Wild Wing Cafe

We’ve been to Wild Wing Cafe a few times since they opened. I love their long menu of choices as well as all the sauce choices. We usually stick to just getting wings, because after all they are a wing place, but this time decided to try something different.

We started out on a bad foot. The waiter was really cocky and rude to us, he rolled his eyes when we had to flag him down to get a refill on our drinks. The other couple with us left him no tip with a comment saying he had a bad attitude. I find it annoying when you are a waiter or waitress who relies on tips and you treat people like they are a waste of time. I used to be a waitress a while back. You don’t know who’s who and just by making someone's day they surprise you with a big tip. Ok enough of my ranting on to the food.

They offer coupons every once in a while you can find them. I haven’t signed up on their website since we don’t got there that often anymore so I’m not 100% sure if they send you any kind of free items.

D and I ordered the No Bones About It Sampler $19.99 (8 nuggets, 6 chicken feathers and 6 chicken fingers) The waiter told us we can choose a sauce for each, cool no problem. Then we get the platter and the chicken fingers have no sauce! After flagging him down again he informs us “oh yeah they come in original and spicy, but you don’t get sauce”. WTC thanks for the selection and letting me decide what I want. Then he said sorry I’ll bring you the sauce you wanted in a dipper if that’s ok. Sure no problem. We got the bill and he charged us 25 cents for the sauce!!! So annoyed!!

Needless to say I don’t mind their wings they are good, but beware of these platters. I’ll go back but I won’t be sitting in this Daniel’s section!

Red Robin

I’ve always heard the catchy tune of Red Robin’s “yuuuummm”, but hadn’t tried them out until they built one near us. We originally tried them out when we where moved out of our house. (Click HERE for their website) The prices are a little high, but they promise gourmet food.

D ordered their Whiskey River Burger $9.29 (Don’t be afraid to get a little saucy. Basted with our signature Whiskey River® BBQ Sauce and lassoed together with Cheddar cheese, crispy onion straws, lettuce, fresh tomatoes & mayo.) The burger was good, but messy.

I got the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. (no longer on the menu) This was also pretty good and very filling.

If you sign up on their website you get a welcome discount and then on your birthday you get a free gourmet burger. We decided to go back again for our free burger for D’s birthday before heading to a movie. Another tip we learned on the movie preview screen is they have a deal for $30 which included dinner at Red Robbin’s and movie tickets.

We started out with the Towering Onion Rings $7.99 (13 rings tall, this proves we really know how to pick ’em and stack ’em. Sweet yellow onions — breaded & crisply fried. Served with tangy Campfire Sauce and ranch dressing for dippin.’) Although they where good, the tangy sauce was weird and it was totally not worth $8.

I went with the  Lone Star Burger $8.99 (From deep in the heart of Texas comes this charbroiled burger topped with melted Pepper-Jack cheese, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles & mayo.) I really liked it and would get it again.

D got the A.1.® PEPPERCORN BURGER $9.98 (Applewood smoked bacon, melted Pepper-Jack cheese, A.1.® peppercorn spread, crispy onion straws and fresh tomatoes on an onion bun. It’s a taste explosion!) He liked it, but wasn’t sure he would get it again.

The nice thing about this place is they have bottomless steak fries. We where too full to get more, but if you had a hungry group then it’s kindof nice.

Don’t forget to sign up online for discounts. I haven’t gotten too much spam emails from them just one every once in a while.

China Garden

Before heading into the Bon Jovi concert a group of us stopped in China Garden near the Toyota Center for dinner. Even though they where crowed we we seated right away and quickly put in our order and got our food.

Luckily we where with neighbors who understand I take lots of pictures so they gratefully passed the camera around and took pictures of their dishes. Here’s a run down of what all was ordered.

Pork Dumplings $6.99 No complaints they where good.

Mongolian Beef $11.99 (Marinated beef, stir-fried with onions and carrots in a sweet peppery sauce) By far one of the best Mongolian beef’s I’ve ever had!

Kung Pao Chicken $10.99 (Chicken stir-fried with diced vegetables in a spicy garlic sauce)

Lemon Chicken $12.99 (Lightly battered, crispy grilled topped with our famous lemon glaze)

Overall I really liked this place and would go back!

Brenner’s Steakhouse

For my husband’s birthday we decided to try a new place we hadn’t been yet. Brenner’s Steakhouse has been around forever in Houston. They opened up in 1936 and have been going strong ever since. There’s a great history section on their website which explains how they started out and expanded.

Since we there for an early dinner we got a nice seat next to the big windows overlooking the garden area. It’s hard to see from the picture, but it’s really a nice outdoor space. Too bad the weather was a little too warm to sit outside!

While we looked over the menus we snacked on some bread.

As an appetizer we decided to try Foie Gras for the first time. (Pan Seared Foie Gras Over A Bosc Pear & Granny Smith Apple Chutney
W/ A Balsamic Reduction) $17. Was it worth $17, uh no, but the flavors worked really well together, I just wished their was more on the plate.

We also split a bowl of Lobser Bisque $9 (Velvety Lobster Bisque Finished W/ Cognac & Sherry). I thought this was delicious, not too thick and not too thin. I could have had a whole pot of this.

For entrees I chose a 6oz Center Cut Filet Mignon $29 topped with Oscar $12 (Jumbo Lump Crabmeat In Béarnaise W/ Asparagus). I have had some good Oscar toppings, but this by far was one of my favorites. The sauce was nice and creamy and I really enjoyed that they used large lumps of crab meat. I ordered my steak medium-rare. One side was perfect the other side was really really rare. I suggest maybe ordering medium to be safe.

D decided to go with the 16 oz. Prime Ribeye $39 with a Truffle Butter $4. The steak was ok, but the truffle butter was AMAZING. Wow I wish I had a whole stick of this.

We ordered 2 family style sides, Creamed Spinach and Onion Rings $7 each. The creamed spinach was really bland and a little watery, I wouldn’t order it again. The onion rings where really good, I just wish it was a larger serving.

Overall, I’m on the fence as to if I would go back or not. It was just ok for a steak place when there are so many to choose from in Houston...

TQLA

TQLA (pronounced “tequila”) recently opened up in Houston paying homage to one of the fastest growing spirits in the world. The food isn’t your typical Mexican menu either, Chef Tommy Birdwell puts a Baja and Tex-Mex twist on many of his dishes. When you walk in you instantly get excited. Their red tiled bar grabs your eye and you can’t wait to sit down and flip through their extensive tequila menu. I really appreciated that they have descriptions below each tequila to clam down the overwhelming list of 180 tequilas.

We where here for a tasting party. So let me introduce you to Scott Lindsey. He’s a certified Tequilier and also the general manager.

I’m sure he was in shock with our group! There’s me taking pictures and writing notes the whole time and the other couple we where with questioning him about the details in the tequila making process because they are home brewers and scientist on top of that. Scott was fantastic and very patient with us answering all of our questions.

We where greeted with a margarita made of fresh lime juice, agave nectar, triple sec and Jose Chervo Plantino tequila. I really enjoyed this one, it wasn’t overwhelming with the tequila nor was it all just lime juice. A perfect balance in my opinion.

We also had the chips served with a roasted red salsa and pineapple salsa. I thought at first the pineapple salsa was a little too sweet, but after a couple of bites and hitting a few spice pockets I really liked it.

Scott let us snack and enjoy our margarita a little before heading back to our table to start the tasting portion of the evening.

 

Just like wine there’s several steps in tasting a tequila. First hold the glass up to the light to observe the color of the tequila, hold it to your nose and breathe in (smell is 60% of your first impression) then swirl the glass to observe the “legs”, taste by swirling in our mouth, and last taste again.

Here’s a few fun facts you might not know about tequila: There’s 150 different varieties of agave plants, but to be called a true tequila it needs to be made of 51% blue agave the remaining 49% is made up of sugar and other flavorings. Mexican law requires that in order for a spirit to bear the name tequila, it must be twice distilled. Only 5 states in Mexico produce tequila and 90% is produced in in the state of Jalisco. Tequila currently ranks 3rd as the most grossing spirit sold in the US, making it the fasted growing spirit with a 15% growth this year, 8% world wide. There are currently 2,000 brands in the US and 4,000 in the world. With a growing interest of tequila many celebrities are getting a piece of the action and investing in these companies. Paul Mitchell is the current owner of Patron.

The 3 tequilas Scott chose for us to try today where Jose Cuervo Tradicional, Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, Jose Cuervo Platino.

Jose Cuervo Platino (average cost of bottle is around $25) This silver tequila is mostly used in margaritas and cocktails. It’s aged 1-60 days which results in a clear color giving the taste a stronger cooked and raw agave flavor.

Jose Cuervo Tradicional (average cost of bottle is around $50) This tequila is aged in French Oak and Cherry Oak barrels for 6 months minimum, resulting in a gold and amber color. I thought this was a lot smoother to drink on the rocks, and is best served chilled.

Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia (average cost of bottle is around $130) Most anejo tequilas are aged 1-3 years, giving them a darker color. You’ll taste more toasted almonds, vanilla and cinnamon in this one which seemed to have a sweeter taste. This anejo was aged 3 years. I thought it was supper yummy and could have had a full glass of this after dinner.

Once we tasted each one and talked with Scott a while longer we each toasted our evening with another tequila which is on tap chilled with their hyper-cooled to 5 degrees F technology.

We got to meet Chef Tommy Birdwell before sitting back down and looking over the food menu for dinner.

Of course with our new found knowledge of tequila we ordered a round of margaritas. I chose a blood orange margarita $9. It had a little tartness and sweetness to it that I thought made a good balance.

D chose a Smoky Rita for $10.50. I really really don’t like these he was so excited since it reminded him of the one he had in Taos. (Click HERE for details). This one came with a worm though. He loved it and didn’t have to share with me so I was fine with that!

The other couple we where with chose a Watermelon Margarita $8.25. It was really tasty and refreshing.

As for food, two of us chose the Pumpkin Seed Crusted Salmon (Sautéed Salmon with Pumpkin Seeds, Fried Green Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers, Tequila Lime Butter and Green Chile Mashed Potatoes) $16.95. OMG this was to die for! I loved the green Chile mashed potatoes and the fish was cooked perfectly. The tequila lime butter was a nice surprise to add another layer of flavor to the dish. I highly recommend this dish.

Seared Ahi Tuna (Cast Iron Seared Ahi Tuna, Guava Chile Glaze, Tortilla Salad and Black Eye Pea Salsa) $18.95. This dish was equally as good and cooked perfectly. I was surprised how well the black eye pea salsa was, it did have a sweetness to it which I didn’t expect.

Los Cabos Beef Enchiladas (Grilled Skirt Streak with Queso, Cucumber Salad and Taqueria Sauce, served with Cilantro Rice and Black Beans) $14.95. The enchiladas where ok, the star of the dish seemed to be the rice and beans. I‘m not a huge cilantro fan, but it wasn’t an overwhelming flavor it was a nice balance. I also liked that the rice was nice and fluffy, nothing bothers me more then rice that’s hard and super dry from sitting out forever.

My overall opinion is I would good back. They offer tasting classes and you can check their website for more details or follow them on Twitter like I do. The menu prices seem a tad high, but you get what you pay for here and you’ll go home full and satisfied. I feel like this place will be around for years to come. More people need to experience tequila for the greatness it is rather then the cheap stuff people are forced to take shots of at parties. I can’t wait to go back and try new tequilas! We walked in not a huge fan of tequila, but walked out with more knowledge of what to look for and what we like. Just like a wine tasting you’ll come out learning something new and have a new appreciation for this spirit.

Victor’s

One of our favorite Mexican Restaurants happens to be Victor’s. We’ve never had anything bad here, the prices are reasonable and the wait staff is really nice. The place is pretty big. We happened to go right when they opened so it wasn’t very crowded, but here’s a look at the bar area right when you walk in and down one of the sides of the restaurant.

When you’re at a Mexican restaurant you have to have a margarita! The great thing about this place is they have happy hour specials Tuesday-Saturday 3pm-7pm on bottles of Beer (domestic $2, Import $2.50) and House Margaritas (frozen or rocks $3.50, swirl $4.95, gold $4). Two of these are you are good to go for the day!

We like to order the Mixed Fajitas (Chicken and Beef Fajitas served with rice, beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, grilled onions and flour tortillas) $26.90.

Be sure to sign up on their website for their loyal customers program. They don’t send out many emails, but when they do they are for free items and discounts.