Annam

Right next door to Annabelle is Annam.

Didn't even know that they have a Michelin star.

The inside looks amazing!

Even their bathroom is pretty.

Seriously, that sink has so much detail to it.

Even there's details on the table.

Waygu Beef Betel Leaf - at the bottom is lettuce, vermicelli, carrot, daikon, peanut and waygu beef on top.  It's so delicious.  They should've have a bigger dish of that.

Shaking Filet Mignon - which is stir fry beef, garlic, lettuce, watercress, and cherry tomato.  The flavor is good and sturdy, highly recommend it.  It comes with lime and pepper on the side as a dipping sauce, it goes very well.  Definitely worth getting. 

Morning glory - garlic, wok stir fry and fish sauce.  Also great flavor, very happy with this dish.

Fried Whole Branzino - never had the entire branzino like that before. 

It's cut open on both sides and fried.  Easy to pull the meat out, and it was a great pick as well.  It has salad at the bottom.  And if you can imagine, this is only the small one.  

Definitely make a reservation.  If you self-park at the garage be sure to bring your ticket, they will validate.  Of course you should make a reservation for a place that has a Michelin Star.  They do have some bar seating for walk-in, but as usual, prime time is not easy to grab a seat.  Overall, our service was great, have a very nice list of cocktail and wine offerings.  But the food by itself stands out.

Annam

811 Buffalo Park Dr

Ste 120

Houston, TX 77019

346-571-7167

https://annamhouston.com/

 

Lúa Viet Kitchen

We went to grab a quick pho.

Of course, have to get a ca phe su da - It's the typical Vietnamese coffee and yes, fully jolted. 

Crispy pork egg roll - duroc pork (which is known for exceptional marbling, tenderness and rich), has noodles, and taro root.  Of course, you wrap it with lettuce, carrots if you like, and you dip it in fish sauce.  The flavor is good, I think next time I want to get the vermicelli and add the Cha Gio (egg rolls).

I got the usual Pho Bo - Beef Soup - beef stock with vermicelli, and slices Angus beef.  I like to add sprouts, some onion slices.  Can you tell they put in alot of cilantro?  The stock is good, the flavor is good.   So when you get the noodles and the beef in the bite, they all go very well together. 

This is such an easy meal.  Plenty parking behind the building.  The entry is really at the back of the building.  They have the cashier right there, so you can place your order, they give you a number.  You go grab a seat and they deliver the food.  They also sell alcohol, so if you want to imbibe, you can do that there with dinner too. 

Lúa Viet Kitchen

1540 W. Alabama

Ste 600

Houston, TX 77006

346-227-7047

https://luavietkitchen.com/menu/luavietkitchenmontrose

 

Doko

Yesterday I talked but Bar Doko.  Once you done your happy hour,...

... just conveniently walk across to have a full meal. 

Clean and sleek designs.

I got the Nisemono Highball, it's Peach bitters with sparkling ciders.  On the top is candied Shiso, which is a Japanese leaf it's a herb from the mint family.  It's a fun candy to try.

Love the details - it's the origami crane to hold your chopsticks. 

First course, we got the Masu Crudo - that's Cherry Trout in Japanese. it has Serrano pepper, Furikake seasoning, a bit of Vietnamese fish sauce, and bits of orange. 

Got a plate of shishito pepper, grilled, togarashi seasoning, shaving of smoked skipjack tuna on top.  I was enjoying it, but bit into a super hot one by accident.... gulp gulp on the water. 

I got the chef's nigiri 4pc - it has Masu, Yellowtail, Blue Fin Tuna, and Madai.  Super fresh and delicious. 

This is mushroom nigiri - it has a unique texture, it's harder in texture than the mushroom we are used to. 

This is the Negitoro Roll - it has Blue Fin tuna, chives, cucumber, and Kaluga caviar on top.  It has alot packed into a little bite.  This is definitely a must-get!

This is the Kawa Skewers - chicken skin.  The texture was harder than I thought. 

Of course, cannot miss the Pork Belly with wasabi mustard.  That's a must-order too.  Very delicious. 

This is Tebasaki - this is an interesting dish.  If you imagine like a chicken wing - no bone, except inside is stuffed with fat cooked rice and fried.  You dip it into aioli sauce.  That's totally make the dish.  It was alot of food by this point, even though they're all small dishes.  So it's easy to fill it all up. 

Doko

3737 Cogdell St

Ste 145

Houston, TX 77019

713-505-1282

https://www.sushidoko.com/

 

Bar Doko

So my friend told me about Doko, and then I realized they have a bar right across the way.

Of course, indeed, we have to have a Happy Hour over there. 

You have to make a reservation ahead of time, the place is small.  Not that they can't accommodated, but depends on the day, you may have a longer wait, or sitting out in the hallway. 

First, we ordered the Chef's Choice Oyster.  The oyster itself is from Boston, which gives it a nice and clean finish.  He added chive and Thai chili oil.  It has a great finish.

Not to mention when we first sat down, we got a complimentary plum wine.  Super delicious.   

As all bars, they give you a little box of snacks.  

But we also ordered some Toasts.  We got the Egg Toast (left) and Waygu Toast (right).  The Egg Toast has egg salad with smoked trout roe.  It's pretty light in texture and very light flavor.

The Waygu Toast is so delicious, it has waygu beef tartare, truffle aioli oil, and topped with kinoko mushroom.  It's cute, but also delicious. I can literally eat the entire plate. 

When we go to pay, they gave us chocolate cookies as a thank you treat.  Pretty good.

So as a bar goes, it is a very intimate setting.  I did get a drink, I got the Hakuto - it has peach sparkling juice with grapefruit and lemon juice.  It's pretty good. 

Bar Doko

3737 Cogdell St

Ste 135

Houston, TX 77019

713-393-7725

https://www.bardoko.com/

 

MFAH - Cafe Leonelli

After visiting the Museum, we decided to get some dessert at Cafe Leonelli. 

After walking around a bunch, it's nice to grab a dessert and a coffee and just chill a bit.  Even the space is artsy. 

I got the Ganache Tart.  It has whipped chocolate ganache with sea salt in a cookie tart shell.  It pairs well with a cup of coffee and perfect after a fun day at the museum.

The cafe is super easy, you walk in and they grab your food and drinks.  The line move super efficiently and they have dessert and gelato too.  They are closed Monday and Tuesday which matches the museum's opening days. 

Cafe Leonelli

5500 Main Street

Houston, TX 77004

713-714-3014

https://www.cafeleonelli.com/

 

il Bracco

Went back to Il Bracco for lunch.

Let me get an Arnold Palmer to start. 

Last time, I had their focaccia bread, it has rosemary and garlic baked in and with the whipped butter, it was very good and great start for the meal.

This time I got the Chicken Piccata.  It came with alot of capers, which enhanced the salty part of the dish.   It sits on top of lemony sauce, which all works together.  Then you get a side of kale salad, which is good on its own.  I almost wished that they are separate so I can have the kale salad with a dish that's more 'dry' by nature. 

Of course, we get excellent service there.  The staff are all very courteous and since it's lunch hour, they are also very efficient, and that is greatly appreciated.   If you're here during weekday lunch, you are likely to get a good table for lunch.  But for dinner, a reservation is a must.

Il Bracco

1705A Post Oak Blvd

Houston, TX 77056

713-532-9950

https://www.ilbraccorestaurant.com/location/post-oak/

 

Local Foods

Went back to Local Foods for lunch.

I got the Salmon Poke Bowl.  It has ponzu salmon, sesame rice, cabbage, bok choy, pear, edamame, radish, egg, and aioli sauce.  Do the sauce sparingly, as good as it is, it can be alot.  I ended up using the sauce as a dipping sauce.  

I like going there around 11-11:30a, easy to find a parking spot and less busy.  Once lunch time rolls around, the place does get packed.  There's plenty of seating inside and outside.  So once you place your order, just grab a table and the staff will deliver the food to your table.  It's a quick business lunch place. 

They also has a great kids menu and brunch menu, I just recently found out.  Not to mention alot of gluten free and vegan options too.  Definitely worth checking out. 

Local Foods

1709 Post Oak Blvd

Houston, TX 77056

713-789-0642

https://www.localfoodstexas.com/location/local-foods-postoak/