tlegray's Profile
Vegetarian in Galveston
Sky Bar Steak & Sushi has some vegetarian options. The ones that I've had are the seaweed salad, the edamame, and the miso soup. All very good. I'm sure there would be a Calif Roll or other vegetarian rolls and vegetable tempura. It's a bit pricey but we go during Happy Hour though even that can add up depending on drinks and how much sushi you consume.
http://www.skybargalveston.com/
Mosquito Cafe also offers various vegetarian options. I love their grilled mushroom/vegetable sandwich. I'm pretty sure they offer other items plus daily specials. Just look at the chalkboard straigh in front of you when you walk in.
http://www.mosquitocafe.com/
Visiting Houston
I agree with you on District 7 I go here when I'm looking to have Mahi Mahi. They have a Mahi Mahi salad that I like. Is it the best Mahi I've ever had? No, but it does the trick. I've had the Kobe burger which is good. It has a bit too much carmelized onion so I just remove about half.
When we are looking for a foodie destination, Downtown never comes to mind but if we're going down there and want something quick and easy these are the places we would consider.
I'll have to check out Bombay Pizza & Hubcap Grill, neither of which we've been to
Visiting Houston
I agree with brucesw on Phoenicia and Georgia’s Farm to Market but have not been to the others
The following are the restaurants we visit downtown usually before a game or concert so not looking for fancy.
Huynh Restaurant
912 St Emanuel Street
http://huynhrestauranthouston.com/
District 7 Grill
501 S. Pierce
I go to the Midtown location which is just outside of downtown
http://www.district7grill.com/
Flying Saucer; if you like beer
705 Main Street
Food is ok. I haven’t had anything bad but it’s bar food. When we go I get the pretzel, brat, & cheese. My husband has had the roast beef sandwich and Reuben and has been satisfied but we go for the beer.
http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/houston/
Market Square Bar & Grill
311 Travis
Very casual. We’ve only had the burgers.
http://marketsquaregrill.com/
Quattro/Vinoteca @ the Four Seasons
1300 Lamar Street
We go here most often for Happy Hour; $4 wines and the antipasto platter. Service is great and food is good but it is pricey. Last time we were here we went to Quattro and I had the papparadelle and beef cheeks…so good. Nice wines too.
http://www.fourseasons.com/houston/dining/
Driving from Bush to Hobby, suggested BBQ spot off the highway with craft beer?
You can never tell with traffic around here. It should be better but downtown has few lanes so it tends to back up. If you're from a bigger city and you don't hit an accident, traffic shouldn't feel too bad to you but you don't have many alternative options.
Please report backon Hay Merchant
Here's a link to for real time traffic. http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/layers/
Driving from Bush to Hobby, suggested BBQ spot off the highway with craft beer?
I have not been but there's the newly opened Hay Merchant. It bills itself as 'craft food & beer'. It just opened in March so we're waiting for the crowds to die down but I've heard good things about the beer and food.
http://www.haymerchant.com/
I also found this map on where to find good beer in Houston
http://houston.eater.com/archives/2012/03/26/where-to-drink-good-beer-in-houston.php#more
The Best Thing You Ever Ate: Houston
This is tough. I'm sure I'll think of others when I'm through but the things I go back for;
Max' Wine Dive - Creme Brule French Toast. I don't even like French Toast and I want this one
Feast - Sticky Toffee Pudding
Market Seafood (Clear Lake) - Fried Catfish & Hushpuppies. This is the only place I've had Hushpuppies but I crave them.
Dolce Vita - Brussel Sprout Salad
Catalan's - Pork Belly
And just like DoobieWah my own cooking
Corridor Wine & Spirits or DC wine shop
Thanks to agarnett and cfoodie also. Corridor will be our first choice to shop.
Corridor Wine & Spirits or DC wine shop
Thanks! Schneider's looks great. I like that fact that I can order on-line and pick up. It's also in the area we'll be staying.
Corridor Wine & Spirits or DC wine shop
Corridor Wine & Spirits
3321 Corridor Marketplace
Laurel, MD
http://www.corridorwine.com/
Anyone familiar with this place? It's off the 295, south of BWI, on Laurel Fort Mead (198). We will be driving from BWI to DC and would like to find a wine shop. Their web site looks good but we're not familiar with the area. Can anyone recommend a wine shop in DC? We will be staying in Barracks Row but sight seeing. Thanks
Best Restaurants in Clear Lake Area (HOU)
Just tried Classic's CFS and was not impressed. It's the first time so we may try them again to see if it was an off day. Delicious gravy though.
Hubby likes their Fried Cat Fish Po-boy which is now an off menu item.
Best Restaurants in Clear Lake Area (HOU)
Dan's Pizza Co - 15148 Hwy 3, Webster
http://www.danspizzaco.com/
Daugher was introduced to this place at work. This is their go-to place when they are too busy to take lunches. She came home raving. We've tried it several times and it's become a favorite. We order the Heart Healthy Pizza. It's an olive oil/garlic based sauce with artichoke hearts, feta, & vegies. The combination with their crust is addicting. We also get thier Greek Salad and sometimes I'll just order this because it's so tasty.
Other items we've ordered; Lasagna which was good. Portion wasn't huge but was filling for $8/each. Also the Pepperoni Pizza which reminds me of the pizzas I got as a kid from a small family run pizzeria in CA. I still haven't figured out if I like them or maybe I'm stuck on the HH pizza. A friend said it was the closest thing she's had to a New York style pizza. I'm not a fan of the bread sticks. They taste like they've been nuked so they can give them to you hot though they are wrapped in foil so not sure that they nuke them but you get the idea.
It's a little place in an old strip mall on Hwy 3 near Barringer. No seating to eat, maybe a small table, so it's strictly take-out as far as I'm concerned. I think they are from Staten Island. Nice people too.
Lunch after Houston Harbor Tour
If this is the tour of the ship channel that's off Clinton then the first thing that comes to mind is The Original Mama Ninfas on Navigation.
Trader Joe's-I don't think Central Mrkt has anything to worry about
Chef, I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I love TJ but even when I lived around the corner from one it was never my primary market. I might have gone once a month. They offer a limited selection of good quality items at a reasonable price and prepared foods. When I first started experimenting in the kitchen I could find the foodie items I was looking for at a lesser cost then my grocery store or gourmet market. It was also the store I used when delving into wine. I still have some favorites. It is no Central Market.
Napa Food Trucks; Crossroad Chicken & Mark's the Spot
La Luna Market & Taqueria was another quick and inexpensive place we wanted to try but we only had one lunch/brunch. It was a beautiful day so we opted for the Food Trucks. I do hope someone tries the Market and posts. I would love to to know about it for my next visit.
Trader Joe's-I don't think Central Mrkt has anything to worry about
Having lived near a Trader Joe's most of my life I will be happy to have one in the Houston area. It means I will be able to pick up some of the refrigerated/freezer items that I like to have on hand. I'll also not have to pack some of the other items that I'd bring back on a regular basis. I would not however compare the store to Central Market nor do I believe they advertise themselves as such.
It will be included in my list of markets to hit every few months....sigh, I live in Clear Lake.
Trader Joe's officially considering Alabama Theatre
According to Trader Joe's web site. They will be opening soon in The Woodlands but still no mention of them opening in the Alabama Theater space.
La Salette in Sonoma
We started off with a 3-item Tasca tasting. We chose the Serrano Ham, Linguica, and Queijo de Topo. I could have eaten more of the linguica and topo. The linguica is made in house and was so delicious. I'm not a fan of ham so only had a taste and it also was delicious with a fat layer that melted in your mouth.
For our second we had the Sardinhas Assadas. Having never had sardines before I'm not sure what prompted us to order them but we were happy that we did. They were made in the wood burning oven and there were 2 of good size according to the waiter. Mild in flavor with a hint of the wood oven and I believe olive oil. I would order these again in a heart beat.
By then I was full so ordered the Hearts of Romaine and Tomato Confit salad. It was good and perfect after the meat, cheese, and sardines. Not exceptional but solid.
My husband ordered the Homemade Fettucine with Scallops, which also had chourico and sweet pepper. What a wonderful combination and I highly recommend. The scallops were cooked and seasoned perfectly in the wood oven. All flavors complimented each other nicely.
For dessert we shared the Homemade ice cream and sorbet dessert. There was a chocolate with chile ice cream that tasted like mexican hot chocolate that I would love to be able to buy and a port ice cream that was good. One of the sorbets was mango that was delicious. I don't remember the other.
Service was excellent. It's a smaller place with great atmosphere. It's in a pedestrian alley off the Plaza. I think there were only 4 people working, one in the back of the house, one manning the oven, the Manager/Hostess, and the waiter. They were a fine oiled machine. We were never left lacking nor did it seem that anyone else lacked anything. The restaurant was only about 1/3 full but I would guess that a full house would be just as well served. We didn't make reservations but knew we would be going for an earlier dinner. I think we got there around 6:00 p.m. They allowed us to order each course individually, finish and then order the next, which is to my husbands liking. By the time we finished it was starting to fill up so if you prefer eating later you may want to make reservations.
They offer 3 oz or 6 oz servings of wine and a variety of ports. They also offer Porteguese wine flights and Port flights.
Napa Food Trucks; Crossroad Chicken & Mark's the Spot
We were in the Napa Valley and wanted a quick lunch with good food. I found these somewhere on the www but am not sure where or how but they were excellent. We were there on a Friday so they were parked together in the JV Wine parking lot on the corner of Silverado Hwy and 1st but more on the Hwy side. There were 2 bar tables and no chairs. We were there about 11:15 so could pick either but when we left there was a line so you can take your order to go, eat in the car, or make new friends either way I'd definitely go back if I were in Napa
We had read about the macaroni and cheese from Crossroad Chicken so ordered that first off as an app while going over our options. The mac & cheese was good but not as pungently cheesy as I like so would probably not order again. If you like a classic mac & cheese you will like this one.
I ordered the Cuban pulled pork sandwich, a special from CC, which also included tangerine/cutie slices and some sort of aioli. This was delicious. It came with a mixed green salad that had beets. I took some of the tangerine/cutie slices and mixed them in with the salad and I could have been satisfied with that. The sandwich was served on a wonderful hoagie style roll that was soft but hearty enough to hold up to all the juices and stuffing in the sandwich.
Bonus points to Crossroad Chicken; they serve Fresca, the one and only soft drink I drink and it's run by super friendly brothers.
From Mark's the Spot my husband ordered the Tri-Tip sandwich special. Since I was so engrossed in my own sandwich I have no idea how this tasted other than he loved it. We also ordered the Spinach Salad since I didn't know I was getting a salad with my sandwich. Seriously one of the best salads I've had in along time. I would definitely order this again. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you what it was dressed with but we both couldn't stop eating it.
http://crossroadchix.com/
http://www.marksthespottruck.com/
Houston Specialty Markets
Two of my favorites that aren't listed are Spec's downtown and Mi Tienda in Pasadena. Spec's has a gourmet market that I love and Mi Tienda is my Hispanic market of choice but it is a bit out of the way.
Restaurants/Grocers in the Woodlands
Just checked b4-u-eat and that Taqueria Arandas isnt getting good reviews so forget I mentioned it. Enjoy your stay and don't forget to report back
Restaurants/Grocers in the Woodlands
I don't live in the area but have been up there a few times to stay at the Woodlands Resort and one of our favorite restaurants is up there.
Capri Pasta Pizza & More Last time we were there, Dec., they recommended making reservations. BYO wine
http://www.capri-pasta.com/
Also:
Taqueria Arandas #36 for Mexican food though I haven't been to that location. Very casual.
http://www.taqueriasarandas.com/
Crust Pizza which I've been to and liked very much
http://www.crustpizzaco.com/zgrid/themes/10365/intro/index.jsp
Grimaldi's Pizza I have't been but it's on our list and many like it.
http://www.grimaldispizzeria.com/texas/the-woodlands-tx
Beck's Prime I've only had their burgers
http://becksprime.com/
All are good to very good. I wouldn't call any of them food porn except for Capri
Spec's (Wine & Liquor) there are 2 that are closer to where you will be staying; Woodlands & Woodlands South. They will have better prices and a selection
There are several grocery stores in the area. I prefer the H.E.B. but it's in the Market Street Area where parking can be difficult. There are also Randall's and a Kroger in the area and these 3 encompass our 3 major grocery store chains in the greater Houston area.
Georgia's Farm to Market
Georgia's Market has a downtown location now
http://georgiasdowntown.com/
Best Restaurants in Clear Lake Area (HOU)
Eduardo's use to be farther east on NASA and was called Mely's. They didn't get many customers, though the Mely's on the other side of the lake was always full. Menu and food were the same. I'm not sure why they changed the name to Eduardo's but the move has been good to them. We've been a couple of time before the move. Thanks, I'll have to try them again.
SA - Local Pizza?
I was in SA for the day yesterday and decided to try Dough. I had the prosciutto and arugula pizza. I thought it was wonderful. There was no sauce, fresh hand pulled mozzarella that they make there, prosciutto, and arugula. Ingredients were a very good quality. The dough was a bit chewy without being too much. If I lived in SA I would be a regular.
This is not a deep dish over ladened pizza. It's similar to pizza we've gotten in Italy. They do have a limited menu. Wine list is shorter but had a couple of our favorites. The nutella marshmallow dessert was a special and the one most in the restaurant were enjoying. We did not have dessert.
I STILL love living in Houston!
Taqueria de Jalisco #3, 3503 Shaver, which is technically in Pasadena but they have 2 other locations
#1 at 15818 S. Post Oak
#2 at 408 Old Galveston Road
We must pass this place once a month on our way to Mi Tienda and the parking lot is always full and it doesn't matter what time of day. Today we decided to stop. My husband was the only non-Hispanic there and the waitstaff didn't speak much if any english. The menu is in both languages and has some pictures so it would be easy for a non spanish speaking person to order.
Since it was our first visit so we thought we'd start with a variety of tacos so that we could get to taste several things. We had pastor, pierna, lengua, and chicharron. The were all tacos except for the pastor which was a gordita. All the meats were delicious. The gordita had more cheese then I would have liked with the pastor but the pastor was beautifully cooked and seasoned. I will order again as a taco. The pierna was somewhere between carnitas and pork roast. So good and tender as was the lengua which could have been seasoned a bit more but was very good non the less. The chicharron was in green sauce (you can choose between red and green) They were done very well but I like my chicharron crispy with the sauce put on at serving. These seemed as though they had been stewed in the green sauce so there was no crunch. My husband loved them.
The chips and salsa served at seating were good. The chips being of the thicker kind. The salsa being a salsa fresca and my favorite salsa so far at any of the Mexican restaurants we've been to. We also ordered a side of refried beans that were good but nothing special. You can read into this that I didn't tasted any lard what so ever.
We watched as food came out to other tables, there were allot of bowls of menudo and it looked good. The enchiladas also looked very good but NOT of the Tex-Mex variety.
Other things they offer that I don't necessarily see on a menu, higado encebollado plate (liver with grilled onions), tripas, and hongo tacos. We can't wait to go back.
Hound s help needed spicy ranch dressing
I also add chipotle in adobo to my Ranch dressing. I usually have a jar of chipotle in adobo that I've run thru the food processor and will add it to mayo, mustard, crema, soups, and my Ranch dressing.
Accused of being too interested in food?
Personally I like it when someone tells me exactly what to bring. No confussion. Being a foodie I may then turn that request up a notch. Sometimes I expand culinary horizons. I hope my friends and family do the same for me in areas I may not be too adventurous.
I know that I am obsessive about food. Thankfully my husband is too. I even call him my enabler. I have friends that are also and we will experiment in the kitchen or spend a day shopping at markets bonding over our hobby. Thankfully I also have Chowhound where I find other like minded souls to indulge my passion. I have never been convicted though I have wondered.
