MKT Bar

We where invited by another couple to have brunch at MKT Bar in town before heading to an Astros game later that day. We had never been before and didn’t know what to expect. First of all it’s in the bottom story of a grocery store which above that is apartments. I have died and gone to heaven! If I ever have to move out of my house I’m moving here…..I can’t imagine what my grocery bill would be if I had access to that downstairs!

Ok, moving on from my drooling on the location. We started out with Plantain Chips $8 (crispy, homemade plantain chips with mango salas and chimichurri). The sauces are amazing and the seasoning on the chips is really out of this world yummy. We also got an order of the MKT Queso $9 (melted beemster, sharp white cheddar, Gruyere and kefalograviera cheeses with grilled jalapeno, green olives, roasted peppers and oven – baked pita chips) Oh so yummy and thick and creamy!

I ordered a Cherry Italian Soda $3.50 which is to die for! I also ordered the Squashed Pizza $12 (Roasted butternut squash, roasted garlic, blue cheese, walnuts and fresh arugula on rustic ciabatta crust) The pizza was really flavorful and amazing, I know it looked pretty with the arugula whole, but I wished it was chopped up to make it easier to eat.

D ordered The Butcher Pizza $14 (House marinara, mozzarella, chorizo, Italian sausage, ground beef and sopressta on rustic ciabatta crust). He loved this pizza and all of the meats that came on it. The crust is really nice and not too thick either.

Our friends who where kind enough to let me take a picture of their food which was 2 different kinds of egg dishes. They both looked delicious!

I would love to come back here and try their food again. It was a great experience and I just wish I lived a little closer.

BJ’s Brewhouse

BJ’s is a great place with a huge variety on their menu. We used to drive to Sugar Land all the time until they opened a location closer to us. Be sure to sign up for their rewards card and email newsletter. If you like beer they usually do a monthly beer pairing dinner too. We haven’t gotten to go yet, but if we do I’m sure I’ll blog about it.

Usually when we come we order their Signature Deep Dish Pizzas because they are the best pizza we have ever had. We decided to branch out this time and explore the menu some.

This time we ordered the Avocado Egg Rolls $10.50 (A blend of avocados, cream cheese, sun‑dried tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, pine nuts, chipotle peppers and spices. Served with a sweet tamarind sauce.) This is one of their popular items, while it’s good there’s just so many other better items on their menu to order.

I ordered the Balsamic Chicken $13.95 (Our marinated chicken breasts grilled and served over baby field greens, caramelized onions and white cheddar mashed potatoes. Topped with crispy fried onion strings and drizzled with sweet balsamic glaze.) The dish sounds more exciting that it was. The chicken was just ehh, but at least the sides where good. I would for sure order another dish next time and pass on this one. It’s not one you’ll regret, but if you have never been here before you won’t rush back. 

D ordered the Crispy Jalapeno Burger $11.50 (Fried jalapeños, pepper jack cream cheese, chipotle mayonnaise, Baja sauce, red onions, tomato and lettuce.) It’s big and it’s messy. Not exactly first date food, but it is delicious and cooked just right.

We did get one of their famous pizookie, but if you tell them it’s your birthday you get one for free and save the $3.25 (small if it’s just 2 people at the table or $6.25 for regular size). Sometimes they are spot on and delicious, other times they over bake them. Can’t complain when it’s free, at least they don’t sing a song to you.

Post Mountain BBQ

So I had read a bunch of reviews for the best BBQ in Burnet, Texas and Post Mountain BBQ kept coming out ahead. I though I had seen it had been around for a long time, but when I asked they said only since 1997. Oh well. It’s a charming place inside with seating in and outdoors.

I did find it a little odd they didn’t offer chicken, but who knows maybe because they are a small town they don’t get a ton of options or they just rotate their menu around depending on what room they have on the pit. We ordered the 3 meat combo $14.49 that comes with 2 sides and we also got a slice of Pecan Pie $4.99.

The turkey had a nice smoke flavor, the brisket was really dry and the sausage was really good. I think the best part was their BBQ sauce. I probably would have drank it if there wasn’t anyone else around us. The pecan pie was just ok.

Don’t think I would stop back in but it’s not the worst we have ever had.

BRC GastroPub

I had been talking to a friend of mine about trying out a new place for brunch and we ended up settling on BRC. For those of you wondering what it stands for it’s a big red cock (as in rooster). You can’t miss this place there’s a huge rooster in the parking lot.

D is obsessed with onion rings $6.50 and normally while I fuss at him because we are so full after that and our meal, I have to admit they had a fantastic spicy mayo sauce to dip them in. This time he won and got praise for ordering them.

D ordered the Infamous Coop Style Burger $13.75 (chopped n’ griddled with jalapeno, onion, bacon, potatoes, chile con queso, 2 fried eggs). He honestly thought it was a burger, so just a heads up it’s not haha. He said it was good, but next time he would try something else.

I ordered the Fried Chicken Biscuits & Eggs $16 (Cheddar, cream gravy, sweet jalapeno, bacon jam, crispy fries). They are known for their bacon jam and biscuits so I figure this one would be a winner and it was. OMG the bacon jam is delish!! I ended up eating only half of one of the sandwiches because the portions are so huge and took the rest home for 2 more meals! I would order this again in a heart beat.

I would love to go back. The brunch is a little pricey, but you get nice huge portions so it’s worth while if you take some home. It’s not a very big place so you’ll need to go early or make a reservation.

D’Amico’s Italian Market and Cafe

I’ve had this place on my radar to try for a while now and finally got the chance to go with my mother in law while the boys where out tonight. D’Amico’s opened up a new Katy location which is in a perfect area to do some walking, shopping or let the kids play on the green areas afterwards. The inside is nicely laid out around the market counters and the tables are spaced so you don’t feel like you are on top of the person next to you.

We started out with a glass of wine while we snacked on bread and looked over the menu.

I ordered the Chicken Piccata $14.99 and my mother in law ordered the Veal Piccata $17.99 (sautéed in a lemon butter white wine sauce with artichoke hearts, served with linguini marinara). The meal also comes with your choice of house salad or Caesar salad.

Where do I begin? The Caesar salad tasted a little watered down like they didn’t dry the leaves and mixed in a tiny spoonful of dressing so of course it looked like it was dressed, but it wasn’t. Mother in law liked the House salad and said it was nice and creamy and not under dressed. As for the chicken piccata….the sauce was good, they just needed more of it. You don’t see artichoke hearts in the dish all the time so that was a nice touch. I didn’t care for it being sautéed I like the fried coating that is usually on the chicken. The marinara sauce on the pasta was another item for discussion….It had a tin/medicine taste to it. I’ve never had a sauce this bad. I suggest requesting their other pasta sauce over this one. I added so much parmesan and red pepper flakes and it still didn’t kill that awful taste.

Would I come back? I usually like to give a place 2 visits so I’ll be back one more time. I should have gone with the popular Crawfish Ravioli people on FourSquare raved about. As of now I’m not itching to run back.

Maggiano’s Little Italy

By far one of my favorite Italian restaurants has to be Maggiano’s Little Italy! The portions are huge and they have that dark rice wood feeling inside with the waiters dressed to impress. Since it’s further in town from our house we don’t get there as often as we would like. Not to mention you feel like you have to roll out of the restaurant with the huge portions they give you. I strongly recommend the Family Style menu it’s the most bang for your buck and never ending dishes. Usually we’ll order an extra round of each course then package it up to go.

While we waited for a table to clear we ordered a round of drinks at the bar. I got a lemon drop martini and D ordered a Catcher in the Rye (Knob Creek Rye, Luxardo Marashino, Simple Syrup, Old Fashion Bitters). I have to say his cocktail was amazing and I’ll be switching over to that next time we go!

Once our table was ready we headed into the dining room and started our order with Calamari Fritte $11.50 (Crispy calamari, served with marinara sauce) and Mozzarella Marinara $9.50 (Breaded mozzarella, served with marinara sauce). It’s our guilty pleasure, but oh is it worth it!

We ordered a Maggiano's Side Salad $4.95 each (Iceberg and romaine lettuce, crumbled bleu cheese, crispy prosciutto and red onions. Served with our signature house dressing.) It wasn’t the usual salad we get and love which is the chopped salad. It was my fault and I was mainly distracted with our child that just woke up from a nap. It was ok, we just love their chopped on better.

For the entrée we ordered the Crab & Shrimp Cannelloni $17.50 (Roasted red peppers, Asiago cheese sauce and seasoned breadcrumbs) and Chicken Piccata $16.50 (Chicken breasts sauteed with capers and lemon butter with angel hair aglio olio) as well as the Fettuccine Alfredo $14.95 (Fettuccine tossed with garlic in an Asiago cream sauce). We planned on only eating half and taking the rest home so don’t judge me for ordering so much haha. First of all the cannelloni is worth whatever they charge because it just melts in your mouth. I’m drooling just thinking of how good it was!! Of course everything else was really good too, no complaints.

You can’t leave Maggiano’s without ordering the N.Y. Style Cheesecake, Seasonal Fruit $7.95 (New York style Ricotta cheesecake topped with fresh berries and whipped cream). Truth be told all of the desserts we’ve ever had there are amazing. We got this to go and I forgot to take a picture of it for you.

It’s worth every penny to eat here. If you sign up for their email list they send out a free appetizer or dessert. It varies from when I’ve seen friends sign up.

Baby A’s

While in Austin sight seeing we decided to try out the highly raved Baby A’s.

They have huge patio areas. Here’s just one of the indoor covered patios they have.

Their salsa was really good and their chips had a nice flavoring to them.

The cocktails here are worth the stop. The food not so much so coming back is a hard call, because if I did come back it would be for a drink and not the food. It’s almost like that food you get because you’re drunk and hungry, but you can’t remember how it was the next day.

The fajitas where not good, which is hard for me to say because usually you have half of it good. Sizzling Fajitas $22.99 (Beef or chicken choose corn tortillas for gluten free. Roll your own tacos with our beef or chicken fajitas, cooked with bell peppers & onions. Served with refried or charro beans, rice, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo and flour tortillas)

D ordered a bowl of their famous tortilla soup. It was watered down and didn’t have much to it. The chicken in it was good, but you have to watch out for bones. $5.75 (Marinated, slow cooked shredded chicken, sliced avocado, monterey jack cheese, spicy chipotle sauce over corn tortilla strips. Seved with homemade mexican rice, fresh cilantro, onions and lime.)

D fell in love with the Spicy Cucumber Margarita. It’s strange and has a little kick to it, but he had 2 and couldn’t stop talking about it.

I read a lot of people rave about the Purple Margarita, which they limit you to 2 for a reason. This thing will kick your butt once it sets in. It’s really good! I also got a coconut margarita which I could drink all day long on the beach or by the pool.

Like I said I won’t go back unless we are grabbing a drink. There’s plenty of other amazing restaurants to eat at in the area that are better than this.