New Place: Fratelli's Ristorante

Fratelli's Ristorante
1330 Wirt Rd
Houston, TX 77055


First of all, this was a spur of the moment Groupon Now. We decided to buy two Groupons for the brunch on Sunday.


We are not usually inclined to leave the comfort of our home neighborhood in Montrose but we figured we could branch out for a lazy Sunday brunch.


The View: Run of the mill shopping center with a few tables outside. The interior was the expected murals of someplace far away, and table linens of an odd orange color. It had a very storefront feel to it.

The Service: We were seated immediately and our drinks came out quickly. My mimosa was acceptable, although a little strange to me that it was served in a red wine glass and not a champagne flute. The coffee was ok, nothing to write home about, I guess I just assumed since it was an Italian restaurant the coffee would be wonderful.

The Food: Italian brunch....yes, lot's of pasta. But it was the real thing. The alfredo was creamy and the penne was flavorful and the mushroom crepes were delicious! My omlette was perfect and the chef was accommodating. There were no muffins or croissants or sweet yummy things. Just a few dishes that would have been seen at a lunch buffet. Not spectacular but at least filling.

The Dissappointment: We were looking forward to some kind of yummy Italian pastry. It wasn't until we were out the door and looking behind us when we see the beautiful dessert/croissant table. To the left of the front door. The door we entered and were directed to the right to be seated. Never was it pointed out or even in view. Yes, you would think we would have noticed it on the way in but I only thought it was the 'preview' table some restaurants have upon arriving.

The Judgement: We won't go back. Not because of any one thing. Restaurants in neighborhoods outside of the city proper (the loop) have more churches than dining establishments and don't have enough competition to drive them to be Great, they can get by just fine being OK. The local Spring Branch folk are missing out on Great brunch.

Happy music!

New Place: The Blue Fish

The Blue Fish Sushi ; Houston

550 Texas Str, Houston, TX 77002 - (713) 225-3474

The Story: Today is my day off and after we combined our car insurance policies and went to the gym we were pooped! The Fiancé was staaaarving since he hadn't eat a thing all day. We could have gotten something quick but hey, a day off is a rare thing and I wanted to get something goooo-oooood! It was his idea to look for someplace with a good sushi happy hour. I personally have never been to a sushi happy hour and thought it would be perfect. Basically, we had dinner at the same time as most retirees on their way to Luby's. I can guarantee we ate a lot better than those folks! I looked up "best sushi happy hour in houston" while he was in the shower. This is the review I found...

"Where do I begin?? I love sushi happy hour, and The Blue Fish is number one on my list.

I'm not writing this review about the perfect service we received or that the ambiance is fitting for a romantic dinner or a group setting... but what I want to expound on is how the food AND prices were wonderful."

This was exactly what we were looking for. We are not so concerned with romantic since we can make romantic at home, we were looking for quality AND quantity!

The View: Located in the heart of Bayou Place, The Blue Fish has a beautiful view. When you walk by you see elegant outdoor seating, complete with white table cloths, candles and flowers. Outside of the entrance are comfortable looking couches and coffee tables. Indoors the usual Japanese sushi restaurant decor; small hanging LED lights, very IKEA mixed with nightclub colors. Hues of blue, gray and green. Easy on the eyes, serene and calm. As a side note, the bathroom was beautiful, very much

glass and steel decor, very clean and calm. With more of the blue and greens.

The Service: We sat at the bar in order to experience the Happy Hour specials. Our server/bartender was extremely knowledgeable. Perfect salesman technique, found out what we liked by asking the right questions and the recommended items that would fit what we were looking for. He answered every question posed to him, including weather the fish was frozen or not. Evidently their fish is never frozen. That seemed to be something they were very proud out. On a poster marquee on the pation there was an advert for the restaurant that said, "Friends don't let friends eat frozen fish". He gave us the prices for beers, sake and wine up front. We didn't have to ask for a thing, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing. The manager came by and greeted us, shaking our hands and getting our names. We had about 3 people helping us, AT

THE BAR! It was terrific to feel like our serer actually enjoyed his job!

The Fare: The food. The Food. THE Food! Was AMAZING! We had an item that was recommended both on Yelp and by the server. It was called a "Mini Me" Ahi Tower. It was a layered item in a shot glass. It's hard to describe....let me go to the interwebs and find some help.

...

Ok, I cheated a little bit. I couldn't find a description but I found a picture (you have no idea what I had to do to get this!). This little tower is served in a shot glass with a tiny spoon under it all. I believe it consists of salmon tartar, crab, avocado, rice and small amount of caviar with a wasabi mayo. It's a blend of both textures and flavors, temperatures and color. Splendid little thing. You get 2 for $3. Yeah, seriously, good price.

I had fried calamari with two types of dips. A spicy chipotle mayo and a ginger honey. About $4 it was the perfect amount. Similar in size and shape to about 8 large onion rings.

The sashimi, oh goodness the sashimi was so wonderful it should have been illegal. I've never in my life had tuna that truly melted in my mouth. My teeth felt like they were going to lose their jobs. And at $4 for 3 large pieces it was worth it.

The rolls I chose I were the avocado and eel and the yellowtail and scallions. The ratio of rice to filling was 1:3. There was considerable more filling than rice. Which I believe is important. The rice is simply a transportation device for the delectables inside. The eel and avocado were of such similar texture I didn't know what my tongue was swirling through, avocado or eel? It was enough to drive my mouth crazy!

The Fiance and I shared a little bit of everything except when we ordered seconds. He got spicy tuna rolls that (he said) were spicier than most places (he likes spiiiiiiicy!). I ordered DESSERT for the first time in forever! On the Happy Hour menu they had "Chocolate Spring Rolls". They were the perfect dessert in keeping with the sushi theme. Also, one of the lightest desserts I've seen on a menu. Almost more an amuse bouche. One side of the plate was a small mound of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and strawberry slices. The other side had four petite spring rolls with a strawberry puree as decor and added flavor. How to describe this decadent blend of east and west? Imagine taking a piece of a Hershey bar (the ones that snap of to share) and rolling it in rice paper, frying it and putting it on a plate. The chocolate was melty but not gooey, it didn't have the texture of fudge or frosting. It was most certainly a melted piece of chocolate. *sigh* I kind of miss those little guys right now.

The chocolate spring rolls went quite well with my Sipporo ($2 pint). I had finished a large bottle of saki ($2) and wanted something cold.

The Bill: We did go a little crazy with the food. The Fiance hadn't eaten all day and we even ordered seconds and dessert. With our drinks and everything our tab was about $57. Don't let that scare you. I could have very very very easily eaten and drank for $13 by myself (and that includes sake!)

The End: We both left happy and couldn't stop talking about the meal, the place, the service and the price. There is not question in my mind that this will be a regular sushi place for us.

New Place: Chelsea Grill

Chelsea Grill

4621 Montrose Boulevard, Houston, TX 77006-6132(713) 942-9857 ‎chelseagrill.com
Chelsea Grill is located right on Montrose in the heart of the Museum District. The Finance's mom bought us a Groupon and sent it to us for this place and so we decided to go for brunch. Yum! Chelsea Grill is on the first floor facing Montrose in the Chelsea Market building. Lovely little place decorated in a modern romantic style with an expressionist flair.
The Fare: Yum. Seriously Yum. I've been to the 'fancy pants' Baba Yega brunch that is super expensive and man, BY has nothing on the 'Grill. The food was amazing. I had the Challah French Toast, Breakfast Enchilada, Blue Cheese Macaroni and Cheese, Quiche Florentine, Chorizo Eggs, and Mango Mimosa. The Mimosa was only $4! Yummmmmmmmy! Made with real mango, yeah, there were floating bits of mango! I tried a bite of The Fiance's bacon and it was good. I'm not a fan of bacon in general but The Fiance said it was amazing. The food was perfectly seasoned for a Texan's palate, the server asked if we needed Tabasco and The Fiancé was perfectly content without it. No salt, or pepper needed either. Delicious. I was a little hesitant about the whole buffet style but they knocked it out of the park. By serving small amounts they could make sure that the offerings stayed hot and fresh. No soggy lukewarm eggs Benedict here! *Shudder!* They had a chocolate bread pudding for desert but we were stuffed. The coffee was even perfect. They also had an omelette station but I was too full!
The People: We were surprised that there were only about 20 patrons in the whole place at about 1pm. I'm thinking they had just opened a little while ago. Our server was wonderful, he didn't hover but was there when you needed him.
The Ambience: We felt seriously relaxed, the jazz music was a lovely addition and not too loud at all. Everyone in the restaurant seemed happy and relaxed and just having a nice Sunday brunch.
The Price: Before the Groupon we would have paid $15 per person for the buffet, $4 for the mimosa and about $2 for the coffee. I certainly felt like I enjoyed at least $15 worth of terrific food and my mimosa was in a glass about the size of a large wine glass.
The End: We loved this place and will certainly go back. Not a bad word to say about it!

New Place: Jackson's Watering Hole

Jackson's Watering Hole

1205 Richmond
Houston, TX 77006
Neighborhood: Museum District

(713) 528-2988

www.jacksonsbarhouston.com

The View: I really enjoyed myself here. Parking was very easy, kind of a gravel type place where you make your own space. The bar itself looks like an old ice house/ storage warehouse. The patio is obviously recently built and well done at that. Lots of nice picnic tables, I'd say about 10 of them, not to mention smaller tables.

The Inside: The interior of the bar is open, the music is the PERFECT level to be able to hear the people you're with speaking. A good variety of old country and popular music from the 90's. Made us 30 somethings feel right at home. No pool tables but they have two nice dart boards. Lots of bar stools and tables. No one was standing around because they couldn't find a seat.

The Service: We had to go to the bar a total of twice. Once to open a tab and get our first beers (The Fiancé had Abita Green Gator and I had something similar) and the the second time to close our tabs. The bartender gladly poured samples for me when I wasn't sure what I wanted. After our first beer the waitress found us outside on the porch, asked if we wanted another, offered me something called a Bootlegger Porter (or something like that, it's what I drank the rest of the night, yummo!) and then promptly returned with the beers. It was like that the whole evening.

The Price: After tip for 7 beers we had spent about $40. A bit pricey but we were drinking small brewery, yummy beers, not Busch or Lone Star. The bartender remembered The Fiancé's name after introducing himself once! It was worth it. I look forward to going there again, next time with a group of friends.

The Downside: One toilet for girls, one for guys. Somehow it all worked out and I didn't have to wait to go pee once.

The End: It was a great Date Night place, a great groupout place, or even a great out alone maybe to meet new people place. I liked it and will be keeping it in my rotation of favorite places to go. We were also informed walking out the door that they do Karaoke on Saturday nights.

5 Smiley Faces!

Review anyone?

So my favorite blog ever, Subliminal Hits, reviews movies on occasion. I enjoy reading them and most of the time I find that we agree on the same things.

I go out and try new places here in Houston all the time with The Fiancé. Some are good experiences and some are a little bit of a let down. People only write reviews on Yelp etc. when they are unhappy with the service. I'm going to try to start writing reviews of the new places I visit so that you'll want to visit them too!

Fun Filled Day!

Woke up this morning and did not want to go to work.

Went anyway. Got free pizza. Yum!

Got off work. Had good chat with the best friend Heater. Bought the fiance the wrong size shirt but that's ok cause I still have the receipt.

Ran to the gym. The Fiance is a great personal trainer. Texted me what I needed to work on.

Got home and did some kitchen cleaning. Followed with grocery shopping. I bought yummy healthy food. I do this from time to time. Lately the fridge has been full of bad for me foods.

Then on to the organization of the closet. That worked out well. Fiance came home early and we spent some time chatting in bed.

Moved ourselves to the Next Door Bar.

Met up with Aspen and had a nice chat about her and Jack Jack's Dad. Good times. I feel like she is a lot like Heater. Need to develop this friendship. I think she needs a Me.

Time for bed. Bear and Fer will be tomorrow. Fiance has to drive Fer to the airport.

I'm a happy camper. More later.

-camping happily