2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Phat Eatery | Katy, Texas

August 18, 2019 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

Mum, June and I had a girls day out. We started off with pedicures and mimosas. I added a manicure to take off what I had on my nails already but I didn’t do a polish. Giving them breathing time and in turn saves money.

2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Phat Eatery | Katy, Texas

We decided to check out another place at Katy Asia Town, Phat Eatery, for lunch. I saw this on Houston Restaurant Week for dinner and was so surprised that they served the menu all day for a $35 four course meal. I opted for that while they both ordered an entree and we just shared everything.

2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Phat Eatery | Katy, Texas | Roti with Chicken — Roti with Chicken [Indian flat bread with boneless curry chicken dip]

Part of the HRW menu. Their roti was super flaky yet chewy and soft inside. It paired well with the one giant piece of chicken we got.

2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Phat Eatery | Katy, Texas | Salt & Pepper Calamari — Salt & Pepper Calamari [13 spices, green and red bell, onion, chili]

Part of the HRW menu. Easily one of our favourite things here. I rarely care for any calamari but this one was seasoned wonderfully and any one that knows me knows that adding vegetables to any dish makes it better.

2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Phat Eatery | Katy, Texas | Beef Rendang — Beef Rendang [beef banana shank, coconut curry, potato]

Part of the HRW menu. The flavour was great but the beef chunks is too much. I could do with smaller chunks and more potatoes. It was also weird that there was no roti or rice to go with it. Luckily June’s dish came with a lot of rice. This won’t ever be ordered again because of it.

Phat Eatery | Katy, Texas | Hainanese Chicken-Half — Hainanese Chicken-Half [served with pandang fragrant rice, all natural ABF chicken, poached to perfection, and sauce flight trio] | $17

The chicken and rice isn’t as flavourful or as fragrant as what we are used to this dish to be but the chicken was very silky. They just need to marinate it a little longer for the flavour to be perfect for both the chicken and the rice.

Phat Eatery | Katy, Texas | "CK Teow" Char Kway Teow — “CK Teow” Char Kway Teow [flat noodle, shrimp, calamari, Siricha, Chinese sausage, bean sprouts, egg, chives] | $13

This was our favourite entree. They gave us a side dish of fragrant shrimp paste type sauce to mix in. The only thing I didn’t like was how little seafood they put inside but other than that it was perfect.

2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Phat Eatery | Katy, Texas | Kaya Pancake — Kaya Pancake [Indian flat bread, pandan infused condensed milk]

Part of HRW menu. I love pandan. It autocorrected to pandas. I love those too. Anyway, I loved this. Not super sweet and wouldn’t mind having this again if I craved something sweet.

I know what you’re thinking. So many carbs in one meal, right? Because I agree. But that’s how Asians roll. I would come back for more roti. Anyone want to teach me how to make them?

Somi Somi | Katy, Texas | Sesame and Milk Soft Serve with Custard Taiyaki — Sesame and Milk Soft Serve with Fruity Pebbles and Crushed Oreos topped with a Custard Taiyaki

As promised, I am back at Somi Somi to get the sesame flavour! The ice cream was mostly for Mum and June though.

Somi Somi | Katy, Texas | Red Bean Taiyaki and Taro Taiyaki — Red Bean Taiyaki and Taro Taiyaki

I ordered the Taiyakis to try. Not as crispy as the empty ones for the ice cream. This had more of a chew to it. They could do better with the filling where instead of putting a glob in the middle they pipe so that it is more evenly distributed. I’d stick to the ones for the ice creams going forward.

It’s been a very stress-free, food-induced weekend. Four day work week here we come!

2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Mezza Grille | Houston, Texas

August 17, 2019 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

Tan and I went to Mezza Grille tonight for my first Houston Restaurant Week of 2019, his second. A four course menu for $45 per person.

2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Mezza Grille | Houston, Texas | Chips and Dip — Chips and Dip

They gave free seasoned chips that tasted a bit like Italy to me. We weren’t too certain how to eat it since the seasoning and oil were in separate sides. The chip itself is flavourful enough that it didn’t need to be dipped.

2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Mezza Grille | Houston, Texas | Lobster Bisque and Chicken Acapulco Soup — Lobster Bisque | Chicken Acapulco Soup

The Lobster Bisque was very heavy so I was happy with the Chicken Acapulco Soup. It pretty much came down to being a very flavourful chicken noodle soup without the noodles. If I lived close enough and was sick, I’d probably order this to go to make me feel better.

2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Mezza Grille | Houston, Texas | Eggplant Dip and Hummus — Hummus [traditional garbanzo bean purée with tahini sauce, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil] | Eggplant Dip [fire-roasted eggplant and walnut purée]

The eggplant dip was seasoned a tad too much but the hummus was mild to balance it out. Not much to write about though.

2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Mezza Grille | Houston, Texas | Lemon Butter Fish and Shrimp and Lamb Shank — Lemon Butter Fish & Shrimp [8 oz pan-seared tilapia, topped with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, mushroom and red onions, creamy scallop potatoes, seasoned grilled vegetables] | Lamb Shank [16 oz lamb shank stewed in a mediterranean broth served with saffron basmati rice and seasoned grilled vegetables]

Both these dishes were amazing but if I ever came back I’d chose the Lemon Butter Fish & Shrimp over the Lamb Shank. Cafe Caspian is still my favourite for lamb shanks and I haven’t found anything better. We packed both dishes home since we were too full.

2019 Houston Restaurant Week | Mezza Grille | Houston, Texas | Coconut Tres Leches and Creme Brulee — Coconut Tres Leches | Creme Brulee

We did, however, finish our desserts. I was a little sad that I couldn’t break the top with my spoon but it was still divine.

Overall, great experience and attentive staff. I would love to come back to try their main menu. There are a lot to chose from! It was also nice to catch up with an old friend which is always a positive!

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.

Etoile Cuisine Et Bar | Houston, Texas

September 6, 2016 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

On Friday, August 12th, Apurva and I went to Houston Restaurant Week, and chose a $20/person for two courses at

Etoile Cuisine Et Bar
1101-11 Uptown Park Blvd
Houston, Texas 77056
(832) 668-5808
http://etoilecuisine.com

We had such terrific service here. Our waiter, Arton, was sweet, funny, and attentive. He even laid the napkin across my lap saying that “I’m a lady and it’s a man’s job.” When Apurva heard that, she puts her napkin back down on the table waiting for the same treatment … and it never happens! haha Apparently, she’s not a lady.

Bread & Butter | free

I’m not a big fan of bread but this was one of the best ones I’ve had in my life. The bread was soft and fluffy and crunch on the outside. We were in heaven .. or maybe because we were just hungry but they just kept coming and we kept stuffing them in our faces.

We wanted to share an appetizer since the Houston Restaurant Week was only for two courses. We split the Escargots a la Bourguignonne [snails in parsley garlic butter] | $11 was very tender but I wouldn’t say it was the best escargot I’ve ever had. I still give props to the restaurant I went to in Las Vegas. The bread did taste yummy in the sauce though.

Honeysuckle White Sangria [Cathead honeysuckle vodka and crisp Chablis infused with fresh seasonal fruit and Dolin blanc vermouth] | $12 isn’t part of the menu as well, but they added a couple drinks to go toward the charity which I think is a great idea! Who can resist helping others just by drinking. haha

FIRST COURSE

Raviolis de Champignon [mushroom raviolis, port wine truffle sauce, aged Parmesan]

If you love mushrooms, this is for you. Straight up mushroom inside.

Risotto de Crevettes au Safran [shrimp, risotto, summer vegetables with saffron sauce]

I’ve been on a seafood kick which is weird considering I use to dislike seafood with a passion so when I saw this, I had to have it. So freaking goooooooooooood.

SECOND COURSE

Pot de Creme au Chocolat Financier au Miel [chocolate poot de creme, honey almond fiancier]

Super chocolately. Too chocolately. But it paired well with the sorbet. A hot and cold fusion but still not a fan but it was perfect for her.

Ile Flottante a la Pistache [pistachio floating island, caramel sauce, toasted almonds]

Very light dessert. I love eating pistachios but was skeptical for it being in a dessert but it was perfect after such a heavy entree.

I loved the fact that they do a special menu every month for “Charity of the Month.” Things like that makes me want to come back for sure and the food is delicious not to. It is definitely on my list of favourites.

Le Mistral | Houston, Texas

August 18, 2011 by Mellie Dee 5 Comments

***Caution: Long post but filled with pictures.***

Today was Mummy and Me day!

Ah yes, we are cool.

I have wanted to do Houston Restaurant Weeks for the longest time. I think I’ve done the dinner at a restaurant once or twice but I don’t remember it so I don’t count it.

For those that don’t know what it is, HRW is planned by volunteers so that 100% of the funds are donated to the Houston Food Bank. $20 for lunch where $3 per lunch is donated. $35 for dinner where $5 are donated.

Eating for a cause? Sounds good to me.

Since my Mum took the day off from work to hang out with me, I decided on lunch at one of the HRW restaurants.

Le Mistral
1400 Eldridge Pkwy
Houston, TX 77077
(832) 379-8322
www.lemistralhouston.com

Isn’t the front door GORGEOUS?!

The menu for HRW lunch is a 3 course.

Bread & Butter | free

It’s a special type of butter. Not the usual ones you get. It was very easy to spread. The bread was cold but so soft on the inside with a hard outer. Delicious.

I thought this was a trashcan.

My mum’s reply?

Why would they put a trashcan on the table in a high class place. Touché, mum, touché.

My mum and I each ordered something from ever single course and decided to try each other’s dishes. Mmm, six dishes total to try? I’m down! The first dishes of each course is my mum’s and the one following are mine. Just FYI. Winking smile

1st Course:

Crostini de Rillette de Canard {duck rillette crostini, arugula salad, extra virgin olive oil vinaigrette}

I was not a fan of the arugula salad. I don’t think I like arugula to begin with. My mum loved it though. I had half of the duck rillette crostini. Mmm … I wish I had more. It was delicious. The crostini was crunchy hard and the duck rillette was so soft and creamy. I would go back just to order this. My mum has asked me to go online and look for a recipe. That’s how good it was.

Carpaccio de Jambon de Parme, Melon et Mozzarelle {Parma prosciutto Carpaccio, melon, buffalo mozzarella, olive oil, cracked black pepper}

There was a LOT of olive oil on this sucker. I think I could do with a little less. I rolled up the prosciutto with the mozzarella and melon inside. It mixed together so well! The melon was so sweet and the prosciutto was so salty. Such a good mix. The mozzarella made it so smooth and gave me the melt in your mouth feeling.

2nd Course:

Bavette de Boeuf en Persillade {pan-seared hanger steak en persillade, shallot confit, dauphine potatoes, garlic confit romano beans}

My mum loved the beans and wouldn’t share it with me. Crying face So I’m not sure how it tastes. Must be delicious! She was not a fan of the steak. She said it had a taste like the weird taste lamb has. I didn’t mind it and loved it. She got it well done but I think if it was medium rare, it would have been even tastier. The potatoes are to die for! TO DIE! Mushy insides filled with potatoes and the outside is crunchy! Mmmm … I love potatoes.

Gnocchis de Pommes de Terre {homemade potato gnocchi, pesto sauce, heirloom tomato coulis, shaved aged parmasen}

I have always wanted to try the gnocchi but always got scared that I wouldn’t like it. Verdict? It wasn’t anything special. It was mushy but good. I didn’t hate it and won’t be scared to order it anymore. My mum ate most of it since I took most of her beef. I really liked the coulis. I never like tomato sauce that looks like that because it feels so bitter so many times but this was very good and paired up nicely with the gnocchi.

3rd Course:

Truffe au Chocolat Valrhona {Colossal valrhona chocolate truffle, chilled espresso sauce, almond orange tuile}

Um, can I just say how cute the plate is?! I loved the tuile! I’ve always wanted to make it but it seems so hard. I heard it was easy to burn? The truffle was very chocolatey! VERY! My mum wasn’t a big fan nor was I because we’re not the sweets eating type of people but I liked it. It was very smooth, dark, delicious.

Fraises Matinées au Sauternes {strawberries marinated in sauternes wine, cracked Szechuan pepper, crème fraiche ice cream}

I told my mum to get this but she insisted on the truffle because of the espresso sauce. I ordered this because I knew she will love it. I was correct. When we got our desserts, she said that she was afraid because I had to drive and it had wine in it. She’s so cute. It was so good and she loved it so much I gave it all to her. The crème fraiche was smooth and creamy. The wine sauce was sweet. (I’m not a fan of wine.) And the strawberries, some were tart but it went all so well together.

I was so full after we were done which was surprising because our family eats a lot. So that’s how French people stay so thin! Little portions with lots of courses. CHECK!

It was $20 per person so I thought it was super worth it. My mum have already stated she wants to go to more of these places once in a while. Agreed!

***************************************

My mum already stated she wanted to go to Central Market after lunch so I looked up the place. It was our first time there and it was so much fun! It’s like Whole Foods!!

This is the loot we got back!

HOUSTONIANS!!

Read that sign! Buy One, Get One Free on PB&Co. Plus on 2 of them, it has a $0.55 off coupon! So 4 jars for $8.48. Go get yours!! It’s the one on Westheimer!!

They don’t expire til 2013 so I think it’s worth it. Plus I know I’ll finish them all way before then. I got one of every flavor. The maple one, honey one, white chocolate, and dark chocolate. Mmm.

On top of that we got 2 cake tester sticks, banana chips, wasabi peas, Stoneyfield Vanilla Yogurt, Beef Fajita Seasoning, some other kind of seasoning.

***************************************

A little while ago I met up with Nicole at Chick-fil-a. She was leaving to Lubbock later tomorrow for a wedding weekend and wanted to see me before I left for San Antonio.

Mmm .. fatass right here. I got a vanilla milkshake since I’ve never tried one here before, medium fries, and ketchup!

The milkshake was okay. I know now I’m not a fan. For the fries, I use to LOVE LOVE LOVE them but they’re just blah now. But I love the ketchup!! It’s so cute. Tear the top to squeeze, tear the side to dip. Genius to whoever invented this. Can someone snag me some? I want to have a handful at hand … always!

When we left, Nicole asked if we were going to take a picture together and I said that I looked gross. Then she made fun of me for taking pictures of the food but not people. So … here’s a really gross picture of me and the beautiful Nicole.

We’ll keep it tiny. Smile with tongue out

***************************************

I was suppose to wash and pack all my clothes today but … time got the best of me. Now all I want to do is rest. But I know I can’t. I guess I’ll clean the room up a bit before bed.

Night y’all!