Squable

Had brunch at Squable.  

This was not my first, and last time was during pandemic and we were all eating out of containers.

Seatings are super limited inside, if the weather is nice try to get a table outside, less crowded.

This is the Afterglow, which has lychee, strawberry, coconut water, lime and something fizzy like a like tonic.  It's a mocktail, goes down easy.

We shared the biscuits.  It's all nice and warm, so good for my soul.  The come with yogurt butter that has cheese shavings on top.  And seasonal jam, this is made of peach.  Both of them together with the flakey buttery biscuits was delightful. 

I got the Carbonara, it has a yolk in the middle, accompanied by chunks of bacon (crispy) and pecorino cheese, which is made from goat's milk.  I will say, my brain was expecting something super cheesy and while it did deliver part way, I can use more.  The noodles seems to be too thick for that sauce, but that's truly a personal preference.  The bacon is nice, cured, and crispy.  Not bad as a flavor, won't mind if they have smaller bits and more of it.  At first we were making fun of the size, it looked like kids size, but I will say, since I was being gluttonous and ate the whole thing, kids size is just fine.

Overall, I will say service was not bad when they do come by.  Surprisingly, for a small space, took the server a while before getting to me.  Equally surprising was the kitchen was super slow.  Slow in getting the drinks and food out.  So hope that's not a norm for them.   Reservation is highly recommended.  Parking can be challenging especially during peak dining hours.  Check around the street and read the signs, park carefully so you won't get towed. 

Squable

632 W. 19th Street

Houston, TX 77008

https://www.squabletime.com

 

La La Land

Finally got to visit La La Land.

When you walk in, there's a super posh chandelier in the sitting area.

They have a posh merch area, nice and sleek.

And the nice wall of drinks and the drink counter.  

As you can see, the whole place is very 'grammable'.  I got the Matcha Lavender Bloom Latte.

It's pretty with the green and purple.  But let me tell you, when you mix it all up, it's brown, just so you know.  So it has matcha, lavender, vanilla, and oat milk.  It tasted fine, not too sweet, and earthy because of the matcha and oat milk.   But yes, as you mix everything together, that turns brown.

I love their little cup sleeves with these kindness sayings.  They have seating around the shop, and also seating by the Sweet Greens which is a common seating, so if it's all packed inside, enjoy the beautiful weather outside.

La La Land

MKT

600 N. Shepherd Dr

Ste 140

Houston, TX 77007

713-497-5789

https://lalalandkindcafe.com

 

Flavas Food truck

This is my first time meeting Taste My Flavivas.

They are a juice and toast truck.  They have avocado toast, quesadillas, and paninis.  Otherwise, it's mostly juice.

I got the watermelon-peach-rose juice.  I will say that I did not taste any peach, some rose.  It is all freshly squeeze.  Not like aqua fresca, but also not too fragrant especially on the rose part.  The watermelon was good, not too sweet and not too sour, which I expected the peach to contribute.  

As usual, please support small businesses if you can.

Taste My Flavias Food Truck

https://tastemyflavias.com

 

Macaron by Patisse

Stopped by Patisse to grab some Macs. 

Haven't had theirs in quite some time.  I forgot how good the quality is.  I got Cookies & Cream, Rose, Lavender, and Fig & Cheese.  The Cookies & Cream was great as always.  Rose I forgot that it does taste like a mouthful of petals despite the fact that I love that flavor.  The lavender, though also flower, taste was much more mild.  The Fig and Cheese was a surprise (again) for me.  I had forgotten how good that tasted with fig, and the cheese was very complementary to the fruit.  It was not too sweet or savory, worked out very nicely.

I forgot how soft they are when you bite into them.  Which is nice because a lot of the shops that sell defrosted ones crack almost immediately.  The trick to that is truly defrost for a bit and let it rest instead of trying to serve them immediately. 

Macaron by Patisse

2033 W. Gray

Houston, TX 77019

713-965-7359

https://www.macaronbypatisse.com

 

The Original Chop Shop

Few of us at the office decided to order out.

Never had Chop Shop before, so this is new to me.

I had originally going to get a salad, but instead got a wrap.  This is their Chicken and Prosciutto wrap.  They offer gluten free wrap for an up-charge. Sure, why not.  As the name said, it has chicken and prosciutto.  It also has fontina cheese, fig (my favorite), arugula, and dijon.  I will say the dijon doesn't over empowering the flavor.  I also very much like the fig and cheese combo, so can't go wrong there.  It's actually a pretty good combo.  Definitely will get it again next time.

You can order online, they offer pickup, curbside or delivery via UberEats.

The Original Chop Shop

5018D San Felipe

Houston, TX 77056

https://originalchopshop.com 

 

St. Arnold's at the Ballpark

Another fun thing to do at the baseball game is drinking!

But first, check out all the memorabilia and cool art around the place.  

Ok, back to the drinks.  There are quite a few drinks stations.  Saint Arnold's got a huge section right by the Crawford Box and it's convenient because if you come from the Crawford Street entrance the are right there.  

Now, beer prices has gone up and even more so at the ballpark, so expect to pay $16 for a pint.  I got their Lawnmower.  The beauty of getting them here, is that the brewery is not far and they bring in their kegs.  More importantly, they got the seasonal stuff here as well as their popular beers.  

If beer is not your jam, I saw wine and White Claws too.  They also sell some food at this station.

Look at the view.  Not too shabby, eh?

Tips on going thru the lines there.  If you see a bunch of people, mix parties guys and girls, tend to move ok.  If it's girls, definitely move fastest.  If it's a group of guys, I suggest you take another lane.  They have so much excitement being in the ballpark.  Talk about their favorite beer that they are not focusing on their order, which takes longer.  Stood behind 2 groups, one mix party, the other girls, and got there and my beer faster than my friend who stood behind one group of guys.  My tip to you!

Saint Arnold's at Minute Maid Park

https://www.mlb.com/astros/ballpark/information/concessions

 

Killen's at the Ballpark

Super excited, since I haven't been to a baseball game forever.

The other reason to be excited, is of course the amount of junk food inside this place.

Let me tell you, I was super excited to see that Killen's has a spot in the ballpark.  But also be warn, it's all the way on the opposite side from the Crawford Street entrance.

For $21, you too can get this mount of Brisket Nacho.

Check out that view, it's high - alright.  I'm talking about how they pile the food so high.  There's your base - nacho chips, then briskets, the sprinkle in the cheese and then a huge dob of sour cream, and in case you want more, there's some jalapeño pepper on the side.

Besides this, they do have meat plate, mean sandwiches but this is what I don't get to have outside of the park, so for $21, this was it!  I will say, the cheese is not the good o' valveeta mix that we know, it's decent quality cheese.  But let's face it, I was there for the meat.  It's top notch brisket from them of course, and I will say, between all those chips, that's sufficient. You get some chips and some protein, it's a good mix and a good dish.  After eating that, you don't feel crabby and sleepy.  The quality delivers and I appreciate that.

First of all, this is located on the 4th floor of the stadium.  You can either take escalators to as far as you can go, then some stairs to the 4th level.  OR!  Find the VIP elevator and take it to the 4th level.  Once you get there, you head towards the Michelob Suite, and the Killen's is in the corner.  Now, here's the trick.  I got there early to avoid downtown traffic, so the park literally just opened when I walked in.  So there's no lines.  It's been known that Killen's popularity draws people to walk up those stairs.  So go early!

Killens at Minute Maid

https://www.mlb.com/astros/ballpark/information/concessions