Thursday, February 21, 2013

BRC Gastropub, a nice surprise!

We met up with some friends for lunch and chose BRC Gastropub as our lunch destination.  We were seated quickly which was a major plus considering everywhere else was packed and when we called they told us there would be a 30 min wait...we arrived 5 minutes later and was seated right away. 
To Start we ordered some mimosa, a raspberry cocktail and  another cocktail which I completely forgot so that means it was not that great.  All were very refreshing and a great beginning.
We ordered deviled eggs with fried oysters and a tomaoto basil soup to start.
 
The deviled eggs were very tasty and the touch of fried oyster and crispy bacon paired well with the creamy center of the deviled egg. 
 
The  tomato basil soup was creamy and light, the touch of avocado oil and fresh basil gave it a nice touch.   
Then comes our entrees.  Shrimp with cheesy grits and two poached eggs, and foie gras sliders.
 
The shrimp and grits were filling and made well.  The grits were a bit thick in cosistency but when you puncture the poached egg and mix the grits with it, it match well.  The yoke made the grit extra creamy.  The shrimps were big and lightly fried.  Pretty tasty!
 
The foie gras sliders were YUM!  How can you go wrong? It's FOIE GRAS!!!  The foie gras oils soaked into the bread....DROOL!  The portion was a little small so it was good that we ordered the grits.
 
Overall it was a great place to hang out with great friends on a Saturday.  We would rate this place a 6.5/10 for price, taste, and creativity.
 
BRC Gastropub
519 Shepherd Dr
Houston, TX 77007
(713) 861-2233

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Houston Trip...Asian

Dallas, Tx definitely does not have the variety of Asian cusines like Houston does.  In comparison to Dallas, Houston definitely wins in flavor and diversity but Houston still has a long way to go if it wants to match up to the quality of Asian flavors San Francisco has to offer.

Here is our summary of our Asians food this time around Houston Tx. 

Our first night we arrived exhausted and really needed a late night comfort to put us to sleep.   Our choice was limited since it was around 12 am when we arrived.  We headed out to Hong Kong Food Street since it opens until 2 am.  This place offers a variety of common Hong Kong fast and comfort foods.  They offer noodles, stir frys, rice dishes, congee, soups, desserts, milk teas, and honey lemon drink. 













We had seafood rice soup and a brisket flat noodles to put us to sleep.  The congee was very comforting with an abundance of seafood...highlight was definitely the BIG sea scallops they added!  This was pretty affordable at around $6. 
The brisket was made well and of good quality but the flat noodles was not as good as I expected.  I am not sure if it is the quality of the flat noodle supplied here or if it was just not made well. 
Overall an acceptable meal at around 1 am in the morning.

Hong Kong Food Street
9750 Bellaire Blvd
Houston, TX 77036

Crawfish!  Well I forgot to take pictures of this one...*BOO* 
We had crawfish as a snack....4 lbs to be exact.  This one is located in a chinese market shopping center..in the food court, a very ethnic and good food court if you ask me.  You can find boba tea, fresh juices, vietnamese stalls, snails, balut eggs, and more.  We went to go try Crawfish and Beignets.  The Crawfish were pretty good size, service was fast, well seasoned, and they provide you with condiments like mayo, chili, and butter on the side.  At around $5.99lb, a much better deal than Boiling Crab in Dallas.  Flavor wise, Dallas's boiling crab still wins, but quality, size, and price, Crawfish and Beignets win.

 Crawfish and Beignets
11201 Bellaire Blvd
Ste A-05

Houston, TX 77072


Dim Sum time!
 


We tried Arco Seafood.  Not bad...some were still a hit and miss but overall very fresh, because they steamed or fried the dim sum when you placed the order on the sheets.  The fun roll with the fried dough on top was done really well, the skin was very soft and thin, much better than the ones offered in Dallas.  The shrimp dumplings were also pretty good, the filling was plump and filled with shrimp, the only flaw was that the skin was a tad too thick. 
The dim sum still has a long way to go before it can catch up to the standards in San Francisco in terms of variety, flavor, and quality.
 
Arco Seafood Restaurant
9896 Bellaire Blvd
Houston, TX 77036
(713) 774-2888
 
 
Shaved Ice!
Nu Cafe was one of the places we tried.  Very soft shaved ice, we chose mango flavor, but I did not taste much mango flavor.  The fresh fruits and pudding accompanied well with the soft ice and condense milk.  Worth a try if you have never tasted soft shaved ice, but this is not even close to the flavor you can get in Hong Kong, so we were a little disappointed. 

Nu Cafe
9889 Bellaire Blvd
Houston, TX 77036
(713) 771-7771
 
The second shaved ice place was Juice Box.
I personally liked this place more compared to Nu Cafe.  They do not skimp on ingredients, they put mountains of fruits of your choice on your pillow of soft shaved milky ice...and of course topped with ice cream and condense milk.  This was extremely refreshing!  The fresh fruit tea and fresh fruit juices were also delish and worth trying. 
 
Juice Box
9889 Bellaire Blvd
Houston, TX 77036
(713) 484-8085
 
Last but not least...we had to pick up souvenirs for our parents!
Kings Bakery has great baked goods!  Their eggs tarts were very authentic with a buttery flaky crust and a soft egg pudding center...awesome!  Their breads were soft like pillows and very inexpensive.  At around $1 you can get a BBQ pork bun, quite affordable.  We purchased the pinapple bun, pinapple custard bun, and a sweet coconut custard bun.

Kings Bakery
9889 Bellaire Blvd
Houston, TX 77036
(713) 367-6616
 
Overall a fantastic trip! There is still more to come.....to be continued...