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Filipino Food with Rhona and Jac I asked Rhona and her daughter, Jac to help introduce me to food from the Philippines, since Rhona was raised on this food! 1 bonus point right away for experiencing Filipino food with my friend of matching heritage! Thanks, Rho! We arrived for an early lunch at this tidy little restaurant on Bissonnet in the Alief area of Houston. We had time to absorb the atmosphere before it filled. 1 bonus pt for a cheery greeting from the owner...Ma-an. (at least I think that was her name. Rhona, help?) She seated us by the window beside a tiny stage that is used for karaoke nights! A TV was playing an entertaining, Asian musical show. At least Jac found it rather amusing. (1/2 bonus point there!) Lumpia The egg rolls (Lumpia) were delicious, with sweet chili sauce. I had a photo of them on this post, but they were so good they disappeared. Honestly. Someone ate the photo right off the post. What happened? More Food Chicken Adobo, Ginataang Kalabasa, Krispy Pata and Garlic Rice! I sat back and enjoyed letting Rhona and Jac order. We had more food than we could eat. I remember it as all being tasty, but playing catch up on this blog means I don't remember specifics. I will be better! 4 points out of 5 points for food. Holding Utensils 1 bonus point for Rhona teaching me how to properly use my fork to push the food onto my spoon. Wait a minute!! How can I claim this was one of the memorable parts of my dining experience when I can't remember how we did that. Can we go again, Rhona! Ma-an By the time our meal was finished, regulars were beginning to fill our small diner. You have to give 1 bonus point for Ma-an, who playfully joined Jac and me at the table for this photo.
Add 1 bonus point for having an authentic Philippine food experience! 9.5 TOTAL BONUS POINTS FOR HOUSE OF CHICKEN!
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French Feast with Lorrie and Shari I actually don't know much about French dining, so I asked Lorrie and Shari (who at least have a fondness for French cuisine) to help me narrow it down. I decided on a place in a cute little house, that claimed to feel "like a French bistro nestled off the beaten path where all the locals dine..." (2 bonus points for being in a house) The atmosphere of this cozy spot on Colquitt, in Upper River Oaks area of Houston, was quite a change from the diner...shopping center style places that started the list. Let's throw in 1 bonus point for getting me to a classier place for a change. Surrounded by Paris I do love framed photographs, so 1 bonus for being surrounded by artsy scenes from Paris! However, that bonus point was cancelled out by the 1 negative bonus point for having to share our tiny dining room with a bored woman and her young son who entertained himself throughout the entire meal with Mama's cell phone, while she listened in on our conversation 2 inches away. Dessert Trio Food gets a solid 5 points out of 5! Here is the trio of desserts that followed our soup, Croque Monsieur and Ham and Cheese Crepe Souffles! The chef/owners are both from France and their cooking history is quite impressive. All foods, including bread are made from scratch, daily. www.aupetitparisrestaurant.com Omar As for entertaining conversation...Omar, our waiter, was a bit busy for too much chat, but he was in good spirits for posing and we did learn he works for a floor company as well. 1 bonus point for our waiter/floor salesman...not sure I ever had one of those. Dominique We must allow an additional 3 bonus points for authenticity since we got to speak with Dominque, one of the owner/chefs. Hearing a French accent in a French restaurant made my day!
12 POINTS FOR AU PETIT PARIS!! Mexican Food with Hubby, Don I read that if you went to a different Mexican restaurant in Houston each week for 10 years, you would only be halfway through the list!? Kind of silly to check Mexican off my list so soon with such options, but Don was eager to practice some Spanish before his trip to Guatemala. We searched in Rosenberg, (SW of Houston) on Avenue I for a restaurant we remembered from about 10 years ago. We knew the menus were in Spanish and the Spanish speaking regulars would give us an authentic feel of being in Mexico. But secretly we just hoped to have one more peek at the massive velvet painting we remembered on the wall...a fine figure of Jesus blessing some semi trucks. Nelly Sadly we found no velvet painting, but there were some curious wall murals. And just as we hoped, we were surrounded by the Spanish language and Don got to converse with our very sweet server, Nelly who said she had been learning English for 2 years as compared to Don's 6 months of Spanish. Rating Time Okay, the food was nothing too special. Authentic maybe...but I was so confused by the Asian style dinner plates I will have to give it a 2 out of 5 points. Bonus points must be given for atmosphere and conversation! 1 for the colorful walls which included cartoons of an octopus. The dining guests made us feel like we were spending a day in Mexico...2 points there! But our chatty and pleasant server is what we will most remember from our visit, so 3 points for Nelly!
8 POINTS FOR GUADALAJARA!!!! Iraqi Food with Sigi, Katharine & Lilian My second food outing was with friends who are used to adventurous dining, but none of us had ever tried Iraqi food before! The Saffron Kabob House is on the second level of a modern shopping center on Hillcroft, a Houston street jammed with international shops and restaurants. Royal Treatment We were greeted by the owner, Jamal who treated us Royally! Possibly because he liked Katharine's British accent. We drank tea and sampled a number of dishes I can no longer name...but are shown on the table! The atmosphere was quiet, possibly due to a religious gathering at the Mosque, where Jamal's wife (head chef) was... waiting for Jamal. However, we were not rushed in any way. We were even treated to free desserts! Jamal Here is a picture of Jamal and Katharine. He is not ready to do surgery with his gloves, he was just checking to make sure everything was okay with "The Princess". Since Katharine was a bit late joining us for dinner, he must have figured she was a V.I.P of sorts. Katharine was quite okay with being called Princess for the evening. RATING?? 4+ out of 5 for food and a few bonus points thrown in! 1 bonus point for the curious setting on Hillcroft. It was fun to stand on the balcony and name how many different International foods we could spot. 1 point for authenticity! 1 point for dining with customers who (we are guessing) may have been Iraqi. (Lilian did chat with a few young men about their food) And 5 bonus points for Jamal's warmth and humor! He made us feel very welcome! 12+ POINTS FOR SAFFRON KABOB HOUSE!! (yet to be determined what the limit for points will be!!) |
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
April 2024
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