Azuma

As mild of a Winter we've been having in Houston.  

The one day that got 'chili' enough, I decided to go get a bowl of Ramen.

I started with Agadashi Tofu, it's a tad more toasted than I'm used to.  The ponzu sauce is good, but it was really really toasted and the sauce doesn't have a chance to soak it up.

Here's the ramen.  The egg was too cold in the middle.  One bite, the yolk was oozing out.  As opposed to marinated soft boil eggs, where the yolk would have been custard like texture.  The noodle and broth is really nothing you didn't expect from a non-ramen only place.  They used Sun Noodle, and the broth is a decent, but not warm enough for me.

The noodles also comes with duck, mushroom, veggie, and fish cake.  The veggie is nice and cooked, definitely help balance things out.  However, the duck, it is not dry or chewy, rather moist, not tough. It was pretty good.  Fish cake is really what it is.  But, let's just say it was better than some place down the street.

Azuma

5600 Kirby Dr

Houston, TX 77005

713-432-9649

http://azumarestaurant.com

Jerry Built

Went for a quick burger at Jerry Built.

Got the Mushroom Swiss, it has so much fries... I got the sweet potato fries instead of the normal fries.

Took a look inside.  It has Mayo, Onion, and of course, Swiss Cheese, what's hidden is the sautéed mushroom, which I love with the burger patty.  

The entire burger is great, and I love their organically, all natural, humanely raised beef.  The taste is fresher and the veggie is definitely fresh.  I loved the burger, the bun, I'm so-so on.  It's nice, fresh, and delicious nonetheless.

Jerry Built

3501 W. Holcomb Blvd

Houston, TX 77025

https://www.jerrybuiltburgers.com/

Bebidas

Been driving by Bebidas, and recommended by one of the mom friends that lived nearby, so thought we go check it out.

The space used to be a bank with drive thru feature, so they converted into a little space with a huge front 'yard' for enjoying some nature, some traffic and some juice or coffee of your choosing.

 This visit, I got a vanilla soy latte, since the barista is there, and he was more than happy to educate about coffee.   They also server all sorts of juice and coffee.

They also have food, since I got breakfast tacos, didn't bothered to take a photo.  That is served till 11am, but they have chorizo and egg, bacon and egg, and quinoa/avocado/egg too.  I just got what I liked, chorizo and bacon.  They are about medium size, as the barista guy said, you order two and ended up eating one, which was not my case.  I ended up having both, but I also didn't need lunch after that.  So, one or two, up to you.

Parking is not difficult, but as the day gets one, folks do stop by for coffee, juice, smoothie, muffin before going their way.  If you do part on the street, just need to be ware of your surroundings.  Usually no problem parking at all.  It's a neat spot, great for enjoying a cup of coffee and reading a magazine.

Bebidas Houston

2606 Edloe St

Houston, TX 77027

713-554-0023

http://www.bebidashouston.com

Whiskey Cake

Drove out to Katy to meet up for a friend's birthday,

 ... and birthday girl's choice was Whiskey Cake.

 When I sat down it was still Happy Hour, so heck, I'm going to get me a honey crisp cider to start.

 Couple of the starter appetizers: this is the dips and spreads trio.  It came with the house made kettle chips, and just the chips alone are delicious, I just cannot stop myself.  The spreads/dips are, house onion dip (not bad), edamame hummus (it was a tad thick to dip my chips in), and pimento cheese (yummo).

 Then, I got 2 Thai Pork Belly Sliders, this was not at all rich but yet very filling.  The port belly was done right, not too fatty but not chewy either.  With the pickled veggies and the sweet chili sauce, it was not at all sour but has a great zing.  Had I known it was so good, I would've just gotten this as dinner.

Ironically, I came all the way here for a bowl of ramen.  It is pork broth based, but since it's spicy they put a lot of sirracha in there.  The pork is done fine, meat/fat portion is not good, but it's soft and good part of the pork, cannot complaint.  They did just slide couple slices of seaweed, was all damp by the time it got to the table.  No 60 degree egg, nor would I have expected that.  The noodles is not the typical sun noodles, but it's more like a shanghai style egg noodles.  Since the soup has good texture I forgave them for the noodles.  I think because they don't put themselves out to be 'the Ramen spot', I don't judge them too harsh on that.  That said, it has more texture and flavor than some places I've been.   I'm glad that overall, being not 'true' ramen and all, they delivered something good, and sometimes that's all an eater wants.

Service is good, it does get packed after 6pm, which is why they do ask for a reservation.  However, there are plenty of room for the bar, which is pretty much the center of the dining space.  They also has wide array of wine, beer, cocktails to choose from, there's bound to be something for everyone.  Great, well lit parking area, feel safe even though it's right next to the Beltway and some fields.

Whiskey Cake Katy

23139 Grand Circle Blvd

Katy, TX 77449

832-430-2253

http://www.whiskeycakekaty.com/

Killen STQ

Good friend of mine and I are so far behind on birthday, Xmas, new year that we finally decided to sit down for a proper meal.

 She picked Killen STQ on Voss by San Felipe.  It was at the same space as the former Bramble.

 For starter, we got the smoked pork belly with cherry habanero bbq.  All I can say is that, you've never had pork belly this delicious with texture, mix with good portion of fat and meat ever... OMG, to die for.

 For my entree, I ordered the true Wagyu beef, not the one that called themselves one, but a true one from Japan.  I've never had that before, so got a 4oz.  Don't think 4oz is nothing, that was super filling. So much so that I didn't want to eat the next day.  If you have a bite, the fat is melting in your mouth before you even need to chew anything.  On top of that, the medium rare is perfect for this type of meat.  If you were to eat one bite of this, and one bite of American steak, you would come to realized that the difference between texture, quality, and feel is night and day.

 One cannot live on beef alone, so we got couple of sides to share.  Got the brussels sprouts, not bad, there are bits that are crunchy, I can stand for it to be a tad more salty, but some of the bitter did came thru.

 Traditionally, I get the potato au gratin when I do steak, even though we were eyeing that mac and cheese pretty hard, but figured that's a lot of food.  The au gratin has a nice layer of cheese crusted on top, the potato is in a creamy sauce in the middle.  Nice and cheese when you take it out.

For dessert, we ordered the bacon tres leches bread pudding.  So decadent.  The bacon is more like butter on top of the bread pudding, the tres leches helped make it creamy and soft.  It was delicious.  

Entire meal, did not have anything that's not good.  Everything is awesome, of course the spot light, Wagyu beef was the highlight of the night.  But the Bread Pudding delivered a great and pleasant surprise.  A lot of people stayed away because they think bacon, but really, just added some fat to the dessert, it's not at all bacon over takes the dish.  Even though we were filled up to the rim, we still have to order the dessert, just in case they change the menu before we come back.  

Service is great, attentive but not pretentious.  Our reservation was at 5:30p and they did say, they do not hold tables.  If you're 5mins late, they'll accommodate, but 15mins late, they may ask you to try another night.  By 6:30p the entire place was packed, so do make a reservation.

Killen STQ

2231 S. Voss Rd

Houston, TX 77057

713-586-0223

Revelry

Went to a trivia night event at Revelry.  

 Haven't been here before, was excited to do some drinking and some trivia plus food, of course.

 I got the Seared Ahi Tuna salad.  The tuna steak is done well, pretty delicious with the balsamic on the side.  The arugula salad with edamame beans and bell pepper goes nicely with it.  I didn't really touched the ginger vinaigrette, just tried it for taste.  Surprisingly the entire salad was very filling, I was pleasantly surprised.

Since we were there for a trivia night, and a very popular one at that, the service was not bad, given how big the crowd was.  They did forget to put my order in, and how I know this is that my friends all got a burger and got it before I got my salad.... As soon as they discovered it, they were pretty quick to making sure I got my food, so no harm no foul.  I do like that they have a wide array of craft beer and broken down by categories, which is always appreciated, as more and more craft brew pops up.

Like I said, that night the event was huge, so there are limit parking or valet available.  But if you go caddy corner, the open lot across from the firehouse, that is open for patron parking.  If  you park at the residential street, make sure you read the signs, as we saw a few towing happening.

Revelry on Richmond

1613 Richmond Ave

Houston, TX 77006

http://revelryonrichmond.com/index.html

Forced to take a break

Yep, mean people suck.  

My car was broken into, and they took my phone... so nothing to report until I can get my backup going.  Figured might as well take a week hiatus, and regroup next week.  Check back then!