Memorial Day Brunch @ Pondicheri

Who doesn't love holidays and what better way to celebrate than with brunch? Brunch/breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, I really can care less about lunch and dinner. There's just something so fun about waking up and eating and starting the day as if you're on vacation. And that's exactly what I did on my day off.

I finally paid a visit to Pondicheri at West Ave. and this place is lovely. Booming with people and fragrant spices, I think I've found my new favorite breakfast place (sorry Barnaby's). That's my plate there, the Masala Eggs which came with a carrot paratha and a choice of either the saffron yogurt or the amchur potatoes. The obvious choice was the potatoes. I really loved this dish and it was pretty decently priced at $8. That carrot paratha is addictive, I can eat that all day. The potatoes are a nice spin on your regular breakfast potatoes and I'm intrigued by amchur/amchoor now.

This is the breakfast thali ($12) my sister ordered which was recently featured on Food & Wine's Houston in 10 Plates article. I should mention that they participate in meatless Mondays... so today their menu offered only vegetarian options. I don't know all the sides, but I tried some of it and it was delicious.

Bro-in-law ordered the Railway Omelette ($10) which is just a mish mash of everything in an omelette atop a carrot paratha. I didn't try but I hear it was good.

Upstairs they have their bake lab + shop, which is a bakery as well as a spice shop. I was perusing the selections while waiting for my sister and was tempted to get the Parsi eggs. Doesn't that look delicious?

These biscuits are humongous and look pretty scrumptious too. I believe on certain days they offer it in an egg sandwich, although I didn't see it on the menu.

A couple of their other offerings... There were a lot more when I came back after eating breakfast downstairs. As I sat there with a cup of coffee waiting for my sister, it was absolute torture to smell all the wonderful baked goods coming fresh out of the oven.

And so I ended up getting some cookies (3 for $6 or $2.50 each). From front to back are: coconut mint (actual mint leaves in the cookie), chili chocolate chip (so gooey), a gluten free chocolate, hazelnut, basil cookie (love the basil against the dark chocolate). The service up here was phenomenal and I didn't catch his name, but the older gentleman who seemed to be heading the area was extremely knowledgeable. We asked if a certain chocolate brioche had nuts and he checked and said no, BUT warned us that their bake shop utilizes nuts all the time so it wouldn't be safe to eat if there was a nut allergy. And I noticed that he used separate tongs for the gluten-free cookie (for all those suffering from celiac disease). And they have a cookie card! Buy 9 and get the 10th free. I'll be taking advantage of this, maybe a little too much.

Pondicheri (Bake Lab is upstairs, accessible via stairs outside)
2800 Kirby, Ste. B132
Houston, Texas 77098
713.522.2022
Breakfast menu served until 3 pm everyday! Don't forget meatless Mondays.

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Houston: Local Foods Review (Upper Kirby Location)

Just looking at that salad is making me hungry. I haven't craved a salad this much for a long time. Until I tried Local Foods. It's been on my radar and on my "to try" list for awhile now. Local Foods is fairly new and looks to be owned by Benjy's. The Upper Kirby location is new with the original in Rice Village. To be honest, I hadn't gone until now because I hate driving and parking in the Rice Village area, especially during peak hours for dining. It's just not fun.

I had a pedicure day over at Isle Pedi Spa with my mom and sister and we walked across the street to get dinner afterwards. The restaurant is so cute and inhabits what used to be Taco Milagro. We came early around 5:45 pm so there was  no wait. It's a big location with a nice and airy feeling and they even have an outdoor patio area with fake grass and umbrellas at some of the dining tables. Once it's cooler, I will definitely choose the outdoor dining area.

You order at the counter and seat yourself - in addition to various options of long and round tables for bigger parties, there are booths for more privacy. Upon walking in, there is a menu stand at the front on individual clipboards. They do change their menu regularly with different options at each of their two locations. Even the sides are slightly different between the two restaurants. The Upper Kirby location has a non-sandwich dinner menu that's limited but a good option for those who do not want a salad or sandwich.

The specials are listed on a big white board near the front ordering area. I was tempted to order the Fig Cream Cheese Empanadas - don't they sound amazing? I don't know what Dublin Red Sorbet is, but it sounded interesting.

When we got to the register, the cashier noticed there was a toddler with us and immediately told us they offer a PB&J or a Grilled Cheese Sandwich for toddlers and comes with one side. Well, my poor little niece is unfortunately allergic to nuts so we opted for the grilled cheese sandwich. It's not listed on the menu and I think the price was pretty cheap, maybe $4 or $5.

My sister got her a side of watermelon. The sandwich was served on their pretzel bun and cut into four quadrants. I wanted to eat a corner, but I can't steal food from a kid. My niece finished the whole thing and she doesn't usually eat this well at restaurants or finish. It was clearly a winner for the little monster.

I ordered the Panzanella Salad with dressing on the side. I believe that is french dressing which was the perfect amount of tang and sweet. The chicken is shredded white meat atop kale and topped with pepperoncini peppers, pickled red onion, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, and a generous garnish of basil. Oh yeah, can't forget the croutons, it was a mixture of the different breads they use for their sandwiches.

Look at how fresh the ingredients are! The kalamata olives really boosted the salad and the basil was something different for salad in a really good way. I actually ordered the salad because of the basil since I've been on a basil kick lately. The dressing was not oily and didn't leave a film in my mouth like some dressings do. The kale was hearty and filling and did not contain any tough parts - they really give you the quality parts of kale and no stems were anywhere to be found. Oh and the croutons were amazing! Really so simple but their bread is great. I will definitely try a sandwich next time.

My mom loves seafood and I ordered her the Gulf Shrimp and Blue Crab sandwich and chose the quinoa and the beets for her sides, which are included. This sandwich is served on ciabatta bread with green goddess dressing, picked red onion, tomato and lettuce. I did my research on Yelp and found that this is one of their popular sandwiches and I can see why.

They are not cheap about filling the sandwich with the crab and shrimp salad and don't overdo the mayo/dressing. The seafood flavor shined through and wasn't overpowered by the dressing. It paired well with the ciabatta but my mom liked the pretzel bread that was served with the Truffled Egg Salad sandwich my sister ordered (scroll down). I like to go with whatever the chef creates because... well the chef is trained and probably already ran a couple experiments on what pairs best with what. Then after first tasting do I attempt to customize it, which sometimes bombs. But you can never go wrong with bread right?

The sides were a pretty generous serving and very fresh. The beets are raw and not heavily marinated. That being said, you might want to like beets to order this - I know some people absolutely hate beets. The other side was the quinoa and it was so refreshing! I don't know how else to describe it except bright. It was seasoned with a slight tang and sweetness to highlight all the different herbs and vegetables in the salad. My mom was pretty happy with both sides.

My sister ordered the Truffled Egg Salad sandwich on a pretzel bun with sides of quinoa and potato salad. Okay, so their pretzel bread is amazing. I mean absolutely amazing! I liked the ciabatta bread on the Gulf Shrimp and Blue Crab sandwich, but the pretzel bread had such a great aroma of, well, pretzels and the crust was a satisfying thin combination of crunchy and chewy while the inside was still soft but not too airy.

My sister and my mom split each other's sandwich to get a taste of everything. I also tried some and the egg salad was really good. It's simple but tasty with a light truffle flavor to it. The egg salad was not heavily drenched in mayo and allowed the yolk to lend to the creamy profile of the filling. Local Foods definitely knows how to balance fats with their meals. Nothing was overly creamy or oily here.

The potato salad... was not the star of the show. I personally liked it because it's heavy on the dill and heavier on the mustard, but my sister likes the southern style potato salad. This was a little salty though. If they just cut back the salt a little, it would be another winner for those who like a tangier potato salad and love dill.

I can't wait to go back to Local Foods and try everything else here. The flavors are bright and fresh, atmosphere relaxed and clean, and just overall a fun place to eat lunch or dinner and catch up. They have vegan items as well for those interested.

Local Foods

Upper Kirby
Open every day 10 am – 9 pm
713-255-4440
2555 Kirby Drive
Houston, Texas 77019

Rice Village
Open everyday 10 am – 8:30 pm
713-521-7800
2424 Dunstan Road
Houston, Texas 77005

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Houston: Common Bond Bakery Review

Doesn't that look absolutely luscious? Well it tasted that way too. Common Bond Bakery opened up not too long ago in my area. I would have to say it's the first of its kind in Houston. A true French bakery? Now, I've never been to France, but I have had the privilege of getting a taste of what the French get to indulge in by experiencing the patisseries in Las Vegas by French chefs. Common Bond can definitely go head-to-head with those bakeries in Vegas (Bouchon, Jean Philippe, Payard). I had hoped to try their croissants, but I didn't get to the bakery until 4 pm on Saturday afternoon and they were all sold out =(. But I snagged some pastries and a baguette so I was still a happy gal.

I ended up ordering the raspberry pistachio tart (I love pistachio in any dessert), peanut butter chocolate cupcake, kugelhopf, and a baguette. It was tempting to order everything on display, but Common Bond Bakery is here to stay - try it and you'll agree - so I needn't worry about hoarding all the desserts like it's the end of the world. I was in a hurry so I couldn't get any pictures of the cute cafe, but it's right in the heart of the city and the cafe is fun. I'll get some pictures next time of the cafe as well as the flat white I tried.

Where to begin? Let's start with the baguette. The baguette is beautiful - nice crust that's not too thin or too thick with just the perfect crunch to break into the chewy dough awaiting inside. The aroma is lightly yeasty and tastes freshly baked. I can eat this bread every day; paired with some Truffle Fromager d'Affinois, jam, butter, or plain and on its own, this baguette hits all the notes.

The pistachio raspberry tart took me by surprise. I had expected a stronger pistachio flavor - one that I am accustomed to with hints of bitter almond oil which is so often added to pistachio paste. This pistachio tart however was purely pistachio. The shortbread crust was so buttery and not too sweet. Then there was a layer of what was like a pistachio version of marzipan or probably pistachio paste, then a beautifully piped pistachio custard all around, topped with fresh raspberries and some more pistachios. I do wish it had a stronger flavor since pistachios do not have that strong of a taste, but this tart was still good and I would order it again. That crust.... should be the crust of my apple pie for the holidays. Hmmm... then that would be an apple tart, duh.

So I absolutely love peanut butter. Peanut butter in everything. I've eaten peanut butter so many ways, but nothing beats a big chunk of peanut butter frosting. Sprinkled with cocoa nibs, I think there may be a little sprinkling of fleur de sel as well.

I certainly had a hell of a time peeling off the thick liner that encircled the cupcake. It's perfect if you're going to eat out of the liner, but I wanted to see the actual cupcake for pictures. The frosting is most likely an italian meringue buttercream whipped to an airy perfection with just the right amount of peanut butter. I prefer italian meringue buttercream because it's not so gritty and never too sweet. I'm over the cupcake craze but this was the best cupcake I've ever had. The chocolate cupcake was so moist and paired with the peanut butter frosting, it practically melted together in my mouth. I don't think I can ever go back to any other cupcakery, ever. Now I'm curious about the cupcakes at Jean Philippe and Bouchon Bakery - as many times as I've gone, I've never ordered cupcakes there. I shall next year and report back when I do.

It seems in recent years that yeast-based pastries have become ever so popular and I've yet to try a kouign amman, but I did grab this cute little kugelhopf. I think my taste buds have changed and I actually liked this the most out of the three pastries. I chose this over frosting and custard? I can't believe it myself. But I think I've gotten over the heavy feeling after eating globs of butter and cream and prefer something a little drier.

After cutting the kugelhopf in half, I found some yellow raisins! Yeah, I really need to catch up on these yeast-based pastries that seem to always have dried fruit of some sort. I'm not that surprised how much I really liked this considering I'm obsessed with stollen and panettone... especially stollen. If you like either of those, I'm pretty sure you'll like kugelhopf. This little pastry is crusted with sugar and has hints of citrus and vanilla. It was moist but not overly so like a cupcake. I also like that it wasn't overloaded with raisins and it's a nice accompaniment to a coffee break or "light" breakfast. I really liked the contrasting textures of the sugar-coated crust and spongy crumb inside. Oh I need to get another one of these soon!

If you've not been to Common Bond Bakery, hurry on over there and try their coffee and pastries. Hopefully you'll be luckier than I was and get to try their famous croissants!

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Houston: Trellis Spa Review

This past Saturday, my sister cashed in my birthday gift to her (back in April) for a day at Trellis Spa at the Houstonian. If you've ever had the opportunity to go to this spa, you know you're in for a treat! It's the best spa I've tried out, although I haven't been to many. This is your top choice in Houston though, from location, to service, to amenities, and even the food. We both got a deep tissue massage and it's one of those "it hurts so good" type massages. I definitely needed it since I've been working on my deadlifts and stacking on more plates. We reserved lunch after our service and they have to have orders 24 hours prior to prepare it. This was odd I thought. The last time I went, we could just order like you would at a restaurant. Now, you have to reserve your meal.

Well, they brought out the wrong thing. I requested the Chicken Southwest Caesar Wrap as a salad with dressing on the side and they confirmed this for me twice. They even said "you want it as a salad?" to which I responded yes. The server was a little standoffish and was trying to argue. I guess a supervisor or so came out and she verified with me if I ordered it as a salad and I responded, yes it was confirmed as a salad, twice. She apologized for the miscommunication and said that she would remove the charge and if I wanted something else, she could check what was available in the kitchen, otherwise it would take 20 minutes to prepare. I told her it was okay and just ate the chicken and salad out of the tortilla wrap.

Anyway, I thought that was pretty good service but the server still should be a little less standoffish next time. I'm not trying to be a snob, but when 1) I ordered ahead and was confirmed in their words that I wanted it "as a salad," and 2) I was confirmed my dish again upon checking in, and 3) I pay a pretty good amount for top of the line services, I expect to be served what I ordered and if it was a mistake, not to be spoken to like it was my fault.

Anyhoo, this is a food blog, I'm done ranting. The chicken was abundant and the salad contained cotija cheese, fresh corn, black beans, and pumpkin seeds. On the side it came with avocado and tomato slices. I could have easily ate the whole thing without utilizing the dip, which was some sort of chipotle ranch. But I wanted to indulge a little and dipped it in the dressing. It was sooooo creamy! Had a nice little kick to it as well and great flavor. The chicken was moist and the pumpkin seeds complemented the salad very well. I would've never thought to add any kind of seeds to a wrap, but it worked well. I would definitely order this again. I'm sure if I ate the wrap too, I would be bloated, but not if I ate maybe one or two segments out of the three. No one wants to leave a spa bloated, especially after a relaxing massage.

My sister ordered the Seared Moroccan Spiced Tuna with the request of no feta cheese since she didn't really like it. It came with some sort of pesto/vinaigrette to dress the salad mixture of pearl couscous, arugula, fennel, pistachio, and dried cranberries. I am allergic to avocados which came with my dish so I gave it to her.

She poured the vinaigrette over her tuna and salad and said it was pretty good and refreshing. She also said the avocado worked really well with it all so I think she would request avocado with it next time we went. I didn't try it but it looked refreshing. Maybe next time? It certainly looks delicious.

There aren't that many offerings on the Trellis Spa dining menu but I've never had a bad experience with their food. The ingredients used are fresh and simple but yet so flavorful. Their quinoa dish is excellent by the way. Definitely plan for lunch here if you're getting services done. I had originally planned to eat elsewhere, but my sister wanted to take in the experience and dine outside on the patio after our massages and it was a treat to do so.

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Houston: Yard House Review

So.... My birthday just passed and I took some downtime just to sit around and do nothing, which equates to a good birthday - ignoring the world and just taking some time for myself. My sister and her husband took me out to Yard House for a birthday dinner. I've been wanting to try their food (yes I know, it's a chain) and I opted for their 5 oz grilled burger with a side salad. Their menu is quite extensive so I had a tough time making a decision, but I haven't ordered a burger since I started eating meat again and thought my birthday would be a good time to do it. Not to mention I also was craving it.

We got there around 6:30 with no wait. Inside is a little dark and the spacing and placement of the dining tables is kind of weird, kind of random.

When they brought out the courses, it was a little disorganized and the server called it a turkey burger... then I clarified and said beef? And his response? Turkey burger, under 600 calories. I'm like okay, turkey and beef is not the same thing, but okay. It's obviously beef. I was a little annoyed - they should know what they are serving their customers... since we ordered it.

Anyway, the burger came with dressing on the side for the salad and the burgers open-faced. I ate the salad first and always save the best for last. The dressing was a little tart, but good. It was salty, but I prefer it that way for a liquidy dressing. The burger came on a potato bun with lettuce, red onions, and a very mild pickle that wasn't overpowering on the burger. I think I would have preferred a more traditional and saltier pickle slice, but it wasn't bad.

I "assembled" my burger and had a tough time cutting it in half. As you can see, the patty didn't really stay together. At all. I might as well ate it with the toothpick still in to hold it all together. It was a little more done than I preferred too. But I still enjoyed it. I'm not a food snob. I'm more of a goat. I eat everything. And then I lick the bowl clean.

The buns were toasted nicely and without any butter, so I guess they really follow the standards for their healthy options. The patty tasted nice and slightly smokey like a burger should be. I think it could have used a smidge more seasoning, but it was still good. Not outstanding, but it was satisfying for a non-unhealthy option. This is coming from a gal who eats baked chicken breast and turkey meatballs everyday.

Okay, so my order didn't come with fries, but I couldn't resist trying some of the fries that came with my sister's dish. It was pretty good! She didn't order the truffle version, just the regular and they are nice and crispy as well as a skinnier fry which I prefer. Wider fries usually are too starchy and I get tired of chewing it. I don't think these were seasoned though. They came naked and even in the picture, you don't really see any salt.

The service was... a little annoying. I appreciate the fact that the waiter really tried, but it was desperate and as though he was trying to make up for his lack of professionalism. He bumped into my 2 year old niece! I mean, she's only two, she could easily fall out of the chair. What did he do, just glance back and waived his hand apologetically while looking onward not to even check she was okay. It was more of a "what did I bump into, whoops" type thing. The waitstaff was pretty amateur.

Would I return to Yard House? I'll give it another shot. But it's what I expected from a chain restaurant.

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Houston: Ruggles Green (Citycentre Location)

I really don't like Citycentre. It's so crowded and it for some reason comes off as really touristy. I have nothing against touristy places, but for the first time, I can slightly understand the frustration some New Yorkers seem to have with tourists in their city. Just slightly. It can be frustrating to go out in your own city but be bombarded with crowds of people who don't know where they're going or driving.

Anyway, I digress. This is a review of Ruggles Green which has become less and less my favorite lately. Ruggles Green has been one of my favorite restaurants in Houston, from their most amazing salads, to their veggie burger, to their Charlotte's Web dessert (I don't share this one, I don't care if I get overly full). But lately, it seems that with their recent expansions, they are going down a slippery slope. Quality control is lacking and consistency? Well you can forget about that. I've found the River Oaks and Heights location to have the best food. Ambiance is a lot nicer too. I've been to their Sugar Land and Citycentre location and the food always seem off - underseasoned, overcooked, bland.

The Citycentre location gets really dark and it's annoying. I hate how their restrooms are set up too. Oh another thing I don't like about Citycentre? I could not find restrooms anywhere on their map. I'm not one to go to a restaurant's restroom unless I'm dining there since I personally think it's a bit rude. If you're going to open a shopping area like that, you have to have restrooms! Okay, I'm done ranting. I'm really going to review the food now.

I ordered the spinach salad and added on a grilled chicken breast. You can see in the picture the chicken breast is severely overcooked. The edges were like jerky. I was really disappointed in this salad. The description emphasized bacon and bacon vinaigrette. Well I can tell you I really had to squint to find any bacon in the salad and simply crumbling bacon into plain vinaigrette does not make it bacon vinaigrette. The vinaigrette tasted good, but it is not bacon vinaigrette. Chicken was sweet, I was looking for simply grilled, non-overcooked and non-dry chicken breast. I got the opposite. I was hungry after this.

My sister ordered the buffalo burger with swiss cheese. She said it was a little drier than usual but didn't have too many complaints. For the record, my sister is not really a foodie, so I don't really ask for her advice or opinion on food.

I usually order the buffalo burger for my mom, but since the last one from the Sugar Land location was dry, I asked her if she wanted to try something different and so we ordered the kobe beef burger topped with mozzarella. I usually order all their burgers with mozzarella here because it tastes so fresh and creamy. We also always get sweet potato fries - they have the best sweet potato fries... in Houston so far. I sampled some of the beef and it was actually really good! It was seasoned well with some spices and it wasn't overly dry, although it was a little more cooked than what we had asked for. I like how it was nicely charred and not dry. Oh and being a bread lover, their wheat buns they use for their burger tastes awesome. It's not dry and plain like some other places serving up wheat buns. My mom didn't have any complaints about this burger and it's probably her new favorite at Ruggles. I'm going to have to try to order this next time!

I've always loved the sweet pickles at Ruggles, but this particular location seems to have confused the salt and sugar jars because this thing was PURE SALT. What the hell. How the hell do you mess up pickles? It was just so annoying how careless they were at this location. Something so simple...

We also helped ourselves to some pineapple pico de gallo. It was good and basic, but it was fresh and bright. Definitely add it to your burger to add dimension in flavor.

Ruggles Green has a couple locations and you can find it on their website. I almost don't even want to tell you where the CityCentre location is because it was such a bad experience. But I realize not everyone lives inside the loop and it can be a bit far to go to my preferred locations, so here it is. It's in the Citycentre (duh) and you can find it in the central part of the center where the fake grassy area is - they usually have bands playing here. You order first and then sit down. The food is brought out to you. Their patio is dog-friendly and has plenty of outdoor seating. I would be wary of bringing my dog on crowded nights like the weekend since there are a lot of kids and parents who aren't watching their kids. If your dog might bite or you think your kids will provoke, don't bring him/her... unless you want a lawsuit for your dog biting someone's kid after telling them not to touch (at which point it's clearly THEIR fault, but government thinks all biting dogs should be put down regardless if the dog was provoked or not). Bitter much? I know that's what you're thinking. This experience sucked.

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Houston: BAMBU Desserts & Drinks (Stafford Location)

Growing up on the Vietnamese dessert che, I have been meaning to try BAMBU. Che ranges from coconutty creamy desserts with beans to rock sugar-sweetened cold soups with a variety of asian fruits, agar jelly, and seaweed. It sounds weird but it's awesome. My favorite growing up was che dau trang (white bean che). Beans are very often used in Asian desserts and are typically sweetened to make pastes just like how almonds are ground into a fine paste and made into marzipan. Red bean (usually adzuki beans), green bean (not like snap peas), mung beans, black eyed peas are some of the many beans used in these types of desserts.

I ordered #14, which has red bean, taro, and pandan jelly. I absolutely LOVE taro anything. Taro chips, taro buns, taro fries, and especially taro when it is made into a paste in Asian desserts. Made-to-order che always comes with shaved ice and this particular che had coconut milk. It wasn't as rich as the che I usually get at restaurants so there was a little disappointment there. I am one of those who have little of everything else and a big blob of coconut milk. The ratio is ridiculous when left up to me to top it off. When I ordered, they asked me if I wanted large red beans or small.... This was odd and I assumed the large red beans were regular red beans and small was adzuki, so I asked for small. Adzuki red beans taste different from regular red beans and the texture is firmer. The middle purple section was the mashed up taro paste (yum!) and the top layer was pandan jelly. Pandan is a staple flavor in a lot of southeast Asian and Filipino desserts. It comes from a leaf and has a very mild flavor, but I'm not sure if there really is anything I can compare the flavor to. You'll just have to try it out for yourself!

BAMBU made one of the best pandan jellies I've tasted- it was slightly chewy with a fresh pandan flavor. I do wish the taro had chunks with the paste, but it was still good. Overall, it wasn't too sweet and if anything, I preferred it to be a little sweeter. Does this beat the che at restaurants? No. This is great for getting if you're not eating out but keep in mind the coconut milk seems to be a little watered down. If I plan to be naughty, I'll take it home and top it off with some extra coconut milk of my own (ooooh, so good). The other difference between BAMBU che and the ones typically offered at restaurants is that it has taro and pandan jelly. I don't recall ever seeing taro offered at restaurants and it usually comes with green agar jelly instead.

My friend ordered #18 which is the same as #14 but with green bean instead.

I went to the Stafford store located in The Fountains shopping center off Hwy 59. They're popping up everywhere though and there is one within walking distance from my apartment which is great, because if I'm going to be consuming copious amounts of coconut milk in, I should get some walking in to lessen the dent. You can find what locations are available on the BAMBU website.

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Houston: BlackFinn American Grille

Did I ever mention how much I love ahi tuna? I do. I am a sushi fan and my friend reminded me I'm the one who introduced her to sushi over a decade ago, pre-vegetarian-then-back-to-carnivore days. I tried the whole fish thing after becoming unvegetarian and I got so tired of it. With the exception of rare tuna. There's that thing of not eating too much tuna due to mercury levels so I usually order it when I go out to eat since I don't eat out often. And for a special treat or home-cooked dinner, I'll buy some fresh ahi tuna and sear it myself. It's not exactly cheap, so I think I can manage to keep my mercury intake low.

Anyway, I went to BlackFinn American Grille on a Thursday in May for happy hour, although we were a little late. The dish above is the Ginger Tuna, which according to their menu is described as "sushi grade ahi steak seared rare, served with stir fry vegetables, smashed rice cake and citrus soy."

It didn't take long for this dish to come out. The tuna was indeed very rare which I loved and the vegetables were super buttered and since butter makes the world go round, it was delicious. The smashed rice cakes were a little bit soggy, but it was still good. I'm pretty sure it was sweet rice that was used and if you've even order the Ga Xoi Chien (Fried chicken and fried sweet rice patties) at Kim Son, this was a non-crispy soggy version of it. I use the word soggy, but it's not in a negative way. I thoroughly enjoyed this super wet rice patty. And this patty was already marinated with the soy sauce, reminiscent of teriyaki sauce. It was my favorite part of the dish. The little metal container of sauce that came with it was basically oil and perhaps cilantro? I'm not sure what herb was in there, but it probably had some soy as well. It may have had some sesame oil in it as well but it was for dipping the tuna which made it quite decadent.

So I did mention this was supposed to be a happy hour outing. I don't really drink much but it seems my group fitness instructor whose class I religiously attend every Tuesday afternoon is trying to get me into alcohol. Apparently, not drinking is a foreign concept to him. I was tempted to order their S'mores Martini, but opted for something a little less decadent and what seemed light, the Mango Sunrise. The menu describes it as "smirnoff mango vodka, mango puree, triple sec, sour mix, sprite." I thought the drink would be a little thicker due to the mango puree, but it was not... I couldn't even detect any mango puree in there. It was good nonetheless and I would recommend it for those who don't drink much alcohol since it is light on the alcohol. I only drank half.

Service was great here, our waitress (I can't remember her name) was so sweet and a little over-friendly, but she's just trying her best to provide great customer service. My instructor also invited some of his clients who brought their pomeranians and our waitress got water for the pooches! She's so sweet to be so considerate of the dogs. We of course sat on the patio. Houston is becoming more and more dog-friendly so you can add this to your list of dog-friendly restaurants.

I plan on going back to try their brunch offerings as well as some of their other dinner options! BlackFinn is located in midtown. High-quality food for a great price too. Definitely recommended!

Oh and by the way, the group fitness instructor that I mentioned - I've trained with him twice and he killed me, twice. And he kills me every Tuesday and the occasional Fridays I attend. He does killer TRX workouts but also works with weights, it's all up to you! I've done a TRX session with him as well as a heavy weight session and both times left me sore for days, and not just a little sore but the give-me-my-jar-of-peanut-butter-so-I-can-eat-in-bed-all-day sore. You can contact CJ Wagner via his LinkedIn profile.

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Exploring workout options, Teo Chew chinese food, and mango chips

It's been awhile since I've eaten at an Asian restaurant but after a heavy leg day today (and a good workout at Studio Fitness Heights - trying it out for now), I ended up going to get one of my favorite dishes since childhood at Tan Tan restaurant. It's called banh bot chien and and this restaurant makes the best. Many have tried to pull it off but no one comes near. I remember reading this is a Teo Chew dish which is hard to find these days.

It's made from rice flour, turnips (I think pickled turnips?) and eggs. This is what I ate throughout my childhood every time we came here to this restaurant. It's classified as an appetizer but it's easily a meal on it's own. Another childhood dish is crunchy fried noodles with a veggie and seafood stir-fry in brown sauce laying atop of it all. I love the contrast between the noodles that have already absorbed the sauce and the dry crunchy portion. This is another dish this restaurant is famous for.

Back to the workout at this new gym I'm trying out; my friend said he would help me so I'm debating if I should join. I tend to feel uncomfortable in the free weights section and generally around the machines. I also need someone to spot me so I can lift as heavy as I can and I refuse to ask strangers for help. It's a little farther than I'd like but my workouts will probably be quite a bit better having someone I know there to push me (and won't let me give up).

Anyway, earlier this week I went to Whole Foods and found popped mango chips with chili seasoning by Yogavive. My mom really likes dried chewy mango with chili seasoning, but that's often cooked in sugar so I decided to give these a try and maybe convert her to a less sugary alternative. This was not cheap. It was a little almost $4 for maybe a cup's worth of mango chips.

It's pretty good and can be addictive. But I learn to control myself when something is expensive (sometimes). It's a good alternative when I'm craving something crunchy. I like how the mangoes are kind of sticky when you start chewing on it; reminds me of the Mexican Lucas candy I used to eat growing up. I have an inkling that those Mexican mangonada drinks taste similar to this. That's on my list of foods to try. Perhaps in the hot and humid summer (will it ever come back?!).

With the weather warming up, I found some recipes for greek frozen froyo made at home, if I give it a try, I'll post the results!

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