Frank's Big Frank

The challenge is for any customer who orders the Frank’s Big Frank and eats the entire meal will receive it on the house (normally priced at $9).  This promotion on will only last from Monday, March 1st to Friday, March 5th during lunch and you have to finish EVERYTHING.  Not only will you get a FREE meal but those who finish the challenge will also get a commemorative t-shirt!!

Frank's Chop House Commemorative Shirt

Frank’s Chop House

3736 Westheimer
Houston, TX 77027
713-572-8600

Sorrento Brunch Menu

Sorrento is a restaurant that I have always loved.  Their food has great flavor and their atmosphere is very romantic.  On Sunday, February 21, 2010, I got a group together to start my crab cakes eggs benedict challenge.  The service was amazing.  They greeted each and every one of us to get our names and told us about the restaurant… made you feel at ease for first timers.  During brunch they even had a pianist that was playing classical music as well as music from musicals like Evita.

Bread Selection

Even the bread selection that came around had so much to choose from.

Sorrento Mussels

My friend Matt Chow had recommended the mussels so I had to give that a shot.  The tomato based sauce it came with was full of flavor and definitely worth the $12 price tag.

Sorrento Jumbo Crab Cake Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce

Sorrento: Soft Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon, Creme Fraiche and Caviar

Next came the main dishes to which definitely satisfied the brunch hunger.  The crab cakes were definitely jumbo lump crab and with poached eggs oozing over it, how can you go wrong.  The soft scrambled eggs with smoked salmon was also quite a good dish with a lot of flavor from the salmon and creme fraiche.

Overall, this is definitely a place I will hit up again.  The bottomless belinis and mimosas helped too =)

If you have time, check it out:

Sorrento Ristorante Italiano

415 Westheimer

Houston, TX 77006

For reservations, call (713) 527-0609

Cova Wines (Washington) Steak Night

You get a 10 oz. New York Strip, grilled shrimp and herbed potatoes for only $14.99!!  Most people that have gone to steak nights are used to the ribeye.  The ribeye is usually favored because let’s face it … fat = juicy and flavorful.  This New York Strip was AMAZINGLY juicy and had so much flavor coming out of every bite at medium rare.  The shrimp had a great amount of flavor and that green stuff on top added a nice tang to everything.  I can honestly say right now that Cova is now my favorite steak night place.  I already had high expectations from hearing about how great the gourmet chefs are at Cova but surprisingly, it still surpassed my expectation.

I will be out there frequently from now on so please feel free to come out and join me.

Cova Wines (Washington Ave.)

5555 Washington Ave.

Houston, TX 77007

www.covawines.com

Sorry Tuesdays @ Hideaway, I still love your 16 oz ribeye steak + loaded potato + salad for $12 and Rick Lee, you are an awesome Chinese jazz singer…. but right now … I have to do this for me…. it’s not you, it’s me… I’ll visit… sometime.

Oporto Food and Wine Bar (www.oporto.us)

I recently heard that Oporto has a happy hour so I went out and checked it out.  For those of you who don’t know, Oporto Food and Wine Bar is right across from Costco on Richmond and it specializes in Mediterranean style tapas.  They supposedly have the largest Portugese wine collection in the city.  The environment is definitely a nice cozy date night kind of place with a pretty intimate setting for atmosphere.  The parking sucks during prime time because so many people venture to this strip but the main thing that pulled me here was the $3 tapas from 5-7pm.  Here’s a little sample of what I got:

Brie, double cream, soft (France)

Oporto actually has a pretty good selection of meats and cheeses in small servings so if you’re ever just interested in a place for cheese, meats, and crackers with your wine, you should definitely check this out.

Crab and Avocado Crostini

The Crostini was pretty good although I was hoping it had more flavor… just add lots of lemon.

Queso de Cabra

I am a HUGE fan of goat cheese so rolling it in walnuts and baking it into a tomato basil is always a great idea and on top of that it was served with fresh garlic bread.  This was probably one of my favorite dishes of the evening.

Empanadas Oporto

These were the empanadas that were spiced ground beef in a puff pastry, served with a marmalade.  Not too shabby if you’re looking for something simple.

Empanadas

This empanadas dish was a Mediterranean spiced beef or curry chicken in a light pastry served with green herb aioli.  The curry was pretty good and it went well with the aoili but I think it definitely could’ve been much better with a flakier and crisp outside instead of soft.

The slider that they gave us was pretty juicy but it wasn’t the best slider I’ve ever had.  The meat was great but everything else adding to it just didn’t seem to seal the deal.  I think the most interesting part about it was the potato wedge that was shaped like a pickle.  In the dim lighting, most people really thought it was a pickle…. okay that story wasn’t that exciting… but you get the idea.

Overall, I still really enjoy the setting of Oporto and some of the food is pretty good.  If you enjoy tapas, $3 tapas for happy hour with drinks like Sangria, Caipirinha and Mojitos, this is a nice place to have a good snack.  If you’re in the mood for a movie, Edwards is just right behind Oporto so it can be pretty convenient.

Oporto Food and Wine Bar

3833 Richmond

Houston, TX 77027

www.oporto.us

So far I have found:

• Hungry’s Cafe
• Sorrento Ristorante Italiano
• Jaspers
• Masraffs

Personally, one of my favorites out of the new burger joints has got to be Smashburger.  One of the reason why I love this place is because not only can you make your own burger, but you can add a fried egg and put it on an egg bun as well!

Above you’ll see I got the Texas Smashburger with a fried egg, guacamole, mushrooms, … and after the picture I went and added chili too.  The burger and everything added is always full of flavor but for those grease fearing people, this may not be the best choice for you.  A lot of the way I eat … fat = flavor and Smashburger definitely is one of them.  Their Smashfries are nice because they are tossed in rosemary, olive oil, garlic and some other herbs but they definitely some of the greasiest I’ve ever had.  Typically, I would stay away from the fries if your cholesterol level is high.  The only other thing that I would like to add is that most of the extra fixins are $0.99 each.  For the amount that they put on the burger, I would definitely say it is not a good bang for your buck.  For example, I feel like I should bring my burger to Wendy’s and use that $0.99 for a full small cup of chili instead…. at Smash, it seems like the extra chili is just a spoonful and that’s it.

For more information about Smashburger, check out their site at www.smashburger.com.

ROUND 1: Kolache Factory

A long time ago (back in college), over a Thanksgiving holiday I got ridiculously trashed just hanging out with friends on Thanksgiving night.  We were drinking till 5 in the morning and the case of the munchies brought us to the thought that Kolache Factory was going to open soon.  When we got there and stumbled in, we found out that they make a Thanksgiving kolache with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce!! we bought a box full of all sorts of stuff and went back to the dorms to try them.  Unfortunately, on the way back… I ended up sticking my head out the window and throwing up all the way back.  By the time we got back I didn’t have the stomach to try anything at all and just passed out.

I finally took the time out to go back to Kolache Factory.  Every November, they make this special kolache for the month.  Personally, I love Thanksgiving time because it really is the only time of the year that I actually do get turkey and all it’s good fixin’s.

I’m still getting used to this blogging so if you want a better account of the visit, check out Linda’s Curious Notions’ Entry.

For more information about Kolache Factory, check out their webpage at www.kolachefactory.com.

ROUND 2: Antone’s Po’boys

Antone’s has been one of my favorites for a really long time.  They have some of the most amazing poboys I have ever had.  Most of the people that I’ve taken here find a slight addiction to these poboys.

My favorite two poboys from Antone’s would have to be the Super Po’Boy (Double Ham, Salami, Provolone Cheese,Chow Chow, Relish, Mayo & Pickles) and the Tuna Poboy (Tuna Salad with Provolone Cheese, Mayo & Pickles).  If you love the typical deli-style po’boy, this one is amazing.  Honestly, I think it’s the Chow-Chow that really makes this sandwich.  As for the tuna, you can take this poboy cold as it is or if you bring it home, warm it up in the microwave… I’m sure you’ll agree that this tuna was done the right way.

From what I’ve heard, there’s only 3 original poboy locations left and they are in Houston.  Check out their import store.  Every now and then I’ll get their hummus or their deviled eggs too.

Once again, check out Linda’s Curious Notions’ Entry for more pictures and comments.

Check out their webpage at www.theoriginalpoboyco.com.

ROUND 3: Little Bigs

Little Bigs spawned from the same owners of the Reef in Midtown.  What’s crazy about this little short stop is that it’s main dish is sliders but they still have a full wine list as if in a typical higher end restaurant.   They typically only have 3 types of sliders: chicken, beef and now they have a bean one.   I will be straight with you… the chicken is typically dry so it’s something I usually try to stay away from it.  The bean one is new to replace the mushroom… I was appalled to hear that the mushroom had been ousted from the menu.  The bean one tastes like bean dip … but in a bun … o_O. You can’t go wrong with beef, it’s juicy, it’s flavorful and to add the sriracha mayo… it’s beautiful.   I would also like to recommend the fries as well.

If you’re ever looking for a place to eat something light but good, check out Little Bigs.  They just opened up a location on the lake between the zoo and the train station in Hermann Park.  Their original location on Montrose and Westheimer is the one I like going to though.  Don’t forget too that the Montrose location on Fridays and Saturdays are open till 3am.  So in case you can’t make it to Tan Tan after the club, try checking out the sliders here.

Check out our antics at Linda’s Entry.

For more information about Little Bigs, check out their website at www.littlebigshouston.com.

We hit all these places for lunch, needless to say… we were out for the rest of the day in food coma.

This event will take you across 14 countries with 14 different alcohols: sake, soju, white wine, red wine, port, ice wine, tequila, vodka, rum, whiskey, cognac, and more. Not only will you be able to taste each of the alcohols, you will also learn about each alcohol and why they are prevalent in their country of origin.

Please note that this event will have a LIMITED CAPACITY.

Thursday, December 3, 2009
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM (BE ON TIME)

FIRST COME FIRST SERVE
PRESALE: $35 CASH
AT THE DOOR: $40 CASH

In order to sign up for this event, you will need to go to Pagoda Bistro and ask for presale for the event. You will be put on a list for this PRIVATE EVENT. If you come at the door, it will be $40 CASH. The event will be closed once capacity is reached.

Please remember that this is a TASTING and not an open bar.

Don’t forget that Pagoda on Thursday is Rewind Thursdays. DJ Danknee will be spinning the latest hits and there will be reverse happy hour specials: $5 bites and $5 U call its! Feel free to come in early and try out some of the new foods at Pagoda for dinner.

Pagoda Bistro
4705 Inker
Houston, TX

The one item I specifically really want to feature is their curry puffs. These puffs were amazing. The exterior was flaky while the inside was full of chicken curry. Unlike many puffs that I have had before, this puff actually had chunks of chicken whereas many of the other ones I’ve had is just a lot of curry with tiny bits of chicken.

If you are ever between the heights and downtown Houston, check it out:

Asia Market & Prepared Thai Food
1010 West Cavalcade Street
Unit D
Houston, TX 77009
www.asiamarket-hou.com