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Simple Name You've got to love a restaurant that doesn't bother with a cutesy name. 1 point there! This little spot in a strip shopping center on Hillcroft even gives you pictures on the window, so there's no question about what you're getting into. My main push for finding some Guatemalan food, was to enjoy a little of the culture that half my family had experienced for 2.5 weeks. Don and Scott had just returned from living with a Guatemalan family while practicing their Spanish. Not only could they translate for us at this restaurant, but they had a good idea of what and what not to order! Scott I photographed Scott viewing the menu while trying to capture some of the colorful walls nearby. The menu was in Spanish, but they did have some English translations. As the restaurant filled minutes later, I believe I was the only one who needed the English. Hot Corn Drink We started off with some interesting drinks which Don and Scott recommended. Mine was a hot corn drink that Scott was fond of. It was thick and warm, kind of like a sweetened creamed corn in a glass. I would have loved a shot glass full, but I struggled to finish what seemed to be a gallon of beverage. (number one rule in dining adventure...try your best not to insult owners or servers) Lunch is Served Don and Scott both ordered Pepian de Pollos, but I ordered Chaomein. This noodley (is that a word?) dish was one they had been served by their host family a number of times. I don't think the restaurant spent 6 hours over a wood burning stove (like in Guatemala) but it was still good. None of the food was hot enough to need the decorative fire extinguisher on the wall, but all in all the food was a decent 3+ rating. Maybe I'll add another + for the table cloth. (as seen under the vinyl) I learned a lot about women's dress in the "pueblos" of Guatemala. The women in these villages wear skirts of colorful woven material, which is often recycled for other use...like purses or table cloths! With the extra +, let's say 4 points for food! Shopping Too For people and atmosphere this restaurant gets 7 bonus points! Having an option to shop for gifts of fabric or colorful sashes or even framed Guatemalan money, made me feel like I was on vacation! But most memorable was my enjoyable chat with Jackie, Carolina and Estelle. Estelle is the only one actually from Guatemala. Since my translators were back at the table we had a very silly time trying to converse, but their enthusiasm and willingness to pose added to my over all " good feel" experience!
GUATEMALA RESTAURANT GETS A TOTAL OF 12 POINTS!!!
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Lebanese Food with Marsha Marsha and I have been in the same Book Club for 12 years, so we're used to sampling unusual foods... in a not too serious attempt at coordinating with the book's theme. But I don't think we have ever tried Lebanese food! Correct me if I'm wrong, Marsha! Baklava Cafe was an easy outing choice since it's right on Highway 6 in Sugar Land. It claims to serve European and Middle Eastern Cuisine, but knowing the chefs are Lebanese, using old family recipes, means we had many options for sampling Lebanese foods. 2 points for authenticity and another 2 points for clean and healthy surroundings! I'm afraid 0 points for people watching, though. Too early...and hey, we are in Sugar Land! Big Selection This photo shows Marsha peering at the fine food selection over the glass. Layla can also be seen walking away. She was a bit camera shy, but was delighted to give us her descriptions of the many dishes. I wish we'd had more time to find out how she is connected to this family owned business. But since she is Lebanese, we were glad to get her opinion on the choices! Busy Guy In this photo, besides viewing the delicious foods, you can also see the very serious man carrying 2 dishes. I had read in a few reviews to beware of a very grumpy chef behind the glass and I was open and willing for a memorable encounter with this guy. But I say, the guy is just busy and focused! I give him a break on my review by giving him 1 bonus point for attending to his job... getting my food ready! Bread... Ahhh! And here is the food! Being a bread person, I have selfishly placed the bread nearest the camera, which is nearly blocking the yummy sampler of falafel, kibbi rolls, grape leaves, hummus, tabooli! All were delicious and I give 4 points for food! Good Name Let us not forget the name of this restaurant! I don't know why I didn't get a photo of the amazing diplay case of desserts! The family who owns this business, started with a pastry shop in Lebanon 100 years ago! I didn't sample the baklava, but took home a variety of mouth watering truffles!
3 points for extending my food experience all the way to my home. Baklava Cafe gets a TOTAL OF 12 POINTS! Malaysian Food with The Twits First of all, "Who are the Twits?" you may ask. They are a group of friends I've dined with for years. I've already learned much about International dining from them, because I am the only American born one in the gang. So for this outing, part of our group gathered to meet up at Banana Leaf, which is in Houston's Chinatown or sometimes called "Asia Town". There is an old Chinatown in East Downtown Houston, but in the early 1980's, Houston area Asian American entrepreneurs began looking for a less expensive and newer area to develop. The newer Asiatown covers a 6 square mile area, mostly lining Bellaire Blvd. (street signs are in English and Chinese) Restaurants serve food from China (Hong Kong & Taiwan) Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam...! I love visiting Asia Town...2 points for location!!! William The evening atmosphere inside Banana Leaf was energizing! Crowded and lively, we were surrounded by a mostly a younger Asian crowd...seemed to be regulars. The modern, clean decor was a nice change from some of my recent dining adventures. So a 3 point bonus for nice surroundings! William, our waiter was very busy, but spent extra time chatting with us in a playful, bossy manor...telling us what to get and what to avoid. Lilian,(above) is taking the menu seriously. Which is good. I usually sit back with this group and say, "Somebody just order!" Lilian was originally from Hong Kong and knows more about Asian foods than the rest of us. Katharine (laughing) looks like she's had a martini or two...but really we were just sipping tea! Sigi, looks like she might be taking mental notes of the evening. Maybe I should drill her for more details! Mango We sampled a number of dishes, including banana leaf taro shrimp, beef rendang and mango chicken. All were tasty, but I'll say the mango chicken was my favorite. 4+ points out of 5 for food! Happy Bunch As you can see we are a little squished around our table! That sort of added to the fun of the atmosphere. Almost too crowded for good people watching. I have no reports or encounters, I'm sad to say. Interesting little TV screens on the wall. Not sure what that is for? I should have just taken a trip to the restroom to absorb more atmosphere. Next time, I'll try harder. Just One More Photo Here is William, once again taking time to join in our fun. (3 points for William) I have no idea why I am making that expression? Monica looks poised and content about her dining experience. Let's just say I was reacting to Lilian's suggestion that we visit a little gelato shop 2 doors down, after dinner. Maybe I'm saying, "Awesome!" in a very doofy manner.
All in all I give a grand total of 12 POINTS FOR BANANA LEAF! Polish Food in Portland Who says you have to sit down to have a dining experience! Eating delicious food while standing near a colorful food trailer is a memorable experience! In Portland, Oregon there are over 450 food carts in Multnomah County, with 2 solid blocks worth downtown. My sister, Jennifer and I carefully explored to find an International food not easily found in Houston. We settled on "Traditional Polish Cuisine" rather than "El Cubo de Cuba". Meeting Lidia I was eager to chat with Lidia Patkowski, (who seemed to be the only one in the cart) to tell her my husband's grandparents came over from Poland to Ellis Island. We struggled a bit to communicate, so I tried to scribble my name ZIENTY on a napkin. Finally I wadded the napkin up and Lidia squealed with delight to see my name on my driver's license. She informed me that I had been adding an extra syllable to my pronunciation. Me- "ZEE-N'-TEE" (I like to make it sound a bit Italian!) and Lidia- "ZZHHHEN-TEE" 4 bonus points for that educational encounter! Food Lidia whipped up a fine selection of pierogis for Jennifer and me to share! Various stuffings in these piping hot little dough pockets...beef, mushrooms, potato, chicken... MMMM! 4 points is a pretty high food review for a meal served in Styrofoam, while standing! Posing with My Sis 2 bonus points for authenticity and another 2 more for sweet Lidia's photo enthusiasm. She insisted on darting out the back door of the cart and running around to capture this shot from the front! Now I must add another 5 bonus points for Jennifer's enthusiasm in joining me in yet another of my whimsical goals of life. She should of course be awarded a whole lot more than that, but hey...she's my big sister. She has to do these things! THANKS SISTER GIRL! Grand Total 17 Points for Lidia's Polish Food Cart! Dining Adventure With Milissa Okay, I won't say this was International, but I have to add it to my dining list because eating Vegan food in Portland, Oregon is a cultural experience! I would like to report about interesting characters and happenings (like in the TV show Portlandia, if you've seen it) But it was pretty quiet and I was too busy enjoying Milissa's company to snoop around that much. Milissa and I have dined in Oklahoma, California, Colorado and Texas in the past, so I trusted her choice in finding a typical Vegan spot in an ever so funky, cool area of Portland. (Sunnyside area, I believe?) Fantastic Clowns I must give the dining experience 2 bonus points, just because PaRaDox is right next door to "Electric Castle" a game center with "Fantastic Fun Machines". We worked up a breakfast appetite posing with the clowns. Milissa liked the unicycle guy because he wore 2 hats! Ugh I am first to admit, this looks horrible! But the 4-grain pancake with dried cranberries and Oregon hazelnuts was actually quite yummy. The middle dish is biscuits and gravy. (that would be almond gravy, folks!) Not bad. Milissa's sweet corn cakes with jalapenos were amazing! We only ate about half of our breakfast, but that wasn't because it tasted like it looked. I'd give 4 bonus points out of 5 for this Vegan Food! Cheers Here we are toasting with our coffee. Our little room was not nearly as lively as the room through the window. But the most exciting room in PaRaDox is actually the restroom! Why didn't I take a picture of the whimsically painted mural! VooDoo Doughnuts We made a quick stop at VooDoo Doughnuts right after breakfast. If we had been able to indulge I could have added 3 bonus points to our outing. But we were still full. So as far as my first Vegan Dining Experience, I earned no points for fun chatter with owners or servers. Maybe 1 bonus point for the bathroom decor! But mostly I had a great time enjoying lunch with my old friend...for that I'll give 10 points!!!
Grand total of 17 Points for PaRaDox!! (hmm...most of those points have nothing to do with PaRaDox. I have warned about my rating system!) |
The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
November 2023
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