Laderach

Friend of mine introduced me to this chocolate place in the Galleria.

First off, I haven't step foot in the Galleria for a long time.  Since my office used to be inside one of the towers in the mall, I kinda got burnt out from going there.  Much like downtown, if I don't have to go there, I try to not. 

Luckily, she showed me this awesome chocolate shop.  First off, you walked in, they are handing you chocolate, how can you not like them?  And if you have any questions regarding the flavors they have, they are more than glad to break off a piece from their giant slab for you to try.  So cool.

Not to mention, they have rows and rows of truffles waiting for you to take them home. 

Besides the pre-made boxes, they also have mix and match, which for someone who has never tried their chocolate before, this was a great option.  First off, the flavors are the ones that they have in slabs, so you can try them before buying.  Second, if you don't want to commit to a slab, or fraction of one, these snack size is great.  Third, for friends and family gifting, having variety is great.  You can make your own box   Also, if you're gifting to a group, this is also great for sharing.

Of course, I got some truffles.  I got Pistachio Gianduja, Hazelnut, and Nougatine.

I like them, very milky not to dense.  But let's be honest, I like all things chocolate, so that's not a fair assessment there. 

At any rate the story goes, they are from Switzerland, started out as family business and to this day, there are Laderach family running the operations. They pride themselves on freshness and finest ingredients to make their chocolate.  And yes I can attest that is true.  See for yourself.

Laderach

inside Houston Galleria

5135 W. Alabama St

Houston, TX 77056

713-571-2970

https://laderach.com/us-en/

 

Sucre'

Went back to Sucre for some afternoon treats.

Besides macarons, cakes, and coffee, they also have a giant selection of gelato. 

I picked Cookies and Cream.  I know I can have couple flavors, but one was good enough for me.  As expected, the flavors were on point.  Texture is light and fluffy.  It's a great weekend treat stopping in here.  Friendly staff and wonderful dessert. 

Sucre 

5404 Kirby Drive

Houston, TX 77005

877-312-0914

https://shopsucre.com/

 

Burger Chan

Haven't been back in a while, but always happy to come back here. 

Back at Burger Chan to get me some good burger and tater tots. 

So here they are + aioli sauce.  Their tots has shichimi - Japanese 7 spice seasoning, which has a little kick to it.  The scallion aioli sauce has green onion, garlic, mayo and lemon juice; also one of their best seller in the sauce category. 

I asked for burger with no bun.

Guess I could've asked for veggie and made it into a lettuce burger, but it really was not necessary.  I did add spam on my 2 oz patty, so while it is meat on meat, it's not as bad as it sounded.  It's actually pretty dang delicious too. 

As usual, we came around 11:30a, and talk about perfect timing, even on the weekend.  If you don't find parking out front, they do have parking in the garage (very helpful during rain), and you can cut thru the building to the front.

Burger Chan

5353 W. Alabama 

Houston, Tx 77056

832-408-0860

https://burgerchanhtx.com/

 

Bouchee Patisserie

Was at Post Oak hotel for a meeting, so snuck out to Bouchee for some goodies.

Always looks so cute!

Look at all the colorful yummy goodness.

All the cakes, and desserts. 

I grabbed a peach danish, nice and fluffy.  I heated it up for 15 seconds, and it was awesome with tea.

And a mango panna cotta.  I will say, the puree was too zingy, I can hardly taste the mango.

You can spend more time, go there and enjoy the morning or afternoon.  The place is very pretty and cozy.  If you valet parked, you can get a discount at the Bouchee counter, just present your ticket.

Bouchee Patisserie

inside Post Oak Hotel

1600 West Loop South

Houston, TX 77027

https://www.thepostoakhotel.com/restaurants/bouchee-patisserie/

 

Niko Niko's

Friend from out of town really missed Niko Niko's so we obliged. 

Grabbed a soda to start.

This is the Greek style fried cheese - this is Saganaki Cheese, it's breaded and you dip tzatziki sauce.  So good.

I got the mini Gyro sandwich, it's cute they even stuff a few fries in there.  The sandwich is a tad smaller but it also doesn't have any sides.  So it worked out perfectly. 

Of course we also indulged in dessert.  Apparently between 4-6pm they have a dessert happy hour and dessert is discounted.  And you don't have to twist my arm.  There's Greek cookie - kinda like the Mexican wedding cookies.  A chocolate torte like cake, and a chocolate box - that's my favorite. There's so many to choose from in the case, you don't need my help on that.

Niko Niko's - Memorial

1040 W. Sam Houston Pwky

Houston, TX 77043

832-981-GYRO

https://nikonikos.wpengine.com/locations/memorial/

 

Willie G's Uptown

While waiting for a work dinner to being, I decided to wait at the bar.

Turns out, if you don't have certain amount of eye lashes stuck to you, you really should not be at the bar.  You'd just be in the way of the ladies workin'.

Anyway, I got the Watermelon Collins Crush - it has zero proof gin, watermelon puree, lemon juice, and basil.  It's pretty light and easy going.  Not too sweet.

Here's some apps- calamari - darn it, I have to share?

This is a platter - where's Crab Cakes, Sea Bass Bites, and Bang Bang Shrimp.

I asked for a cup of the lobster bisque - it came with these mini corn breads.  Super cute and there's decent amount of meat in the soup.

For entrees, I got the Blackened Seared Scallops, it has a bed of roasted street corn, slices of pork belly, and tomato jam.  It was really delicious.  I highly recommend this one.  Not too rich with all of that.  Totally worth getting. 

For Willie G's definitely make a reservation.  The uptown location doesn't have self-parking, so you are pretty much forced to valet.  That said, they give you a ticket and you use the QR code to pay before you end the ticket to retrieve your car.  So keep that in mind. 

Willie G's - Uptown

1640 West Loop S

Houston, TX 77027

713-840-7190

https://www.williegs.com/location/willie-gs-houston/

 

Burge & Board

It's been a while since I got a cheese board from Burge & Board.

This is, however, my first time experiencing the larger board.  I always get the box, which is good for 1-2 people.  And if you're watching a movie at home and have a box, it's the perfect munch-along you could ask for. 

For our book retreat, we asked for a cheese board, and it has 3 cheeses, 3 meats, olives, fruits, nuts, jam, cracker, scones, sliced baguette and my personal favorite pesto.  For some reason, their pesto is the best I've had.  It more than feed us for the party, and afterwards I used the pesto to make pasta.  Talk about yum!

Please support small businesses.

Burge & Board

https://www.burgeandboard.com/