Houston: Birthday Foodie Adventure

I decided to do a Foodie adventure in Houston during my birthday weekend. I made a list of restaurants and tried to see how many of them I could hit with my brother Abid. And here are the results:

T’afia

We started our foodie adventure at T’afia with the Come to Daddy. It’s a delicious tequila concoction that is quite pleasing to the eye as well. It’s a refreshing choice for our hot (and humid) days. Slightly tart yet slightly sweet, it felt delicious sliding down my throat.

Come To Daddy - Patron, Chambord, Lime Juice

T’afia has a 3 course menu available for lunch on Friday’s. I started off my 1st course with the Lentil soup and the first spoonful in my mouth was a creamy concoction of spices and legumes. It had a hint of cumin in it as well which I always love.

1st Course: Lentil Soup

Abid had the Capellini Salad for his 1st course. While it wasn’t as cold as you normally would imagine a cold salad to be, the combination of cherry tomatoes gently popping on every bite and brie vinaigrette made this pasta outstanding. I’m dying to try my hand at making this at home.

1st Course (Abid): Cold Capellini Salad, Cherry Tomatoes and Brie Vinaigrette

I was hesitant to get this trio due to liver not being even close to my like list, but I wanted to try the lamb out. The lamb was cooked perfectly and each succulent bite made me praise my decision. I also liked the fact there was no mint, I am not a big fan of minty lamb. The pork belly was crispy on the outside and fatty on the inside, it other words, perfect. And just as I suspected, I didn’t care for the liver. The bite at first was decent enough, but I don’t like the somewhat grainy texture and aftertaste that liver gives. For those of you liver lovers, I’m sure you would have loved it.

2nd Course: Trio of Pomegranate Lamb Chop, Jolie Vue Veal Liver and Braised Pork Belly with a Golden Raisin-Pinenut Chutney

Bacon-wrapped shrimp with a side of fried brown rice…  This dish was okay, but definitely not the best…  The shrimp was overpowered by the bacon flavor, which I don’t think most people would complain about.  But the fried brown rice  seemed to have a heavy gelatinous quality to it.  It seemed as though the brown rice was stir-fried, thoroughly mashed together in a small mold, and then slid out onto the plate.  Doesn’t sound appetizing?  Well, it wasn’t…

2nd Course (Abid): Shrimp Spiedini with Fried Brown Rice

We both decided to have the cheese pairing for our dessert. The ends were rubbed in some cumin mixture and the cheese was mild and nutty. A good ending to our great meal.

3rd Course: Houston Dairymaid Cheese Pairing

Catalan

The calamari here was good, but nothing outstanding. The jalapeno lime dressing was pretty tasty though, definitely jazzed up the taste buds.

Arborio Dusted Calamari with Jalapeno Lime Dressing

Catalan’s pork belly is one of the best I’ve had. I was introduced to this phenomena during my foodie trip Down Under, and I’ve really come to love this style of pork. The syrup was so deliciously sweet and was a great contrast to the savory pork belly.

Roasted Berkshire Pork Belly with Steen's Pure Cane Syrup

Oh. Mah. Gawd. The sauce on this shrimp dish was TO DIE FOR! Deliciously creamy and spicy all at the same time. You end up sopping the dish with bread and fighting over the garlic pieces. I asked the waiter the ingredients to the sauce and I will have to practice my technique to see if I can even come close.

Spicy Garlic Gulf Shrimp

Not everyone, or even most, tend to care for bone marrow. But this is one delicacy I really appreciate. Especially since it’s rare to find places that serve it. I was introduced to it in Austin at Parkside. The dish here was tasty, although the texture was a bit off. Usually the marrow is so creamy smooth you can spread it on toast like pate, but it was a little tougher than that here and I had to cut it up a bit. Didn’t detract from the good flavor though.

Roasted Bone Marrow with Maldon Salt

After all the great tapas, I have to say this fish dish was just average. It was a bit of a let down after all the savory flavors that danced in my mouth, but it was by no means bad.

Entree: Crabmeat crusted local day boat Grouper over Israeli couscous tabbouleh

I didn’t taste this, but it just looked so pretty I had to take a picture of it.

Seared Berkshire Pork Chop with St. Arnolds BBQ Demi, Sweet Potato Gratin

The panna cotta was creamy smooth and the peach soup in combination was a great tart contrast.

Panna Cotta in Peach Soup

Again, I didn’t taste, but too pretty to pass up a picture.

Texas Pecan Tart with Espresso Caramel

Max’s Wine Dive

The skin on this fried chicken was so crunchy and not greasy by any means. The chicken was juicy and succulent. Great flavors! I just wish it had come with gravy instead of syrup as I prefer savory, but this was one of the best fried chickens I’ve had. And I loved the bitterness of the collard greens, I couldn’t stop eating them.

Southern Fried Chicken Marinated in Jalapeno Buttermilk with Chipotle Honey, Mashed Potatoes and Collard Greens

Ibiza

This was a very light delicate taste of hamachi in its vinaigrette. My only wish was that the jalapeno slices would have been more spicy, but I know only nature can control that. Or chemicals I guess…

Yellowtail Hamachi with Jalapeno Clementine Vinaigrette and Sesame Seeds

I thought the flavors on this octopus was really tasty. You could tell it had been marinated for hours and hours. BUT, I didn’t care for the texture. It was too hard and reminded me of chicken. When I eat octopus, I like it to have the right texture.

Octopus La Plancha with Sorrel Olive Oil and Spanish Chorizo

Reef

Executive Soother so beats the pants off the hibiscus margarita.

Hibiscus Margarita: Centenario Rose Angel, Grand Marnier, Sweet and Sour

The Executive Soother: Cabo Wabo Blanco, Midori, Basil, Orange, Lime

This was THE BEST FREAKIN’ FISH I’ve ever had! I’ve never had trigger fish and it was so delicate and the flavor combinations were so perfect that I can’t even begin to describe the orgasm that took place in my mouth.

Seared Trigger Fish, Roasted Artichokes, Meyer-Lemon Andouille Viniagrette

Another winner. I love truffles and if you’ve never had them, I beg you to run out and try them straight away! The mushrooms were tender and I mixed the truffle oil through the polenta to make each bite as tasty as the next.

Truffled Polenta with Mushrooms

I loved loved the lime tart. This was the perfect ending to the foodie journey at Reef. I had been once before when it first opened and was not impressed. BUT, I must admit I can’t even remember what I ordered so I’m glad I gave this place a second chance.

Thin Lime Tart, Charred Meringue, Rasberries

A deconstructed Vietnamese coffee in dessert form.  This was impressive.  The one downfall is that the crust that is holding the coffee ganache was very dry and too hard to break through with the spoon.  Needless to say, the crust was sent back while the rest was happily shovelled away into my mouth…

Vietnamese Coffee Tart, Condensed Milk Ice Cream, Mint Syrup

The Grove

Gingery and spicy thai peppers make this drink quite savory. It reminds me of a Gin Gin Mule, except it’s spicy. And, in my opinion, much better!

Ginger Margarita (Tezon Reposado)

I’m always happy to see squid on a menu, especially when it’s not the typical fried calamari.  This dish was just okay though.  The texture was alright, maybe a bit firm.  But the entire dish needed more flavor–the herb salad just wasn’t enough to cover for the cold, underdressed calamari…

Calamari and Herb Salad on Bruschetta

Fleming’s

Yum, yum and yum!!

Basil Lemon Drop Martini (Ciroc Vodka)

Very black peppery goodness. I wish it had some red chili heat, but the taste was still great.

Wicked Cajun Barbecue Shrimp

The tuna just melted in my mouth! And the spicy mustard made me gasp and tear up, but was delicious on the ahi.

Seared Ahi Tuna with Spicy Mustard Sauce