Cafe Express

click the title to link to cafe express's website!

Who remembers the Zach Attack? It was pretty much my staple meal as a kid- shell pasta with marinara sauce and a side of fruit. Simple, simple, simple. No frills, just carbs (which pretty much describes how I ate ALL the time before I started to branch out).

If you remember the Zach Attack, then I applaud you. You, dear reader, are obviously as loyal to Cafe Yum Express as I am.

However, if you do remember the Zach Attack, you also remember Cafe Express in its early years. Whoever owned the chain sold the restaurant, and the new guys promptly screwed it up. The menu was boring, the service was sub-par, and the overall experience of eating there pretty much sucked.

So then the first owner got his head on straight and bought it back from those evil, evil people who ran it into the ground, and now its a better, more exciting version of its first self. Makeover!!

Cafe Express has something for everyone. Sandwiches, soups, salads, fancy-pants entrees, sides, and a SUPER simple kids meal (which is totally perfect). Its a true American menu, but with sophistication, prominent Mediterranean influence, and a side of awesome.

That being said, Cafe Express isn't perfect. The portions are on the large side, and sometimes the meals come out too quickly to be made 100% to order.

However, that doesn't keep me from eating there pretty much once a week. You can't keep me from those sweet potato fries (swoon) for too long until I start to get grumpy. Its so close to my house that its become my go-to, and I haven't been disappointed in the quality since I've become a regular.

My favorites are the Chicken Rustica sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries (lunch) and the Pasta Amore (dinner).

The sandwich is, no lie, one of the best ever to grace my taste buds. The acidity of the tapenade, pesto, and vinaigrette work perfectly with the carbs of the grilled chicken and ciabatta bread. And the red onions and spring mix salad top it off with a really fresh taste. Deeeeeeelish!

Pasta Amore is just that- LOVE. Olive oil+tapenade+artichoke heart= ZOMGYUM (OMG, YUM! I feel the need to explain some of my terms every so often)!!!

So the next time you're looking for a quick meal that's more on the healthy side, find your nearest Cafe Express (there's a good number of them all across Houston)... Maybe I'll see you there!!

HAPPY EATING!

PS- I'd love to hear about what you order, because my usuals are great, but I'm always looking for something new!

PPS- Tell me what I can do better! Leave a comment with suggestions on content, PLEASE... I'd appreciate any and all constructive criticism!

DEDICATED TO PAR, MINDY, AND ANONYMOUS x 2!

Ok, y'all are the cutest. This week has been 'rill (read: really) exciting for this little 'ol blog here.

My lacrosse girls showed my site to their Spanish teacher ("blog" was one of their vocal words) and she likes it! People seem to enjoy my writing, which is actually super awesome for me, because I recently figured out that I want to be some sort of journalist or columnist when I'm all growed up (sorry, 3 year old self, being a princess is out of the question, especially now that William is almost a married man :( ).

Anyway, I got on to my account just now on my phone and saw something that blew me away...

4 COMMENTS ON MY LATEST POST.

Guys? 4?!? You outdid yourselves!! Honestly, that made me so excited!! Especially since one of them was from a mysterious "PAR". I feel like I should know who this is... But I uhh... Don't.

Awkward. So, PAR, if you're reading this, THANK YOU. Also, shoutout to "anonymous",Mindy, and other anonymous- I love you guys!!

So the point of this post was to say Thank You! Thanks for reading, for sharing, for commenting (PAR, Mindy, and anonymous x 2) and for eating (LAWL felt like I needed another and "eating" sOUNDS pretty lame but it's there so oh well).

Keep checking back for a new post on Park City restaurants and one very popular Houston chain!

Happy Eating,
Martha.

PS- please excuse any words that look out of place. I'm on my phone and I'm too tired to fix the autocorrects/proofread

Haven

Sometimes, things are so wonderful and amazing that there is only one way to describe their existence.

Magic.

Literally, there must be unicorns and garden gnomes running around in the kitchen at Haven, because there is some serious mystical magical energy goin' on in that restaurant.

The folks at Haven describe their restaurant as "a seasonal kitchen." But I say enough with the fancy terms. They should just call it "really super duper yummy delish and fresh things that you will enjoy stuffing in your face." Because that's the best description there is (yeah, I'm not narcissistic... AND OH MY GOD I SPELLED THAT RIGHT ON THE FIRST TRY!!)

I've been to Haven a few times, and my parents go literally anytime they can. My mom swears there's voodoo magic in their cheese grits (she's probably right) and has ordered some for everyone at the table without being asked to on more than one occasion. People may protest, but once they get a bite of that carb-y, cheese-y, buttery goodness, they shut up real fast. One time my mom brought home leftovers and we FOUGHT each other for the last bite. I really wish I was kidding right now.

Anyway, the first time I went to Haven, I thought it was just pretty good. At that point, the restaurant was relatively new, so I'm sort of giving that meal a pass. Don't get me wrong, parts of it were INCREDIBLE (Hello, lemon/olive oil ice cream??)... I just wasn't blown away.

Well. The magic got to me. Last Friday my parents and I went for lunch, and holy moley I don't think it could have been better. Lunch came out super fast, Willie Nelson was playing, I had a coke with REAL sugar, and we talked to our waiter about all the best truck stops/gas stations between here and Austin.

Oh yeah, and our lunches were yummy enough to knock you over and leave you begging for mercy.

I had their chicken puffy tacos with avocado, queso fresco, salsa verde, and sliced radish with a side of black beans. Crazy good. Everything was super fresh and light, the flavors were strong but not overbearing and the tacos were so gosh-darn pretty. The beans got a "meh" (read: alright-ish) rating from me, but I'm really not a black bean girl to begin with. I did like the texture though, they were a little on the al dente side, which added to the lightness of the dish somehow. And the tortillas were the best I've ever had. I live in Texas folks, I've had my fair share of tortillas. These made me want to march into the kitchen and demand to see the chef (a wonderful wizard by the name of Randy) so I could thank him for his existence.

My mom had the pulled pork sandwich.

Texans everywhere- rejoice. This was the yummiest pulled pork I've EVER had. Again, magic is the only explanation. SO many flavors working their booties off in there. Let me tell you, they were WERKIN' IT. God, that sandwich was unbelievable. My mom loved the cilantro cider slaw that came with it (super light, little to no mayo). And everyone practically cried when they tasted the hand cut potato chips.

My dad had the fried shrimp and onion rings (no I didn't try any shrimp- I know, shame). And after the first bite he closed his eyes for a good long time and leaned back to let all the wonderful-ness of it sink in.

Haven gets an A++++++++++. As far as I'm concerned, Randy can do no wrong. On top of all this, Haven is a green restaurant and the majority of the ingredients used are locally produced. It does a great job of reflecting the classic tastes of Texas onto newer, more thoughtful plates and adding new twists to old classics. The dinner menu may be daunting at first, but I promise you, if you're willing to trust Randy, you won't be disappointed. The atmosphere is great, the service is impeccable, and the food speaks for itself (not actually, that would just be weird).

So, the next time you're looking for something new, duck off of Kirby and roll into Haven for some really incredible food!

Happy eating!

(PS- if you liked this post, or if you like my blog, please send it to your friends, post my link to your own blog, or share through Facebook! I'd really appreciate it!)

Gigi's (click for website link)

Good golly, how tech savvy am I (click da title foolz)??

Ok, I've added a new restaurant to my favorites. Gigi's is literally the bomb. Its this super cool Asian bistro in the Galleria and its all secret and there's mood lighting and Russian men doing shots at the bar and fabulous women in sky-high heels and oh yeah THIS ROOM.

(photo courtesy of Gigi's website)

The "Cherry Blossom Room" is smack dab in the middle of the room with 2 bars flanking its side and acting as the entrances. They also have a room with private tables with curtains to separate you from the rest of the restaurant if you so wish (hot date anyone?).

When I walked into the Cherry room I practically face planted on the gorgeous dark stained floors (which could be due to the fact that I was wearing heels- something I NEVER do). Actually though, this room is the prettiest, most amazing thing I have ever seen, and I could have spent all night sitting on the floor and staring at the ceiling. I lurved it.

Not as much as I loved the food however...

Good lord, I waddled out of Gigi's feeling like I had eaten for 4 people for a week. And its not that the food was heavy, its that the food was amazing.

Also, don't judge me. I don't know the difference between its and it's (sorry Mrs. W!!)

I was there for a girlfrand's 16th birthday party and I had heard good things about Gigi's... but I was still a wee bit apprehensive. My family has ok-ish Chinese pretty much once a week, and I've never been wow-ed by Chinese food.

Well, ladies and gents, prepare to be wow-ed. And to have your socks knocked off, and washed, and bleached, and tumble dried, and placed gently back on your feet by the heavenly deliciousness that is Gigi's food.

We had crispy spring rolls, pot stickers and shrimp dumplings to start.

Wait a second... whaaaa? SHRIMP? YES MAM PRESSED HAM (props to Mr. Thibs for that line).

I ate a shrimp dumpling. 2 in fact, because the first one was so scrumptious that my taste buddies were just begging for more. So I threw 'em a bone and ate another.

All of the appetizers were perfect. The flavors were great, the textures were balanced, and everything looked so pretty on the plate.

For the main course we had "RETURN OF THE PHOENIX" and if that doesn't describe how awesome this dish was, then I don't know what will. It was a lot like General Tsu's chicken, but with this great crunch. Only way to describe it with justice: Magical. Like, so magical it was on the same plane as garden gnomes and unicorns.

We also had shrimp pad thai (ate some of THAT too- whaddap?), Hunan green beans, and veggie fried rice. All were as delish as the main course.

All in all, Gigi's gets a bazillion million gold stars. The entire experience there couldn't have been better, and the food. My god, the food. Words aren't enough. So get your skinny little butt down to the Galleria and feast on the perfection that is Gigi's.

Happy eating!

FOR MADELEINE

Well, this blog should probably be renamed. Because a historical event occurred a couple of months ago, one that was so big and huge and crazy, you might have felt the Earth shake a little bit.

Are you ready kids?

(here's where you say "AYE AYE CAPTAIN!")

I ATE YOGURT! And I didn't throw up, gag, cry, scream, dry heave, faint, explode, implode, dissolve, OR die. Nay, I ENJOYED it!

(Cue earthquake)

Let me explain. A group of friends went to this Indian food place called Indika.

Indika= amazeballs. That's all there is to it. Great atmosphere, good service, AMAZING food. Actually.

Ok, I'll admit. I was scared poop-less when I heard we were going to an Indian restaurant. The only thing I could think was "Everything is going to be weird and spicy and funny colors."

Of course, it didn't help when I sat down, opened the menu, and saw "Baby goat brains" as one of the appetizers. I saw that and my heart sank a little. Sorry, my heart sank A LOT. I was like "Ok that's cool, goat brains. Not even regular goat brains, but baby ones. FROM A GOAT BABY. FROM A KID. THIS IS MESSED UP. I'll just eat Icees and popcorn once we get to the movie theater."

But that was all changed about 30 minutes later when it was decided that the cook would just serve us a "Best Of" meal- their best appetizers and entrees for the whole group to share. I was relieved, because that meant I wouldn't have to dig through the menu for something that I thought I might like.

The appetizers (we requested NOT to have goat brain) came out, and I got really excited. Like "Holy mother of pearl, this is all so pretty and yummy looking and I cannot wait to sink my chompers into every single one of these puppies" excited. BUT NOT REAL PUPPIES OF COURSE! Proverbial ones.

We had:
Slow roasted goat on an open faced crepe with spinach and walnuts
Lambchops with mint masala
Crab samosas with papaya ginger chutney
Warm spinach and paneer with a tandoori corn cracker type-thing
and Corn and Mint Chahat

This is where the yogurt came into play. They had brought everything out to the table when another waiter came up and was like "One last thing" and put the corn chahat right in front of me. Then he said "The is our corn and mint chahat with a yogurt dressing."

I eyed the chahat and was immediately trying to trade the goat plate over the yogurt one (yes, that is how much I detest yogurt), when Helen looked at me and said "Just do it, Martha."

So I did, and I'm really glad. It was one of my favorite dishes of the night.

Full disclosure: friends made this possible. If I hadn't had 6 pairs of eyes (YO DIZ A SHOUT OUT TO MAH GURL MADELEINE) trained on me while I whimpered about being scared, I wouldn't have had a single bite. Trusting new food and the people who introduce you to it is SO important.

I'm a believer in the power of food. Not like, "holy-crap this food has given me 5 extra pounds its so powerful" but like "I care about you, and I want to convey myself, so here's something that I am 100% responsible for, and I want it to make you happy".

I just went there.