Steak Night in Houston: Episode 2

It has been a great long while since I have posted anything. To make a long story short, my MacBook Pro died a little over a year ago and I have been without reliable technology since then. Santa decided I had been good enough this year for a replacement, so my smile has returned and my data has been recovered. Although much of 2016 has sucked incredibly, at least it ended with a mostly new MacBook Air. Lighter, stronger, and ready to work for 2017 and beyond.

Anyway, I had intended to do a series of posts on steak nights in Houston. I only managed to do one. We drove to DFW to visit family for Christmas and after dealing with horrible traffic and rain the whole drive back to Houston, something serendipitous happened. We intended to go to the downtown Spec's to grab a sandwich at their deletable deli. A quick passing glance revealed no cars in the parking lot, which meant they were closed. I've never been there when the parking lot wasn't full and Spec's is never empty. 

Then I saw something. It was an icehouse looking bar with a sign out front that said steak night $10. That was enough to grab the attention of everyone in the car. We pulled into the parking lot. It was not even 5PM yet, so it wasn't packed. It was Saint Dane's Bar & Grille. We edged up to the bar and were greeted by a friendly staff. The kind of staff with a sense of humor. My husband and I ordered steaks and my son ordered the wings. No red wine, but they were nice enough to mix up a lovely margarita. 

The steaks were delectable. No steak sauce needed. My sides were green beans and creamed corn. Both were excellent. I'd requested medium well because I don't care for bloody steak. It was perfectly executed and well-flavored. Needless to say, we left fully satisfied and confident we'd found a new Houston gem. We will definitely return sooner rather than later. 

Steak Night in Houston - Episode I

Money is tight and not wanting to drop triple digits on for our Anniversary dinner, I suggested trying one of the many well-reviewed steak night offerings Houston has become renowned for.

We've done Ruth's Chris before and it leaves the bank card traumatized and cursing (ok, us not the card) afterwards.

After much contemplation, we decided on MKT Bar downtown near the theatre district. Hidden away inside Phoenicia Market, it would be easy to overlook as an option for something such as a 20th Anniversary dinner. Having been there before for everything but steak night, it seemed like a competent choice. The food there had never been a let down. Our anniversary was on a Tuesday and the advertised special was two ribeye steaks with two sides and a salad for $12.99 per person.

We found a tiny candlelit table that wasn't already reserved and ordered some drinks and an artisan meat and cheese plate as a appetizer. Consisting of prosciutto, salami, string mozzarella cheese, and drunken goat cheese, it could have been a meal by itself. The salads arrived not even 3/4 of the way into the delectable meat and cheese experience. They were fresh, crisp, and everything you would expect from a pre-steak salad.

The steaks arrived and met our expectations just in appearance, but would they be worthy of an anniversary dinner? The plates were huge and the steaks took up most of the white space. The rest of it was taken up by the sides. One bite vaporized any misgivings I might have had. The meat was perfectly cooked medium well and melted in my mouth along with the chimichurri sauce. My twice-baked potato was on point as were the Za'-atar fries.

It was so enjoyable that we've decided to embark on a once a month steak night experience. Next time, we'll see what Wednesday has to offer.

Welcome to Fall (or somehing like it)

    

We've just crossed that threshold from Indian Summer to Fall. However, Houston in typical fashion still fees like summer. My desire to wear boots, sweaters, and long skirts is thwarted with 90 degree temperatures and rainforest humidity. That's just Gulf Coast living. My allergies are flared up and the indecisive weather Texas is famous for is not helping. Aside from that, I do really enjoy this time of year for many reasons.

Starting in October, the weather here is usually amazing. It's been unusually hot even by Texas standards, but the mornings are nice and cool. We just have to savor those mornings because by afternoon we are in the 90s. It doesn't help that they keep it Arctic cold inside the building at work. All I can say is layers.

Baking season begins with several trial runs of pumpkin pie and butter pecan fudge. I have to perfect both by Thanksgiving. The family does not complain about the excess batches of cookies, fudge, and pies. There's a night food stalker in the house as evidenced by crumbs on the counter. I have a good idea of who it is, but I'm not at liberty to say.

I was blessed with an October baby, so we get to prepare for the big 14 this year. The idea of having a kid who is 4 years away from leaving home just astonishes me. It's a big cliché to say, but it really feels like he just came home from the hospital. He's very involved in the party planning. This year's theme is Jurassic World. He's been obsessed with Jurassic Park since he was old enough to watch movies and the new movie is his favorite of the moment.

That about sums up what makes me giddy for Fall. I'm sure I'll think of something else as soon as I post this. That's the beauty of blogging. You can always go back and add to it.

Oyster Quest: Galveston

Oysters always struck me as odd. Slimy shots of briny substance just never looked appealing, at least until a trip to New Orleans. I made the decision to try something new and that new thing was going to be raw oysters. So, we ate dinner in the French Quarter and ordered up a plate of raw oysters. I made sure to load up the obligatory cracker and douse it with enough Tabasco sauce to drown out the unpleasant flavor that was bound to wreak havoc on my tastebuds. The result: Not bad at all, actually quite tasty. An order of Oysters Rockefeller destroyed any remaining notion that oysters were nasty.


Fast forward to October 3, 2015. A trip to help a friend clean up his Galveston vacation home yielded an opportunity to eat oysters again. So my family and I spent most of Saturday cleaning up the mess left by a previous renter (that subject is worthy of a separate post). The house had no electricity, so we checked into our hotel and cleaned up for dinner.


I decided on the Black Pearl Oyster Bar. The reviews were positive and it was just ten minutes from the hotel.

My husband ordered the fried seafood platter. The side salad that came with it was donated to me. He's a meat and potatoes man with no use for "lawn clippings", so I happily took it off his hands.
It was one of the freshest salads I've ever had. Paired with bleu cheese dressing, it was perfection.

The Oysters Rockefeller arrived on a very hot plate. The waitress was nice enough to point out how hot the plate was. I wondered how many mishaps had occurred when someone touched the plate and discovered a whole new meaning for the word pain and some choice 4-letter words to go with it.

The oysters themselves were delicious and melted in my mouth. Whoever thought to combine spinach, bacon, and oysters needs to have a statue erected in their honor or a building named after them. They were unquestionably delectable in a way that cannot be described. They must be experienced.

Our meal concluded with my husband almost cracking a tooth on what appeared to be a pearl. Some of those 4-letter words followed. I was skeptical at first, but I don't know what else it could be. 

It's adorable. I just need to find a use for it. The cupholder in my Outback is probably not the best home for it.

To sum it all up, the Black Pearl Oyster Bar in Galveston is worthy of a visit. You may even leave with a pearl of your own.

Why Houston is Awesome Part 2: The Foodie Edition

The dining options in Houston are as endless as the variety of rush hour expletives. The world is your oyster when you decide to eat in Houston. The cultural makeup of the city provides infinite possibilities and even the most discriminating of food snobs will find something to satisfy their palette in H-town.

This is brunch at Union Kitchen on Bellaire. We arrived at 10 A.M.  sharp and found a patio table. Swirling fans created enough of a breeze
to make sitting outside pleasant. It was still early, so the sweat hadn't yet started to pool in the armpits.

A quick glance of the menu told me that this wasn't going to be a cheap excursion. But most is forgiven when you take into account that you're essentially eating the first two meals of the day and probably won't eat again until the evening.

Brunch does not exist without a good Bloody Mary. My eyes widened when I saw the words Bloody Mary Bar on the menu. I read that to mean that it was all you could drink and you just doctored up your drinks to your liking on each trip. I was disappointed to find out that there was no bottomless Bloody Mary. Mimosas, yes. Bloody Marys...not so much.

By the time my Eggs Benedict arrived, my
stomach was in full Wookie-growl mode. The
portion size did not disappoint. For me, the litmus test is how well the egg is poached. My recent experiences have ranged from nearly hard boiled to egg soup. No one seems to know how to get it right. I was pleased to discover that the egg was poached perfectly. The tomato, bacon, and avocado sent my taste buds into a tizzy. My normal breakfast is either plain Greek yogurt and some Cheerios or a basic banana. Needless to say, the taste buds are demanding a return trip to Union Kitchen for Sunday brunch.

That's about all I have time for now. My next post will address Tex-Mex, which may be deserving of its own blog altogether.

Update:

I never intended to disappear.  My full-time job chews up all my brain cells and spits them out on the floor. Anyway, in Houston, one cannot go more than half a mile without seeing a Mexican restaurant in some capacity. Taco Cabana is favored by many. It's fast, cheap, and, tasty with soul soothing margaritas.

A little higher on the spectrum is Cafe Adobe. The Montrose location on Westheimer used to be one of my favorite haunts. Unfortunately, it appears to be no more. There are two other locations that I know of. We recently went to the one by Edwards Theatre near 610 and 10.

It did not dissapoint. The beef fajita salad with creamy avocados and fresh tomatoes was the perfect dish.

Margaritas were spot on. Flavorful and not overly strong. Just the right amount of tequila.

I will continue to update this post with more of Houston's Tex-Mex offerings.

Why Houston is the best city in Texas - Part One

I'm finally getting back into the blogosphere because my job is not as all-consuming as it once was. It's still pretty stressful, but I can't let it dictate whether I choose to write or not. It's a paycheck, but it's not my world.



I might have gotten carried away
with my filters

Having said that, I have long wanted to post a series of articles about Houston. Why Houston? I can already see the scratching of heads and blank expressions. Mostly because it's one of the most misunderstood cities in the country. The ones who are so quick to write it off as a cesspool have probably never been here and have no idea what they're missing. Most people aren't aware that Houston offers up as much culture and food as New York City does and you could even bump into a celebrity if your timing is right.

If you've seen the movies Boyhood or Tree of Life, then you are at least aware of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The Butterfly Pavilion is fantastic and if you stay very still, you may have once of its residents land on you. Don't even think about taking one home as a pet. The volunteers will do everything short of a body cavity search and direct you to the gift shop for souvenirs.



It boasts a massive fossil display that begins with the origins of life on Earth and ends with the first humans. No genetically mutated Jurassic World dinosaurs here. The dioramas of the Texas wildlife hall are a must see as well. Everything is so lifelike that you can't help but wonder if these creatures go MMA on each other after-hours. I need to wrap this up for now. I have to get on the road to go to Dallas (ugh) for the 4th of July holiday.



Alligator from Hell



 

Just you wait...once they lock that door your ass is mine





RIP to my Toyota Corolla

So...a funny thing happened on the way to return some movies to Redbox. I'm driving down the road that I take on a daily basis without hesitation. The next thing I know, a white SUV runs the stop sign and I'm swerving to avoid the inevitable accident and bracing myself for the airbag encounter.

Weirdly enough, the airbags did not deploy. Unfortunately, the damage was enough to total my paid-off 2005 Corolla. We hoped to keep the Blue October adorned hood, but the insurance company said we couldn't keep anything from the car.

It's been a couple of weeks now and I've had time to mourn the passing of my reliable and did I mention fully paid for car? The silver lining is twofold. One, my son was not with me. Since I swerved, the passenger side absorbed most of the crash impact and spared me from injury. I do shudder to think what could have happened though. Two, my new ride is a brand new Subaru Outback and it is fantastic.

If there is a takeaway from this, it's that disasters happen all the time. As bad as it may seem at the time, there is always something positive that you can glean from the experience. Stay safe everyone and I will be up and blogging regularly soon.

Farewell to the Best and Worst Year of My Life: Part 1

I have a confession. In high school, I thought Charles Dickens was full of crap. How could it be the best of times AND the worst of times? I couldn't wrap my pea-sized adolescent brain around that concept. Then again, my problems were miniscule compared to those of a real adult. At that time, I couldn't wait to grow up. If I had the ability to go back in time, I would slap my pimpled face and tell myself that things were so easy now, probably too easy. Being an adult is more difficult than anyone thinks it will be. You struggle to reach a point where you have enough money, time, or sanity to accomplish what you need to do. If you're a parent, everything goes out the window when something traumatic happens.

The year began with my son Zachary becoming very ill. On January 4th, he went home sick and it became readily apparent that it wasn't just the stomach flu. He wasn't improving. Before this debacle, he rarely got sick and recovered quickly when he did. That was not the case with this mystery illness. The abdominal pain was excruciating for him and for us as observers. Going to the hospital didn't help. In fact, it worsened his condition. He developed a rash on his legs that told his pediatrician what it was. Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP), A rare autoimmune disorder that we had never heard of was draining his body of everything we take for granted. His joints hurt so much that he couldn't walk. He had to be carried to the ultrasound room. He couldn't eat solid food, so his only nourishment was delivered through the veins. We felt helpless and heartbroken about not being able to do a thing to alleviate his agony. The picture below is the rash that represented broken blood vessels. This condition affects children between the ages of 2 and 11. You can read more about it here.

The hardest part of the diagnosis was that the disease is so rare that very few know how to treat it. The rheumatologist at Texas Children's Hospital provided the most helpful information. He had at least seen enough of it to know that certain foods were forbidden for the time being. Apparently, pizza is the worst possible thing one with this illness can eat. It also happens to be Zachary's all-time favorite food. The doctor instructed us to keep him on bland foods for six weeks and we adhered to that. Plain potatoes, rice, and boiled chicken with Jell-O for dessert. To this day, he shudders at the sight of Jell-O. Anyway, his condition improved and after six weeks, we thought it was alright to allow him pizza. That was a huge mistake that sent us back to the hospital. Ultimately, we overcame the illness by going gluten-free diet during his recovery. Tests proved he was not allergic to anything, but the restricted diet really helped with his recovery.

After a long search, I'd secured a position that I thought was my dream job. I'd been hired as a legal writer in December 2012. It was very challenging, but I enjoyed it. It was intellectually stimulating and lifted me out of the extreme depression I'd been experiencing. When Zachary got sick, I couldn't function and my work suffered as a result. Sleep was impossible. I couldn't take off much because I didn't have the sick leave. Any time I did take was unpaid, which wasn't feasible for me. Each day, I went to work in a daze as my immediate family members took care of my son. It was unbearable. I should have resigned, but I trudged ahead because I thought that I belonged there. Unfortunately, I was let go just inside of 90 days on the job. I know this sounds depressing, but things do get better. I will share more in my next blog post, so stay tuned for part II. There is an upside to all of this despair and heartbreak.

Tis the Season

I feel very guilty because of my infrequent blog posts. This time of year has to be the busiest few weeks in the entire year! If I'm not decorating, I'm baking or doing one of a million other things that have to be done before Christmas. The tree looks great and the mantle looks terrific (see above). An added plus of having a real tree is you get to use leftovers for DIY garland. The smell is amazing. We've always had an artificial tree, so this is a whole new experience for me. The trick is keeping the dog from drinking the tree water and the rabbit from munching on the tree. Christmas cards are mostly done, which is a huge accomplishment. Let's just say that I've always meant to send them out. I'm trying not to spend money on decorations this year, so it's been fun making creative use of existing Christmas junk (see below). That's about all I have time for right now. Merry Christmas to everyone and stay safe during this hectic time.

Why I'm Thankful and Thanks-Giveaway Tuesday

So, my trusty Toyota Corolla decided to choke for me last week. I was subbing and decided to run out for a bite for my lunch break. Turned the key and nothing happened. My first thought is that I left a light on and it drained my battery. No, surprisingly that wasn't the problem. Come to find out it was the battery. Most batteries just die. My battery pretty much imploded, which was bizarre. Anyway, the point is that one unlucky turn of events yielded plenty to be thankful for. First of all, the car died in the parking lot and not in the middle of an intersection. Also, the principal who tried to jumpstart my car gave me a ride to McDonald's so I could get something to eat. I'm also thankful to have a mechanically inclined spouse who took off from work to pick up the new battery and replace it in the parking lot. Lastly, AutoZone was nice enough to give us a discount on the battery even though the warranty had already expired. My car runs perfectly now (as I knock on the biggest piece of wood I can find). The point that I want to reiterate is that as much as setbacks suck, they teach us to appreciate the little things that we probably take for granted.

What are you thankful for? The first person to leave a comment will receive a free copy of my short story Hannah Strong.

Why This Week Was Awesome

My schedule this week has been crazy (in a good way), so I'm running behind on blogging. My goal is to post three times a week. However, with the holiday season looming, I may have to aim lower. Also, I'm changing up my approach to weekly positive energy because it shouldn't be limited to just three things.

First of all, I've had my first Starbucks Peppermint Brownie cake pop of the holiday season. They are definitely one of the things I look forward to the most this time of year. I really don't feel too guilty about having one. I'm sure the Skinny Peppermint Mocha negates the calories anyway.

Secondly, I began subbing this week. It's not exactly steady income yet. After Thanksgiving, I should be able to pick up enough work to earn my keep. I worked at a high school, which I never thought I would be comfortable with. The kids were really great though. It was more of a therapeutic school than academics and the classes were really small. Overall, it was a really positive experience that I hope to repeat soon.

Lastly, I'm up to three positive reviews for Hannah Strong, which can be viewed here. I feel blessed to have secured help from some really fantastic book bloggers. My Goodreads profile is looking a little better, but I'm still working on it. Am I the only one who has a hard time navigating Goodreads? I've never found it very user-friendly.

I hope everyone is taking a much deserved break next week and spending time with family and friends. At the end of the day, that is what is important.