Texas – Page 55

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.

Pokemon Go and Red Eggs

July 26, 2016 by Mellie Dee 2 Comments

Luna loves sitting on me.

I went over to Scruffy’s after work, Friday, empty-handed. I was supposed to pick up Los Cucos for him, but issues with the restaurant occurred and so we ended up eating lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings instead.

He plated this fancy snack a few hours later for us to enjoy, all pretty so I could put it on the blog. Sweetheart alert. It was the first time I’ve ever tried a green olive and I surprisingly liked them. I have come to realize, I only hate black olives.

Saturday, Mum, June, Brother, and SIL went to Bonchon for lunch. They all loved it especially the fries. We finally got the salmon bomb thing and it didn’t disappoint.

We got our aunt to drive us around at La Centerra for some Berripop and Pokemon action. Does anyone else get that annoying GPS error? It bounces right back though … not to mention, all those little Rattatas. Ugh.

Speaking of which, Scruffy saw this at Petsmart the other day. You betcha he got his $10 gift card.

Jasmine turned one-month-old Friday, so there was a red egg celebration Saturday. A Chinese tradition. Another excuse for a reunion. Always a crazy, loud, time. I loved holding her. Sigh …

Sunday, we all had brunch before the siblings and significant others left. Later that night was crab boil. Literally just boiling a crab. I’m not a big fan of crab and all that work but it was nice eating together.

Rizzo and I have been spending a little more time together this weekend since I haven’t been going out as much. We even take long walks after dinner. I’m gonna miss him. No Riz for almost one week seems like torture.

It’s been a long but eventful weekend … filled with Pokemons. haha What has the world come to?

Fernando’s | Sugar Land, Texas

July 19, 2016 by Mellie Dee Leave a Comment

Luna sleeping on me.

Although I wasn’t feeling well, this past Saturday was pretty blissful. Scruffy and I haven’t had one-on-one time in a while where we didn’t have to worry much about anything. I went over to his house where I became Luna’s pillow. He was getting ready so that we could head to Thai Cottage for lunch and back home to spend time with the pups.

Luna’s Cone of Shame & Lazy Daisy

When we got back, we realized Luna’s stitches came apart so Scruffy ran to the store to buy a cone and some Neosporin. The cone of shame … and those ears. Once her cone was on and Neosporin was applied, it was almost 5 pm. All four of us cuddled on the couch as we surfed the channels before our 8 pm dinner reservations. Our first fancy-ish date night with the use of a Groupon at:

Fernando’s
14135 Southwest Freeway
Sugar Land, Texas 77478
(281) 494-9087
www.fernandosrestaurants.com/

The place has a romantic ambiance though people weren’t really dressed up not that there were many customers as you can see in the picture for a Saturday night at 8 pm.

The waiter brought out Plantain Chips with Avocado Cilantro Cream | Free.

Scruffy and I are not a big fan of sweets so these were perfect, and not greasy. We both cleaned the avocado cilantro cream clean … too good.

For our appetizer, we picked Shrimp-itos [golden baked shrimp; finished in a lemon, butter, and garlic sauce] | $12.

We both thought the sauce was pretty fantastic though the batter could have been a little better.

We both chose the Cesar Salad [traditional salad of Romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese] | $7.

Just a salad. Not much to talk about.

They serve Garlic Bread | Free with our entrees.

He was looking forward to the bread but it was disappointing, and a little burnt on the sides.

Scruffy chose the Steak Hickl [char-grilled marinated 9 oz New York strip, served with mashed potatoes, topped with mushroom port wine sauce] | $30.

I think the steak was perfect, as it should be since it’s a steakhouse. They had pico de gallo on the side and when you put a little bit of steak, mushrooms, and mashed potatoes in one bite, it gave the dish a little bit of refreshingness … is that even a word?

I chose the Paella [yellow saffron rice, mixed with clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, fish, crawfish, squids, chicken, and chorizo Espanol] | $26.

They did state in the menu to allow 27 minutes to make. We didn’t mind the wait at all because when it came, we both gobbled it up, except the chorizo. It was very hard and salty. Scruffy liked this dish the best and I would have to agree.

When he made reservations, they stated for us to read all the rules but there weren’t any. When we arrived, they gave us a sheet of paper with the rules which wasn’t entirely written out when we bought the Groupon. False advertising, in my opinion. We bought the Groupon with a $30 off coupon, paying $14 out of pocket, so when our bill came, our total was only $7.43 + tip so we didn’t mind too much.

To say we licked our plate clean was an understatement. It was definitely a well worth meal for the price we paid, $21.43 + tip. Our wallets and tummies were very happy that night. They do receive horrible reviews, but rest assured, the food, itself, is amazing. It’s the slow service that gets them lower ratings, in my opinion. But if you’re not in a rush, it’s a great experience.

After dinner, we took a quick walk around Whole Foods were we saw a couple making out at the food bar. Gross. Then headed to H-E-B to pick up some things before heading back home. I picked up two different versions of gelato. A small Siviero Maria lemon gelato and a big Talenti peanut butter pretzel, both equally delicious.

Luna looking like a camel.

We changed and while Scruffy took the pups out, I sat and surfed through some channels trying to figure out what movie we could watch. We decided on The Purge where I was afraid ~~half~~ most of the time. All I will say is that there were some spillage of beverages which he wasn’t too happy about. Whoops.

Luna sleeping on me

The next day, we woke up and watched random shows before watching The Purge: Anarchy. It wasn’t as great as the first one but equally as scary … for me. Afterward, he went and grabbed a pizza and I took a nap while he watched Ted 2 before I headed home.

Scruffy made a horrible medicine tasting shot.

It was an eventful date weekend. I’m certain he was annoyed with me by the end of it and was happy to see me leave especially since I’m not so great to be around when I’m not feeling well. haha

Frosty Paws

July 12, 2016 by Mellie Dee 2 Comments

Last week was hella crazy and stressful. Long story short, I ended up with over nine hours of overtime in less than two days for work. Luckily, I finished everything early last Friday and got to leave early.

I went over to The Joint where the chiropractor was shocked by how badly I was aligned. ALL because of work. I felt so much better after.

I went over to Scruffy’s hoping for a nap but ended up going to Wal-Mart, Cici’s Pizza, and Dairy Queen. Cici’s quality is going way down, not that it was ever up to begin with. But their food is all starting to taste the same and the only way you can tell a difference is if they used tomato sauce or Alfredo sauce for the pizza. Thankfully, Dairy Queen made up for it. We both got ice cream cones and I had mine dipped in chocolate. We both only ate the bulb of our ice cream before throwing it out.

That night was also Kenson’s birthday celebration at Crazy Cat Escape Room, the dining room edition then MKT Bar for dinner.

The dining room version was a better-executed room than the one we did during July fourth weekend. All the clues went with one another and made more sense. If we had ten minutes more (or the missing two), we would have escaped with the will in time!

I’m not a big fan of MKT Bar. Overpriced with bad service pretty much every time I come here. I really wish I could love this place.

Rizzo & Rocky

I got the pups some Frosty Paws, peanut butter flavor. Look at their tounges. They shared one and enjoyed it the whole entire time. I’m thinking of making my own since they are expensive.

Rocky

Then this happened. Too cute. Too funny.