Tamashi Ramen

Went back to Tamashi for some noodles.

Strange thing, as the weather is getting warmer, the line outside of the ramen place is getting shorter.  As a matter of fact, we were able to just walk up and get a table during lunch, which is rare.  I think it is also because Hu's Cooking is now opened, and take away some of that audience too even though they're feeding you very different cuisine.

We were super hungry, and started with an order of gyoza.  YUM!

Tonkotsu, very nice and very fulfilling.  Broth is not bad, and it goes well with the noodles.

I was actually super excited about the fried kani.  It's not anything special, but I love how impressive it came out fried.  It's so crunchy that you don't even taste the crab meat itself.

Anyway, you can see, the noodles quality did not suffer, even though the heat is turning people to something less warm.  They do have decent air con on during the day, so feel free to go have some noodles.

Tamashi Ramen

2518 W. Holcomb Blvd

Houston, TX 77030

346-204-5523

https://www.tamashiramensushi.com

Giacomo's

Met up with my friend for some HH time!

Came back to Giacomo's for some wine and tapas.

Got me a glass of Moscato in a fancy glass.

Bruschetta with slow roasted pork, fennel and mozzarella.  Pretty big piece of toast there, perfect for sharing.

Brussels Sprouts with pancetta.  Pretty yummy, goes well with any of their dishes.

Goat Cheese Onion Tart, it's heavy on the mix of the goat cheese & onion taste, but it is so good though.  The ratatouille was served cold, which I wasn't quite used to, but had it been warmed, I'd probably lap it all up.

This is an half order of the Bolognese style pasta with beef and pork.  It was really small.  For that price I was expecting a little more.

And this is another half order of the ravioli, which is stuffed with 3 kinds of cheese with a sage butter sauce.  It was delicious, and I can definitely can have more. 

Overall, we did have a lot of food.  But since the pastas were so yummy that we can definitely do more of those.  They also have an extensive wine list, so don't worry they bound to have what you want.  And the servers are happy to get the right wine for you so they can add to their sales.  

The key about coming to eat here is to catch Happy Hour, that way you get a decent parking and guaranteed to get a table.  By the time we were leaving, which is dinner service, the line were out the door, will folks waiting for a table to eat and the bar was already full.  I do believe they do not take reservation, so you snooze, you lose.

Giacomo's
3215 Westheimer Rd
Houston, TX
713-522-1934
http://www.giacomosciboevino.com

July 4th

This week is hectic both at work and at home... So taking a break this week.  We'll be back on July 8th.

Be safe and have a Happy 4th!

Cloud 10

Ever since Cloud 10 moved out of the Rice Village, I was super bummed.

While I was waiting for the Midtown and the Upper Kirby location to be fully operational, we happen to drive by the Heights location.  Eh, sure, why not?!

As kitch as all the buildings in the Heights.  Cloud 10 is housed inside a bungalow.  Lovely how they have all their ice cream on display.  I got the Mint Chocolate chip, and you definitely tasted the fresh mint.  Needless to say, ice cream was perfect for a steamy hot day.

They have seatings both in and outside and staff are super friendly.  Glad that they have a Midtown and a Upper Kirby location, so lazy bones like me don't have to go far.

Cloud 10 Creamery

711 Heights Blvd

Houston, TX 77007

713-485-5106

http://www.cloud10creamery.com

Osaka

Need some quick sushi fix.  Was too lazy to drive far, so ended back up at Osaka.

They changed the sushi chefs and staff.  The pricing went up a bit too.  But they still gave me a free appetizer and when I pay the bill, they still gave me free ice cream.

So, what did I get.  First off, my eyes were bigger than my stomach.  So, I got the Unagi Handroll, Dragon Roll on top, which has spicy tuna inside and have salmon & avocado on the outside.  The other roll is the Negi Hamachi, which is yellowtail and green onion.

Like I said, my eyes were bigger than my stomach.  Needless to say that I didn't finish it all and pack some back.  I skipped the ice cream too.  It was good.  The parking there started get popular, so it was a bit touch to find a decent spot.  So bring patience.

Osaka Japanese Restaurant

4001 Bellaire Blvd

Ste J

Houston, TX 77025

713-838-9812

https://www.osakahoustontx.com

Yong - Finn Hall

Super excited that Finn Hall is right down the street from work.

Finn Hall consisted of 10 different stalls, ranging from coffee to burgers, to seafood, to Asian, to tacos.

This time I'm eating at Yong's Korean.  This is supposedly cooked with chef's family passed down recipes.  For a quick lunch to go, I love every bit of it.

First, instead of standing in front of the stall and looking over the menu, you can go to the Finn Hall website and look thru it there.  The lovely thing about that is: they make it super easy to order your food online.  So all you have to do is to walk up and pickup.  

I'm a fan of Bulgolgi, so of course I ordered the Bulgolgi bowl.  I love the presentation, very traditional on what they can squeeze in a little container.  Ok, let's talk about that egg roll.  According to description, Mom's Eggroll has 12 ingredients in there.  No wonder I was so full after eating that.  Now I know better for next time.  

The bowl itself, of course, you got the yummy marinated meat, usually ribeye.  Then (counter clockwise from the top) you have kimchi, spinach, and mung bean mix and topped off with scallion over a bed of rice.  So, as I mentioned I was pretty much full after 1 egg roll.  But the bowl is really filling.  Between the meat, rice, and veggie.  Maybe next time I won't be so greedy and eat that in 2 meals instead.  There's still tons of other stuff I want to try like the Kimchi Fried Rice, KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), Japchae, Bibimbap, and Kalbi bowl.  YUM!

Yong inside Finn Hall

712 Main Street

Houston, TX 77002

713-357-5115

https://www.finnhallhtx.com/yong/

Punk's Simple Southern Food

Went to Punk's for a group dinner.  I've been to Coppa next door many of times, but never been to Punk's before.

Since the group has kids it worked out to sit out at the back patio, and the kids and run around the green space before the food arrived and after they eat.  They didn't have to be stuck to their seats the entire time.  I will say, it was very hot out.

Since they're known for Southern comfort food, I ordered the 3 piece chicken.  It's a combo of leg, thigh, and split chest.  These are their crispy buttermilk fried chicken.  They are pretty crispy, felt like they over fried it.  Not too much batter, the chicken is pretty moist and tender and not dry.  As you can see, it comes with a buttermilk biscuit, honey butter, and their house made sauce.  It came with a pickle too, but I gave that away, not my thing.

Anyway, you technically can pretty much make your own combo with the chicken so don't feel limited.  As true to alot of the Southern food, lots of fried and heavy food here.  Not bad, just not something that I eat often.  They do have a wide selection for kids meals.  Each meal besides fried food, they come with fruit and a tiny bit of veggie.  Present a pretty balanced tray of food.  

In terms of cocktail, they make a delicious sangria.  They also do a nice margarita.  If anything, this is a great happy hour spot.  Parking can be tricky because this is the Village, but valet is convenient, or parking garage is attached, though they do not validate.

Punk's Simple Southern Food

5212 Morningside

Houston, Tx 77005

713-524-7865

https://www.punkssimplesouthernfood.com