Seiwa

If you need a sign to tell you to go do your Japanese grocery shopping.  This is it!

New Year's Day is notorious holiday for the Japanese across the world.  One would venture that is more important than any other holiday.  This is their time to visit family, visit shrines or temple at midnight or early morning to watch the first sunrise, which is believed to bring good luck.

That said, I happened to be in the area, and napped some sushi for lunch.  Seiwa and Daido are probably the only places I trust that sell sushi grade sashimi, yummy sushi - either to eat there, or to enjoy later.  Every cut is fresh and this ain't no HEB sushi gang.  This is a decent restaurant quality type sushi.  Besides nigiri, they have uni, sashimi, onigiri - rice balls and prepared cooked meals like yakisoba, omi rice, curry rice, hamburger steak too.

Most authentic Japanese stores will be closed on New Year's Day, so do your shopping accordingly. 

Seiwa

1801 S. Dairy Ashford

#117

Houston, TX 77077 

https://www.seiwamarket.com/location/#houston-store

 

Mian

Friend of mine was asking for some spicy noodles, and this place is what popped in mind.

I actually haven't been here in a long time, but it looks like they would have something that he's looking for. 

When you sit down, they give you some picked cabbage.  Nice and cold.

We decided to get some Chili Oil Wonton, you can't see the chili oil, but they're there at the bottom and you just have to mix it all up to get the spice.

I got the Mapo Tofu noodles, and fully love the kick that it has.  

First thing first, let's mix it all up, and spread the spice, I mean love around.  I got extra pork, so it's meat, meat, and more meat with spice.  It's awesome!

Also got the lemon tea drink, so it works out very nicely.

Mian 

9600 Bellaire Blvd

#102B

Houston, TX 77036

281-974-1252

https://miantogo.com/

 

Merry and Happy

                            Just want to wish everyone a Happy Christmas!

Empire Cafe

Went back to my old haunt, Empire Cafe for brunch.

If you go early enough, there's plenty of parking behind the building and the streets. 

Need to start with coffee, I got a Milky Way, it has espresso, caramel, hazelnut and chocolate in there.  They used to have Nilla Wafers but they switched the cookie and it's not as good for dipping into your office. 

This is a lot more food than I remembered, but what the heck. 

I got the Pulled Pork Benedict off of the special brunch menu.  It has 2 poached eggs covering pulled pork over Rustic Italian bread, drizzled in Apple Cider Hollandaise.  It was rich but not too rich.  I will say, it was so filling that I did not have anything until dinner than night.  Truly lasted me all day. 

The tip about going to Empire Cafe, go early to save yourself from the rush and the hectic about parking.  You order at the counter, wait for your coffee there.  There's water station and utensils around the counter from where you order, and just grab a seat and they'll bring you your food that goes with your order number.  Fast, easy, and delicious.  I brought a book just to enjoy my coffee. 

Empire Cafe

1732 Westheimer Rd

Houston, TX 77098

713-528-5282

https://empirecafe.com/

 

Bistro Menil

Went to brunch with my friend the other day. 

Weather was nice and reasonably, sitting outside is definitely an option, I just didn't.  I tend to get hot, so sitting outside is not an option. 

I ordered the Crab & Mushroom crepe.  It came with 2 sides, I got the potato and zucchini salad. 

They actually got the sides wrong before, they gave me my proper sides.  I didn't try it, but this became an extra side.

Got a cappuccino - but they do not have any milk alternatives here. 

For dessert, we got the Buttermilk Blackberry Cake - it's like an almond cake like a financier, baked in berries and topped with strawberry and whipped cream.   Pretty delicious. 

I will say, this is probably the worst service I've experienced here.  My friend and I must've talked for good 20 mins and our food wasn't coming, but the tables around us were getting theirs and we all arrived about the same time.  It's not until I asked to see our server that we get our food.  Then, my dish came with sides that I didn't even order.  Had it not been my friend who noticed, since we were gabbing, I wouldn't have gotten what I ordered.  The food is not bad, but the service was the worst I've gotten here.

Don't forget to enjoy the art pieces at Menil, they are free for entry and you get to enjoy art from all genres: from Ancient Art to Medieval, to Surrealism to Modern Contemporary.  There are days that you can catch a concert at the lawn, definitely a worth while visit.  There's also a whole building dedicated to Cy Twombly. 

Bistro Menil

1513 W. Alabama

Houston, TX 77006

713-904-3537

https://bistromenil.com/

 

Jingle Bell Bar

T'is the Season....

Went to a Holiday Pop Up Bar

The halls were definitely decked.... 

Including the staircase, 

Other parts of the bar area.

They do have a small menu offerings....

This is just truly a bar that's transformed with awesome decorations in every corner.  The drink menu is pretty decent, but this is one of the few holiday popups that has zero proof offerings.  And if you want to upgrade with 100% proof, you can opt to do that too.  There are cocktails, beer, wine, and shots.  

For food offerings, they have charcuterie board, tamales, flatbread, and for sweets they have cookies platter, cinnamon roll, and reindeer chow too. 

For parking, it's a little unique.  You can see the bar is really at the bottom of the Skyhouse apartment building.  You pull into the building's parking, they do have valet there, and some retail spots behind them.  Just pay attention to the signs. 

Jingle Bell Bar

also was Aero Bar

2031 Westcreek Ln

Houston, TX 77027

https://www.jinglebellbarhtx.com/

 

Clark's

Been meaning to try Clark's for some time.

Finally got a chance to come here.

They have a very yacht club vibe to the decor and the staff's clothing. 

They give you some bread, and I don't usually see this, nor is it often offered.  But butter plus salt was a first for me.  It was a nice combo.

Since they're known for oysters, we have to get some.  To be honest, I'm very partial to North East Oysters.  I know there's tons of Gulf ones, but let's face it, it's gritty and cannot compare to the North East ones, they tend to be more crisp, clean, even they may be on the smaller side.  At any rate, we got (L) Blue Hill Bay (Maine), East Cape & Glacier Bay (PEI).   I don't usually get a chance to have PEI down here, Maine are often do-able.  But once you've had it, and how clean and crisp they are compared to Gulf Coast's oysters, you'd understand.  Which is why, we thought it was weird that our server was recommending Moon Bay from Louisiana.  If you are every given a choice of North East Oyster, always choose that!

We got Roasted Cauliflower, to our surprised, every bite was delicious.  They added hazelnuts, raisins and chili pepper.  Not spicy, but does have flavor.

Not Pictured: Black Mission Fig - that was another nice surprise, 4 little figs - halved, feta, thinly sliced celery, with toasted pecan on top.  That was a nice combo.  Highly recommend.

We ordered Crab Cake to share, it has watercress & frisbee salad, and the crab cake itself sits on top of Hollandaise sauce.  It's not too heavy, just made it less dry.  Not that the crab cake itself is dry by any means, but in case you want something to dip. 

Heard good stuff about the Crispy Snapper.  It sits on top of a bed of grits, and surrounded by a layer of Sofrito which is a layer of tomato, pepper, and garlic blend.  The sauce wasn't as strong and flavorful as I had hoped but it does give the contrast to the crispy skin of the snapper.  The fish was good though, just the flavor profile can be raised a bit more.

For après meal, we got a coffee, they don't have a cappuccino machine or decaf.  So French Pressed it is.  

For dessert, we got the Basque cake, which is essentially an almond cake, topped with cream cheese ice cream, which I've never had that before.  The texture is not thick like cream cheese at all.  And I won't lie, my favorite part is the cherry preserve and the nuts, if you get a bite of cake, ice cream and the cherry preserves, it's delectable.  

The place is not big, so having a reservation helps get you better seating.  Not that they won't seat out outside, they do have heat lamps on.  But the night we were there, it was drizzling so being outside would be difficult when the wind blow the rain in.  Also, for parking, it's best to valet just because the parking in the neighborhood has lots of signs.  It's worth paying the tip for the complementary valet.

Clark's

3807 Montrose

Houston, TX 77006

713-347-8180

https://www.clarksoysterbar.com/

 

Little Rey

 Went to Little Rey for a work function.

It is literally nestled in between office building and an apartment building.  If you blinked, you may have missed it. 

Since we're here for a party and yes, they will allow you to reserve some tables in the back of the restaurant to have a small gathering. 

Of course, we have to have queso and guac.

Quesadilla is super popular and of course chicken. 

They have beers, margaritas, and agua fresca and they rotate flavors regularly.  It's a great place for after work happy hour or a quick dinner with the family.  The place is kid friendly, as a matter of fact, there is a little patch of grass outside, so if the weather is nice, you can sit outside and let the kids run around.  Or in the morning, you can also stop by for breakfast tacos or breakfast dishes.

Little Rey 

2345 Mid Lane

Houston, TX 77027

832-942-5081

https://www.littlerey.com/houston

Beard Papa

It's been a while since I've been back to Beard Papa's.

After they closed the location in Chinatown, I have to trek out to Katy for some good puffs.

They still have some seasonal items.

You know what, I went with the tried and true - eclair.  Nice shell and crack easily, they make the puff is made to order and the cream is not added until you order them, so no soggy puff there.

Other than Katy, you can go to Sugarland too, so will try that next time. 

Beard Papa's

23119 Grand Parkway

Katy, TX 77449

832-913-1257

https://www.beardpapas.com/katy 

 

Cafe 11

Was seeing folks on FB talking about this place out in Katy...

... so we made the trek out there.  They are supposed to be Hong Kong style cafe.   And as you know me by now, curiosity always kills the cat.

One of the top reason to be there was the Teddy Bear tea.

Of course, you have to give it a bath.  And yes, the bear is made out of tea, so when it melts it'll go well with the rest of the tea. 

One item I was curious about was the Savory Rice Roll, it was cheung fun (rice noodle roll) with peanut and plum sauce mix.  It came out with soy sauce too.  But the mix wasn't what I remembered growing up.  

Then, there's a Dino Boba tea.  Again the little Dino ice is made of tea, and yes, there's boba in the cup.

I got the pork katsu curry rice, it came with broccoli and an egg over it.  To be honest, that is alot of food.  Now, don't get me wrong, I take sauce over rice on any given day.  The sauce was ok, it's the Japanese curry sauce, which is a tad sweetened.  But it wasn't heavy on taste, which tasted a tad blend.  That was a bit disappointing.   But A for effort.

At any rate, this place is a small operation, very mom & pop.  At the same time, we see 1 server running around, greeting, seating, taking order, running food to tables.  Another server hanging about, and one person at the drink station making drinks.  That just a weird set up to me.  What do I know, except that service is slow and obviously the 2nd person can help and didn't.  Oh well.  If you are driving around, they are on the backside of the Cat Haven shop.

Cafe 11

23015 Colonial Parkway

Ste A-105

Katy, TX 77449

832-913-6629

https://www.cafe11katy.com/

 

Navy Blue

Went to brunch on a Friday.

Getting a reservation was easy to do.

To start: I got a Gimlet Mocktail - I was hoping it to be less sugary than it really is. 

To start, we got some nice warm bread to start. 

We shared the Mahi Mahi Dip - it's wasn't as good as I had hope it'd be, but the house-made chips are good though. 

We ordered an omelet, it has raclette cheese inside and of course I'm all about the cheese.  The Frisee salad was good though, I'd enjoyed that alot.

Then we split a crab cake with remoulade and tomato chutney as topic.  Put it together with the omelet was totally delicious.  

Grabbed a coffee after the meal.  That espresso was pretty good.  

I would say, the whole meal was not bad.  I was surprised to hear the Mahi Mahi dip was a disappointment.   But the omelet + crab cake was a brilliant mix on our part.  I was thrilled with the outcome with that. 

If you are going, make sure you make a reservation.  I feel like brunch is not really needed, but for a dinner, for sure to make a reservation. 

Navy Blue

2445 Rice Blvd

Houston, Tx 77005

713-347-7727

https://www.navybluerestaurant.com/