Masraff's

Masraff's

1735 Post Oak Blvd.

Houston, TX 77056

masraffs.com

Yelp

Masraff is a seafood centric eatery in Houston.  It's pretty nice and reminds me of a high end steak house like Mastro's.  Dark walls and furnishings, soft lighting, waiters fully suited up, white linens, heavy leather bound menu, large wine list.  This is not your every day meal but for The Annoyer and I, we made it our Monday night dinner.

Garlic Seared Calamari oyster mushroom, shaved onion, cilantro, soy reduction
The calamari was very tender and the sauce was tasty.  I didn't quite like how the calamari was lightly floured and pan fried and then sauced.  It kinda ended up a mushy exterior.  Overall, a good dish but not quite refined.

Pan Seared Foie Gras bosc pear, toasted brioche, red wine reduction
The foie was seared nicely.  The brioche toast was a bit too thin for that hunk of fat and soaked through pretty quickly.  The pear and red wine reduction were necessary to cut through the richness.  Not the best seared foie gras but not bad.

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Coltivare

Coltivare

3320 White Oak Dr.

Houston, TX 77077

coltivarehouston.com

Yelp

I was looking for some good Italian food in Houston, but The Annoyer said it doesn't really exist.  Coltivare is new on the dining scene so it was new for him too.  Coltivare reminded me of a Portland restaurant.  It's small.  It had an old, yet contemporary feel to it.  There was a lot of distressed wood.  The kitchen was open.  The menu felt very seasonal and local.  I almost forgot I was in Houston.  

Cauliflower pinenuts, raisins

If you're going to fry a vegetable, your best bet is to fry cauliflower or Brussels sprouts.  Frying brings a a golden caramelization while keeping the vegetable firm and crispy.  There's nothing worse than mushy vegetables.  The raisins added some sweetness while the pinenuts added crunch.  It was a good starter.

Lacinata Kale pickled butternut squash, smoked gouda, pecans, local pears
I was expecting more kale than squash, but was pleased by the interesting preparation of squash.  I've never had pickled squash.  It was crunchy, and a little bit sweet and sour.  The cheese, pecans, and pears really rounded out the picklyness which got a bit tiresome after awhile.  More kale probably would have offset the picklyness too.

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Oxheart

Oxheart

1302 Nance St.

Houston, TX 77002

oxhearthouston.com

Yelp

I think Houston sort of tries to elevate its own dining scene.  There's obviously no shortage of money here, but I guess sophisticated food doesn't always follow the money.  Oxheart is Houston's attempt at something a little more special.  It's supposed to be one of Houston's best new restaurants.  I was excited to try out their tasting menu.

Clarified Watermelon Juice dried jujube, muscadine grapes, asian pear, lime leaf

I thought it would have been prettier to have the watermelon juice in a white bowl to appreciate the pretty color, but maybe it would have been too ugly against the green grapes.  Everything about this dish was as advertised.  The juice was sweet.  The grapes were tart.  The Asian pears were crunchy.  The globules of kaffir lime oil were the only unexpected and interesting aspect to this dish.  Other than that, I could have made it at home.  Still it was refreshing and light.

Mung Bean Crepe braised mustard greens, potato skins, miso, pickled long beans and fenugreek
The crepe was delicate and crispy.  It reminded me of the pancakes you get at Korean restaurants.  The filling of braised mustard greens was savory and not too bitter.  The side of pickled long beans and fenugreek added some tart crunch.  Overall, a nice dish but not something worthy of its place in a $75 tasting menu.

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Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar

Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar

1050 Studewood St

Houston, TX 77008

libertykitchenoysterbar.com

Yelp

It's amazing how looks can be deceiving.  Food can be made to look and play the part of the delicious and delectable star of the show, but can turn out to be a disappointing and uninspired performance.  The analogy might apply to Liberty Kitchen.  The Yelp pictures dazzled me.  The mounds of mac and cheese and the heaping bowls of gumbo drew me in.  Alas, only the oysters stood out.  

Crazy Roasted Gulf Oysters
I am always a little hesitant to order cooked oysters.  I figure that only the least fresh and least desirable oysters are left to be cooked, while the best are eaten fresh and raw.

garlic, lemon butter
To my surprised, these were actually really tasty.  The herbs and lemon added the brightness you normally expect when indulging in these oceanic delights.

bacon jam, butter, jalapeño

The Annoyer (formerly known as BHD) liked the savory sweetness from the bacon jam in this one.  It was too sweet for my liking.  Both had nicely cooked oysters that weren't lost in the crunchy batter.

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Mala Sichuan Bistro

Mala Sichuan Bistro

9348 Bellaire Blvd.

Houston, TX 77036

Yelp

BHD doesn't really like spicy food.  What a wuss!  Just kidding.  No, not really.  Well, ok he has bad reflux so spicy foods really exacerbates that sometimes.  Alright, I'll give him a free pass for health reasons.  Maybe he'll do something else one of these days that warrants him a one way ticket to Pansyland.  In any case, he did oblige me by taking me out to the well regarded Szechuan restaurant in Houston, Mala.  It's even on the Eater's Essential 38 Houston restaurants.  This isn't the kind of place you go solo or even in pairs.  You need an army to tackle this place because the portions are family style.  We came with 2 other friends, so we did our best with 4 people.   It turns out our 2 friends don't eat pork!  I totally was anticipating this, but BHD was like "Naaahhhh."  So we had lots of left overs at the end.

Red Oil Wontons red chili oil, ground garlic, sweet and spicy soy paste, sesame, green onions
I'm not sure why this dish was so popular.  The sauce and spice were tasty, but the actual wonton itself was mediocre.  I think I could probably whip together a better wonton.  They might even have better wontons in your local frozen aisle.
 

Dan Dan Noodle mala spicy sauce, sesame paste, boiled spinach, yibin preserved vegetables, spiced ground pork, green onions
This was pretty tasty with just the right amount of salt, sweet, spice, all balanced out by the chewy noodles swathed in delicious oil.  This and 2 other dishes would be sufficient for just 2 people.

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Hugo's

Hugo's
1600 Westheimer Rd
Houston, TX 77006
hugorestaurant.net
Yelp

Our next meal was supposed to be something fancy schmancy.  BHD must think that's all I like to eat.  In fact, most people think that's all I like to eat.  I'm a food blogger, not a strictly 3 star Michelin eater.  Yes, I blog about the finer foods in life, but really I will blog about anything delicious and/or special.  It just so happens that most food that is delicious and special is $$$$$.  Anyways, I said let's forget about another couple hundred dollar meal and just eat something good.  Hugo's is such a place.  BHD takes the out of towners here too.

Peanuts

A little spicy, a little sweet.  The chips 'n salsa was quickly laid down next so I ditched these fast.

Chips salsa, guacamole

Standard fare, but still delicious.

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Killen's BBQ

Killen's BBQ
3613 E. Broadway
Pearland, TX 77581
killensbarbeque.com
Yelp


When in Rome, do as the Romans.  In Houston, they stand in long lines under the punishing sun, enveloped in the sweltering heat, with a beer in one hand, all for the promise of Killen's BBQ.  Texas is all about the BBQ.  This line was no joke.  We got there at 10:30? or maybe later and the line was at least 50 if not 100 people deep.  That's not counting the people hanging out in the shade while the kinder souls in the party stood in line.  Notice where I'm taking this picture from???  Bair Hugger Deluxe is such a soul.  He shooed off JW and I to get some free icy cold beer for her, and water for me, while we waited in the shade.  Once the place opened up at 11, it started moving along.  We probably sat down to eat around 12-12:30?

Finally getting my foot in the door was glorious.  Not only was I just minutes away from stuffing my face, but the blast of cold AC was godsend.  The setup at Killen's is another cafeteria style joint.  You have your piles of BBQ meat.

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Uchi

Uchi

904 Westheimer Rd.

Houston, TX 77006

uchirestaurants.com

Yelp

Bair Hugger Deluxe made sure Uchi was the first dinner I had in Houston.  I guess it's a big deal here.  It is in Austin, where it was first opened up by Chef Tyson Cole.  He won Best Chef Southwest in 2011.  Uchi and its sister restaurant Uchiko might sound more familiar as the former kitchen of Top Chef season 9 winner Paul Qui.  He started there as an intern and over 7 years worked his way up to chef de cuisine.  Uchi can be thought of as a Nobu-esque restaurant.  Modern Japanese meets Asian fusion meets cool/upscale.  The place is super popular.  Bair Hugger makes it seem like restaurants of this caliber are few and far between.  He usually takes all out-of-towners here.

We got great seats at the bar.  I love sitting at the bar.  I love being a stone's throw from the action.  Sadly we didn't get to sit in front of this guy.  Only a bad ass can walk around with just one patch of hair on his head.  I believe he was the main sushi guy, cutting all the fish for sashimi/nigiri.  It's an interesting set up.  Each guy behind the bar mans a different station.  Our guy was actually just the roll guy.  There was another guy manning the yakitori type things.  There was another guy in the kitchen just making the Brussels sprouts.  

Sorbet
Refreshing, cool, not too sweet.  A pleasant way to start.

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Zydeco Louisiana Diner

Zydeco Louisiana Diner
1119 Pease St.
Houston, TX 77002
zydecolouisianadiner.com
Yelp

I've only ever been to Houston once in my life.  It was for a funeral.  Kinda morbid I know, but you can imagine that I didn't do much recreational eating during my short trip there 4 years ago.  I was visiting Bair Hugger, who calls Houston his home, ever so begrudgingly.  Bair Hugger is aware of my passion for eating and food blogging.  He too shares a similar passion, though he believes iPhone pictures posted on Facebook is passable food porn.  Unfortunately, we do not share the same love for Zydeco Kitchen.  I have a pretty high bar when it comes to Southern food because it's just not one of my favorites being so heavy and unhealthy.

The setup at Zydeco is pretty casual.  It's cafeteria style.  You grab a tray, you point to what you want and you're meal is handed to you.  Some dishes do require ordering and waiting for a number call.

Crawfish Etouffee stewed okra & tomatoes, corn maque choux, cornbread

So I guess the closest thing to Southern food I've had lately has been the panroast, gumbos, jambalayas at Ritters.  Maybe it's blasphemy that I even put Ritter's in the same category as Zydeco.  What do I know?  I am no Southern food expert.  I liked that the crawfish was plentiful here.  I wasn't very impressed with the depth of flavor.  Even the side dishes of okra, corn, and cornbread were slightly lacking in salt and sugar.  So overall, I was kinda meh about this set.

Fried Oysters & Shrimp jambalaya
I enjoyed this dish much more.  The oysters were plump and juicy.  The cornmeal based batter wasn't too heavy or overwhelming.  The shrimps were also similarly moist and lightly battered.  I enjoyed dipping them in the standard ketchup, cocktail sauce, and tartar sauce trio.  The jambalaya was a different style than I've had before.  It was drier and didn't pack that big of a punch.  The fries were really nothing special.

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