roflhouse

0429 — After giving a call to Pico’s Restaurant and learning that they ran out of soft shelled crab for their tacos, I was left having to locate a place for lunch, so I referenced my list of places that I want to try. The quick search brought me to Andalucia Tapas Restaurant and Bar. Located in the Houston Pavilions, parking was definitely going to be a pain but parking a couple blocks away is ok with me. As we walked up we saw a decent amount of traffic coming and going into the restaurant with mostly nearby office workers making the rounds inside. We waited a few minutes before being greeted and seated which should have been the first sign of things to come. We chose to sit at the far left rear booth normally reserved for 6 people, but since we were on the back end of the lunch crowd they were more than happy to seat us there. A couple of quick photos later and water and bread came along. As I dipped my bread into the oil I noticed something very distressing, a completely oily, dirt smuged plate in front of me. Luckily a waiter was making his rounds cleaning tables and adding new plates, I was able to swap the plate out fairly quickly. A few moments later the waitress came over and we placed our order after some recommendations.

Patatas Bravas (Fried spicy cubed potatoes with aioli)

Exactly as described, some small cubed potato pieces with aioli on top. quite good, but then again I love potatoes.

Bocata de Puerco (Roasted Pork Tenderloin, and roasted pear chutney)

The sandwich used the same type of bread as they give out for appetizers and was a bit too thick for my enjoyment, the pork was nothing memorable and underwhelmed me, the accompanying bean based soup with chorizo bacon on top was the highlight of the dish.

Bocata Andalucia (Serrano ham, chorizo, mozzarella cheese and roasted peppers)

Katie ordered this dish and like mine, she was underwhelmed by the taste and texture of the dish and opted to give the other half to a homeless person as we walked around the pavilions.

Empanadillas de Res (Beef tenderloin ragu in a puff pastry shell with a veal demi)

As much as I love empanadas at other places such as Mi Luna and meat based pastries such as the ones they offer at Reggae Hut, the empanadas here were just bland, they were unsuccessful at reviving the flavor by adding more and more sauce that appears on top of the dish.

2.5/5:

Lack of service, flavor and taste make for an extremely underwhelming experience at Andalucia Tapas Restaurant.

4/5: Amazing attention to detail with expert prep by Chef Carlos Rodriguez.

1000 Decatur St
New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 527-5000

0424 — After an epic night at the Contemporary Arts Center where some friends and I witnessed deadmau5 throw down an amazing set, we were left with a few options available to us for 5am food. The winner ended up being McDonalds after a less than knowledgeable staff member at Burger King failed for their team. Full of fatty food, we woke up the next afternoon searching for something that would give us a taste of New Orleans as we wandered around the French Quarter. As we wandered around the French Quarter we came upon Montrel’s Market and a quick yelp look up later, we came upon their dismal 2.5 star rating and we quickly bolted out of the place and went across the street to The Market Cafe. I remember seeing this place on previous trips to New Orleans, but never ate there until this trip. We were all hungry and their 3.5 yelp rating sold us on it. We ordered some Alligator, crawfish, gumbo, and other fried goodies as you can see below.

I must say, when it comes to crawfish I am spoiled by the offerings that Houston provides. The taste, texture and overall sensory overload we receive from Vietnamese style crawfish is unmatched by anyone else. The spicy-ness of the crawfish locally makes the New Orleans offerings bland and flavor-less in comparison. At $10 a “basket” as seen below, I definitely won’t be running back to get New Orleans crawfish again. The alligator in comparison was great, the accompanying mustard based sauce was tangy and complemented the alligator well. The gumbo was forgettable, and the oyster and shrimp poboy faired well on a near perfect day in New Orleans. Overall the meal was decent, had our stomachs full until we walked over to Cafe Du Monde for some beignets.

3/5: Standard fare of seafood and other assorted items

0422 — Came here on a whim with my date after watching Kick-Ass at Edwards down the street. Since I haven’t been here in a while I didn’t have a clue of what to order, luckily they have their daily specials laid out on the counter in front of the cashiers that take your order. A quick glance over the options available and I quickly ordered their chicken pasta, which was essentially some penne, brocolli, olives, sauce and a few pieces of chicken. Worth the $10? not really, but at least it’s tasty and hit the spot. It comes paired with a salad to which I opted to add their wonderful potato soup and I was a happy camper. I really miss coming to this place for brunch, which is where I believe empire cafe really shines.

3/5: Tasty Food!

2343 University Boulevard
Ste B
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 667-2253

www.celebritycupcakes.com

0416 — Add another cupcake place to the ever growing list, Crave, Cupcake Cafe, Sugarbabies, etc.. I think Sprinkles is coming soon too. Soon we’ll be saturated with expensive cupcakes and noone to buy them. Remember the yogurt spots opening up everywhere? Oh wait, they are all still here, but soon some of them will close because Houston can only eat so much yogurt. I can only consume so many $4 cupcakes before I remember that I am paying FOUR DOLLARS for a cupcake. The location is decent, the construction is a major turn off, the lack of customer service was interesting, they were more interested in adding a bow to the previous customers box, than helping me out and trying to get me out of the door. I dont mind waiting for good customer service. In any case, first experience is a definite strike one for celebrity cupcakes.

Commerce Towers
914 Main St
# 105
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 654-4444

We both looked over the 13 specialty pizzas [pdf], and ultimately our stomachs led us to the Gateway of Indian pizza (Tandoori Chicken, Crabmeat, Artichoke Hearts, Fresh Cilantro, Mozzarella, Provolone and Cilantro Chutney). We also put in an order for one of Sammy’s Paneer Kati Rolls which essentially chicken rolled in naan with cilantro-mint chutney, pickled onions and fresh cilantro. The Paneer was full of flavor and honestly surprised the hell out of me since I expected this kind of flavor from other Indian joints around town. A few minutes later a bum came in and asked for money, sadly enough an evil you have to deal with when in the downtown area. The people working quickly told them to leave the premises at the delight of other patrons. The “Gateway of India” pizza came in beautiful fashion, chunks of tandoori chicken dawned the sea of cheese and had the most amazing aroma I’ve smelled for at least a week (lol). The first bite of the spicy, cheesy goodness was enough to warrant the drive from Sugar Land to come try this place.

2311 W Alabama St
Houston, TX 77098
(713) 533-0777

0514 — Came out here for a quick lunch and wanted to try out their take on the ever comforting mac and cheese and decided to order a lean buffalo burger as well.

I always bring my Canon 5Dmk2 with me when I eat and it always attracts attention even though I just love food, and obviously taking photos of my food. As we headed to the counter I ready myself for the questions about my camera, before taking our order the woman at the register offered the standard “That’s a big camera!” and “What do you take photos of?” questions. I answered them with a quickness and shot of the order of the mac and cheese and buffalo burger cooked medium. A short wait after getting my own water and utensils and the food made its way to the table.

Exactly as advertised, it was mac and cheese and buffalo burger with sweet potato fries all for the bargain price of $23. The mac and cheese was decent, but as I would learn later on in the night was forgettable as compared to the others. As a huge burger fan with places like Bootsies and Hubcap HIGH on my list, I can definitely respect the idea of the buffalo burger, but the overall taste and enjoyable nature of the burger itself just doesn’t compare to the two previously mentioned places. As my friend Fabio puts it, purely come to Ruggles for the amazing bread pudding. I tend to agree with this since this has been my 3rd visit to Ruggles Green and this visit was it’s definite 3rd strike.

2.5/5: Try it once and if you love the style of food Ruggles Green serves up then more power to you, however it failed to impress even if the bread pudding is out of this world.