Um...yeah... more about food.

A lof of cinnamon bread and a loaf of white sandwich bread.

Okay, if you have been reading these posts you know that I am a bit hung up on food.  I do love to discover new tastes and places.  But there is also another facet of my food fascination ..I also love to make the dishes.  This leads me to another benefit of living in a major metropolitan area.

My apartment is situated on Westheimer street.  A couple of blocks from where I live I have my standard Kroger grocery store, but if I travel one block further down Voss street, I run into Trader Joes and then a block (or two) further down I have a Whole Foods market.  So... on one grocery run, I can hit all three and pick and choose my items.

But the best part is the specialty markets all over the city.  Simply put, darn near every nationality has their own market.  There is the Chinese market, Mexican market, the Bolivian market by my apartment  I think I even saw a Greek market for specialty items and many more.  There is also (as there are everywhere else) farmer's markets for fresh local produce.  I am loving this...

So, when I have a recipe that I want to try I do not have to worry about finding the ingredients ..  I am sure there is a market that carries it somewhere in this city.  The only issue that can arise is that there is also a restaurant right next to the market... c'est la vie.

P.S., Yes, I made the bread in the photo (puffed up chest).  There is simply nothing better than the smell of bread baking in the house.

Giant circle of art...and food

What a great weekend!

On Saturday, I attended the Bayou City Art Festival in Memorial Park.  It took me over four hours to peruse the booths.  The artists were from all over the country and there was something there for everyone.  Paintings, sculpture, photography, photography paintings... you get the idea.  A plethora of mediums and styles to suit everyone.

I knew that this would be wonderful right from the start when the first exhibit at the entrance was a display of brightly colored, outdoor, wind-powered, mobiles.  I am probably mistaken in their description, but man were they just a joy to look at as they moved in the breeze.  It just got better from there... the overwhelming number of artists were very friendly and loved to talk about how they created their work.  I did take my camera, but I just have a thing about taking pictures of an artists pieces.

After wandering around for over four hours, I was famished so I headed over to one of my favorite burger joints - 5 Guys Burgers and Fries.  Cheeseburger with grilled onions and grilled mushrooms... oh yeah!

Headed back to 14 Pews on Sunday to see a showing of Don Hertzfeldt's animated short film "It's Such a Beautiful Day".  I love going to this place because the company is wonderful.  The film was not my cup of tea, but there were a couple of patrons there that LOVED the film and the after show discussion was very entertaining.  Then it hit me...

DAMN!!!  I missed the Houston Food Truck Festival (Haute Wheels Houston)!  Next year...

Tapas in Rice

Asparagus spears and a fantastic Artichoke heart salad
 with a great vinaigrette.

I do loves me some Tapas...

Had a wonderful treat last night and visited Mi Luna (thank you, Groupon).  I have always been a fan of Tapas because of its nature.  It is a share-able notion.  You order a plate and a group of you share the food. That way... the offerings that you can sample expand according to the number of folks in attendance.  When I was in Spain (Bilbao), you could actually roam to other folks tables/bars and sample the offerings they had and vice versa (have fork, will travel).  It is actually a lot of fun.

The other lovely thing about the evening is that Mi Luna is situated in the Rice Village.  This neighborhood (adjacent to Rice University) is a real treat to wander around and contains a real plethora of shops and restaurants.  From a chocolate bar, used book shop, a couple of wonderful furniture shops and even a Sherwin Williams paint store thrown in for good measure.  After dinner, just walking around the residential area is wonderful with all of the Live Oak trees lining the streets.

Wonderful way to spend an evening...

The Sugar Man

Here is yet another benefit of big city life... the Art House.  These are places that will show independent films, host art showings and usually have discussions before and/or after the events.  These venues have eclectic displays that are there to challenge and be anything other than the sterile modern movie house or art gallery.  The people attending are fascinating and as eclectic as well.  These are the places to go to open up and activate the "little grey cells" as Hercule Poirot was fond of saying (...look it up).

If you get a chance, go see "Searching for Sugar Man".  The story is really magnificent.  The 14 Pews venue (http://www.14pews.com) was really interesting (yes, there are 14 pews for seating).  I signed up for a membership to the art house and the membership card that I recieved was totally handwritten along with a hand written thank you card.  The hostess/owner of 14 Pews is an absolutely elegant and very gracious artist that has owned this venue for just two years.  She greeted everyone at the door and would rather awkwardly ask for the ten dollar admission fee (a fantastic bargain).  When one person had a credit card, she would write down all of the information and say that she would process it later  (reminder to tell her about Square).  She also passed around a sign in sheet for all of us to sign.  In today's high tech world, the paper process has a lovely charm.  She also visited all 14 of us in attendance and her wonderful mother manned the refreshment stand.  Thanks to local St. Arnold's Brewing for supplying a free beverage for everyone.

Now all of this non-technical administration was then belied by a very nice technical production.  Please keep in mind that the physical space is what I am guessing used to be a small church.  The interior is shaped like an old WWII quanset hut.  Rounded with wooded planks and six ceiling fans.  It did start to get a little stuffy and hot towards the end of the evening, but I know I will go back regularly.

My membership also includes a guest admission...

How to be miserable...

It is March 18th and it will be close to 90 degrees today.  All I can say is... "I will never be cold again" (cue Happy Dance music).

Yes, it is true that it will be hot and humid from May through September.  Okay, I am good with that.  I can tolerate heat much, much better than cold.  I am simply a cold wimp.  I accept that about myself.

What I do find funny is the lengths that people will go to describe how horrid it is to live in their city.  I am not just talking about Houston ("Oh, just wait till the summer.  You will be miserable"), I am talking about Chicago ("There is nothing colder than when the wind - which never stops -  blows off of the lake") or Kansas City ("It is over one hundred degrees in the summer and zero degrees in the winter") or anywhere else that I have lived.

We all have our trying times during the year.  I know myself and I know that I am just tickled pink to be here.  I will be hot this summer and I will sweat a lot.  But by the same token, I will be walking around in shorts in February when my brother (who lives in Ohio) will be bundled up and complaining about the 17 inches of snow and ice.

...yeah, I got it pretty good.

Getting all liquored up...

My first foray into the bar scene happened last night.  I got a text from my boss saying that there was a group going out to partake in an "adult beverage" and asked if I would like to join them.  I agreed whole-heartily and was told to meet them at "The Tasting Room" off of South Alabama street.

The Tasting Room is an impressive wine bar.  The folks there were very helpful and knowledgeable about their product.  Although a bit pricey, it is a very nice place to meet.  One side note... they give you a set of shot glasses and water in a clear bottle.  What immediately popped in my mind was Zorba the Greek and doing shots of ouzo.  Been there, done that...sent chills...

After a glass of a very good Chardonnay, it was suggested that we mosey on over to the South Alabama Ice House for a beer.  Now evidently this place is a Houston icon.  It is basically an outdoor beer garden that does not have air conditioning.  It is called an ice house because they used to put blocks of ice in front of the fans to cool down the patrons in the summer.  Fun place.  Had a bottle of a local brew and headed out.

So I head home and remember that I have not eaten supper.  For some ungodly reason, a burger sounded good to me and there is a 5 Guys Burger place right by my home.  I love their burgers.  Unfortunately, I am not 25 and eating one of their burgers with a large fries fifteen minutes before going to bed is not the wisest of decisions.  But man... it tasted good.

Breakfast in the Bayou...

First off... yes I know that when you say the Bayou, you think of New Orleans and the Louisiana coast.  But, did you know that Houston is known as the Bayou city?  Neither did I...

One of the joys of life is sleeping in on Sunday mornings and heading out for breakfast.  I mean it is wonderful to sleep in and cook a breakfast for service in bed, but really... nothing beats heading out.  So I went out in search of a breakfast and the recommendation was for a place called the Breakfast Klub.  Rave reviews... not too expensive... traditional farm food... sounded right up my alley.  So headed out about 9:30 in the morning.

One of the great regrets I will always have is that I did not have my camera at the ready that morning.  I wanted a picture so badly.  What I saw when I approached the Breakfast Klub was just freaking amazing.  There was a line at the Breakfast Klub.  No... not just a line like you see at a dining establishment during the evening hours.  This line literally was out the door and wrapped around the parking lot.  THE PARKING LOT!!  There were awnings set up for the folks standing outside.  The people were perusing copies of the menu... amazing.  Now, I love a good leisurely breakfast... but c'mon.  I would have waited an hour to get in and then felt rushed to eat and get out because I would see all those people in line...

Anyway, headed off to find another place and stumbled upon Cafe Brasil in the Montrose section of town.  Wonderful coffee and pastries.  Also thoroughly enjoyed eating pork tamales with my eggs.  I cannot say enough good things about my breakfast.  Life is good.

The Online French Fry...

You know you live in a great city when one of the online magazines does an article on which establishment has the best french fries (Culturemap.com article).  Now this could possibly mean one of two things in my mind...

- Culturemap.com is REALLY hurting for articles and are accepting damn near anything to put online.

- There is a foodie crowd out there in the city that believe in this sort of information.

I am of the belief that the latter is more prevalent.  I love this type of information.  I now have a list of places to visit in order to test this list.  I also love the fact that there is an online magazine for this and other information.

There are plenty of outlets for information about the city that is now my home.  houston.culturemap.com, socialnhouston.com, goldstar.com (for discounts on events in the city), the list goes on and on... Ooops, almost forgot the Houston Chronicle... I know that there are more, but this list is what I am working with at the present time.

...right now, I just want some fries.

A Hanoi sandwich..?

It is with a deeply held shame that I write this post...  I allowed my euro-centric mindset to keep me from allowing the possibility of something different.  I was so convinced that the Earl of Sandwich's concoction could ONLY be applied to American and European cuisine that when I saw the sign for b10 Vietnamese Cafe (on Westheimer) which advertised soups AND sandwiches, I admit to have been taken aback.  A Vietnamese sandwich?

Now, I will readily admit that I consider myself to be quite the sandwich connoisseur.   To my rather simplistic way, there are few things that can satisfy my appetite like a sandwich.  So I happily charged into the b10 Cafe to make a discovery.  What I found there was absolutely wonderful.  The b10 does have the more readily associated Vietnamese soups and rice spring rolls (I got a shrimp roll with a wonderful peanut sauce), but I was tickled to find that they offered beef, chicken and pork sandwiches.

I thoroughly enjoyed my beef sandwich.  The beef strips were prepared with what I always considered more traditional Vietnamese garnish and seasonings and it was delightful.  I will be going back.  I picked up the "to-go menu".

To battle the ogre windmills...

Last Saturday I went to see a wonderful production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" in the Woodlands.  This show is (in my mind) a masterpiece that combines very witty, quick dialog that would make today's viewers think of Aaron Sorkin along with Bob Fosse's choreography (none better).  This amateur production would have made Robert Morse proud.

Last night I had the pleasure to attend the Theater Under the Stars (www.tuts.com) and a production of "Man of La Mancha".  First off, the the venue is magnificent.  'Nuff said... and after some initial sound issues (the background/supporting stomps, claps, noises tended to drown out the dialog) I settled into a wonderful performance of a wonderful musical.

One of the best things about the Theatre (to me) is the magical way a good production can make you forget what is rumbling around in your mind (and I had a LOT of things rumbling around there last night) and transport you into a story.  Now, 'Man of La Mancha' is a special one to me just because I have had a special affinity with Senor Don Quixote and that special kind of "madness".  But more to the point, it is wonderful to have the number of venues and the breadth of productions available to this version of Cervantes' hero.

Get out there and enjoy.  Tilt at a few windmills.  Dream a dream.  Go lose yourself in a story... you just might find yourself in a whole new light.  Experience the power of the story teller, we all could use a little madness in our dreams.

To dream ... the impossible dream ...
To fight ... the unbeatable foe ...
To bear ... with unbearable sorrow ...
To run ... where the brave dare not go ...
To right ... the unrightable wrong ...
To love ... pure and chaste from afar ...
To try ... when your arms are too weary ...
To reach ... the unreachable star ... 

This is my quest, to follow that star ... 
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far ... 
To fight for the right, without question or pause ... 
To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause ... 

And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest, 
That my heart will lie will lie peaceful and calm, 
when I'm laid to my rest ... 
And the world will be better for this: 
That one man, scorned and covered with scars, 
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage, 
To reach ... the unreachable star ...