Coffee and Tea – Page 15

Early Birthday Celebrations Continue … and Apurva!

May 12, 2017 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

The Breakfast Klub | Houston, Texas | Apurva and Wings and Waffles

Wings and Waffles [a golden Belgian waffle surrounded by 6 wing pieces and topped with powdered sugar and 1 fresh strawberry ] | $14.99

Apurva flew back to Texas for a wedding and she was generous enough to make time for me. I went and picked her up at seven in the morning and we headed to The Breakfast Klub. I could do without the waffle but the wings are to die for which is what they’re known for.

After chowing down we headed to Welcome Food Center so that she could buy tea for her aunt. This was also the time she whipped out this lovely wrapped present for my birthday.

Both of Mindy Kaling’s books. I’ve been waiting for them to go on sale to snag them but now I won’t have to.

She was going to be picked up to head to College Station for the wedding and since the person picking her up lived in Bellaire, it was only right to stay and grab some sweetness from Bambu.

They had such cute decor and we spent over an hour there just talking about the past, present, and future. She missed the silly face memo.

After hanging out with Apurva, I headed over to Scruffy’s house were I practically slept the whole entire time until we picked up Thai Cottage for my early birthday celebration dinner with his family.

2017 Birthday Lemon Cupcakes from Jamie

Jamie made and decorated lemon cupcakes. Scruffy tried to help while I was asleep — you can find his on the left. I thought it was adorable especially since he tried.

2017 Birthday Presents from Jamie and Ashy

I opened my plethora of presents from his parents. Jamie made me the dark chocolate orange cookies that I love!

After a bit later, I drove home before Brudda, SIL, and Emmy arrived. Brudda handed me my present which Rizzo was very intrigued with. While we were catching up with them, Mum and I “fought” to hold Emmy. She is so freaking precious and I’ll forever wish she was closer so I could watch her grow up more.

The Breakfast Klub
3711 Travis Street, Houston, Texas 77002 | (713) 528-8561 | Website | Yelp

Welcome Food Center
9180 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, Texas 77036 | (713) 270-7789 | Yelp

Bambu
10613 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, Texas 77072 | (832) 328-3900 | Website | Yelp

Thai Cottage
4723 Sweetwater Blvd, Sugar Land, Texas 77479 | (281) 313-0707 | Website | Yelp

2016 Colorado Trip

December 28, 2016 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

As promised, Colorado trip recap. This trip was only for a weekend, yet I was able to cross off a few things off my list!

Wednesday, December 14th

Since our flight wasn’t until 10 pm, we all went into work and Scruffy came to pick me up afterward. We finished our last minute packing and waited for Rami and Caitlin (who were going with us) to arrive. Then we had dinner with their parents before we headed off to the land of white.

We somehow scored a drink coupon and put it to use. A Bailey’s coffee and whiskey shot for me and a Lagunitas Ale and vodka (?) for him.

We landed and waited an extremely long time for our bags. Apparently, the trolley that carried our luggage broke down. Once we collected all of our bags, we headed outside where the cold, crisp air hit us in the face as we waited for our bus to take us to our car rental place.

After much debate on the car situation, we made our two-hour drive to Keystone. We were literally a minute away from our abode but a wrong turn costs us a two-hour delay due to us getting stuck in the snow. It was a freezing experience but a memory I won’t ever forget.

Thursday, December 15th

Rami and Caitlin went snowboarding while Scruffy and I dug the car out for a little adventure.

We had breakfast at

The Pour House
40 Cove Blvd
Dillon, CO 80435
(970) 368-6416
http://thepourhousecoffee.com

We split the Bagel Sammich [egg, cheddar cheese, sausage] | $6, and each got a Small Latte | $3.50. I forgot what type of lattes we got but we both loved the sandwich which also came with a side of honeydew. Yum!

After our tummies were full, Scruffy drove around as I snapped pictures of the gorgeous landscape. We walked into a gift shop but all they had were clothes. After a long while, we decided it was lunch time and went to

Zuma Roadhouse
91 River Run Rd
Dillon, CO 80435
(970) 262-2202
http://zumaroadhouse.com

Burgers and fries for him. Steak, fries, and potatoes for me. Mmmm … so much leftovers for dinner that night. After lunch, we headed to pick up our skis.

Christy Sports Rentals
23080 West Highway 6
Keystone, CO 80435
(970) 468-5775
http://rental.christysports.com/

They people there were very nice and got us fitted very fast. We then drove back home for nap time. I continued to sleep as Scruffy ran to the grocery store with Rami and Caitlin. When they came back, we watched telly, talked about our adventures, and ate our leftovers and whatever else they bought at the store.

Friday, December 16th

Ski day. Let’s just say, I am a horrible person to be around when I cannot do something. I gave up after a short while due to the ski boots cutting off my circulation. Hopefully, next time, if there is a next time, I can take snowboarding lessons and get fitted correctly.

While Scruffy snowboarded with Rami on top of the mountain, I went home and changed into my comfortable snow boots. I snapped some more pictures while I waited for the bus to meet them back up for a drink. It had been snowing all morning and was so happy to see this puppy in it’s element.

9280′ Tap House
140 Ida Belle Dr.
Keystone, CO 80435
(970) 496-4333

We drank our one and only beers before Rami went back up the mountain for a few more runs while Scruffy and I went on more adventures. We had dinner at

Sauce on the Blue
358 Blue River Parkway
Silverthrone, CO 80498
(970) 468-7488
http://sauceontheblue.com

We used the Bread | free to dip into our appetizer.

Sauteed Mussels [New Zealand green lipped mussels, basil pesto cream, crostini, shaved Parmesan] | $14 was my favourite dish there. I just love me some pesto and Parmesan. Mmm …

Chicken Parmesan [marinara, mozzarella, spaghetti, fresh vegetables] | $16

Chicken Marsala [mushroom Marsala sauce, fettuccine, fresh vegetables] | $19

The pastas weren’t bad. I would choose the chicken Parmesan which tasted better than the Marsala.

We headed back home and hung out a bit before Caitlin headed to bed. Scruffy and Rami set up the Wii in our room to play while I read magazines in bed before calling it a night.

Saturday, December 17th

We woke up to this sight. Inches and inches of snow piled on high.

Scruffy and I took the bus to River Run to do some shopping at various stores. We decided to eat something small and went into

Luigi’s Pasta House
140 Ida Belle Dr.
Keystone, CO 80435
(970) 468-0300

We threw back some beers and shared the Fat Luigi [5 meatballs, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese & marinara – add a sausage link for $2] | $10.

We added the sausage but my advice – skip the sausage and stick to the meatballs. The sausage was sub-par but the meatballs were on point.

When we asked if we could have some bread we were told that was only given during dinner time. They were nice enough to bring some to us though, with no charge. Great service!

We decided to dig the car out again for some more scenery shots and ended up at the

Beef Jerky Outlet
167 Wildernest Rd
Silverthorne, CO 80498
(970) 368-6196
https://summitcounty.beefjerkyoutlet.com/

where we each bought a bag for our dads. If you love beef jerky, this place has so many to choose from.

Later that night, we ordered delivery from

Last Chance Pizza Co.
40 Cove Blvd
Dillon, CO 80435
(970) 513-0900
http://lastchancepizza.com

The food wasn’t spectacular but it hit the spot as we spent the rest of the night playing card games, listening to music, and knocking back a few drinks.

Sunday, December 18th

We ate leftovers for breakfast, packed the rest of our stuff before heading out and took pictures. We made a stop at River Run and the Beef Jerky Outlet so Rami and Caitlin can do some souvenir shopping before ending up at

Sunshine Cafe
250 Summit Pl
Silverthrone, CO 80498
(970) 468-6663
http://locu.com

Scruffy and I split the Chicken Fried Steak [southern favorite served with vegetables, mashed potatoes, and gravy, and a roll] | $9.95, and Soup of the Day: Curry Soup | cup $3.95. We subbed french fries instead of veggies but as you can see from our plate, they probably thought we didn’t want mashed potatoes either and gave us a crap load of fries. I was sad we didn’t get to try the mashed potatoes but it was okay since we were stuffed. Definitely a good place to stop for breakfast/brunch.

We started our drive back to Denver making a stop at

Falling Rock Tap House
1919 Blake St
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 293-8338
http://fallingrocktaphouse.com

for a couple beers since we had time to kill before heading to dinner at

Ted’s Montana Grill
1685 Briargate Pkwy
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
(719) 598-6195
http://tedsmontanagrill.com

Pickled Cucumbers | free tasted a little weird at first but after a while, I couldn’t stop! My favourite were the ends while everyone else chomped on the middle parts.

Karen’s “Flying-D” Bison Chili | cup $5 wasn’t anything to rave about. I think Scruffy’s homemade chili tastes 95% better than that. I could be biased though.

Swiss and Mushroom Bison Burger [swiss, mushroom, sour cream] | $17

Green and Hot Bison Burger [pepper jack, grilled jalapeno, guacamole, chipotle ranch] | $17

Both the burgers were a handful. Literally! There were so many ingredients jammed in there – just like a burger should. If I ever have a chance to come back, I’d want to try the regular burger and see how it holds up.

After dinner we headed to the airport to fly back home in the land of the humid. On the flight back, we watched the movie, Chef, that I downloaded off Netflix and both ordered one drink to end the vacation. We were exhausted once we got back home and all we did was sleep in.

This trip was filled with many fails but those fails make great stories. I cannot wait for our next adventure together – once I save up enough money. Where are we headed, Scruffy?

When San Antonians Visit Houston

September 8, 2016 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

Friday, August 12th

Patricia, Amy, and Travis drove down after work from San Antonio to Houston to visit me that weekend. When they arrived, Scruffy and I met them at BJs for a few drinks before heading to our reservations at

Uncle Julio’s
20526 Katy Fwy
Katy, Texas 77450
(832) 464-8930
https://www.unclejulios.com/locations/katy/

Scruffy and I shared a taco plate since we ate previously. The food wasn’t that great but we weren’t really there for the food. We’ve seen a video passed around on Facebook about a dessert so we decided to try it out.

Uncle Julio's | Katy, Texas | Patricia & Chocolate Pinata

Patricia pre-pinata batting

The famous Chocolate Pinata [filled with homemade mini churros, fresh fruit and berries, served with raspberry, chocolate and caramel sauces and house-made whipped cream] | $25.

The best dessert I’ve had in forever. So freaking good. The churros were still crispy even though it was mixed with the fruit inside the pinata. And I never knew I could love tempered chocolate so much.

We said our farewells while they headed to their hotel to check in while Scruffy and I hung out for a little while back at my house before calling it a night.

Saturday, August 13th

I woke up bright and early and made my way to their hotel. I hung out with the girls for a bit before waking up Travis and headed to our $20 Houston Restaurant Week lunch reservations at

The Grove
1611 Lamar Street
Houston, Texas 77010
(713) 337-7321
http://thegrovehouston.com

Once we sat down, we were presented Salted Peanuts | free. They were pretty good and I wish we had more.

FIRST COURSE

I gobbled up the Deviled Eggs [smoked salmon, picked corn & chilies, rooftop dill, pickle juice vinagirette] in seconds. I wish there was more of this as well. I’ve never really been a big fan of deviled eggs since it’s ususally just mayo but this changed my outlook. Deviled eggs do not need to have mayo!

SECOND COURSE

I only ate the inside of the Crispy Chicken Sandwich [Tabasco honey, slaw, pickles, mayonnaise, seasoned fries] and it was delicious. Plus nothing can ever go wrong with fries!

Discovery Green | Houston, Texas | Photoshoot

Top: Patricia, Me, Amy Bottom: Patricia, Travis, Me, Amy

We walked around Discovery Green and took some pictures in front of the colorful buildings.

We were mostly walking around Discovery Green to catch Pokemon as was everyone else in the world. Travis and Patricia were very into it and we ran into this billboard with rules for Discovery Green. Too funny and a little sad.

We ran into this gorgeous piece of art. I’m in love and wish I can have something like this up on my wall one day. Sigh … someone make me one?

We then went to drop off Patricia’s car at Sissy’s to save money since I planned to stay over at the hotel. Afterward we stopped for a coffee break at

Tout Suite
2001 Commerce Street
Houston, Texas 77002
(713) 227-8688
http://toutsuite.co

Trying to be artsy with Amy’s espresso and the macarons Patricia bought for the girls. Since she didn’t get Travis one, I gave mine to him instead.

Tout Suite | Houston, Texas | Mellie Dee & Travis

Me & Travis

Amy got this picture of me while I was taking pictures of the food while Travis ignored the girls being girls talking about random crap.

We planned to go to the brewery but realized it was going to close in a few minutes so I took Amy and Travis back to the hotel so that they could take a nap. Then Patricia and I went to the Galleria since she needed to get another shirt. Someone didn’t pack enough clothes. haha

Me, Amy, Patricia

Along the way plans changed and I went to drop Patricia back off at her car while she drove back to the hotel and I went to go pick up Sammy up before heading to the hotel as well. We all pregame while getting ready before heading to our reservations for dinner at

Arcodoro
5000 Westheimer Road
Houston, Texas 77056
(713) 621-6888
http://arcodoro.com

They had a Houston Restaurant Week menu but we weren’t a big fan of it at all so we all ordered off the menu a la carte.

Bread | free was very dry even with the olive oil. I wasn’t a big fan.

Scruffy and I shared the Carpaccio di Manzo al Tartufo [paper-thin slices of raw beef filet mignon topped with creamy black truffle dressing & micro greens] | $15 which was so freaking good. I wish we ordered more of these and just kept eating it until we were full.

Arcodoro | Houston, Texas | Travis, Amy, Patricia, Mellie Dee, Scruffy

Group Picture: Travis, Amy, Patricia, Me, Scruffy

Mum texted asking for a picture of the group. She’s met everyone but Amy and wanted to see how much the other two has changed since she last saw them.

We also shared the Paella Sardinian Style [Fregula simmered with saffron lobster stock & a medley of scampi, shrimp, mussels, clams, calamari & sea bream fillet] | $42 which wasn’t as great as the one Scruffy and I had at Fernando’s. We were pretty disappointed especially with how much it cost.

Arcodoro | Houston, Texas | Mellie Dee & Scruffy Selfies

Me & Scruffy being sillies

I know he’s not a big fan of pictures so I’m always delighted when he gives in and takes any kind of picture with me.

The fellas wanted to go to a piano bar and since we wanted to stay close by, Scruffy found

Caps Piano Bar
2610 Briar Ridge Drive
Houston, Texas 77057
(713) 784-0024
http://capspianobar.com

Online, it states it’s an older crowd and well … they weren’t lying. The crowd was over the hill and the drinks were very expensive. I asked for water and all they had was bottled water for five dollars. Scruffy didn’t know what to do so he still got it for me and the rest of the night, we made fun of the expensive Ozarka water. I guess it wasn’t too bad since we did receive two bowls of popcorn. Mmm … I love popcorn.

They chugged their drinks and we headed to a place where it was more our age.

Richmond Arms Pub
5920 Richmond Ave
Houston, Texas 77057
(713) 784-7722
http://richmondarmsonline.com

We played trivia and had some random conversations which is pretty much all I ask for when I hang out with my friends. After a while, Patricia ordered a Basket of Chips [aka fries] | $4.50 and Scruffy ordered Fried Mozzarella [6 fried cheese sticks served with marinara] | $7.50 for everyone at the table which was perfect since our dinner wasn’t all the best.

Richmond Arms Pub | Houston, Texas | Mellie Dee & Scruffy Selfies

Me & Scruffy

We headed back to the hotel and hung out a little longer playing Never Have I Ever which sparked a lot of questions. haha Soon after, Scruffy and I headed home. Having Scruffy interact and fit in with my friends makes my heart so happy.

Sunday, August 14th

After a great night’s sleep, I woke up and drove back to Katy to meet the fellas for brunch at Dish Society.

Kickin’ Kombucha Grapefruit | $5.50 and Quinoa Stuffed Avocado [a whole avocado topped with citrus quinoa relish on organic greens] | $9

After sharing our weekend adventure story recaps, we said our goodbyes. They headed back to San Antonio and I headed back to Scruffy’s house where we brewed our own beer.

I always want to move back to San Antonio whenever I hang out with anyone from San Antonio which makes me start debating if I should look for jobs there. Sigh … decisions.

2016 Summer Getaway | Day 4

August 18, 2016 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

There was early morning fog as we headed to Grouse Mountain. I wanted to go early so that it wouldn’t be hot and sticky when we climbed but I definitely didn’t take into account the fogginess that could occur.

McDonald’s
2601 Westview Dr
North Vancouver, BC V7M 0A3, Canada
(604) 985-0203

There weren’t many places opened on the way to Grouse Mountain and we actually had to turn around and stop at McDonald’s instead. He gave me a mean look when he couldn’t eat his food so that I could take a picture. hehe

Grouse Mountain
6400 Nancy Greene Way
North Vancouver, BC V7R 4K9, Canada
(604) 980-9311
http://grousemountain.com

We finally arrived but we didn’t end up climbing. Instead, we bought lift tickets. I shall climb a mountain next time so I can cross it off my list. Eeep.

The view from the lift was incredible and the fog surprisingly made it that much more breathtaking.

When we arrived, we walked into this cabin-like place. It reminded me of movies and telly shows where people will come inside for hot cocoa and coffee and warm up before going back out on the slopes. Maybe one day I’ll actually get to experience that.

Grouse Mountain | Vancouver, Canada | Scruffy & Mellie Dee

Scruffy & Me on top of Grouse Mountain

The fog sucked since we couldn’t see past much of anything but it was relaxing to be up there because the view was still as stunning.

We walked around for a bit … mostly because I wanted to get my steps in since we didn’t do the hike.

I like that they share the wilderness instead of taking away their homes. We were lucky to run into some bears. It may seem as if they are caged but in reality, they are living in their own habitat with the forest behind them.

The weather was so nice that there was a yoga session going on. They had mats laid out for anyone to join and I almost did.

Scruffy & Me taking in the last of the mountain air

But we just watched them instead and took in the mountain air before we headed back down. Having him with me up there made everything complete and I didn’t want to leave.

Going back down was a faster ride and once we did, we went back to our AirBnB to change out of our “workout” clothes and headed to lunch.

Meat & Bread
370 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2N4, Canada
(604) 566-9003
http://meatandbread.ca

We split the Porchetta [with salsa verde] | $9 and Sparkling Water | $2. They even added cracklins inside for that crispy texture. Although it is a simple sandwich, it was one of the best I’ve had which says a lot since I’m not a big fan of pork.

We walked into Chinatown for a bit just to see how it was.

And saw a lady using wood and a steamroller to make some kind of art. We didn’t stay the whole time to check out the entire process but I will say that the end products they previously made were pretty.

Scruffy and I had decided to jump around different food places again so our first stop was …

The Pint Public House
455 Abbott Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1S5, Canada
(604) 684-0258
http://thepint.ca

We both got drinks and thought it was pretty cool that the Grapefruit Mimosa I ordered came with a small bottle of champagne so that you can put in as much or as little as you want. I poured the whole thing in of course.

Pint Poutine [pint fries topped with cheese curds and pint gravy] | $10 to share. It didn’t live up to my expectations or memories of when I first had it in Toronto back in 2006 but at least Scruffy can now say he’s tried Poutine!

Tim Hortons
108 W Pender St
Vancouver, BC V6B 0K4, Canada
(604) 568-9262
http://timhortons.com

I also had great memories of this place back in 2006 so we bought an Eclair, Vanilla Dip Donut, Chocolate Glazed Timbits, Sour Cream Glazed Timbits, Apple Fritters Timbits, and Blueberry Timbits for breakfast the next day. It didn’t live up to expectations as well. Sigh … maybe it’s because it was a day old or maybe because it was just too sweet.

Sushi Itoga
1668 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 1C7, Canada
(604) 687-2422
http://itoga.com

I thought it was pretty cool that they gave each person their own picture of Matcha Green Tea | free.

And they gave us Miso Soup | free as well. I was so excited for all the free things, especially because we only ordered one dish to share.

The Assorted Sashimi [11pc: tuna, salmon, hamachi, tako] | $18. So legit. I don’t ever want to leave the land of raw fish.

BC Liquor Store
1716 Robson St
Vancouver, BC V6G 2J7, Canada
(604) 660-9031
http://bcliquorstores.com

We stopped by the liquor store to pick up a whiskey made from Canada for Scruffy’s dad. It was crazy busy in there. We then walked back to our AirBnB to put it down before heading to our reservation at …

Guu with Garlic
1698 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 1C7, Canada
(604) 685-8678
http://guu-izakaya.com/robson

This place gets packed so we had to put our names down while we went to the liquor store and AirBnB.

Sake Bombs. I’m not sure if I have already mentioned this but Seattle and Vancouver are a little more upscale to where they aren’t a fan of sake bombs so we did shots instead and used our beer for chasers.

Premium Garlic Beef Tongue [sliced beef tongue with garlic butter soy sauce] | $8.50 had some chewy pieces at the top but the middle was just right. Tender and juicy. Scruffy wasn’t a big fan but did enjoy those little gems.

Sockeye Salmon Carpaccio [thinly sliced sockeye salmon sashimi with onion & garlic dressing] | $8.80 was just as delicious. Ordering this helps donate money to some charity who builds schools? houses? or something which was pretty cool.

Green Panda Dispensary
1707 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G, Canada
(888) 562-0848
http://greenpandadispensary.com

I saw this across the street and got very excited. I thought it was a cute little sushi place … but I was mistaken. No sushi. Just weed. Sigh … Super cute and clever name for a dispensary though.

Nero Belgian Waffle Bar
1703 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 1C9, Canada
(778) 712-0694
http://nerobelgianwafflebar.com

This was right next door to Green Panda and since we hadn’t really had desserts, we went in.

Mini Liege Waffles [original, vanilla custard, almond, 2 mini Liege au chocolat] | 5 for $10 hit the spot. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I wish I could get more of the mini Liege au chocolats here in Houston. So freaking good.

Sapporo Japanese Restaurant
1709 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 1C9, Canada
(604) 684-3444

Volcano Roll [8pcs: deep fried prawn, cucumber, avocado, topped with spicy tuna, green onion, spicy sauce, and sesame seeds] | $9

Hokikai [surf clam] | $2.25

Ama Ebi [sweet raw prawn] | $2.75

Scruffy ate most of the volcano roll and was getting full adding that when we go to our last food place, he won’t eat a lot but will only drink. He can’t hang. Nah, just kidding. It’s because he keeps drinking beer while I stick with water so I could eat more.

Dover Arms
961 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 2M3, Canada
(604) 683-1929
http://doverarmspub.com

Exhibit A. haha We had to make reservations to the next place so we stopped by here for him to grab a beer. He loved the glass and asked me to take a picture of it. So here it is. Looks like a grenade.

Kingyo
871 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 2L9, Canada
(604) 608-1677
http://kingyo-izakaya.ca

His, of course.

Stone-Grilled Kobe Beef [stone-grilled marinated Kobe beef with 2 kinds of Kingyo original sauce] | $24 was the BEST thing we ate that day. Oh my goodness gracious.

Look at that Kobe searing on that stone! Marbling perfection. My mouth is watering …

Stone-Grilled Beef Tongue [stone-grilled beef tongue served with Shio koji, red yuzu pepper sauce & green onions] | $ 9.80 is the same concept. And I about died. I’ve only eaten beef tongue in Hong Kong and Taiwan so having it here was like a dream.

Kingyo Japanese Izakaya| Vancouver, Canada | Mellie Dee & Scruffy Silly Faces

Me & Scruffy being silly

We took pictures while we waited for more food. This one’s my favourite.

I couldn’t leave without pigging out on this one last time. I would have gotten the Kobe beef if he was hungry but since he wasn’t and beef tongue was cheaper, I picked that instead. He had fun cooking it for me while I had fun eating it. Win-win.

They gave us Frozen Grapes | free as dessert. The flowers made a super cheap dessert super fancy.

While we were walking to Dover Arms we saw herds of people walking down the street with kids in tow. They were heading to English Bay to view the Honda Celebration of Light fireworks presented by The Walt Disney Company from the USA. While we walked back to Kingyo and after eating at Kingyo, they were still walking, like zombies. The fireworks haven’t even started!

We followed the crowd and watched the fireworks with them. I didn’t understand why they were all so excited to see fireworks and figured that they didn’t get to light fireworks like we do back in the states.

After a long walk back with the rest of the zombies, we reached our AirBnB. We finally opened up the Kinder Egg Surprise we got while we were in Chinatown earlier. He loved the chocolate and we tried playing with the toy that came inside.

That was the only form of coolness we got came from that standing fan. I was sweating so bad the day before and we decided to move it to the middle which was better. I thought everyone pretty much had air conditioning since we had it in Hong Kong but boy was I wrong.

Jumping to different sushi places made my heart smile and I’m thankful that he was willing to do so with me. At the end of the trip he flat out told me he was done with sushi/raw fish for a while. haha

2016 Summer Getaway | Day 2

August 11, 2016 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

When we were about to head out the door for breakfast, Scruffy asked me which place we had agreed on. After walking for a good few minutes, I realized I told him the wrong one. We walked back to the one we originally wanted to go to which was literally down the street from where we were staying. Whoops.

Moore Coffee Shop
1930 2nd Ave
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 883-7044
http://moorecoffeeshop.com

The Hazelnut Latte was originally mine but he found his Nutella Latte too sweet, masking the coffee flavour so we ended up switching.

I snapped this picture in my story asking people if the Nutella Latte was a monkey or an onion face. And one of the responses I got was hilarious.

Rosanna coincidentally had the same dilemma. What’s even funnier is that she wrote potato when she meant onion and excused herself because she might be drunk already.

He chose a sweet approach of Strawberry Blueberry Shortcake Waffle which was airy and crispy. I stole a lot of his delicious blueberries. Mmm …

I was a little hesitant to order the Monte Cristo Waffle because the cheese scared me a bit. But I’m glad I did because it was delicious, savory waffle to counter Scruffy’s sweet one.

I secretly wished we went back the next day for some more waffles.

As we were walking, we saw another weed shop but this one looked simpler on the outside to where you could think it’s a fitness place.

Have a Heart | Seattle, Washington | Mural with Mellie Dee & Scruffy

Scruffy & I in front of the mural

We saw a giant mural of a rolled up joint and the bouncer told us that many people come in to snap a picture with it and we could do the same if we wanted to … so we did. Thanks, Bouncer Dude!

Seattle Aquarium
1483 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Washington 98101
(206) 386-4300
http://seattleaquarium.org

One of the main things Scruffy wanted to do was to go to the Seattle Aquarium and so we did! There were a lot of people there that day. Kids were running wild everywhere you turned which made it difficult to get around and see things.

It was pretty neat to see so many different species that live in the ocean especially the otters. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in any other aquariums I’ve been too. I can watch them tumble around for hours if I could.

I even found Nemo searching for his daddy.

Scruffy & his telescope

After a long while at the aquarium, we put a quarter in a telescope. He spent his time on that thing, mostly looking at the mountains. I wish we had time to go over to there and hike. Sigh … one day.

We were going to sit by a bar with a Space Needle view but somehow ended back up at the Public Market Center. Luckily enough, we ran into the

Gum Wall
1428 Post Alley
Seattle, Washington 98101

I felt unclean being in that unsanitary alley but loved looking at all the different graffiti. Scruffy kept rushing me though since we wanted to hit many sushi happy hours.

When we got back to our AirBnB, this little marijuana leaf was sitting on the hallway floor. It’s so legal that you actually get to see the leaves?!

We then took an Uber to our next destination and it wasn’t until way after that we realized that we didn’t stick our own gum on the wall.

Flying Fish
300 Westlake Ave N
Seattle, Washington 98109
(206) 728-8595
http://flyingfishseattle.com

We ordered six Fresh Oyster on Half Shell | $1 and six Large Green Mussels on Half Shell | $0.88. They had rules to where you have to order a minimum of six per order of each type with a limit of two dozen of each type per person.

They were both equally delicious, but I’ve never had mussels prepared this way so it drew me in more. Scruffy on the other hand loved the oysters more.

These are by far one of the best Truffle Fries [French truffle sea salt] | $6 I’ve ever eaten and Scruffy was nice enough to let me eat a majority of them.

When it came time to decide if we wanted to order more food, especially since we were going to other sushi places, I contemplated really hard on ordering more fries.

But we stuck with oysters because you can’t get such amazingness down south like that.

As we were walking to our next destination, we were able to see the Space Needle from afar. It was then that Scruffy decided going there might actually be worthwhile to look out into the horizon so we decided after all of our sushi eating, we would head out there to see if we can get tickets.

Umi Sake House
2230 1st Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 374-8717
http://umisakehouse.com

Free | Edamame is the best edamame but we didn’t want to fill up on them so we only ate a few of these bad boys.

We ordered a Beer and Sake. It’s fancier up here to where they aren’t big fans of sake bombs so we literally took sake shots and downed the beer as a chaser. Not the same but it was still fun.

He would only let me order one Tuna Sashimi | $8 order to try and see if it’s good and boy was it good! Keep in mind these are happy hour prices.

Look how thick the slices are! Back home they would cut them really thin and make us pay $10! And oh my goodness … they melt in your mouth! I could eat this every day!

He was craving Calamari, which is weird to me that anyone would be craving that but he got what he wanted. After eating the sashimi, all I could think about was that and craved only that so he had to finish the majority up himself.

He also really wanted a Spider Roll which was only okay. I mean, why you would get anything else but raw fish at this restaurant is beyond me!

He finally agreed and let me order Albacore Sashimi and Salmon Sashimi both $8/type. He liked the albacore more whereas I liked the salmon more. But we both agreed the tuna was the best. Just looking at this while I write this post makes my mouth water.

We went back to our AirBnB to change and put down our backpack since we had time until our reservations. Everywhere you turn, there’s graffiti and it’s actually kind of relaxing to see.

Shiro’s
2401 2nd Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 443-9844
http://shiros.com

They didn’t have happy hour but it was one of the top places for sushi so Scruffy made reservations here which I’m thankful for because it was SO FREAKING GOOD! And because when we looked out the window, we saw a lot of people waiting to get in due to the fact that it is a small location.

We ordered more Beer and Sake shot and chaser style. I loved that their little cups have their logo on it!

I was surprised that Scruffy actually liked the Rainbow Poke [Assortment of seafood with our original sauce] | $9.50. Poke, forever.

Geso Kara-age [deep fried squid legs] | $6.50 weren’t as big of a hit. He’s not a big fan of chewy things and the batter was just okay.

He ordered a King Crab Nigiri while I got a Sea Eel Nigiri and a Zuke Tuna Nigiri. Oh my goodness. The Zuke Tuna was amazing! It was my first time and sigh … take me back please.

I kept seeing people have fried shrimp heads and was curious because it wasn’t on the menu. We asked the waiter and he said it came with the Sweet Shrimp Nigiri. Two orders please!

Best. Thing. Ever. I’ve never had sweet shrimp and now all I want to do is eat it! The fried shrimp heads kind of freaked Scruffy out and kind of cringed when I ate the entire thing, eyeballs and all. But I love the fact that he’ll try anything once so I shared the non-eyeball part of it with him and he wasn’t a fan. Sigh … what a waste.

We walked over to the Space Needle to buy tickets but since we were late in purchasing, we had to book a later time which meant we had to wait.

Sport Restaurant & Bar
140 4th Ave N #130
Seattle, Washington 98109
(206) 404-7767
http://sportrestaurant.com

We walked over here for a beer while I sipped on water. I didn’t want to fill up on beer if we had a chance of eating yummy goodness!

My old friend, Carla, saw my Snapchat of the Ferris wheel and asked to meet up since she and Andrew, her husband, now lives in Seattle. We use to all hang out back in college, then Carla and I did one-on-ones after college.

Blue Water Taco Grill
515 Queen Anne Ave N
Seattle, Washington 98119
(206) 352-2407
http://bluewatertacogrill.com/

We agreed to meet up at the Armory, a Children’s Museum downstairs with different restaurants upstairs. When we got there, a lot of the places were closing and this was the only one opened. The boys grabbed a beer, Carla a margarita, and me water and we caught up and talked about random things until our 9:30 PM Space Needle appointment.

Space Needle
400 Broad St.
Seattle, Washington 98109
(206) 905-2100
http://spaceneedle.com

We were a little bummed we didn’t get to see it when the sky was lit but loved the wonderful burning sky. These pictures do not do it justice. He and I joked a lot throughout the trip whenever we see wonderful landscape that Bob Ross did a great job. haha

We stayed up there for a really long time … mostly taking in the view and trying to figure out how to take a picture of the background with us in it. There was a lot of fails and a okay-I-give-up-this-is-good-enough photo.

Some Random Bar
2604 1st Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
http://somerandombar.com

We were in search of food, like always. Scruffy ordered a beer and we realized their kitchen has just closed. But I still recommend this bar a lot. The lady that we spoke to was very nice especially when we asked if there were any bars around here with food and made conversation with us. She pointed us to our next and last destination of the night.

Buckley’s
2331 2nd Ave
Seattle, Washington 98121
(206) 588-8879
http://buckleysseattle.com

Buckley’s Thai Sesame Ribs (3) [with sweet Thai chili sauce] | $6 was one of Scruffy’s most delicious food he’s had here, which to me is sad because they weren’t good at all. It was featured on Food Network’s “Best Bar Food” so, maybe my taste buds suck or maybe I have higher taste than bar food. haha

Tater Tots [with chipotle ranch; garlic optional] | $4 was one of the best things ever. We definitely did the garlic option and they did not skimp out on that. I kept trying to shove more garlic with his bites so our breaths would be equally disgusting.

Blackened Chicken Tacos (2) [with flour tortilla, pico de gallo, lettuce, shredded cheese, chipotle ranch on the side] | $6 was a local favourite but it wasn’t ours. We tried out best to down them because it was dry and not appetizing. Seattle locals, please come visit Houston for chicken tacos. They won’t disappoint like these did.

He loved the ribs so much, he ordered a second plate and made me help him eat them. And when we left the place, he took a billion pictures on his phone of the place because he wanted to remember the place where he got one of the best dishes he’s eaten.

Sigh … that boy.

We headed back to our AirBnB and called it a night since we had a long drive ahead of us the next day.

The Breakfast Klub 3711 Travis Street, Houston, Texas 77002 | (713) 528-8561 | Website | Yelp

Welcome Food Center 9180 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, Texas 77036 | (713) 270-7789 | Yelp

Bambu 10613 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, Texas 77072 | (832) 328-3900 | Website | Yelp

Thai Cottage 4723 Sweetwater Blvd, Sugar Land, Texas 77479 | (281) 313-0707 | Website | Yelp