I wonder if they still have the dates poached in red wine and served over mascarpone? Best dessert in Houston.

No, but that looks delicious. Actually I think it was this one, or very close to it:
http://www.kitchentreaty.com/meyer-le...

Those will work, thanks. Wish I knew what happened to the original recipe, though...We only have three Meyers left on the tree, so the season is almost over.

A few weeks ago I made a simple but lovely 8 " square Meyer lemon cake with a light glaze. Now I can't find the recipe on line. Anybody have one like it? Thanks.

I was sorry to lose Samba Grille, one of the best dining options downtown. Does anyone know what is now planned for that space?

Come on out to the Sugar Land farmer's market this Saturday from 9:00 to 1:00. While there are many prepared products, there are also many local growers. We've had great peaches recently from Country Boy's Treasures (Sugar Land) and Gunderman Farms (Glen Flora). Lots of great produce.

http://www.imperialsugarland.com/farm...

What kinds of food do you like? On Holly Hall, less than a block east of Reliant (just past Fannin) is a reliably good restaurant called Indian Sizzler. Typical but very well-prepared buffet lunch during the week. We went there one Sunday and they only had table service that day; my chicken biriyani was so beautiful I took a picture, and I don't often do that. (There was a cricket match in progress on the big screen TV, and I was very disappointed when they switched to a football game. That, I can see anytime!) Appears to be run by a pleasant couple; he's in the kitchen and she's out front. There are two Indian restaurants in that shopping center; my DH says the other one, A Taste of India, is good too.

Marchese Sausage sells theirs at the Sugar Land farmer's market and some other places around town, too. The "mild" has a slight kick, very flavorful, a nice amount of fennel.
www.marchesesausage.com

BB, have you tried Buena Vista, about a block west of Bob's on Ave H? Excellent mixed grill, carnitas, and fajitas, above-average chips and salsa, and stellar frozen margaritas, at stunningly low prices. Enchiladas are blah, though.
We also like a little hole in the wall called Carmelo's at Hwy 90A and the Grand Parkway (Texas 99). Food is a little rough around the edges, and I mean that in a very good way--it seems more like Tex-Mex home cooking than restaurant food. I once got four meals from their gargantuan burrito.

Are you referring to the Wild West farmer's market on FM 359 on Sunday, or is there another produce stand/farmer's market in Richmond/Rosenberg that I should know about??
And if you are talking about the farmer's market, I've gotten good purple hulls and cream peas there this year, too.

We had a fabulous meal at Samba Grille in Bayou Place recently. (finally a good restaurant in Bayou Place) Definitely for carnivores only, and it ain't cheap. But the filets were perfectly medium rare as ordered, and the kitchen substituted two beautiful jumbo shrimp for the scallops I can't eat. Another of those big old shrimp was casually hooked over the edge of my bowl of shrimp and corn bisque, which was excellent. Shouldn't have indulged in the cappucino tres leches, but we did. Nice wine list, too. A great addition to downtown, especially for a special evening (dinner and a concert, etc.).

Surely the best breakfast in Corpus is the magnificent three-course candlelight breakfast that you will enjoy after a luxurious night at the George Blucher House! Worth every calorie.

I prefer Water Street to Yardarm, but it's been several years since I visited either.

There's another appetizer I like, involving mushrooms and ricotta. The pastas are good too. Really, I've never had anything there I didn't enjoy.

Yikes, DW, run to Dolce Vita this weekend! Have a prosecco/blood orange cocktail, and then enjoy some great appetizers before an outstanding pizza. Trust me on this: the shaved brussels sprouts appetizer is amazingly delicious. you'll discover (if you didn't know already) that you actually like brussels sprouts!

I heartily second the recommendation of Yonder Way Farm. They are delightful people to deal with and their meats and eggs are excellent. They now have a vegetable farmer and are starting to get a CSA going. Check out their website to see when their next open farm day is! Great fun and very interesting.
www.yonderwayfarm.com

OK, who's been there? Was it fun? What did you buy?

I don't think the Palm M&M ever came back after Ike, but I could be wrong.

If you're visiting wineries around Fredericksburg, do go to Driftwood. Gorgeous view, and a great place to spend a couple of hours relaxing with a glass of wine. Kind of hard to find and to get to, but worth it. We like their Sangiovese.

Check with Yonder Way Farm in Brenham about their bacon. I'm pretty sure it's unsmoked.
Their meats are excellent, and they are fine people to deal with.

http://www.yonderwayfarm.com

I once had a pleasant meal at a decent local steak house called Jack's. That's the only noteworthy thing I remember about food in Uvalde, except a lovely breakfast at a fine and hospitable B&B called Live Oaks, which I think is now closed (unfortunately).

Poscol has the most marvelous dessert in Houston, IMO: dates poached in spiced red wine and served over mascarpone. Not to be missed.

Thanks all--last night I decided on Rainbow Lodge. Looking forward to it.
I've only been to Mockingbird Bistro for lunch, and remember it as fairly quiet. Maybe it's livelier at night.

Criteria: fabulous food (duh), pleasant and professional service, relaxed and romantic atmosphere in which DH and I can converse without screaming. Downtown, Heights, Washington Ave., Montrose, or Midtown. Price not too much of an object (special occasion and all that).
Mockingbird Bistro is a good example of what I'm thinking about, but I'm curious to see your suggestions. Thanks!

And back in the days before Elvia's, that shopping center was the site of a wonderful restaurant, Afghanistan Cuisine. I'm talking 1981 or so. Long gone. There's now a decent little Afghan place in Sugar Land with good kabobs, but not as elaborate as the old Afghanistan Cuisine. I still miss it.

The DH and I were talking about this place the other night, and how it needs to be our next chow stop. Our former favorite, Cafe India, has gone way downhill, and the Sugar Land outpost of Shiva is sort of blah. Thanks for your review-we'll be checking it out soon.

Driftwood is in a beautiful setting and is a great place to sit with a glass of wine and enjoy the view on a pleasant day. We enjoy their Sangiovese.

Ditto that. We had our anniversary dinner there last year.

And FWIW, I've been eating at Gaido's for about 30 years and have never had a bad meal there.

I had a lovely little pizza at Cinecitta, and that's a very casual place.

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Cinecitta
663 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94133

We spent a little over $400 on dinner for four at Perbacco earlier this week. The food was excellent and the service impeccable, but we might have enjoyed Barbacco just as much, for less money.