Sunday, September 30, 2012

Texican Cafe

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We recently bought one of those half priced groupons for Texican Café which is on the way up to our lake house.

D is on the green chili kick since we had our trip to Taos so he was excited to see their menu around green chili month!

We started out with the Hatch Queso Cup $4.99. I would order it again, the green chilies really hit the spot.

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D started out with a Large Margarita on the rocks $6. This was a good deal and actually tasted really good like a margarita should, not filled with sweet and sour, you could really taste all of the flavors. I would venture to say this is in our top 5 favorite margaritas.

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Of course with the green chili theme D ordered the Green Chili Enchiladas $14.99 $4 was added on because he did one fajita beef and one fajita chicken. The sauce was fantastic and we would recommend this plate to anyone. The extra $4 was a little high, but worth it if you would rather the fajita meat.

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I went with the Texican Dinner $10.99 (The Works! One crispy beef taco, one beef “El Paso” enchilada, one pork tamale, Mexican rice, refried beans, guacamole, pico de gallo and chile con queso.) I loved the sauce on the enchilada and the plate is just right if you want to try a little of everything.

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Honestly I can’t wait to go back here. The service is fast and the food is fantastic!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Truluck’s

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Surprisingly we have never been to Truluck’s, but they have been around forever. I had made reservations for 6:15pm, but we arrived early to try out their Cocktail Hour from 4:30pm-6:30pm. They have a really great bar menu that’s half off along with 25% off all bottles of wine and half price cocktails. We decided would would be back for sure to take advantage of this again. You could make a meal out of the large portions we saw them bringing out and have a few cocktails.

We ordered a Mojito (regular $11, but only $5.50 for cocktail hour) and Truluck’s Margarita (regular $11, but only $5.50 for cocktail hour).

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We also tried the Crab Cake Sliders (regular $18, but only $9 for cocktail hour). I loved the flavor of these. The sweet roll is toasted and a fabulous compliment to the crab cake.

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After a great starter we couldn’t wait to taste the food in the restaurant. The bread was so nice and warm and you get more then one tiny ball of butter which is nice and soft.

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For the first course D ordered the Ice cold Watermelon & Local Tomato Gazpacho $11 (with jumbo lump blue crab). This is a great starter dish which is nice and refreshing.

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I ordered the Creamy Lobster Bisque $8 (with fresh lobster and horseradish goat cheese). I asked for them to leave off the goat cheese, I like goat cheese I just didn’t really know how the horseradish would be in it. The bisque is by far one of the best I’ve had. There was a nice heat to it from the seasoning and I could have had a never ending bowl of it.

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Since they are known for having the freshest crab we ordered 4 medium Fresh Pacific Stone Crab Claws $18. They where nice and fresh, but not as sweet as I thought they would be. The dipping sauce was really good with it.

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For the second course D ordered the Cioppino $28 (a feast of seven fishes, fresh fish, shrimp, mussels, calamari and blue crab simmered in a tomato and herb broth). I was nervous when he ordered it because we haven’t found a good one besides the one we had on our trip up north. To our surprise it tasted really close to that one so he was on cloud 9 which brought back a lot of memories for us.

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I on the other hand was not as excited with my second course. I ordered the Crab Alfredo (blue crab, king crab and snow crab in a rich pecorino sauce tossed with fresh pasta and topped with tomato and basil). My first bite tasted like raw pasta. The waiter offered to take it back and bring another one. A few minutes later he came back saying that the chef says that’s they way it taste because it’s fresh pasta. REALLY? I make pasta at home it doesn’t taste like raw dough when it’s cooked. I think he was being lazy. So I ended up ordering the Beef Rockefeller (tenderloin medallions topped with creamy spinach fondue, fried oysters and loaded potato cakes). I didn’t really care for this dish the flavor was just off. The best part was the potato cakes which where really good.

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Dessert was a much better experience. The Sugar-Free Coconut Cream Pie (with shortbread crust and vanilla whipped cream) was amazing. You couldn’t tell that it was sugar free. We also got their famous Carrot Cake (with cream cheese icing, warm butterscotch and spicy Texas pecans). I wasn’t a fan of the butterscotch on there, but I would order it again because the cake itself was really good.

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Overall I would go back for sure. Except for my main course everything was really good and seasoned well. Their prices are a little high, but totally worth every penny. I recommend going during their cocktail hour and trying their food out that way, they have a nice assortment on their bar menu.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Post Oak Grill

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Post Oak Grill is another place we haven’t been in ages. It has that old charm to it that makes you feel like you’re going back in time. We where greeted with an assortment of bread while we looked over the Restaurant Week menu.

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For the first course I didn’t really care for any of the choices and the waiter was kind enough to offer any choice off of the regular appetizer menu. I went with the Calamari which was really good. D chose the Ceviche Tostada (Snapper, shrimp and crabmeat cured with fresh lemon juices and cilantro, California tomatoes and Texas Serrano peppers).

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For the second course we both picked the soup of the day (roasted lobster  crabmeat bisque with cognac essence). It was ok, nothing too special, but I did like the cognac essence you could really taste it.

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The waiter then brought out the Intermezzo which was a papaya crème de cassis. I loved the flavor of this and could have eaten a big bowl of it.

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Time for the third course. I chose the Surf & Turf (center cut filet mignon, lobster imparial, jumbo asparagus and white cheddar potatoes in a light cabernet sauce). No complaints with my dish everything was cooked perfect and seasoned really well. D chose the Crab Meat Crusted Flounder Filet (with mushroom risotto, tempura asparagus, topped with orange habanero citrus sauce). We would order this dish again, it’s cooked perfect and the flavor was fantastic.

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Last course of dessert. The waiter recommended the Strawberry Three Color Chocolate Mousse Cake (with homemade chocolate sauce) and we are glad he did. The mousse cake was nice and light and still gave you that chocolate you crave. We also got the Bananas Foster (with cajeta vanilla homemade ice cream). The dish just melts in you mouth it’s soo good.

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Overall the portions are just right so you don’t feel like you have to roll out of there at the end of the night. I can’t wait to go back this is a nice little gem in Houston. I don’t have a price comparison because they don’t list prices online, but we paid $35 a person for the 4 course meal for Houston Restaurant Week.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Masraff’s

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We haven’t been to Masraff’s in at least 8 years. It’s one of those places where you have such a great meal you ask yourself why has it been so long since we have been back? I love the feel of their new location, it’s elegant, modern and warm inside.

While we looked over the menu we had 3 different breads to choose from along with some soft butter. I didn’t get a picture because the lighting wasn’t working with me. It is a little dark in there so if you are with someone who has a hard time seeing make sure you have a little flashlight or sit near a window.

We started out with the Crispy Vietnamese Duck Confit Spring Rolls with Szechuan Sauce. This is worth ordering it just melts in your mouth it’s so good. We also got the Garlic Seared Calamari, Oyster Mushrooms with shaved onion, cilantro and soy reduction $16. The attention to detail with this dish is amazing. The flavors work really well together and if we where alone I would have licked the plate to get all that soy reduction. The calamari steaks where nice and meaty and tasted like another type of meat, although we couldn’t put our finger on what it was.

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For the main course I ordered the House Cured Berkshire Pork Chop with Mashed Potatoes $24 (ginger braised red cabbage, pineapple confit, char sue glaze) The pork chop with the pineapple confit was amazing. The only problem I had with the dish is you have to taste everything separate to appreciate it. If you eat a bite of the pork by itself you can tell it’s cured and has a little extra attention to it, otherwise you would just think it’s any other pork chop. D ordered the Certified Angus 11 oz NY Strip Steak $34 (truffled restuffed gold potato, and buttered asparagus)  The steak was drizzled with a soy reduction and it just melts in your mouth. The best combo was taking some of the potato and dipping it in the sauce mmmmm.

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We barely had room for dessert so it’s good they are smaller portions. The best thing about Masraff’s is how inovated they are when it comes to their dishes. Their crème brulee changes with the season, but we had the Butter Roasted Peach Crème Brulee with whole berry sauce $8. The peach compote is on the bottom and then it’s topped with a scoop of the cream which then has a nice bruleed crust on top. I loved this dish! D ordered the Molten Chocolate Eruption with vanilla bean ice cream $8. It was delicious and I loved the vanilla bean ice cream with it. 

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I would go back in a heart beat. The prices are a little high, but worth every penny. If you want to save a little go during Houston Restaurant Week and only pay $35 a person. We saved about $35 by doing this.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

III Forks

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iii Forks is located downtown which isn’t a place we get to too often. Since we where headed to a friend’s birthday party down there later that night we decided to take advantage of one of the restaurants on Houston Restaurant Weeks list.

The inside was a little dark, but very well done. I expected the other diners to be dressed up a little more, but some people where in shorts while others in suits.Our waiter was great and very personable. We looked over the menu while he brought out a round of bread and super cold butter which is a pet peeve of mine.

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For the first course I ordered the III Forks Salad $9.95 (our award winning spring mix of mesclun and red oak leaf lettuce, roasted Texas pecans, thinly sliced granny smith apples, tossed in black walnut molasses vinaigrette and topped with blue cheese crumbles) OMG has to be one of the best salad’s I’ve ever had out! This is a must have if you come here. D ordered the Lobster Bisque $10.95 (classic brandy-based cream soup with chunks of whole maine lobster) which was nice and rich and creamy.

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We also ordered Crab Cake St. Francis $15.95. While the sauce was really good and the crab cake was full of crab, I don’t think it’s worth the $15. I would order something different next time.

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For the second course we ordered the Chateaubriand with Shitake Mushroom Bordelaise Sauce $24.95 (medallions cut from whole roasted tenderloins, topped with a shiitake mushroom and red wine shallot reduction, served with whipped potatoes) and Flounder with Crawfish Ancho Chili Beurre Blanc (pan seared and sautéed in white wine cream sauce flavored with ancho chilis, topped with crawfish tails, served over wild rice). Both dishes where really good. They did one thing that I thought was strange, but they come by with a huge platter and ask if you want any tomatoes so that’s why you see it on D’s plate.

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We also ordered a side of mac and cheese, except they brought out crab mac and cheese which was delicious!

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For dessert we got the Chocolate Ganache Cake $8.95 (traditional chocolate cake, layered with rich ganache icing, crusted with toasted coconut and garnished with chocolate shavings and strawberries) and Texas Pecan Cake $8.95 (white cake with shredded sugared pecans and homemade whipped cream frosting, garnished with chopped sugared pecans and caramel sauce). Both where really good, if I was to get another one I would go with the Pecan Cake the Chocolate Cake was good, but a little too rich for me.

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I can’t wait to go back. That salad I’ll be having dreams about for a while! Be sure you sign up for their email list, they will send you a free appetizer via email that’s good for 14 days.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

024 Grille

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Trying to take advantage of Houston Restaurant Weeks we like to try as many new restaurants as we can.  We met up with some friends at the 024 Grille which is located in the Westin Hotel. They also have a lounge area which is really cool with a huge water wall.

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While we looked over the menu we snacked on the bread and butter. We all decided the walnut raisin bread was amazing.

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In addition to the Restaurant Week Menu I ordered a bowl of the Shrimp Bisque $10 (with lemon crème fresh). Loved the flavor of this bisque and I would recommend ordering it again.

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For the first course we each ordered something different which ended up being all 3 items on the menu. Crispy Calamari $10 (Sweet Peppadew’s, Romesco), Grilled Jumbo Gulf Shrimp $14 (Crispy okra, sweet corn, smoked cocktail sauce), Coastal Crab Cakes $14 (blue crabmeat, spicy orange chili sauce, sautéed spinach).

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We where not fans of the calamari, it just reminded me of fish sticks. The grilled shrimp and crab cakes where both really good and I would order them again.

Next came an Intermezzo of passion fruit sorbet. Honestly I could have eaten a whole carton of this!

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For the second course we all ordered one of the items on the menu. Wasabi Pea Crusted Ahi Tuna $28 (chilled béarnaise, sweet soy), 10 NY Strip $35 (black truffle mac and cheese, 024 green peppercorn sauce béarnaise, sweet soy), Surf and Surf $29 (salmon meuniere, blue crab, creamy stone-ground grits, brown butter Florentine). The 10 oz steak wasn’t that good, but the mac and cheese is really good. The Ahi Tuna was a huge hit as was the surf and surf.

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By the time the third course came we where getting pretty full. Praline-Pecan Cheesecake $8 (chili spiked dark chocolate), Lavender Crème Brulee $8 (fresh berries, lemon madeleine cookie). Both desserts where good, however if you want a richer dessert then you’ll want the cheesecake the brulee was done perfectly and satisfied any dessert lover.

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I would for sure go back, the main complaint I had was that for being there at 6pm on a Sunday and only having 4 other tables seated it way too long for the service. We didn’t leave till almost 9pm. Our waitress was useless and didn’t fill water glasses, forgot wine orders and any other request we had she seemed to ignore.They also comp parking, but when we tried leaving the ticket she gave us didn’t work. For just D and I we would have spent $103 if we ordered off the regular menu, but with the Restaurant Week price of $35 a person we saved $33. Not too bad!