My husband really spoils me. I'm always surprised by how much he seems to enjoy shopping for me, at least as much as if it were something for him.
Hobbit Cafe
One of the first things we did for summer vacation with the boys' was re-watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy. (I had forgotten how much I loved those movies, they really are so great.) We planned to commemorate it by having brunch at The Hobbit Cafe. When we got there, we thought it must have closed down, because all we could see was an empty building next to the sign. A few weeks later, we found out that it was still there, just in a different building and sort of hidden.
Apparently the sword on this sign was an arrow. I thought it was just a sword:
The restaurant, which looks like it was made from a small converted house, had so much potential to be charming, being so old and so themed. But it was just way too dingy and dirty-looking (The floor in our dining room was carpeted!), and needed a good scrub and fresh coat of paint to say the least. Everywhere there was worthless garage-sale hobbit-themed art, mixed with movie posters, mixed with some interesting pieces like a carved wood and fur chair or a really life-like statue of Gollum:
I was excited about the menu because there were a decent number of vegetarian options (apparently it was a vegetarian restaurant when starting out in 1972).
I ended up ordering the Valinor, a very large platter of half black beans, half brown rice, topped with cauliflower and broccoli. This plate was at least 12" in diameter, and piled really high:
It was a fun experience, especially with the kids, but I doubt I would ever go back. The food would have to be seriously great for me to sit in that cluttered, dirty space for another meal. In the meantime, when I want a hobbit fix, I can look at this toy we bought from the lego store:
Awesome, right? I can't look at it without cracking up.
Warped Tour
Yep, we took the boys. There were a bunch of bands that I had never heard of, and one of our favorites.
The boys picked out these little straw fedoras, and wore them the entire day.
Many half-clothed teenagers...
Vanna, another band I had never heard of, and they were surprisingly really good...
and really nice to the boys afterwards.
Miss May I was the main attraction for the kids, and probably my least favorite music of the day. I'm old.
The Constellations, as good as I remember.
And a new one to me, Champagne Champagne. They were great.
All in all, it was a really fun, tiring day. May become a yearly tradition.
best sushi in Houston
Over the last few months, we’ve tried and tried to find our
perfect sushi joint. There are literally hundreds of sushi places in Houston,
which makes the chances of good sushi being out there higher, but finding the
best places harder. Here are a few of the best that we’ve found; I can vouch
for the quality of the vegetarian sushi and hubby for the meat-eating.
For date nights: Kata Robata is our favorite (so far) of the higher end-sushi
restaurants, perfect for a date night or special lunch. It has a good
atmosphere, delicious and beautifully presented food. It’s pretty limited in
the vegetarian selection, but the choices are all great enough to eat over and
over. Dessert is a must!
Vegetable medley (tofu skin, avocado, mushroom, and
pepper sushi) and deconstructed strawberry shortcake.
Seaweed salad, hubby’s Caribbean roll (fried lobster
and mango!), and fried green tomatoes and green beans.
For everyday lunch: Nabi is a great little neighborhood
sushi joint, but still a bit trendy. Hubby and I go for lunch quite often, they
have $1 sushi, $2 rolls, and $3 appetizers like salads and miso soup. Also a
great rice bowl or balanced plate with salad, roll, rice, veggies, and your
choice of protein. Their crunchy tofu is outstanding.
Crunchy tofu bowl with sautéed vegetables and rice.
Small rolls and sushi (my favorites are cucumber, and
avocado).
Down and dirty: I have a love/hate relationship with Aka Sushi House. I love their vegetarian’s paradise bento box; I hate that it looks
like they never clean. It’s more than a bit on the dirty side. (Whenever I go
to the restroom there, I decide never to go back.) It’s relatively cheap, good
food, decent portions, and not at all trendy or pretentious. If you’re not
squeamish, then go for it.
Vegetarian’s paradise (fried tofu, vegetable tempura,
seaweed salad, sautéed vegetables, picked vegetables, and half an orange).
At home: We always cook frozen edamame in the pods, and even
the little packets of miso soup for a quick snack, but here’s another little
thing we picked up because it sounded intriguing at the grocers: Edamame bites!
I expected them to be gross, but I was wrong. They are a great quick snack, a
bit high-calorie, but also decent protein and fiber.
Jalapeno cocktails
One of my husband’s favorite drinks is the Regalo Verde at
the bar in the Bowery Hotel in New York City. We stay there every time we are
in New York so that we can have one (or more) each night. So, even though we
couldn’t remember what was in it, except for jalapenos, we decided to try to
recreate it at home with jalapenos fresh picked from our tiny herb garden.
After a bit of experimenting, we came up with two recipes
that are pretty good, even though of course they still aren’t the Regalo Verde.
Each recipe makes two drinks.
Juice from 2 small limes
4 oz. tequila
2.5 oz. Cointreau
2 oz. simple syrup
4 large basil leaves
½-1 jalapeno pepper
margarita salt
Simple syrup: Add 1 cup sugar to 2 cups boiling water. Turn
heat very low, stir until sugar is completely dissolved, and let cool.
Muddle 2 basil leaves and jalapeno together in shaker. Add
tequila, lime juice, simple syrup, and Cointreau. Add ice and shake. Strain
into two glasses rimmed with margarita salt. Garnish with basil leaves.
(You can adjust the amount of basil and jalapeno to get it
exactly to your taste.)
Jalapeno Ginger
Cocktail
Juice of 2 small limes
½-1 jalapeno
3 oz. tequila
2 oz. Cointreau
6 oz. ginger ale
Muddle jalapeno in shaker. Add tequila and Cointreau. Add
ice and shake. Strain into two glasses. Add 3 oz. of ginger ale to each glass
and stir.
A few more things learned along the way:
Jalapeno seeds are the hottest part, so take them out! Clean
and slice the jalapenos like you would a bell pepper, removing the ribs and
seeds. Or, if you want it really, really hot, add some seeds. Seriously, even
one seed in the cocktail made it taste spicier.
Jalapenos that have turned red are much milder and sweeter
than ones that are still green.
Enjoy!
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