Saturday, July 13, 2013

Candy Store Rock

The Chocolate Bar

1835 West Alabama

Houston, TX 77098

http://www.theoriginalchocolatebar.com


Burpette writes:


Out for a romantic date night in Montrose?  Save room for desert and head on over to The Chocolate Bar.  You can gaze longingly into each others' eyes as you indulge in the sinfully rich pie, cake, ice cream or brownie of your choice.


I've been frequenting The Chocolate Bar since I moved to Midtown ten years ago, and it never disappoints.  There's something magical about the way that the light from the slowly rotating disco balls play across the walls as 80s tunes are quietly piped through the speakers; it's one sweet party.



Cakes and pies, oh my!


On this sultry Houston evening, Burp and I ventured out for dinner at Montrose area churrascaria, Nelore Steakhouse.  Deciding to skip Nelore's overpriced desert menu, but still needing to satisfy our sweet tooths, we ended up at The Chocolate Bar.  After perusing the tempting confections in the dessert cases, we opted for the Night and Day cake.  We were served a more than generous helping of sweet layers of white frosting sandwiched between decadent, super moist layers of chocolate cake, covered in chocolate ganache and then served up with a generous drizzle of chocolate sauce.  I think that I understand why they call it the Night and Day cake, it's because it will take you at least a night and a day to finish it.  Ba-dum-dum!



Night and Day cake
The Chocolate Bar also makes its own gourmet chocolate bars and treats.  They seriously have a designer chocolate for everyone.  Whether you like tennis, firemen or S&M (milk chocolate handcuffs, anyone?) there's a chocolate for that.

After treating yourself to something sinful, saunter on over to Candylicious next door and treat yourself to something innocent.  Aisles of colorful candy delight the eye and bring back memories of a simpler time when sucking on a Blow Pop didn't make you dirty, it just gave you a sugar high.
Candylicious stocks up on retro goodies for the adults, and it's sure to charm the kids as well.

Big Burp says:
"I'm still full."
Burp Factor - Sweet!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Break These Chains of Coffee?

-->

5 Quirky Houston Coffee Shops you might be missing if you only frequent Starbucks

On this gorgeous Cinqo de Mayo, I thought it rather fitting to give you 5 Houston coffee shops that offer a nice alternative to Starbucks.  Not that there is anything wrong with Starbucks, mind you.  I've been known to frequent a Starbucks or two myself, but if you want to break out of the coffee chains that bind you, and want to experience something quirky and new, then this is the blog post for you!

Dirk’s Coffee

4005 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006
Formerly known as Diedrich’s Coffee, Dirk's is a cool alternative to Starbucks.  The sign out front often bears off-the-wall sayings like "My kayak's name is Palindrome" and the chalkboard inside offers up much-needed wisdom with the quote of the day.
I still miss the Westheimer and Hazard location that back in the days before widespread WI-Fi was the landing pad for hipsters and business people alike, to sit and sip their brews while surfing the Internet.  I spent a lot of time there myself, in my student days, studying and writing about art history.  A lot of things have changed since then, my age and naïve enthusiasm among them (I should have majored in business, damn it!).  The Upper Hand Salon took over that spot, and I’ll never quite forgive them.
But, I digress.  Dirk's is an edgy local spot located in Montrose that brings out all types from the tragically hip to the stoic conservative, and the coffee is pretty damn good too!

Catalina Coffee Shop

2201 Washington Ave, Houston, TX
Known mainly by the locals, this coffee shop has been serving up fancy coffee in Houston's Sixth Ward for a while.  Artwork by local artists is displayed, and lattes are delivered in this cozy, historic space.  We're lucky that at least one of the old buildings around Houston has been preserved (for now, anyway) as Houston likes to tear anything with a bit of history down to build a mid-rise.
Fight the mid-rise!  Drink more coffee at Catalina!
Black Horse Bar is next door if you're feeling like a non-caffeinated beverage.

Inversion

1953 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX
A favorite with the alternative, artsy crowd, Inversion is a little gem of a coffee shop located in the heart of Montrose right next door to the  Art League Houston and Texas Art Supply.  Also for the artist types, the walls are lined all the way up with unorthodox, if not disturbing original art work that you can enjoy as your coffee is being lovingly crafted by hip baristas.
Also a supporter of Houston’s burgeoning food truck scene, Inversion offers a different food truck almost every day with favorites like Bernie's Burger Bus and Stick It bringing in the lunch crowds.
You can enjoy your coffee and food truck fare on the outside patio, strung with an installation piece that must hail from the Art League Houston.

Black Hole Coffee House

4504 Graustark St, Houston, TX 77006 

Located down the street from St. Thomas University, next door to Graustark Laundry, Black Hole Coffee House is everything but conspicuous.  A mangled and rusted old sign proclaims this spot the Quick Food Store #28, but for those savvy hipsters that frequent the joint, it is the unassuming Black Hole.  
The interior is a bit worse for wear, with mismatched furniture pieces from the Salvation Army cobbled together...A series of three Warholesque prints of a perturbed looking Lindsay Lohan line a side wall like an unholy trinity of sex, drugs and sex and drugs with rock n' roll stars.  And just when I was thinking that this seemed like the kind of place to see someone with a handlebar mustache walk through the door, someone with a handlebar mustache actually walked through the door!  Wait, make that two someones with handlebar mustaches.  What the what?
Also seen at Black Hole Coffee on a clear, beautiful Sunday afternoon, a girl in a see-through lace top and black tutu with bow-topped stockings, a man with a tattoo of a watch on his wrist stating "NOW" on the face, a fauxhawk, and various and sundry hipsters glued to their MacBooks and drinking superior coffee.
Not in the mood for coffee?  Black Hole also advertises a Happy Hour with $2 Saint Arnold and $4 House Wine.  The syrups are made in house, and as the sign says, go well in any drink.  Oh yeah!

Ok, ok.  One more for the road...

Antidote

729 Studewood St, Houston, TX
Technically not just a coffee shop, Antidote has a wine bar and a lovely patio for sipping. Food trucks can often be found in the lot, and its retro feel is funky and fresh.  
Just the antidote one needs to break the chains of coffee conglomerations!

Those Arabian Nights are Calling...

Cafe Byblos

6134 Richmond Ave., Houston, TX 77057
http://cafebybloshouston.com/

Burpette writes:

Cafe Byblos is located just west of the Galleria on Richmond Ave., in an area that Big Burp and I rarely venture out to because of its distance from our cozy little nook along the Washington Corridor.  The occasion of friend's birthday party brought us out last night, and since we really dig on Mediterranean cuisine, why not?

Long tables dominate the seating area, proving that this is a restaurant for big families and large parties to come eat Mediterranean food, hang out, and smoke hookah.  Hookah pipes punctuate the tables, and sweetly scented smoke hangs in the air above.  

Around 10:00 pm, the lights dim and the band starts to play mesmerizing Middle Eastern music, guaranteed to make you shimmy your shoulders and gyrate your hips.  A singer, accompanied by a drum kit and two synthesizers, belts out comely tunes with lyrics that I can only guess at (Hey, it's all Greek to me!).  The dance floor opens up, and women rush out to shake their money makers with no hint of embarrassment, or of who might be watching.  I'm told there is a belly-dancer, but as of midnight (when we left), there had been no sign of her shaking it on the floor.

This is truly a place that comes alive with the night.  We arrived a little after 9:30, and the restaurant was mostly empty; our large party was the only one seated at the very back of the restaurant.  By the time that we left, however, around midnight, the joint was jumping with late night revelers, eating, clapping and smoking.  Shamefully expensive cars roll up to the valet, and scantily clad beauties with skirts cut up their booties exit the posh rides to join the party inside.  Make no mistake, this is a place to see and be seen.

Oh, and the food...most people go there for the party, but the food is fun as well.  While it's not the best Mediterranean fare that I've tasted, it certainly has its appeal.

Burp ordered the Kafta Mishwiyeh, minced lamb cooked with parsley, pine nuts and spices, served with light, fluffy rice and grilled vegetables.  
Kafta Mishwiyeh

 
Falafel Sandwich with Fries


I opted for the Falafel sandwich, which did not disappoint.  The highpoint of the evening for us was the hummus, served with sexy, yes I said sexy, pita bread.  I couldn't stop myself from tearing off tender pieces of the warm, inviting pita, and dunking it in the rich, creamy hummus that is so smooth, it will make you slap your "Ommy".  Ok, maybe not, but it is good.

If you're looking for an ethnic venue with good food and good music, this may be the place for you.  If you don't like crowds, hookah smoke, hoochie mamas, or loud music, you might opt for one of the other Mediterranean inspired restaurants along the Richmond Strip.

Big Burp writes:

Decent food, just not a late night person.

Burp Factor: Medium burp, mostly due to the hour of the evening. 

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The Raw and the Cooked

UCHI 

904 Westheimer
Houston, TX 77006


http://uchirestaurants.com/houston/

Burpette writes:

After months of begging a reticent Big Burp to take me to Uchi to use the $100 gift card that he so thoughtfully gave me for Christmas, I stuck to my guns and prodded Burp to finally make reservations for Uchi tonight.  Uchi is super popular, and by that I mean that when Burp called early this afternoon to make reservations for tonight, a Tuesday, he was told that we could eat at 5:00 pm or make reservations for next Wednesday at 6:00 pm.  Since we are not quite ready for the Early Bird Special and reruns of Matlock, we decided to try our luck and just show up for seats at the bar.

What luck!  We arrived at ten till 6:00 pm, and were told that we could either grab a seat at the bar or take a seat on the cocktail patio and wait for something to open up at the sushi bar.  We couldn't find a seat inside, so we went out to the patio for drinks until something opened up.  

The cocktail patio is charming, the only problem being that an afternoon thunderstorm had just dried up, causing my heels to sink into the little puddles that were formed under the pebble strewn patio floor.  We ordered a nice Willamette Valley Pinto Noir called Siduri for the reasonable restaurant price of $47.00 a bottle.  To our surprise, a friendly server brought us Grilled Edamame finished with olive oil.  I've never had grilled edamame before, and I have to say that it adds a char nice flavor.  We were also served candied pecans dusted with sea salt which did not suck!

Approximately 28 minutes later, we were seated at the sushi bar and introduced to our own sushi chef for the evening, Patrick.  Hot towels for our hands and a palette cleanser for our mouths were brought out to ready us for our Uchi experience.

Even though we ordered after the happy hour had ended, wonderful Patrick offered us the happy hour price for our order of Spicy Crunch Tuna Roll with Sweet Chili Sauce and Aioli and our Pitchfork Roll with Miso Tamari Sauce.  Did I say amazing Patrick?  
Spicy Crunch Tuna Roll with Sweet Sauce and Aioli


 
Pitchfork Roll with Tamari Sauce


If you are not a sushi person, may I suggest the Pitchfork Roll?  It is in a word, awesome.  If you are a Beefy Mc Beeferton lover, you will appreciate the big beef taste in these little beef rolls.

Big Burp also ordered the Ham and Eggs Roll, which prompted him to exclaim, "Where have you been all of my life?!?" to his pork belly, aioli, and tamari sauce roll.  It's like bacon sushi!  What the what?  I sampled the Sake Toro Sushi topped off with salmon roe.  Oh yeah!

Another friendly server came bearing Flash Fried Brussels Sprouts in a Sweet Chili Fish Caramel, courtesy of the wonderful folks of Uchi.  Hell-o Salty Goodness!  

Who is this benevolent Uchi?  Why is he/she so generous?  Who cares!  Keep it coming!

Next up was the Hamachi Nabe, a traditional Japanese comfort food like a seafood rice stir fry in a clay bowl.  A raw egg is cracked into a bowl of rice, perfectly cooked yellow tail, bonito flakes and soy which are mixed together in front of you to form the paradisaical rice bowl of your dreams.
Hamachi Nabe

When Burp's rather loud exhortations prompted our neighbor at the sushi bar to chime in with, "If there's a better restaurant in Houston, I haven't found it", we knew he was right.

...............................................................................................................

Wait there's more!

We ordered two glasses of bubbly, refreshing Cava to accompany our pre-dessert and our dessert.  We selected Brie Ringo, a tempura fried brie with an apple chutney, served on a sweet potato crisp for the "pre-dessert".  Big Burp's reaction, "It's like Heaven was shot down out of the sky and harvested for us, lightly fried and served on a sweet potato chip".  And this from a man who drug his feet taking me to Uchi for the past 4 months!

Finally, we wrapped things up with dessert, Fried Milk.  The fried milk is actually pastry cream that has been frozen,  rolled in corn flakes, frozen again (a couple more times) and then fried, served with chocolate mousse, chocolate powder, iced milk sherbet and wafer-thin chocolate cookies. It's like grown up milk and cookies, but like no milk and cookies that I've ever had.  
 
Milk and Cookies


That extra little synergy of flavors goes a long way to making this possibly the best meal that I've ever had.  We drove home with the top down in a food coma!


Now, sitting at home in a comfy pair of yoga pants and my ancient Psychedelic Furs concert tee, braless, serene, I am able to reflect on our dinner at Uchi and put it in its proper perspective:  If he wasn’t getting lucky earlier, he certainly is now.  Ladies, it’s Uchi for your coo@#ie!

Big Burp writes:

I'm going to have this big, dippy smile on my face the rest of the night.


Burp Factor:  Euphoric

French Eatin' in the USA

BRASSERIE MAX & JULIE

4315 Montrose Blvd.
Houston, TX 77006
http://www.caferabelais.com/Brasserie/

Burpette writes:

There are so many wonderful places to eat lunch in Houston, and when a girl has an amazing man who works from home a couple of days a week, and is willing to pick up his loving woman for lunch, the choices abound.

Today we dined at one of our favorite French establishments, Brasserie Max & Julie.  Named for the owners' children, Max & Julie, the restaurant has a quaint, authentic French brasserie feel with lots of wood, brass accents and cozy seating.  Brasserie M & J is owned by the same people that operate the ever packed Cafe Rabelais in Rice Village, so you know that the quality is always excellent.  

Brasserie Max & Julie


Upon seating, an, appetite-ruining, gut-expanding basket of fresh French country bread is placed before you.  Crusty on the outside and tender on the inside, it is just the thing to munch on while you are contemplating the menu choices.  Brasserie M & J has lots of French comfort food favorites to choose from, all guaranteed to make you go ooh la la.

The Plat du Jour for Tuesdays is Parmentier au Goût du Jour (house made Parmentier), which is an evil French take on a Shepherd's Pie.  Ground beef and veggies covered with mashed potatoes and swiss cheese are baked to decadent perfection, and yes, it tastes as good as it sounds.  Big Burp had to keep himself from licking the dish clean and even went so far as to suggest to the server that they should serve it with a spoon, so that he could scoop all of the delicious leavings into his gullet.
Parmentier au Goût du Jour


I can never stop myself from ordering Le Normandie, by far one of my favorite sandwiches in the world.  Roast Turkey, spread with pear preserves and topped with creamy wonderful brie is wedged between two pieces of that dirty, dirty French country bread mentioned above that has been slathered in butter and grilled to a sexy crunchiness.  Can I get a Hells Oui?  Take a bite, it will make you do that crazy eye roll thing, I promise.  It's served with ethereally light and crisp house made chips.  Crunch.  Crunch.  Bet you can't eat just one!
Le Normandie


Brasserie Max & Julie is always a positive dining experience; the waitstaff is very professional, and give you that French experience without the French attitude.   But, be aware that Le Normandie is not available on the weekend brunch menu, unless of course you know the chef ;-).

C'est parfait for lunch.  C'est genial for brunch.  And c'est si bon for dinner!



Big Burp writes:

That sure was a good Parmentier thing.  I'm glad Burpette shared some of her sandwich.

Burp Factor - Haute!


Sunday, April 28, 2013

Rockin' Rollin' Prints 2013

Rockin' Rollin' Prints 2013 at Saint Arnold Brewing Company




Saint Arnold Brewing Company
2000 Lyons Ave., Houston, TX 77020

http://www.saintarnold.com/

Burpette says:

Over the last few years, a phenomenon has been brewing throughout the Houston area known as the craft beer phenomenon.  Houstonian beer drinkers know that well-prepared, tasty beer can be found at local breweries such as, Saint Arnold, Karbach Brewing Company, and Buffalo Bayou Brewery, to name but a few.

Saint Arnold Brewing Co. keeps it local with several events throughout the year that involve the community.  Today's event was Rockin' Rollin' Prints - 2013.  The brewery invited local artists to bring their painstakingly carved woodcuts to the parking lot to be inked and then run over by a steamroller.  What a creative way to use heavy construction equipment!  The taps opened at noon, and the printed pieces were hung throughout the brew house like so much artsy laundry hung out to dry.



The event brought out the art crowd, young and old, as well as the usual brew rats who like to attend as many Saint Arnold events as they can (and get a free artist-designed Saint Arnold pint glass, thank you very much!). 

The weather, having recovered from last night's frightening thunderstorms and flooding, was warm and clear, the sun beating down on the onlookers forced them back and forth to the taps for cool draft after draft (after draft) to slake their thirst.  With popular local food truck H-town strEATs, https://twitter.com/Htownstreats, strategically stationed outside the parking lot gates, no one went hungry.

Big Burp and I frequent several of the local food trucks and have had the pleasure of sampling H-town strEATs's culinary creations in the past.  Big Burp was happy to finally have the honor of ordering the Shorty Mac, a short rib, mac and cheese concoction, lovingly sandwiched between two pieces of grilled bread (it sure doesn't suck).  Once before, he stood in line for over 45 minutes waiting and salivating for it only to have the customer in front of him order the very last Shorty Mac of the day.  Poor Big Burp!

I ordered the Burger with Pimento Cheese and Bacon, even though I am not necessarily a fan of pimento cheese.  The bun was fantastic, just the kind of tender yet substantial bun that you want on your burger.  Overall, it was a little too salty with the pimento cheese and the bacon, but went down satisfyingly well when chased with a cold pint of Saint Arnold Summer Pils.

Big Burp says:

Cool art.  Cold beer.  Great food.  Burrrp!

Burp Factor: Belchtastic!

Saturday, April 27, 2013

SPARROW Bar + Cookshop
3701 Travis St., Houston, TX 77002

http://sparrowhouston.com/

Burpette Writes: 

Where to go on a cloudy Saturday morning for breakfasty lunch?  Sparrow will do just fine.  With famed local restauranteur Monica Pope at the helm, Sparrow is a cozy spot to roost. 

After disdainfully viewing the snaky line around the Breakfast Klub next door, we were extremely pleased to walk in and be seated immediately.  The interior is charming with its exposed brick walls, well-stocked bar, and intimate seating.  The brunch menu is delightful with a mix of tasty items, and the wine and cocktail list is tempting.

My eye was immediately drawn to the Roasted Garlic Bulb with Goat Cheese and Seeded Boule.  YUM!  We could not keep ourselves from squeezing the aromatic roasted bulb til it oozed its delectable oil all over the plate.  No dainty eaters are we!  The goat cheese was creamy goodness, and we were happy to find out that it is sourced from the Houston Dairymaids.  Just slather it all over that warm, seeded boule.  How great is that?

I opted for the Biscuits and Red Onion Gravy with lamb sausage, local honey and scrambled egg.  DELICIOUS!  The biscuit was light and heavenly, smothered in thick, peppery cream gravy.  The egg was scrambled perfectly and sat atop the house made lamb sausage like a fluffy, eggy cloud.  Just the hint of the lightly sweet local honey shone through.



Big Burp chose the burger, since he read the Alison Cook write up in the Houston Chronicle, which rated it an A+.  While Burp agrees that the burger topped with fried onions is exciting, he gives it an A.  At first, he thought that perhaps it was a bit over cooked, since he prefers that pink band that denotes a medium cooked patty, but was soon pleased to find that it was in fact cooked perfectly.  You can smear your buns with an array of condiments that come separately and include a house made Sparrow Sauce with a tiny bit of kick.



Our waiter, replete in a leather apron, was knowledgeable about the wine list,  and apparently holds some clout with the Houston Dairymaids.  All in all, it was a delicious repast.  We will definitely fly back to Sparrow for dinner in the near future!


Big Burp says:
"Only really glanced at the wine list.  Immediately saw just a 50% mark up on The Prisoner."

BURP FACTOR - Excellent!