of fact, it sticks together even a day after it's been out of the oven.

Another thing to note, the recipe only called for 4 ingredients, but when in fact, they had left out granulated sugar. You need granulated sugar in order to whip the egg white (and a pinch of salt) to nice and stiff peaks. From my research, 2 tsp of sugar slowly added will do the trick.

Now, on to the filling. This recipe has a nice little ganache filling. I must say, it wasn't as difficult as I thought it'd be. It came out pretty nice too. I'd figured that it'd be over empowering-ly sweet. But it came out nice and easy. When you put it between the two almond cookies, it balances out nicely.

One thing I would say on that recipe is that it yielded way too much ganache. Now, maybe I'm not generous enough with the filling, which I didn't think that was the case because I squish them nicely and neatly. Not alot of overages coming out of the cookie. So, don't know. But let me tell you, when I was done w/ the cookies, I had to throw away half of the ganache batch, I felt very sad. :(

All in all, great recipe. If I were to do this again, this will be my go-to. It has only 5 ingredients that you can easily locate. Yes, you do have prep work to do ahead of time. But if you do half of them the day before you bake, it came out to be pretty easy.

Don't forget the sifting tip, don't forget your granulated sugar, cut the ganache recipe in half, and you're good to go!

HRW 2010: 17

In case you haven't heard, it's Restaurant Week in Houston. This is where my gluttonous self comes out. Also that's where I go broke...

I love this time of year because not only do you get to taste the yummiest food around town. You get it in a prix fixe format. On top of that, $5 of each meal goes towards theHouston Food Bank. You get to eat well and do good... why not?

One feature I love for this year is that more and more restaurants are offering lunch for $20 and dinner, like last year is $35.

So, the first place we went to was 17. We went last year where the executive chef had first arrived. The best thing I remembered was the deconstructed beef wellington. This year, having the year under his belt, things are significantly more casual.

This is what I had:

1st
17 Crab Cake, Tomato Broth
This was one of their signature dish. I must say, they weren't lying. It was easy to love, and the tomato broth I wish I can dip everything it in.

2nd
Texas Peach Braised Pork Shank
Corn and Barley Compote, Pork Lacquer

The pork was truly delicious. It was so good that the meat fell off the bone. The compote was more like a pasta than cous cous. I am, however not a big fan of corn, so I did pick around it. Haha.

3rd
Chocola

te Pound Cake
Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Orange Anise Glaze

The dessert was a little misleading and not as good as I'd thought. Even though it said it is a chocolate pound cake, the amount of orange zest and glaze around it, really empowered it towards more orange taste than chocolate taste. I wish they have more of a balance.

17 at Alden Hotel

1117 Prairie St

Houston, TX 77002

832-200-8800

http://www.aldenhotels.com/17.php

Devon, Chicago

Everytime I go to Chicago, I have to make a stop at Devon's. I discovered it when I first came to Chicago for work and staying at the hotel nearby. I had asked the concierge for a recommendation and thinking that they would point me to the seafood restaurant around the corner, which sounded casual, but I should know better. Turns out 'casual' is really code for seen and be seen.

The bar area is always packed with people at the bar on the upstairs, and the downstairs is the dining area. The downstairs is dim and actually very spacious. But I never got a chance to eat downstairs since most of the time I'm there to eat my myself, so I usually hang out at the bar upstairs.

I usually get there around 9p so they start the reverse Happy Hour just in time. That's when they get the specials on everything yummy. Sitting at the bar has its perks. You get yummy biscuit, which is savory and they give you this whipped better that's divine. I can stock up on these things all night long.

My favorite thing to get there is the Lobster bisque. I just know that that I'm going to get the good meat and creamy soup. The cracker they give you makes a good mushy bits that just scrumptious.

The other thing I had was the crab cakes. I already ordered the bar size not the meal size, but even then, it was gigantic serving. That came with asparagus. Honestly, if you ever get a chance to get the lobster, you should. They do it so great that it's bar none to anything I've had.

Of course, I would recommend creme brulee. I didn't get it this

But I recommend it if you get a chance you get to it. Of course, drinks too. Their sangria is good, and their bartender also serve a great deal of good off the menu drinks. You should definitely give them a try.

Devon Seafood Restaurants

39 E. Chicago Ave,

Chicago, IL 60611

312-440-8660

Giordano's Chicago

The other place that I like to take Texans to is Giordano's. They have the classic Chicago Deep Dish that is well known. Now, I know what you're going to say. There's Pizzeria Uno and others. Frankly, unless you are a true Chicagoan, you really don't know what the best Deep Dish is located. I'm telling you, I've eaten w/ locals at the most hole-in-the wall place that I don't even know how to get to, now that's true Deep Dish.

In the mean time, since I'm not a local and this is right by the Mag Mile and by my hotel, that'll work. I know what you're thinking: it's by the touristy area, how good can it be? Well, so good that alot of Chicagoan who moved away would order it online. Yes, they do entertain online orders. What they do is that they cook it halfway and then freeze it and overnight it to you. Can you tell I've done it and ate it that way couple of times? =D

So, let's talk food, shall we?

My friend Angie and I went to the Giordano's and they made it very easy for you to order. You put your name down w/ the hostess, grab a menu, look over what you want (pizza-wise), and go place your order. Yes, you place your order before even sitting down. This way they can start prepping your pizza, since it's deep dish, there's no 30 minutes delivery here. They take at least 45 mins to bake.

We didn't do the suggested pizza toppings, we ventured out on our own, not very far, but olives, pepperoni, mushroom, and cheese. Yes, cheese, cheese and more cheese. Needless to say, for even a small size, between the two of us, it was alot of food. We both had 2 slices and was ready to raise the white flag and give up.

Notable things here, their house red wine is great with pizza. Their Caesar Salad is worth having w/ anchovy, yes gross as that might sound, the saltyness of the fish brings out the sourness of the salad dressing and when mixed well, it was great. Sound strange? You should try it.

Needless to say, we were sad that we didn't get dessert, but we just couldn't do it. We were about to bust out of the seams.

Giordano's

730 N. Rush Street (by E. Superior)

Chicago, IL

(312) 951-0747

http://www.giordanos.com/

A feast at Feast

Well, first of all, I'm sorry for not posting more often... life goes on, eh?! Second, I apologize for the shotty picutres, but hey, good o' camera phone, right? Right!

So, the Chowhound organized a group to show the guys at Feast some love. So, a group of about 70 of us showed up and took over the place. Luckily, my friend Julia & her husband showed up, so we have someone to talk food with... These things are nice, you're never really sitting next to a stranger, because the love of food brought you all together. That said, it's nice to have some friendly faces around.

Alright, Feast, in case you don't already know; is known for using every part of the animal for their dishes. They come from the philosophy that nothing is wasted, and everything is from local. Which makes alot of sense considering alot of what we 'throw out' is considered a delicacies in other cultures. So, why not make something good out of that? I happen to agree, but just don't tell me what I'm eating, that'll be fine. Haha...


Their space is really an old house. You walk in to the 'sun room' where the they can fit several tables, and the main dining can fit 3 large tables and the official dining room can house 2 large long tables that serves 12+ people. The upstairs is just as spectacular. They have a small patio over looks Westheimer, a private dining room. But the most impressive, and on your way to the bathroom, is the wine room where they also cure the meat (see above). I have no idea how deep the room is, all I know it's that it's pretty awesome to see restaurant cared enough to cure their own meat. Don't worry, it is away from the said bathrooms, you see this on your way... not near it.

There are rumors that they didn't get enough love, therefore moving to New Orleans. I'm here to tell you that, I heard it from the chefs mouth(s), they are not moving. As a matter of fact, they are opening a 2nd location, which will be in New Orleans. So... they're here to stay... for the time being, anyhow.

Alright, onto the food:

Cauliflower Vichyssoise

Recommended wine pairing: Domaine de la Janasse,

Merlot Syrah, Southern Rhone, France 2007

Smoked Mackerel Pate & Exmoor Toast
Recommended Wine Pairing:
San Clodio, Treixadura/Gordello blend, Ribeiro, Calicia, Spain 2007

Cheese Crusted Pig's Ear Cake

Recommneded Wine Pairing:

Jimenez-Landi ' Sotorrondero', Mentrida, Spain 2006

Roasted Side of Tilefish w/ Braised Vegetables

Recommended Wine Pairing:

Clos des Allees Old Vine Muscadet, Loire, France 2006

Bath Chaps, Garlic Rutabaga & Mustard Greens

Recommended Wine Pairing:

Umathum, Zweigelt, Burgenland, Austria 2007

Lemon Hazelnut Cake

Sticky Toffee Pudding & Treacle Tart

My review:

The soup is served cold and let me tell you in a hot, humid day as we get plenty of them in Houston, that was very refreshing. They have a small bit of nut and raisins in them, but make no mistake, you can taste the cauliflower, and you are not just having something sweet in your soup.

The Mackerel Pate and Toast are super yummy. I highly recommend adding the lemon to bring out the flavor potentials that is hidden in the food. I know the first hand, when you thought of pate is dry and unpleasant, at least that's what I grew up with. But, when you get to taste the pate, you know that it's hand grinded and molded in-house. Not a dry bit in the mix. The toast help bring out the salty bit of the pate as well. Thumbs up!

The Pig's Ear Cake, to be honest, I was sorta hoping to see a little pig ear on my plate. But they molded it into a thick cake like texture, just about as thick as a Texas Toast, and layered a thick layer of cheese on top. It tasted like pizza. As a matter of fact, had they sold it as a pizza, I would absolutely order that on the menu. Talk about great and not needing to know what you ate.

The Tilefish was most disappointing at best. The presentation was wonderful, they served the fish head first, biting on a piece of orange. Bring back the very image of the pig biting on an apple. We passed it around and ate whatever we can get from the head. The fish itself were served separately. The vegetable and the fish were more bland and was up-played by the dishes preceding it. The dishes before were so flavorful that you were hoping that the fish would be too, but it was more blend, and dare I say it here? I had to put a bit of salt on it. Gasp!

The Bath Chaps were great in presentation, however, at this point, we were all slowly filled up to the rim that I don't think I gave it a proper test and appreciation as I did w/ the other dishes. What is a Bath Chaps is the question on the table... without looking it up, it really tasted like bacon, and anything that tasted like bacon cannot be bad, right?! Truthfully, tho, the piece of chap have so much fat on it that I cannot bring myself to eat too much of it. Not to mention, I have to save room for dessert.

Desserts were great, we had lemon hazelnut cake, chocolate molten cake (no picture), sticky toffee pudding, and treacle tart. The lemon hazelnut cake wasn't as zesty as I was expecting, so it was nice a mellow mixed w/ the nut and fresh cream. Chocolate molten cake was pretty standard, the cake itself was denser than I would like, but chocolate oozed out just the same. Sticky Toffee Pudding is very much the trend, as much of a trend as the French macaron, mixed w/ creme it was nice and thick and not as sticky as I had expected. The treacle tart is something new. It's basically a golden syrup cake held in a thin crust. I enjoyed the crust tremendously, and the cake itself was good. The best thing is to add the lemon curd to go w/ the cake. Definitely different and not what you normally would get at a restaurant. It's very British of a dessert.

I didn't do the wine pairing and from my companion, some of the pairing doesn't match the food palette as one would hoped. Couple of the wine were too sweet for the dish presented. But, you know, taste palatte is really a subjective thing, so take it what you will.

Overall, it cured my curiosity about the restaurant. I would go back and try other dishes for sure. This experience however, was more like a B+ experience... the dishes were building you up to a climax (the fish) and it was very anti-climatic. I would hate to use a blanket statement and say that the guys can do meat better than fish, but that's certainly the case that night. Hopefully, I'm wrong.

Try the bread when you go, their sourdough is to die for. By the way, there's no parking around, so you can either try the street parking across the way, or do $3 valet.

Feast

219 Westhimer

Houston, TX

www.feasthouston.com

Battle of Cupcakes... Patty's version (part 1 of many)

Well, when I read the Houston Press' Battle of Cupcakes I thought it was highly unfair. First off, they seems to have some sort of allegiance to Dessert Gallery. I personally don't have anything against Dessert Gallery. They have good lunch and they got good Brownie. Ohhh and they have good iced tea. But desserts??? I'm just going to say that you are entitled to your opinion, and mine is that I think they do better job on other food item than their dessert.

Anyway, back to the Houston Press' comparison. They picked Dessert Gallery vs. Sugar Babies. Personally between the two, they are made very differently. Let me just say, not all cupcakes are created equal. The folks at Sugar Babies really did it like how Mama used to. It's nice buttery and yummy goodness. Dessert Gallery's, personal feelings aside, both icing and the cake are dried. And that's on more than one occasion that had happened (we have people send us cupcakes and dessert from there). Yet, the writer picked Dessert Gallery. Gimme a break!

Back to my version of the Cupcake Battle. Today's challengers: Frosted Betty vs. What's Up Cupcake. I would've put up a picture of the cupcakes... except they were in my car and it sorta melted, and of course I had to eat it because it's so sad looking, and it went to my tummy... womp womp. Ok, on to the cakes...

First up, Frosted Betty, I got their famous Maple Bacon & Pistachio Cardamom. The Maple Bacon, I guess is used w/ maple syrup. They did have a small touch of bacon on top. First off, you can barely taste the bacon. Both my mom and I agreed that it was really buttery. The cake looks like yellow cake based, but the cake doesn't rawk my world. The icing was the buttery part. I know they do have some sort of bacon in there, but it was not overpowering at all. The Pistachio Cardamom was much more delectable. Both the cake and the icing are made out of pistachio. It's very smooth, and definitely my favorite.

Then it's What's Up Cupcake. What I had hoped was for their Coca-Cola Fudge cupcake. I've been dying to try that since I found out about them in Atlanta. (sidebar: they're big in Atlanta because Coke is based out of there, and several cake shops make them around town. So, I was ecstatic when I found out that someone in Houston is doing it. Well, they sold out of the Coca Cola one, but I settled for the Rocky Road one. I gave 2 other ones to the girls I know because they were holding down the shop down the street. But the one that I had was divine. Oh holy cow! The cake was moist, the icing was marshmellow cream. My oh my, it was a match made in heaven. They actually have nuts and mini marshmellow. Oh yum!

Well, the verdict? As hard as it is, I have to give it to What's Up Cupcake. The smoothness, the match and everything just went perfectly together. It was definitely delicious. I think I would definitely try Frosted Betty again, but this round goes to WUC!

While the upside was their goods are good. Trying to get my grubby hands on them are difficult. Frosted Betty came thru town once couple of days. Since they're based out of Katy (about 23 miles) from town, it's great that they're driving to town to get their cupcake fix. Luckily, they are pretty good about posting updates on Facebook (and thank goodness for that), so you can track them down around town. Contrary to What's Up Cupcake, they said they'll be at 14th & Shepherd on weekends I have yet to get them at their said time or place. I did voice that to the guys in the trailer, and they promised that they'll be more consistent. They did say that due to their popularity, they're kept busy and getting business constantly, which is great for them, but don't forget us the little people.

Mockingbird Bistro Wine Dinner event

So, I subscribed to Cleverly's Newsletter after the Houston Restaurant Week last fall. And I came across her announcement on the Mockingbird Bistro Wine Dinner. I've heard of it, just didn't know what it entails and been dying to try that out.

I grabbed my friend Steve and off we went. As you arrive, you can see that they kept alot of the Quasimodo's decor but with a new coat of paint and nice carpet. If you recall, the restaurant before the arrival of Mockingbird was Quasimodo, which was owned by the same guy who owns the building. I remembered because I used to live down the street and I would go to the laundromat next door. I would see him go between the restaurant and the laundromat, and we think that he and his wife live upstairs. All I remember was he used to play the 740AM radio and was grumpy. I would put a load of laundry in, eat dinner at Quasimodo and then go back and put my clothes in the dryer. That worked out for me.

Anyway, Mockingbird moved in around 2002 or 2003, because they just opened and shortly after I got married and moved out of the neighborhood. While I envied the diners at the new, chi-chi restaurant. I'm sure they were wondering why some girl carrying her laundry strolling right in front of them while they eat. That has got to be very very odd.

Fast forward to last night, I finally can afford to come as a diner. And it was well worth it. I was going to take a picture of each of the dish, but since we were in a small room that would've been obvious and embarrassing. The menu is as follows:

First Course
Pancetta Wrapped Jumbo Scallop with roasted pear and peach petite salad. Pinot gris/vanilla vinaigrette

Wine pairing: 2007 Belle Vallee Pino Gris

Second Course
Duck 3 Ways
-seared breast with dried fruit compote
-leg confit w/ farro risotto
-torchon of duck foie gras/raspberry aspic

Wine pairing: 2007 Belle Vallee Reserve Pinot Noir

Main Course
Duo of Colorado Lamb
-grilled lamb ribeye with wild mushrooms chevre maitre d'hotel butter
-slow braised lamb shank with peruvian lima beans swiss chard and prune/apricot gremolata

Wine pairing: 2006 Belle Valle Grand Cuvee Pinot Noir

Finale
Wild Berry Cobbler with Belle Vallee Port ice cream

Wine Pairing: 2004 Belle Vallee Pinot Noir Port
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, first off, I'm not a true wine connoisseur, so I cannot throw out adjectives like robust, fruity, aromatic...etc at a drop of a hat. That part, might be lost on me, but the food doesn't. What they didn't put on the menu was during the reception, they did tuna tartare, grilled lamb chop, and crab leg lollipop in orange sauce; all of them goes very well with their Pinot Gris. (In case you haven't figured out, this is a wine sponsored dinner, that's why all the wine came from the same winery.)

The jumbo scallop was nice and fresh, along w/ the roasted pear and peach, that really brought out the pancetta. However! When you eat it w/ the vinaigrette, it brought out flavors that is excitement. And when you pair it w/ the pinot gris, it really neutralizes the acid and makes everything neutral and happy.

The Duck 3 ways was definitely my favorite part. I was already impressed by the surprising flavors from the risotto, but to add the duck breast, it just builds the yummyness in my mouth. I liked the breast was seared but you can still taste the marinate and the fruit on top of it, made the meat sweeter than it already is. But, the best part of all was the foie gras. I don't care what your view on foie gras is, that foie gras was super awesome and I haven't been able to stop talking about it. It has a thin cracker at the bottom, a small portion of foie gras, and topped w/ a piece of raspberry aspic. What the heck is an aspic? I don't know, but it was good and that's good enough for me. Can I get more????

The main course was the lamb. The lamb w/ wild mushroom, and let me tell you, that sauce and the mushroom really made the lamb ribeye. You don't see lamb ribeye very often so it's definitely a treat to have something so rear. The braised lamb shank was really shredded and mixed w/ the beans and prune and the apricot gremolata mix laid comfortably on a square pastry. It totally made me want to pick it up and devour. Of course, I didn't, but I wanted to.

The dessert was a berry cobbler, but if seems more like a layer of fresh fruit at the bottom, a cookie-like top dusted w/ powder sugar, and the special port ice cream, which I can taste there's cinnamon in it. That was delicious. I'm still gaga over the foie gras, but the ice cream cobbler combo does hit the spot. The port wine that was paired was very strong in terms of alcohol content, so I backed off on that, especially when I don't have a designated driver with me.

Dinner was nice, I was a little apprehensive about the open seating. I don't care to be forced into mingling with others, I wanted to have a relax and enjoyable dinner. Luckily, our table were seated w/ cool guests which makes conversations easy and comfortable. To that, I thank my lucky stars that brings people together serendipitously. The cost is $125, gratuity of $25 is tagged on, plus tax you're lookinag at $136 and change. Obviously, this is not something you do every night, nor does Mockingbird offer them 'that' frequently. Maybe once a quarter, so a treat once in a while is ok.

I do look forward to other menu items at Mockingbird, they have superb servers and staff, their chefs are amazing. I'd definitely go back, wine dinner or not.

Mockingbird Bistro
1985 Welch St.
Houston, Texas 77019
Tel. 713.533.0200
Reservations recommended

bring change for valet parking.

Del Frisco Steakhouse

A bunch of friends and I went to Del Frisco for a birthday dinner. They can accommodate dinner for large party for sure. Their downstair bar can be seen as cozy, though the seating for bar wasn't alot. The seating upstairs however, was ample. Just the stairs makes you feel like you're about to experience something important.

As the evening progress, you see the entire restaurant fills up. That was surprising to me because it was a Monday night. But if you look around, you quickly realize why. Most of them were business men out to discuss business over dinner. They are all probably staying at the many nearby hotels and just trying to catch a good steak. Either way, the gorgeous window over look Westhimer street at night was breath-taking. For a mere moment, you may have thought that you've escaped to some exotic city, anywhere but Texas. It was indeed gorgeous.

Let's talk food, shall we?! The first thing we all made fun of was the menu and its giant font. Several of us in the party didn't even need glasses. Haha... I ordered a 8oz filet mignon. That meat was nice and good for me. The others in my party ordered the Governor's Filet which was a 6oz Filet Mignon plus Chateau Potatoes (aka mashed potato), another person got a Peppercorn Steak, that was really full of peppercorn. They have some very yummy sides, but the complain was that they like to serve it all the way around. What happens when the person just want the side dish to his or herself?

Their dessert was good, but nothing so extraordinary that makes me return for more, which was like the steak. Don't get me wrong, it was good, I love my meat. But, nothing makes me want to make that as a destination to return time and again. I will refer people to it, simply because of it's location, which was centralized for businessman and tourist alike. Otherwise, I'm sticking with my steak at Morton's.

Del Frisco's Houston
5061 Westheimer Road (side of Galleria)
Houston, TX 77056
713-355-2600
Del Frisco's Website

Jeannine's Bistro

So, I've heard alot about this place from my French teacher and several othe foodies around town. I was sad to know that I will never know what Cafe Montrose was. I know I should've stopped when I've driven by it many of times. Just the getting in and out in that part of Westheimer really deter me. Their old location was near alot of up and coming clothing stores and nifty vintage places. Plus, the tiny 4 lane street presents some challenge navigating the turns on that street.

Anyway, after they no longer at the Westheimer location, I heard that it was split into two. The Jeannine's Bistro & the Broken Spoke. On this cold Houston night (all of 27 degrees) I'd figured why not, let's give that a try.

When we arrived, I was surprised at how small the place is. Of course, that was magnified by the fact that there were 3 big-ish parties seated, which took up most of the space. They made the 3 side tables for twos seemed cramped. We were in luck, as when we arrived there were 2 seats at the bar. So, the bar it is.

My usual thing at a new restaurant is to ask the waitstaff what is their favorite dish for someone who've never been there nor familiar w/ the food. One recommended the Moules Marinnieres, and the other recommended Moules au Curry. You know I was feeling adventurous, why not?!

Here's my tip to you, large really do mean large. We really should've done 2 smalls and just order the prommes frites separately. The fries are yummy, and I can see that it can be addictive. The Marinnieres mussles come in the whole shell, and boiled in the seafood stalk. It came with some veggies and it's nice and cozy for the cold weather. The Curry version, came on half shell and sauce is all over, which tip from the bartender is that you should dip your frites with it. I can see why, it only makes the fries more addictive.

To top of a nice meal, we ordered the Profiterole. Boy, can I tell you that I still cannot stop talking about it. It is 4 small puff pastry, with whip cream spaced in between and ice cream in the center doused with this Belgian chocolate sauce. Let me tell you, if they are willing to bottle it up and let me take a bath in it, I would. (eww gross, I know, but it's that good.)

Staff are friendly, and keeping an eye on us to make sure we're doing ok. As tiny as the place was, people kept coming in, which is a good sign that their food and their people really make it memorable for people. I've heard that a couple had dinner there, left for a show and came back for dessert. They are 'that' type of place that you feel welcome to come back time and again.

The great news is that they will be expanding to the shop next door, so the expansion will bring on great change. I'm sure all the patrons will appreciate not having to push the chair into each other for their next dining experience at the larger shop. Either way, I will definitely go back and try other items on the menu and of course, the Profiteroles. Yum!

Jeannine's Bistro
106 Westheimer
Houston, Texas 77006
Phone: 713-874-0220

Haven Houston

Several friends and I went to dinner at the newest greenest restaurant in town. Haven is a partnership of Randy Evans (executive chef), Debbie Jaramillo and Rhea Wheeler. Evans was the Executive Chef at Brennan's since 2003.

I think you will be surprised to find that even though Evans came from a famed steakhouse, steak is not a prominent feature of the menu. Everything in the menu is fresh from a local farm, if it's not fresh, they won't buy it. I can appreciate that tremendously, given that there's alot of bad news regarding how they forced feed animals by using bad chicken feed or grass that's been sprayed w/ pesticide. This going back to basic movement I can definitely appreicate.

As I said, the menu is all organic and local farmed goods. So, the items may change without notice, but you can see their menu on their website. Their appetizers also called Enticement, for me, it wasn't very enticing the day I visited. They had deviled eggs, seared Berkshire belly, shrimp corn dogs, and artisan meat and cheese. While I think it's very unique to have shrimp corn dogs, at a restaurant this caliber, I expected something fancier. Just as the deviled eggs, I know the Grove is trying to bring it back, but to me, its' still an item featured at Tupperware Parties and Baby Showers. I think I would've gone for the meat and cheese had I had to choose, but let's see what else is there.

Their soup and greens featured a Squash Bisque, torn greens, and tomato and mozzarella. Hmmm... nothing shakes me.

The main course, ah huh, something I like... They featured free ranged chicken with the bacon spaetzel, wood grilled loin, shrimp, tuna, and free ranged eggs (again). I think my husband would've been thrilled to see eggs featured as a main entree, but I'm sure the chef would have a clever twist to it.

I chose the free ranged chicken. They cooked it w/ the skin, and it was nice and juicy yet favorful, not a bit that's dried. It is laid on top of a bed of bacon spaetzel. I've never had that before, and for those of you who don't know, it is like a very finely diced potato and the texture is even softer if that's possible, and it's cooked w/ bacon which reminds me alot of ham hock. Along side was crispy brussels sprouts leaves. Let me tell you, if my mom and all moms cooked brussels sprouts like that, no kid will ever turn their nose up on the vegetable again. It was nice and crispy, like a chip, and who doesn't like their vegetable smell and taste like a chip?

Then comes dessert... all of us at the table all chose one of the dessert. They featured, pecan pie, layered chocolate cake, banana split, and cheesecake. Both the cheesecake and the pecan pie doesn't look anything out of the ordinary. The banana split is kinda cute, they have the ice cream and the corresponding sauce that goes along w/ it, but they presented it on a plate that has different compartment for each of the ice cream and the banana. So, they are splitted, and no co-mingling occur in the ice cream. I got the layered cake, it wasn't as I'd pictured it to be. In my mind, it'd be moised chocolate cake layered and have nice buttercream in between. The cake was dried, much like a biscotti texture. If you put some of the malted ice cream on top of the cake, which moisen it and added w/ the buttercream that would be acceptable, but for the first few bites, that was a surprise to me that it was so dry.

I wanted to point out how our waitstaff was awesome. He came from Captial Grille, which as I understood, alot of the staff came from well known places from the city, so the service is top notched and attentive doesn't even begin to described how well served we were. They made sure coffee was poured the correct way, which by the way, the coffee was french pressed. The tea choices, all 12 of them, were displayed nicely, brewed fresh on the spot, and no tea leaves was poured into the cup. That was just A+ all around.

The building was a certified green building, the wood was made of recycled wood, and the a/c is delievered thru a cloth 'pipe' with holes to make sure all areas get the same temperature. If they need to, all they have to do is unzip the cloth and throw it into the washer to avoid mold. Not only that, they have a rain gutter that catches the rain and that serves as reserve water for their own garden in the back of the restaurant.

The draw back is their location. Becuase they are hidden behind 3 other restaurants (Cafe Japon, Mai Thai, and Taco Cabana), it's not the easiest to find, even though it's easily accessible via the freeway, you just need to know where it is. The other thing is their parking, because they are located at the curve of the backway, they highly encourage valet parking. I find that alot of people chose to park at the abandoned Bennigan's parking lot and just walk. Some even parked over by Mucky Duck, couple streets over. So, that's something to consider.

Haven
2502 Algerian Way
Houston, TX, 77098
713-581-6101

Ouisie's Table

If you've never been to Ouisie's Table you're truly missing a neat place for gourmet food. My first recollection of the place was my first job. The district manager loves that place, so inevitably we'll always have our annual luncheon there. Trust me, there's no complaint from me. The place is nice, tucked away, yet have ample rooms for different occasions. The food, of course is no comparison to anything I've ever had. Fast forward years later, I've been back there for an occasion or two. This past Xmas, I got a gift certificate to go back, and you don't need to ask me twice.

This time I went with couple of friends and all of us, self-proclaimed foodie-wannabes, had dinner there. First off, they serve you cute little bread as you wade thru pages up of wine menu. Watch out for the jalapeno roll, it does have a kick to it! My disappointment on their wine list is that they aren't as well rounded as I thought. I know not everyone likes to drink what I drink, but I expected there to be a representative from the category. But alas, they were catering to the Shraz and Merlot drinkers. They don't even have a cocktail menu.

I had the veal and my friends had the steak. I've never had anything bad there, so nothing bad to write about. Plus, it's been a few weeks, so details are a tad fuzzy. I do remember that the dessert was great and the waitstaff attmpted to be formal, but there were points that were lacking. First off, ladies should always be served first, and the coffee should be hot instead of warm.

My advise about going to Ouisie, always check out the Blackboard Special. The chef shines on dishes he can play up the seasonal anything. If you go there, make sure you leave ample time for traffic, they are at the edge of the Galleria traffic. Don't let the bar intimidate you, they serve full everything and also a full menu. Don't feel bad if you want to ask for a tour of the restaurant, they do have different rooms with different personalities. They also grow alot of the herbs they use right there at their garden.

Ouisie's Table
3939 San Felipe Dr.
Houston, TX 77027
713-528-2264

Reservations highly recommended. $4 valet

Vic & Anthony's Downtown

So, we had a bday dinner for our friend Holly. Somehow the idea of steakhouse was in our head and Vic & Anthony's came to mind.

The place was gorgeous, marble floor, beautiful staircase, and wood everywhere. It was gorgeous and our waiter was attentive to us and our quirks. I don't know if you have a chance to check out the restaurant websites, but lately, alot of them started to have Stimulus Dining plans. That is: a deal for eating at the restaurant, for instance, Vic & Anthony's has a $45 deal where you get 3 courses, and none of the choices are shabby at all.

We started off w/ Chips & Strings, which is really their version of potato chips & shoestring onion rings. Though, I'm sure it's homemade everything. It was delicious, plus we were all hungry, so we cleaned the plate with no problrm. I had the Lobster Bisque, which was a tad tangy-ier than I'd like. Nice lump of lobster meat, which is truly what I enjoyed most. Second course, I had Scallops. I know what you're thinking, you're at a steakhouse, have steak, not seafood. But, see here, I know that most 99% of the steakhouses also have the best seafood, I had to do it. Otherwise, my choice would've been the 9oz Filet Au Poivre. Anyway, my jumbo scallops came with noodles and a side, I picked Au Gratin. I hardly touched the potato, but trust me, by then I was so full and wanted to save room for dessert, I basically ate all the scallops and skipped the noodles and the potato. For dessert, I always order Creme Brulee to measure between restaurants. To me, it's the most 'basic' thing that a good restaurant should do well in. Do I know how to make it? No. Does my tastebuds knows the difference? You betcha.

The creme brulee came on a plate. Yes, you read right, a plate, not bowl or a dish, on a plate. So, that presents a very interesting situation. You don't get the depth like you're used to, but you get the spread more than you're used to. Either way, I loved it, the sugar crust was done just right, you don't have to crack hard at it, and you can see the vanilla bean mixed into the brulee. It was delish!

It is definitely worth returning to that place, maybe not before a ballgame (it is literally across from the Ballpark). Wine list was gigantic, I just lost patience after the white wine. But, if you're a wine-o, I'm sure you'll appreciate the variety they offer there. I was disappointed that they didn't have a drinks menu, or I was just expecting they have some exotic martini to go w/ the steaks.

Vic & Anthony's
1510 Texas Ave
Houston, TX 77002
713-228-1111

Tiny Boxwood

So, I've been hearing about Tiny Boxwood that has great dinner. I didn't know much about it. But, couple of times we've gone, it's so packed that discouraged us of going.

We finally got in! Seating at the bar is key, service is not less than we would at a regular table. If not, the host would definitely do his best to fit you in. Our menu was a summer menu that coincided with the Hatch Chili festival. While we didn't try the fried hatch chili, our food weren't bad either.

I had their summer sangria, it wasn't open empowering with alcohol and yet fill with summer sweetness. Then, I had their crabcake pizza. It was a thin crust that you can tell they made in house. They also cooked it w/ their stone oven, and you can taste the wood, it's so flavorful mixed in with the olive oil. The crabmeat was generous, and you have some every bite.

Then on another occasion, I had breakfast there. Breakfast was much more madness than dinner. People came in for coffee and their muffins. I had 2 of their breakfast tacos with eggs, cheese and chirizo. The tacos weren't big at all, so having 2 was definitely a good call. The salsa they gave you are not spicy if anything gave the taco taste. My friend had their quiche. You can see that they made the crust there as well, but the portion was smaller than we expected.

To top of, a chocolate cookie is a must, make sure you get some on your way out.

Tiny Boxwood
3614 W. Alabama at Saint St.
Houston, TX 77027
713-622-4224
http://www.thompsonhanson.com/ (click Cafe)

HRW: Monarch at Hotel Zaza

Well, guess it's not really truly an HRW visit and I'll get to that. Myself and couple of co-workers got there early so we sat at the bar for a drink. When we were ready to be seated, the hostess sat us against the wall between 2 big tables. What's worst was that the wall we were facing was where the servers had their water jugs and extra utensils. So, the server was reaching over our heads to get stuff.

We of course, asked the hostess to reseat us. The poor girl basically was told by the head hostess that it has all be planned and basically can't move us. Mind you this is still early for dinner. There's a table in a corner and we don't even mind being stuck in a corner, but truly a 3 top should really get a 4 top table, not squeezed on a 2 top. Mind you, the 2 top isn't truly for 2, it can seat 2 but we've seen a twosome seating at a 2 top they ran out of room to put their drinks and food.

Of course, I escalated it to the manager and the guy didn't bat an eye and reseated us immediately. I must say sitting at a table for 4 truly for 4 is very spacious. I'm sure that totally messed up the hostess' arrangements, but they also under estimated us. They thought we were coming in just to do the prix fixe and weren't going to generate alot of money off of the tab, when in fact we ordered off the menu. Honestly, their menu looks better than the prix fixe. This should teach servers and hostesses alike that when we are going to Restaurant Week, it is really to attract patrons to the restaurant, but don't write us off by giving us bad service or sticking us against a wall. By the time we were done, we actually had a similar tab to what we would have w/ the prix fixe.

Alright, on to the food. Like I was saying that the prix fixe wasn't that interesting. So all of us ordered off menu. We started w/ their nacho. That was yummy and it was made with sirlon and you can tell it was puree sauce that really makes the nachos. That said, one of my coworker ordered filet, another one ordered salmon, and I ordered scallop. The filet was done well, the twice cooked potato wasn't that done, it was still crunchy, so I'm not sure how it's twice cooked, but it was still crunchy. The salmon and the potato was fine, the scallop was recommended cooked medium, and it was good, but the mashed potato was better.

Sadly, their dessert looked good, but has no taste to it. I've never leave a dessert unfinished. I had the nutella crepe, I kindly talked the server to get me the crepe from the prix fix, it's not usually served. It was like a little omelet shaped with cheese inside, with the nutella drizzled over it. It wasn't warm. I don't appreciate any crepe that's cold, and traditionally that means it's not cold. One of my friend ordered pomegranate creme brulee, and it has a very thin sugar crust, and the brulee doesn't have any real brulee texture to it. It tasted more like a lemon bar than a brulee or anything w/ pomegranate in it. The strawberry cheesecake was much like any artificial cheesecake you taste. It came w/ strawberries w/ what made out to be romanoff sauce. The strawberries were good the sauce was not what romanoff is supposed to be. I'll just call that a wash.

Drinks were delicious, wasn't enough to bring me back, maybe for happy hour but not for another dinner. A word of warning, if you pull up to the hotel side of the place and valet (which seems to be the only option around there), the hotel side charges you $12 for parking. The restaurant side charges you $6 for valet. So, be careful which side you pull up.

Monarch at Hotel Zaza
5701 Main Street
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 526-1991
www.hotelzazahouston.com

HRW: Post Oak Grill Uptown

This is my 5th Restaurant Week venture... I haven't heard much about Post Oak Grill but they are quite reputable in Houston, so figured it can't really go wrong. The only complaint is the traffic. I had forgotten about the constructions on San Felipe between 610 & Post Oak Blvd. It makes getting there a little more stressful than it's necessary.

That said, once I got there, we got top treatment. My friend and I both started w/ a drink, she got the Chocolate Cake Martini that really has the cake taste to your pallet. I had a glass of wine.

Then on to our prix fixe:

Both of us had the tomato salad instead of the soup. While I'm a big fan of crab meat and welcome that in a salad, I'm just not a big fan of corn something-or-another soup. The dressing was like yet tasty, so no complaint here. My friend did say that she wished she had a tad more dressing w/ her salad, which I can totally understand without having to lick the plate. Then we got the Intermezzo which was a papaya sorbet, which was nice, because cleansing my pallet or not, it's telling me that I'm prepared for the next exciting taste to come.

For our entree' both of us went in different directions. I had wanted to surf and turf, and instinctively, that's what I would've gone for, but the idea of Duck Confit in a crepe just too curious to give that a try. So, I did. My Roasted Airline chicken actually tasted better with the skin on to capture the flavor than off. By itself, the chicken tasted dry, but with the oil and the skin it's brings out the flavor that didn't get to seep in all the way to the meat. The Duck Confit was interesting. There weren't enough fat for the duck, but it's wrapped in crepe and soaked in wine sauce. It just has a good nice easy going taste to go along w/ the duck.

Then onto our dessert: my friend ordered the banana foster and bread pudding, while I got my lavendar creme brulee' and chocolate souffle'. To my friend's disappointment, she didn't see the banana foster part of the desssert, we weren't sure if it wasn't brought out, or it was supposed to be mixed in. Her bread pudding, however, was good. While, I had 2 distinct little plates for mine. The Chocolate Souffle was dryer than I'd like. Plus, aren't the feature of souffle is that you poke the top and it deflates to late the air out? Mine was hard as a rock and it did crumbled. But my creme brulee' did not disappoint. It has a nice texture and the scent of lavender enhance my taste more than interrupting it. I'm a big fan of creme brulee' if it's a different way to present this old classic I'm definitely welcome the change.

As with my dining tradition, I also had a cup of cappuccino to go w/ my dessert, and the nice people at Post Oak Grill was kind enough to give me a biscotti. It was orange biscotti dipped on both end, one with white chocolate and one w/ milk chocolate. However, when I dipped it into my cofee, it quickly came apart. So, that was interesting.

When we got to paying our bills, our server gave us another chocolate chewy cookie. It was nice texture, like and fluffy and chewy all at the same time. I can deal with that anytime.

Overall, the place is fancy, service is top notch, they are not in a hurry and neither are you, type of place. They do let us take our time, as do their diners often are... taking their time; of course, to enjoy their fine meal. They do have a pianist to play mood music but not too loud where you felt like it's taking away from the meal.

They do have a bar next door, and while I haven't checked that out looks like it's nice and I can imagine to food to be just as good. Parking is not as easy to dicepher during peak hours, since it is shared w/ the office buildings nearby, I would suggest paying the $3 for valet, that way it's one less thing you have to worry about.

Post Oak Grill - Uptown
1415 S. Post Oak Lane
Houston, Texas 77056
713-993-9966
www.PostOakGrill.com

HRW: La Colombe D'Or

Well, let's face it, I chose this place because of the
mansion, I know nothing about their food or their style, so I am there to 'eat the building'. Rather, to buy into it's ambience and the mystery from the years of driving by this place.

To me, this place always seems to be the cliche' shi shi type place attached to a hotel, known for doing weddings. Well, when you get this type of build up in your head, it's very hard to sit down and be disappointed. I sat down and the servers seems to be in a hurry by the servers. We sat down, and had a look see thru the menu. Their cocktail is about $9 a piece, and it's stronger than I'm used to, which I guess I'm getting my money's worth, if you want to call it that.

For the prix fixe, I had the French Onion soup, after all, they are a French restaurant. The soup wasn't the best I've ever had, I've had better at Ruggles Green. They had 2 pieces of bread in the soup, and a few strands of onions. The Gruyere cheese was thick alright, but doesn't mean it's flavorful.

The entree' they had a choice of Hazelnut crusted Chicken w/ angel hair pasta, fish of some sort and tenderloin. I chose the tenderloin with a wine reduction, and my friend had the chicken. It's sad to say, but I would've preferred the chicken. Not that my tenderloin was bad, but there was something about that chicken that is much more better tasting than my tenderloin. Like I said, it's not bad, just je ne sai qua.

Then comes dessert, I made yet another mistake. Traditionally, I order the creme brulee' that's my standard yardstick to measure the restaurant. But see, they offered poached pear, which sounded exotic with the red wine sauce and saffron. The pear came with sorbet, and to my disappointment, the pear was cold cold cold. In my mind, poached pear is warm, which would go well w/ the sorbet, but it wasn't the case. It was nice and cold. Hmm...

I like said in the beginning, the waiters weren't the most attentive for a restaurant like this caliber. It was a nice touch to have the owner stop by to say hello and ask how are things going, but the food and the service just doesn't make up for it. As a matter of fact, I wonder how they sustain business on a normal week, where their food is not up to the class as the place built up to be, and looks like their hotel suite portion was not being occupied. Well, we're really there to check out the building more than check out the food. But now, I know how uninspiring the food is, it just satisfied the curiosity.

La Colombe D'Or
3410 Montrose Boulevard
Houston, Texas 77006
713-524-7999
www.LaColombedOr.com

HRW: Cavatore

Despite it's annoying website. This is a truly unique place. Who would've thought this transitioning neighborhood would have a neat little place like Cavatore? This is right on Ella near TC Jester. You can't miss it, it is actually a Texas Style barn. I wouldn't say it's the traditional red barn, but it's more like a old house that has add-ons throughout the years.

When we arrived, there's a bar and a side room, several side rooms and a main room where the pianist was playing. The whole set up was kinda weird, we were seated in a room that has 4 tables comfortably, right next to their skinny wine room. The entire set up was very kitchy, not the old mod way but Italian plus Texas mix. There's art work, photos, news clipping of random stuff, stained glass windows and several other memorabilia.

I once again did the Houston Restaurant Week prix fixe. I was told that their table-side Caesar was a must, which by the way, if you're the only person that ordered it, they will not make it table side, but I will say that it's fresh and it tasted it. The main course I ordered the Veal Marsala. I haven't had anything Marsala for the longest time. It was pipping hot, there were 4 small medallions of veal, and I do mean small. There were more mushrooms than veal, and there was more sauce to cover the entire plate to where I can't see if there's any meat left on the plate. They also on the side has asparagus or spinach. I also didn't know that they were going to bring out a small side of rigatoni with tomato sauce.

Of course, the place was famous for their Tiramisu, so I had to have it. It's good, but I didn't think it was any better or worst than the Tiramisu I had from Carrabas.

Overall, I think the food is decent. Not the best Italian I've ever had, but not the worst either. I like it fine, which is what alot of review I've read had said. My thing is that, by the glance of the menu, it's definitely a place that wants to be fancy, they have their own sunroom for crying out loud. On the other hand, the menu prices is way too high for the ktich and normal Italian food you get. This is definitely something you take out-of-town family and friends to, but not really for that price.

The pianist was awesome, they will play top 40 songs to Broadway songs... that's really set the mood. The place is totally causal like the neighborhood despite the price tag. They say you should make a reservation, but on a weekday, you definitely don't need one. On a Friday/Saturday, it may be a possibility of it being full, but it wouldn't be a long wait, because they do have tons of tables. Just a matter of hanging out for a little while.

Cavatore Italian Restaurant
2120 Ella Blvd.
Houston, TX 77008
713-869-6622
http://www.cavatoreitalianrestaurant.com/

HRW: 17

This is Houston Restaurant Week night #2. Tonight's pick was 17 inside the Alden Hotel (formerly the Sam Houston Hotel). It's part of downtown that's being revitalized.

The hotel is definitely shi-shi, the waiting area of the restaurant is the lobby, where they were happy to get my friend a drink while she's waiting for me. At first I thought 17 was because it's on the 17th floor, I kinda figured that that's their rooftop, where they frequently have weddings. But, turns out 17 is because back in the day, there would be 17 different lines of trains converge in Houston, that's why they named it 17. There's a better story on the menu, so, go try it and read it for yourself.

Anyway, we were offered the prix fixe, and as it turns out, it also serves as a preview for the new executive chef, Chip Hight's, fall menu preview. I find that very exciting and felt very exclusive. It's nice to preview anything before it became dime a dozen, so I applaud that.

We also had a very good waiter, Diana, she remembers what we ordered and explain the pairing also very attentive. While the pairing was not my thing, most of their wine were too dry for me. She brought over this amuse-bouche where it's corn sorbet with lime segment. The corn sorbet was good, but once you had the lime segment, which was dipped in salt, you definitely need the sorbet to tone down the salt and lime zesty-ness.

For starter, I had the Seared Peach with Salmon that came with crème fraîche & micro greens. The weird part for me, and also very unexpected was the salt around the plate. The Salmon with the salt worked ok but I wasn't sure with the peach. Turns out, if you mix it w/ the creme and the greens, add the peach, the salmon and the salt, that's actually works. I'm not a cook, can't tell you why it works but it does. I was sorta expecting a small piece of salmon, but it was done in tartare style over chopped peach, that was interesting and not bad either.

My friend Steve & Krista happened to get their Coastal Napoleon which was fried green tomato, gulf lump crab, remoulade sauce & micro greens. They managed to get a nice consistency of chips on the tomatoes, and put the crab meat in between the tomato slices. It's a nice little sandwich.

As for entree, we all had the deconstructed beef wellington, it was tenderloin, roasted radish, bordelaise with wild mushrooms. My oh my, let me tell you. The sauce is to die for, there was a small piece of pasty over the beef, and together with the sauce, it's just delightful. I love it. Of course, what I like about the dish too is the small piece of something, not sure if that was truffle or fois gras over it, but it was delish.

For dessert, all of us got something different. I had the peach souffle, which is totally not like the traditional souffle I had expected. It's only the top half, but was done in more of a meringue than a true souffle. I would have to say, though, when you cut into it, it doesn't deflate, it is like a pillow that lets you cut in, and it'll bounce back. The 'peach chips', it's more like drizzling of peach bit, there's no real piece of peach around, but you can taste the essence.

17
in Alden Hotel
1117 Prairie (at San Jacinto St.)
Houston, TX
832-200-6888
http://www.aldenhotels.com/17.php

HRW: Arcodoro

This week begins the Houston Restaurant Week, where all these Houston premier restaurant puts together a prix fixe menu for $35. It's a great price when entree and dessert already cost that much. The prix fixe usually have 3 courses if not 4 or more choices than you can wrap your stomach around it.

Tonight's choice is Arcodoro in the Galleria area:

Patty said~

The decor is definitely fancy. They have outside seating where you can definitely enjoy a nice glass of wine on a good weather day. Unfortunately, those days are very limited in Houston, so you can take a guess on that. They have a casual seating and a dining area as well.

I had done the HRW prix fixe, which consisted of the Salmon Carpaccio, Paella, and Tiramisu. They, of course, have other choices as well and you can definitely order off the menu. The Carpaccio is not as good as I thought it'd be. I'd like the salmon to be colder than room temperature. I can taste the oil and the frisee' but not the apple. So, that ruined it for me. The Paella was good and flavorful. The shellfish was more fresh than I anticipated. Tiramisu is delightful, but I must say, I've have had better. So, I'm not sure if that's a good judge. Since most of my judging is based on creme brulee's not on tiramisu. Guess I'll have to go back and try it all again.

Overall, food is good, not the best I've ever had. Though I've never had Sardinian food before, which has heavy Italian influence (because duh, they're right next to each other). The price of their dishes aren't cheap but I would say the quality is worth it.

Arcodoro
5000 Westheimer
Houston, Texas 77056
www.Arcodoro.com
713-621-6888
reservation is recommended