Reef

2600 Travis Street

The former chef at Bank runs this classy joint. A former pho restaurant used to occupy the space. It's not a real loss for downtown. The decoration is beautiful. Undulating walls play against the concrete floor lighted with the huge windows looking towards downtown. The pearlescent tables made from poured plastic make this joint swank--even if they use the over-hyped Design Within Reach style lamps.

We started our meal with a few raw oysters. Nicely shucked, the oysters looked beautiful, but missing in liquor. So, all the effort putting the oysters on rock salt and in a rectangular plate was lost because of the mediocrity of the oyster. Not even the spicy tomato water could liven the oysters with the lost liquor.

I had the crispy snapper. The waiter told us it's the most popular dish on the menu. The fish was nicely prepared and had pretty good flavor. It matched well with the chard.

Some seafood places specialize in oysters, mussels, crabs, shrimp or lobster. Few specialize in fish. This one seems to have a fish affinity. I like the emphasis on fish--as displayed by their display of raw fish at the entrance.

A very pretty restaurant with great potential, I'll come back and expect that things will improve.

Shabu House!

9889 Bellaire Blvd

Located in the same shopping center as Juice Box, Fu Fu Cafe, and Cafe 101, this uber-trendy restaurant serves up shabu shabu, a Japanese hot pot. The small restaurant is really one big U-shaped counter with a pot of boiling broth to the right of every seat. The decor is modern and the service is touch-and-go.

Each seat your group occupies requires an order from the menu. Each seat gets a plate of bok choy, greens, corn, glass noodles, tofu, fish dumplings, a shrimp, two mushrooms, sesame dipping sauce and ponzu dipping sauce. All of this food is raw.

You then order one of the items on the menu and any sides you might have an interest in trying or bulking up on. I suggest the 8 pieces of very tender, very thinly sliced beef and a side order of the enoki mushrooms. As the water boils, you start putting stuff in. As the food cooks, you fish it out and dip it in either the sesame or the ponzu dipping sauce.

The broth is made from seaweed and is very light in flavor. My dad dumped a lot of hot oil into the broth to add flavor. I prefer to let the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves. The beef sung beautifully. The very expensive seafood plate came out with frozen scallops, frozen fish, and frozen crab--awful.

You have to work for your food at this restaurant. Efforts are rewarded with good flavor and an entertaining evening. It'll cost between $15 and $25 per person depending on the number of sides you get. Come early and with very few friends, or you'll suffer the waiting required of every patron who came after 6:30 Tuesday evening.

Catalan (Dessert)!

5555 Washington Avenue
713.426.4260

I wrote last time that Catalan's dessert was "quite a letdown." I've changed my mind: they have changed their pastry chef. Julie Hewitt, the new pastry chef has only one thing left from the old menu, the banana bread pudding. From what I've tasted of her new menu, she should get rid of that dish too and add one of her own.

We tried the peach souffle. It comes very warm on a financier and with a side of excellent icecream. The souffle is light and hot like a normal souffle, but filled with peach flavor. You don't bite into it, but let it oooze into every crevice of your mouth hoping that it lasts forever. Warm, delicate, and perfectly balanced, it melts into nothingness, seemingly never going down your throat.

We also tried the new chocolate tart made with some special delicate salt. Salt enhances chocolate flavors, so the idea is really banal, but the fact that they advertise chocolate and salt deserves kudos. it comes on a crust best described as oreo-cookie-crumble like. So crumbly and good was the crust that I sort of inhaled and had the crust go down the wrong pipe. The chocolate itself is decadent--more fudge-like than mousse-like. With the side of crème fraîche, the dessert transcended the mediocrity of chocolate tart and into some nether-world that a Parisien patisserie might achieve. Sort of like the difference between a chocolate croissant at a Holiday Inn and a pan au chocolat at Laduree.

Lee's Sandwiches!

11210 Bellaire Blvd., Suite 113 @ Boone Road
281.933.9988

In the heat of battle that is the normal workday, there comes a time in any peon's Tuesday (or Monday or Wednesday) when it becomes necessary for one people to throw off the shackles of Community Coffee and seek the darker, richer pastures of outrageous and expensive coffee. Such was the injustice of today's heat, workload, and exhaustion, that I not only threw off the chains of office coffee... nay, I launched that lame weak coffee straight into the bowels of the stainless steel sink.

And for more caffeinated pastures, I sought the lustful, addictive nectar of Lee's Iced Coffee aka Vietnamese Coffee. Vietnamese coffee is usually made by dripping dark strong coffee through a metal filter into a small coffee mug filled with 3-5 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk. When the cup is half full with equal parts coffee and condensed milk, the concoction is stirred before getting poured over a tall glass of ice. The result is a dark brown liquid that can palpitate the heart of any mortal.

Lee's Coffee is prepared differently. At the counter, they hand you a plastic cup filled with ice and the brown liquid: no waiting for the coffee to filter into anything. All an exhausted traveller need do is stick a straw in and imbibe. Like any good drug, you can't just stop at the first sip. I usually don't make it back to work with any Lee's Coffee left in the cup.

Nothing else is good at this place except the coffee. Nothing else matters. At night, Vietnamese people sit around, drink in the good stuff and talk about life. It's the absinthe of my parent's generation. It kills the braincells and inspires creativity all at once. There is no better drug today. Drink some. Join the dark brown side of the force.

?? Tofu Restaurant

Bellaire, Behind Sinh Sinh

This place has a good variety of small side dishes, though the flavors need a bit more spice. The kim chee wasn't quite punchy enough. The seasoned mushrooms had a nice tang. The cucumbers had a pretty good spice. The fish tasted fresh.

We ordered a combination. You choose one tofu based hot pot. We had the one with kim chee and beef. Next time, we'll order it extra spicy. It tasted better than Tofu Village, but not as good as some places on Long Point. Rekha also had the BBQ ribs. Again, not quite as good as Tofu Village, but still pretty good.

So this place is pretty good, but individual dishes aren't the best in town. Despite a lack of "best" anything, we'll come back because the combination of beautiful decoration (modern and unique Korean look), good value ($13 for the combo), and pretty good everything, makes this restaurant pretty compelling.

Heights Camphouse Bar-B-Q

2820 White Oak Dr
713.861.2033

Rumor has it that cops frequent this barbecue house. When we went, a cop was the only other customer. The restaurant has the feel of a run-down, small-town cafeteria. Almost like someone forgot to tell the owner that they need to make changes after 30 years of deterioration. The atmosphere here reminds me of Biba's, meaning there is no atmosphere.

We had the barbecue ribs and sausage. The ribs were spicy and tender. The sausage was very flavorful and quite good. We had a side of salad with what appears to be homemade and yummy ranch dressing. We also had their famous beans and don't know why they are famous.


There isn't enough business at night to make such a run-down joint interesting to frequent at night, but the food is cheap and pretty good--so we'll come for take-out.

NOTES: I Love Art Car Parade

Pollo Campero

5616 Bellaire Blvd
713.395.0990

Instead of KFC or Popeyes, try Pollow Campero. Started in Guatemala, this fast food fried chicken joint has spread thoughout Latin America and now the United States. They marinade their chicken and bread it in a way that makes the chicken flavorful, tender and tasty. The fried flavor can best be described as fried in lard--which if you don't know, is a fantastic compliment. The chicken comes out not greasy, but still full of flavor.

You can have your chicken with fries, plantains, or fried rice. The fried rice sucks and the plantains are medioce. Ignore the sides... The real gem here is the chicken. Order the $4 worth of chicken and get gelato at Paciugo's for dessert.

Indika

516 Westheimer Road

In writing for my other blog, I realized I hadn't written anything about Indika!!! I've eaten here twice in the last couple of weeks and about half a dozen times over the past year. It's a new restaurant run by an innovative Indian chef. I like the chicken chaat appetizer. In fact I like most of the appetizers. I'll do an in-depth review at some point, but should point out that I really enjoyed their lamb. The cumin, yogurt and chargrilled flavor blended perfectly with the meat.

I'll also point out that this is a swanky bright-windowed space with beautiful saffron colors. The wait staff is friendly--if a bit slow. And the soft warm cookie ending rocks.

Shade

250 W 19th St.
713.863.7500

I thought I had reviewed Shade before, but I haven't. This restaurant in the heights is a pretty good neighborhood joint. It is beautiful modern restaurant with soft light colors minimal decoration and maximum attention to detail.

We usually have brunch here and start with the large plate of pastries. These warm goodies don't last long on our table and I'm always tempted to order another round. But at $12 for a large plate, it is a little pricey--like the rest of the menu.

I've tried the burger, challah french toast, and southern fried chicken breast. All are well thought-out classics that are modernized, streamlined and carefully prepared. The burger comes thick, moist and juicy. The french toast is chewy, fragrant and tasty. The chicken breast is thinly-crusted, evenly-cooked, and healthy for something fried.

Shade is one of those restaurans you go to for clean tastes, a local feel, and upscale uppitiness. It's run by Claire Smith who used to own Daily Review Cafe (sold in 2000). Her love for fresh ingredients and careful preparation have won me over--despite the lack of innovative flavors.

Fish City Grill

Sugar Land Town Square
281.494.3474

This posting uses simple sentences: it matches the restaurant.

I've eaten here twice. Prices are reasonable. The ambiance is relaxed. Service is good. This is a chain.

They have daily specials on the blackboard. Specials usually include salmon and cost about $12. Ignore the specials.

Eat the po-boy. I like the fried crawfish po-boy. It is yummy. Not s*** your pants yummy, but yummy. The breading is cornmeal. The bread tastes like it came from Three Brothers Bakery--chewy and tasty. For an extra dollar, you can get a side of the gumbo. It comes with okra. I like okra in gumbo. Okra gives gumbo good texture.

Fish City Grill is good for lunch. Eat there. Be happy. Drink Iced Tea.