El Real?

Alright,

It has been a while since I last posted anything.  I have obviously been way too busy eating that I couldn’t manage to take any time to write.  Last Saturday I went to El Real Tex Mex in Montrose.  I have wanted to try this place for a while but I couldn’t seem to find an excuse or a dining partner to venture in town with me.  Well, I finally had a reason.  Not only was I going there to chow down but I also got to hang with one of my besties for her birthday!

This restaurant is headed by Brian Caswell who also operates Stella Sola (no thanks), Little Bigs (best milkshakes) and Reef (no thanks to seafood).  Since I have had a less than appealing experience at Stella Sola I don’t know why I wanted to try this place as bad as I did.  Maybe it’s growing up in Texas and my insatiable appetite for anything Mexican!

I have to say that I thought it would be way more crowded than it was for a Saturday night around 9 pm.  It felt like it could have been a Tuesday night for all I know.  But it is a pretty big place so I figured maybe I couldn’t see everyone? 

My party of 4 was definitely all about the margaritas!  The prickly pear looked delicious but I opted for a Paloma.  If you have never had one of these it is made with tequila (duh!), grapefruit soda and lime juice.  This is probably one of my favorite drinks but I always forget that I like it so when they waiter told me it was on the menu I didn’t hesitate to say ‘yes, please!’ 

Now, on to the nitty gritty…

The meal obviously began with some chips & hot sauce.  The chips by themselves were nothing special.  It seemed like I could get them at the grocery store.  Some were overly salty and others tasted old.  The hot sauce had a nice kick to it but it’s not something to write home about.  This was probably a good thing because I am trying to start eating better & the not-so-yummy chips & hot sauce prevented me from my usual scarf-all-the-chips-then-eat-none-of-my-meal-because-I-ate-all-the-chips routine.

For my entrée I went with the San Antonio puffy tacos, one chicken and the other pork.  Now, my experience with puffy tacos has been a good one.  They are usually nice & crispy and the filling is more than satisfactory.  Well, these did not live up to the past!  The taco shells were not crispy at all!  I had to use a knife to try to crack them.  In an effort to remain as lazy as I can be and because of the taste of the shells, I ended up only eating only the meat out of the tacos.  The chicken was good but the pork lacked flavor.  In order to ease my disappointment, I turned to the rice hoping it would be the saving grace to the dish.  WRONG!!  It tasted like…..nothing!  Major disappointment.

I should have taken the suggestion of one of my dining companions and gone with the beef fajitas but I just had to be different.  Next time I should listen better.  The fajitas looked & smelled delicious!

The saving grace to the meal was the queso.  Without it, I would have been lost.  We got the picadillo beef in it, which didn’t hurt it on the flavor side.  The cheese was nice and silky & there was a healthy ratio of cheese to veggies (tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno). 

Next time, I think I will go here for drinks and appetizers...oh & definitely the fajitas.  I don’t want to write this place off because I think it could be good but someone needs to stop this ride in flavor town!

A Well Deserved Night Out

I love writing about food because it’s basically my obsession.  And by obsession, I mean that I think about it all the time.  And by all the time, I mean it’s even in my dream.  I think you get the point by now.  Anyways…

This weekend, I had the pleasure of hanging out with two of my really good friends.  Admittedly, we were long overdue for a get together which is why I’m so glad we were able to coordinate our schedules.  We met at Saint Genevieve which is in the newer shopping/living area on the corner of Kirby & Westheimer.  I definitely looked at the menu beforehand and it was intriguing but I wouldn’t say that it sounded amazing or very different.  The drink menu, on the other hand, did have some interesting standouts that I was anxious to try.

This is a place that looks pretty swanky from the outside and I have to admit that the inside lived up to it.  You are greeted by a huge door that seems daunting at first but is actually very easy and light.  When you step inside, the bar is 360 degrees and there is seating all around it.  Some of the tables are high-tops and others are one-sided booths.  Thank goodness my friend got there early because she was able to snag a prime booth right behind the bar.  My party arrived at 9 and the place didn’t start to get packed until 9:30 or 10.  But it’s not a big space and the guests don’t seem to know where to go so they basically stand right in front of the booths.  This can get annoying if the person standing in front of your booth is a questionable pair of middle-aged men who won’t stop turning around to look at the hoard of food on our table.  I digress….

I ordered the Grape Expectations.  Now, I have to admit that I am not a huge martini fan or a big drinker.  Knowing that, the drink was very tasty!  It wasn’t overly sweet and it had a basil leaf floating in it which lent it a more savory/herby flavor.  I should also admit that I am a lightweight when it comes to drinking.  It doesn’t take much for me to feel a little buzzed.  That’s why I was very surprised that I felt 100% sober when we left the bar which was probably around 11.  I cannot speak for the flavor of my girlfriend’s drinks but they drank them so I would guess they liked them.  But everyone did seem to mention the lack of actual alcohol in our drinks.  Whatever.  I was really there for the FOOD!!!

We ordered a plethora of tasting plates.  First, let’s start with the House Cut Fries, which are accompanied by a smoked cheddar fondue.  Now, I am more of a skinny fry gal and these chips were on the thicker side.  It was the cheese that saved this dish for me.  Without it, it would have felt that I was eating potato skins.  (Please keep in mind that I did not stop eating these fries, despite the width, even without the cheese)

When I arrived, my friend had already ordered the fried green tomatoes.  In the center was a stack of something that looked like coleslaw but was actually crab meat.  No spank you!  After our less than satisfying fried green tomato debacle at Uchi, I was unsure about these morsels.  Alas, they were so different!  It tasted like they had been brined in something because they had an almost sour taste.  I loved them but it would have been nice to have had more of a dipping sauce for them.

Onto the most ambiguous dish of the night.  The Lavender and Goat Cheese Enchiladas.  Ok. I LOVE goat cheese which equaled my excitement for this dish.  Upon first bite, I was in love.  As my girlfriend’s mentioned, it was like eating perfume because the lavender was very prevalent in the dish.  I actually liked them but if there had been more goat cheese, it would have been an almost perfect dish.  I, like so many other people out there, am not the biggest fan of eating my perfume which is the downfall to this dish.

Now it’s time for the stars of the evening!  The Mumbai Fried Chicken was absolutely delicious.  I don’t know if I could even explain the flavors.  It’s basically chicken fingers coated in a sweet and savory sauce.  They aren’t sticky at all, but I did use a knife & fork instead of my hand that night so that probably helped.  Then came the Reuben Empanadas.  I was unsure about these savory pastries.  But once I popped that first bite into my mouth, I was in love.  These were, hands down, the best things we ate all night.  It might be worth ordering 2 of these!  Having never had an actual Reuben, I can’t say if they lived up to their sandwich counterpart but they were ahmazing as an empanada!

I would have to sum up Saint Genevieve as an enigma.  I can’t really figure it out.  Is it fancy? Or faux fancy?  We only ended up paying about $30 a person for 3 people which isn’t bad at all!  The clientele felt upscale but is that because the lighting was so dim?  There was a DJ there, but did he actually play anything good?  I couldn’t tell you cause I was busy stuffing my face all night!  Maybe Saint Genevieve was so awesome because I was with some awesome ladies?  I think that’s the right answer!

Can I also add that this weekend was basically amazing?!

Look for a special blog post soon about my apartment renovation/decorating with paint from The Green Painter in Houston!

Uchi Uchi & more Uchi

Alright, so even though I’m still not ready to write about it, I figured it was about time that I recount my ahmazing dinner at Uchi. Yes, I said ahmazing which means it was way better than amazing!

I was invited by my awesome friend to eat there for my birthday. I have to admit that I was skeptical at first because I am not the biggest fan of seafood. And by not the biggest, I mean that I will not put it in my mouth or, least of all, on my plate. Yuck! Ok, back to the story…I checked out the menu online, which is what I always do and I saw a few selections that looked not to seafoody (my spell-check is telling me this isn’t a word, but I don’t care). So I gave the green light to Uchi.

When I found out the only time we could get reservations was on a Sunday at 6 pm I figured this was due to the fact that Uchi just opened and people were scrambling to try it. When I arrived on Sunday, the place was a madhouse! BTW it is located in the old building that used to be Felix’s in case anyone remembers that place. For those of you who do remember, the place has been transformed into a Zen/natural/chill restaurant.

Thank goodness my friend had made reservations because we would have been waiting for hours, literally, to eat. The minute we sat down at our table, our adventure began. Our waiter was definitely into the food and describing it, in detail, to our table which only added to the overall experience. He gave us a few pointers and then added that we could either order for ourselves or “trust him” and he would bring us out whatever dishes he felt like. Guess which option we chose? Surprise, we ordered for ourselves. This was after he brought out some kind of raw fish with oranges so he could feel our palette. Well, 3 out of the 4 palettes weren’t feeling it so we played it safe.

Like any sushi place, Uchi has rolls and sashimi but they also have hot & cold tastings which are about 4 or 5 bites or pieces. The whole thing is like a Japanese Tapas place. I think I like that style better because then I can try A LOT more food without having to steal bites off of my dining companions’ plates. I mean, I’m all for subterfuge & thievery but most other people aren’t.
On to the food!!! We placed our order which included about 10 or so different things and then we sat back & waited for the smorgasbord to begin. I wish that I could remember what order everything came in but I seem to think that no one really cares. So, I won’t think to hard about it. I’m just gonna go in order as I see things listed on the menu.

First up: Sasami Yaki, which is a grilled chicken breast with lemongrass & cilantro. This was probably the most boring dish of the night but in no way does that mean it wasn’t yummy! In fact, this was hands down the moistest chicken I have ever had. I believe the waiter told us they marinate the chicken for about 48 hours before they cook it. The flavors were subtle but I appreciated the combo of lemongrass & cilantro.

Second: Dew Bee Chicken, which is a very peculiar dish. It comes out & it looks like a sushi roll, but it definitely isn’t. I have to admit that I’m still not sure where the chicken was in the dish but I definitely tasted the caramelized pork belly they placed on top. It had a sweet taste to it which wasn’t overpowering.

Third: Tomato Katsu. This was by far the least favorite dish of the night. Being a southern girl, I love myself some fried green tomatoes so I jumped at the chance to try these yummies. Well, either it’s not green tomato season or the Japanese aren’t familiar with how to season them but, either way, they were far from being ripe and the seasoning was nowhere to be found. I was disappointed because even the aioli dip that came on the side was underwhelming (& I am a sucker for anything with mayo in it).

Fourth: Brie Ringo. I can’t decide if this was my favorite but it is definitely up there. The sweet potato chips are sliced so thin they can barely hold the tempura fried brie that sits on top of them. But that doesn’t worry me because the distance from the plate to my mouth isn’t far. On top of the brie is a compote of sorts made with apples. Ok, when I saw this dish I was torn because I am not a fan of cooked fruit but my love of cheese won out & we ordered it. I am so glad we did because I could have eaten 2 plates!

Fifth: I ordered a bite of the Nasu which is a piece of Chinese eggplant on top of rice. I wasn’t sure how it would look when it came out but I almost didn’t care. The “bite” was almost too big for me but I managed it & I loved it. Of course, one bite costs about 2 bucks so I only ordered one piece. Now, I must add that my dining companion ordered the Boquerones and something that had fish roe in it. I did not partake in these dishes but she loved them. This is a good sign for everyone that likes that fishy stuff.

Sixth: Bacon Tataki. Pork belly seems to be all the rage in the US and Uchi is no exception. They have this lovely staple all over their menu & I’m not gonna argue with them. The pork belly in this dish melts in your mouth. It was a top dish of the night. I was nervous about the espresso fish caramel it says comes on the dish because I couldn’t figure out how you would caramelize a fish but I learned it was caramelized fish sauce with some espresso in it. My fear abated, I dug into the dish with fervor. My companions & I couldn’t get enough. This was one dish where it seemed there was more than enough food to go around. It took us a while to finish it off but that may have been because we were savoring every delicious morsel.

Seventh: the Shag. Ok, this was the scariest dish that I tried. I do not like seafood & this one was loaded with it. It has salmon, avocado & sun-dried tomato and is topped with fish roe. Yuck! But the bites are so small I figured I might not even be able to taste it so I tried one. Now, while overall I didn’t like it there were some flavors that stood out. The spicy aioli on top was yummy as well as the weird black sauce they give you for dipping. I wouldn’t order this for myself.

Eighth: the Pitchfork. I was excited about this roll that has Wagyu beef along with avocado and comes topped with a crazy amount of thinly fried leeks. I really liked this one because I like myself some red meat. Also, the crispy leeks were a hit with the whole table even if they seemed to have trouble making it into our mouths. Oh, this would be a good time to tell you that Uchi only gives you chopsticks to eat with. Some people were eating with forks but it doesn’t seem like the waiters are very eager to give them out.

Ninth: the Bond. This was my pick because I needed to make sure that something without seafood made it to the table. This roll comes with avocado, sun-dried tomato & gobo (whatever that is). There is an option to add salmon but I denied that! Anyways, this was really yummy even though there is almost nothing on it. I think that’s what surprised me about Uchi. The dishes were all so simple but there was so much though put into every single ingredient that went on the plate. I can appreciate that at a time when it seems that every single restaurant is trying to add all these crazy weird ingredients to a dish that already has 20 other ingredients.

Tenth: the Ham and Eggs. Ok, I love myself some pork belly & I also love myself some fried egg which means I loved myself some of this roll! Shredded pork belly is fried then rolled up in rice and served with egg yolk dipping sauce. Umm…could it get any better than that? I don’t think so. This was also a fave of the night & I don’t think it needs any explanation.

For dessert we ordered the lemon gelato, peanut butter semifreddo and the fried milk. I had a bit of the lemon gelato and I was surprised how calm it was. There was no overpowering tart/sour lemon flavor. It was very smooth. The peanut butter semifreddo was awesome except for the weird apple ice cream thing they serve on top. It was not necessary to serve that at all. It also came with pulverized peanut brittle which was awesome & peanut butter powder which was even more awesome. The powder turns into peanut butter when it hits your mouth! How cool is that? But, my favorite dessert was the fried milk. They don’t actually fry liquid milk. Instead they fry pastry cream which has been coated in corn flakes and tempura fried. When you bite into it, the cream spills out & it’s warm and ahmazing!

All in all, I would go back to Uchi again, if you couldn’t already guess. The attention to detail on every plate was appreciated and didn’t make the place feel like an uppity restaurant even though they could have gone that rout it they chose to. It feels like a place you can hang out with your friends at the bar after work or even a date. I’m so happy I had the opportunity to try this place out.

Rice Box

So, it's no secret that food trucks are definitely becoming more and more popular in Houston and I definitely can't get enough of them! They basically force you to try foods you normally wouldn't see on your basic 4-walls restaurant menu. They also make us Houstonians who are addicted to A/C to get outside and enjoy fresh air!

This past weekend was my birthday and my sister and her husband offered to take me to lunch. I am the worst at making most decisions let alone where I'm going to eat for my birthday. That is, until I heard about the Rice Box Food Truck. It's important to know that Chinese food is one of my all time faves so I was automatically drawn to this truck.

Now, I have never seen the movie Blade Runner but I am told this truck looks like the one from the movie. Until last weekend, I thought Blade Runner was the movie with Wesley Snipes where he fights vampires. Boy, I was wrong (thanks Michael for updating me). Anyways, there is no way you could think this truck serves anything else besides Chinese food. It's red and comes complete with hanging paper lanterns & golden bull statues. It would be like stepping into another land except for the traffic rushing by on Westheimer.

Alright, now on to the best part: THE FOOD!!!! I ordered the General Tso's Chicken and my dining counterparts both ordered the Sweet & Sour Chicken. We were informed prior to ordering that the Rice Box is a chicken truck, they do not serve pork. Now, I'm a pork kinda girl but I actually didn't mind the absence of it. The wait wasn't bad at all, maybe that's because we were one of the first customers of the day. If you are at all worried you won't be full after eating your lunch, you can stop worrying right now cause the portions are huge. Coming from a girl who likes to eat and who can put away a surprising amount of it, I could not finish my meal! Each entree comes with a heaping serving of white rice, then a layer of what I think is cabbage then your chicken with sauce and an eggroll. Btw: all the sauces are made from scratch so if like that atomic red sauce on your sweet and sour chicken, this is not the place for you!

Ok, back to the food. The eggroll, while not being the best ever (I'm more of a spring roll gal), was actually tasty besides the fact that it was crazy hot. But I ate it anyways! The General Tso's was the perfect level of spiciness. The chicken was in small enough pieces so you don't feel like a wild animal trying to eat your prey. Before I even dug in, it was the smell that got me. It just smelled perfect. There is no other way to describe it. I was probably full about 3/4 of the way through but I persevered until the end! The rice was perfectly cooked, not too mushy or sticky. The cabbage layer gave the meal a little bit of much needed crunchiness as well.

I would love to tell you that I sampled my companions dishes but by the time I came up for air, they had already devoured their portions. I'm gonna take that as a good sign though. It must have been delicious!

Now, I know I said the food was ready quickly, I'm not sure if this is the best place to go if you only have an hour for lunch. Unless you can get there relatively fast, it might be better to enjoy on the weekends.

I would recommend this place to anyone who enjoys Chinese food. Even if you aren't the biggest food truck fan cause you still equate them with the roach coaches of the past you should still try it, at least one time.

The truck serves lunch from 11-3 at Anvil on Westheimer in Montrose almost every day.

Just wanted to send out a quick update....New Posts Coming Soon!!!!!