Recently, www.AMEXessentials.com asked me to contribute to a selection of delicious foods from around the world and I had to pick ONE dish. If you’ve experienced food in NOLA, you have to realize how difficult that is! NOLA is a just a melting pot of so many great foods. I went with a little mix of classic NOLA and French cuisine…Check out this link for my answer and several must-try worldwide dishes :
https://www.amexessentials.com/must-try-dishes-for-travellers/
I was in the neighborhood and craving some Dat Dog on Magazine St when I noticed some changes. Dat Dog now has a cute little art market where you can enjoy your hot dog and peruse some cute local art. At the front of the market is a a little stand owned by an adorable French couple who came to the states to share some ice rolls with us!
Speculoos Ice Roll.
Oreo Ice Roll.
Speculoos, a cookie butter, is my favorite so far! I also tried the Oreo and that’s good too. My group was lucky since it was the last one of the day. Typically, they serve until there’s no more cream. The presentation could be quite showy, but it’s definitely a more artistic style to ice cream-making. If you’re in the area, try it! That’s all I gotta say!
TIPS: CASH ONLY
RATING: 5/5 spoons
Houston’s Restaurant, although part of a small national chain, is probably one of my favorite steak restaurants in the city! I know, everyone loves to eat local and hear all about the places that the locals like to go. Believe it or not, this is one of them!
House-smoked Salmon. Toast. Chef’s Dressing.
Hawaiian Rib-eye Steak. Pineapple Sesame Ginger Marinade. Rib-eye. Loaded Idaho Baked Potato.
Kale Salad.
Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. Pan fried Blue Crab. Pommery mustard. French Fries (substituted for Kale Salad)
“The Chef” and I usually order the Smoked Salmon, Hawaiian Rib-eye, Lump Crab Cakes, and Kale Salad. I usually substitute the fries that come along with the crab cakes with the Kale Salad. Healthier? Maybe. Delicious? Yes! I’ve heard that certain locations don’t offer the Kale Salad as a side, but be sure to ask. What I love about this particular location is the LIVE jazz music they play every night. Houston’s is a touch of NOLA with a great company and excellent food! How could you not love it?
Dining tip: There’s usually a 40 minute wait especially closer to the weekend so be sure to call for a reservation at least two hours in advance! If not, try going on a weekday for easy, delicious, and comfortable dining!
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Rating: 5/5 spoons!
Every time I go to Houston, it’s mandatory that I go to Thai Spice Express. There’s multiple locations throughout Houston but this one is my favorite! It’s got the best and homiest Thai food around! I’ve also tried quite a few other restaurants in the city and they may be nice BUT not as flavorful. There’s counter service, they bring the food to you, and you pay afterwards.
Pad Ka Praw. Ground Meat. Green Beans. Chili Basil Sauce.
Spicy Combination Pad Thai (with chicken, shrimp, tofu, and egg).
Yellow Chicken Curry.
My favorite items to order are Pad Ka Praw, Spicy Pad Thai, Yellow Curry, and Green Curry. The portions here are usually rather large so it’s best shared family style. You can add spice to anything to kick it up a notch. Other items that I enjoy: Fried Whole Fish, Thai Tea.
Any particular specials to pay attention too? YES! If you’re looking for single portions, there’s a great lunch special for $6.99. If you happen to work in the area and looking for a homey, delicious lunch, this is THE spot. I miss it and wish we had one in New Orleans!
Rating: 5/5 spoons!
I recently made a quick trip to Houston, TX to visit some friends and a new pizza place had popped up in my old neighborhood! It’s called Pizaro’s, a family-owned restaurant that began in the Memorial area and has now expanded to Montrose. They make fresh dough in-house and bake their pizza pies in a brick oven. It’s BYOB so be sure to take advantage of that if you like to enjoy your pizza with friends and an ice cold beer or glass of wine!
Fresh dough, made in-house.
Pizza Makers ready to go!
House Salad.
Fumé. Olive oil. Garlic. Smoked Mozzarella. Basil. Smoked Prosciutto.
Patata e Funghi. Sausage. Mushroom. Truffle Oil. Mozzarella. Rosemary. Garlic.
Arugula Pizza with Iberico Ham (the most expensive ham in the world!). Note: There is an upcharge for Iberico Ham for $11.
The pizzas came out very quickly! Service was great and even though it was counter service, someone would come by occasionally to check on us. The pizzas were quite good. The crust was thin and doughy. I do wish there was a bit more of a chewiness to the dough, but I still enjoyed it. The space is very family friendly and great for large groups as well. Looking for Napoletana pizza in the Houston area? Pizaro’s is the home of napoletana pizza in Houston! The customer service was exceptional and really made our large group feel welcome!
Rating: 4/5 spoons
On a lazy Sunday morning, my cousin and I were looking for a good brunch spot. We noticed that Refuel Cafe was all the rage in the foodie brunchosphere and had to give it a shot! This cute spot is located at the end of Carrollton Street and is not too far from Carrollton Market, Dante’s Kitchen, Boucherie, and the like.
Huevos Rancheros. Corn tortillas. Black beans. Melted Cheddar. Two over medium eggs. Red peppers.Onions. Avocado, Pico de Gallo. Crema.
Breakfast Burrito. Scrambled eggs. Potatoes. Cheddar. Choice meat: chorizo (other options: applewood bacon, black forest ham, andouille sausage). Spicy Ranchero Sauce. Tomato Tortilla. Choice side: fruit
The restaurant was ridiculously clean with a modern minimalist decor. You wouldn’t even know it was a restaurant if it weren’t for the diners sitting down with their colorful and delicious looking plates. The restaurant is quite small and it setup to where you order first, then find a table. There’s very few places to stand and wait so definitely come early or come on a good weather day in case you have to wait outdoors. Luckily for us, we were able to find the last available table! We sat down and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of a Sunday morning at Refuel. It’s pretty loud and echoey, but we preferred the air conditioned room over the humidity so it was fine!
My cousin enjoyed her Breakfast Burrito, which was loaded with chorizo. I have a feeling they have a thing for high protein here. I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, which was definitely not-your-usual Huevos Rancheros. Usually there are a ton of potatoes, but Refuel replaced the usual “patatas” with a ton of beans. Funny thing is that I’m not in love with beans and I can’t really blame Refuel since I overlooked it on the menu. It was still good, but I really wished there were some potatoes, If you’re looking for a lighter and healthier take on the Huevos Rancheros, this is definitely it!
I’ve seen some other items on the menu that I would like to give a shot so I would definitely like to try it again!
Rating: 3.5/5
Cavan opened just a few months ago and was on my food radar. I was excited when the hubby decided to surprise me one night. Cavan is gorgeous! It’s in an old historic mansion located on Magazine St. with high ceilings, beautiful chandeliers, and your classic old New Orleans home feel.
Oysters. Mignonette and Cocktail Sauce.
Scallop Crudo. Lime. Pistou. Pickled Red Onion.
Crab Deviled Eggs.
Old Bay Fries. Malt Aioli.
Fried Oyster Caesar. Kale. Romaine. Pecorino. Crackers.
Clam Chowder. Baked Oyster Crackers.
Seared Scallops. Jalapeno-white cheddar grits. Sweet corn. Crab. Arugula.
Complimentary Cherry Meringue.
The menu consists of a lot of small bites and small plates that are quite small in portion so be sure to order multiple dishes. We ordered Oysters, Crab Deviled Eggs, Waffle Fries, Salmon Crudo, Clam Chowder, Fried Oyster Caesar Salad, and the Seared Scallops for my husband and I. The dishes were light and appetizing but were a tease since they were in small portions. The Waffle Fries were more like a thin potato waffle wedge as opposed to fries, but were good and went well with the aioli. The Salmon Crudo was refreshing. My favorite was the Clam Chowder. It was more of a Clam Soup but was very flavorful. There was an herbiness with a delicious oniony finish. I loved it. Too bad I had to share it with my hubby. The Kale Caesar Salad with Fried Oysters was pretty good as well. I only wish the kale were chopped into smaller pieces for easier eating. The scallops were really good and laid atop a bed of homey corn grits. It was a very light entree and I somewhat wished it was loaded with cream or butter, but I won’t complain on reduced fat since it was still very good!
I would definitely like to try Cavan again. Service was super friendly and the food came out fast! I’d really like to see what else they have to offer since this was only their first few months of opening.
Rating: 4/5 spoons
As we’re approaching hump day/mid-week, I’d like to talk about a great lunch spot! Years ago, there was a bubble tea shop at this location that was easy to overlook and they’ve made quite a few improvements and serve Vietnamese sandwiches are there menu.
Banh Mi Dac Biet. Combination banh mi. Bubble Tea: Jasmine Iced Tea with Tapioca, Taro and Tapioca
From left to right: Jasmine Green Tea with Tapioca x 2, Mocha and Tapioca, Black Milk Tea with Tapioca.
My favorite is the Combination sandwich loaded with delicious Vietnamese cold cuts, pate, aioli and veggies. My go-to drink is the Jasmine Tea with Tapioca…it’s healthy and refreshing! There are more desserty flavors that aren’t as healthy but make a great treat such as the Taro or Cafe Sua Da. Another plus? There’s a loyalty card! With every 10 drinks, you get a free one. Easily done with summer approaching! There are only a few tables since it’s mostly take-out orders, but it’s quite spacious. The restaurant is located right outside of the Hong Kong Market so you if you happen to be in the area, Mr. Bubbles is a great treat!
Rating: 5/5 spoons