How many times my link has been visited!!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

FUFU RESTAURANT IN BELLAIRE!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ATE RICHELLE ON OCTOBER 25!! It was a celebration night with some great food and amazing company!

So after work I called JP and he said they were going to a restaurant for Ate Richelle's bday and that I should come... so I did... and man was it great! I met up with them at FuFu Restaurant in Bellaire and I highly recommend anyone to check it out... and I will probably be back within a month. It's awesome!

When I got there they had already ordered and the Wonton Soup was just arriving... I LOVE Wonton Soup... and there's was great! The soup came in a large bowl enough for about 3 people to share... everything we ordered came in large portions and the service was 5 stars... always attentive, friendly, and answered questions about the menu.
Soon after the Soup arrived the food started to come out... everything that we had was:
A11: 2 Wonton Soup (4.99 each)
87: Salt Roasted Spare Ribs (8.99)
62: Chinese Broccoli with Beef (8.99) we added hong kong flat noodles
80: 2 Deep Fried Chicken (9.99 each)
Steamed Rice (unsure of price... sorry!)
115: 2 Hollow Stem Vegetable with Garlic Sauce (7.99 each)
46: Salt Roasted Squid (9.99)

Like I said before, everything came in huge helpings and we even had leftovers after 6 of us grubbed until we were completely full!
My fave was the Chinese Broccoli with Beef and the side veggies we had... and of course the wonton soup. I'm not much of a chicken fan so I wasnt really into that, but the rest of the table really enjoyed it. JP LOVES Salt Roasted Spare Ribs... but the ones that came to the table were more like salt roasted pork chops... they were also really great... and I was happier they came out the way they did than the way JP likes them haha. I also really enjoyed the Salt Roasted Squid... it's pretty much a calamari dish... It didt come with a sauce but since I LOVE LOVE LOVE soy sauc(probably more than your average person) I dipped it in the soy sauce and enjoyed it very much. I would have to say that I would reorder everything we had yesterday except for the chicken... but again, I just dont like chicken all that much.

Below you will find their information and hours... if you are looking for some great Asian food... this is the place to go!

HOURS: Monday- Friday 10am- 12am

713 981 8838

9889 Bellaire Blvd Suite E209
Houston Texas 77036

HAPPY EATING,
Ava Chino

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAVE ASIAN EATERY!
DONT FORGET TO COMMENT, FOLLOW, AND TAKE THE POLL AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

BOILING CRAB



So JP and I are MAJOR fans of crawfish... like MAJOR! Well as most of you are aware of, crawfish season from march to about june, and during that time we were in the Philippines. So once we returned we just had to have us some crawfish!! So we decided one Monday afternoon to hit up Cajun Kitchen in Bellaire... which is sooo good; unfortunately, we found out that they were closed on Mondays. So we looked up on the iPhone the best crawfish and 2 places came up: The Boiling Crab and Crawfish and Beignets inside the Hong Kong City Mall... We ate at the one in the mall and it was just awful... AWFUL! So we checked out the Boiling Crab and it didnt open til 3 and already there were people parked outside of the restaurant 15 minutse before opening! We new it was gonna be great... so we get to the door at 3 and there are people waiting outside and we are sat by the hostess and by 3:15 the entire place was filled.

The Boiling Crab=AMAZINGNESS PERSONIFIED!

This place has all year round crawfish and THE BEST sauce they mix it with. We LOVE spicy foods so we always order 3lbs of crawfish ($5.99/lb) in the xxx, the whole shabang and 1lb of softshell crab ($12.99- pricy, I know, but well worth it) in medium, garlic butter. Our bill is usually around $50, including beers... and even though it is a little pricy... this meal is well worth it. Everything is so full of flavor and literally finger lickin good! I took my parents here the other day and we tried the Fried Shrimp Basket ($9.99) and it was THE best fried shrimp Ive had in a long, long time! And you get a generous amount as well as cajun fries. This is a must go to place!

TRUST ME... WHEN YOU GO, YOU WILL BE THANKING ME AND TELLING EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

It is off of Beltway 8 and Beechnut, behind the bank! Info below!
(THEY DO HAVE STORES IN CALI AND DALLAS TOO!)

ADDRESS:
8300 W Sam Houston Pkwy S #268
Houston, TX 77072-5074

NUMBER: 281 988 4750

HOURS OF OPERATION:
MON-SAT: 3-10
SUNDAY: 12-10

http://www.theboilingcrab.com/index.php


Happy Eating,
Ava Chino

TELL ME YOUR FAVE CRAWFISH PLACE!

DONT FORGET TO COMMENT, TAKE THE POLL, AND FOLLOW ME!

Monday, October 18, 2010

BROTHERS PIZZA


Brothers Pizza has been a personal favorite of mine since I was dropped off at the mall by my parents. haha.

Brothers Pizza used to be in West Oaks Mall... it blew Sabarro out of the water! It was not only way more delicious... but much cheaper as well. Brothers is hands down the best pizza.

Now they have expanded outside of the mall into 7 Houston locations. The one I am always going to is the Katy, Hwy 6, location... love those guys! Not only is the pizza consistently great, but the guys that work there are just so much fun and friendly. I go so much that they know my name and order! The pizza is low priced and extra large New York style! The only downside is that they dont deliver! haha but you can call it in for carry out. Another great perk of eating here are the leftovers... when you cant eat all the pizza and you bring it home, just reheat it in the oven at 350 degrees and the pizza is so amazing all over again!


I recommend this place to everyone! Trust me, you wont want to go back to another pizza joint again!

MY FAVE BROTHERS PIZZA LOCATION:
1029 Hwy 6 North Suite 100 ( one block North of I-10)
Phone 281 398 4040
Store Hours:
MON-SAT 11AM-10PM
CLOSED SUNDAYS



Happy Eating,
Ava Chino

TELL ME YOUR FAVE KIND OF PIZZA!

DONT FORGET TO FOLLOW ME, COMMENT ON THE POSTS, AND TAKE THE POLL AT THE TOP!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

LOS CUCOS (by Katy Mills Mall)


So JP and I were feeling under the weather and decided some nice Tortilla Soup would be awesome. We looked online for the 'best tortilla soups in Houston' and Chuys showed up... but we didnt feel like driving too far so we looked up 'best tortilla soup katy'... and Los Cucos seemed like the place to go.

We ordered:
Tortilla Soup $6.99
Taco and Soup $8.99
Shrimp Quesidillas $8.99

When I ordered the soup I asked if it came with avocado... the server said yes it did. However, when I received my soup there was one sliver of avocado... SLIVER!
I asked for more avocado and was charged an extra $1.59.

The soup was amazing just like we had thought and you got soooo much. IT WAS HUGE!
I just felt like they jipped me on avocado, cheese, and tortilla strips. If they are going to give you a ridiculous amount of soup (which I enjoyed) then dont skip out on the toppings... it seems like they are trying to find a way to add more charges on the bill.

Once we were done eating we asked for boxes for our leftovers... and honestly, it was so much food that it looked like we didnt even eat anything! I ate a slice of the quesidillas... which werent that great. All it had was a flour tortilla, cheese, and unseasoned shrimp. It was a huge disappointment. Another disappointment was when they brought us the boxes for our leftovers. I would rather had them take the soup bowl (because like I said before... it was HUGE!)... so when I poured the soup into the to-go cup, it poured down the side and made a mess.

All in all, I wasnt that satisfied with everything.
I would def go back for the soup... but I would only get it to go.

Happy Eating,
Ava Chino

ps- let me know what you think!

Monday, October 11, 2010

try broccolini! Eat Healthy less than $10


So JP and I had another steak dinner.
We had another bone-in ribeye left... this one was only $5.58! CHEAP!
This meal only takes about 20 minutes tops including prep time.

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS MEAL:
bone in ribeye ($5.58 depending on how much it weighs. you can use any steak!)
7spice
salt and pepper
bundle of broccolini ($2.89)-- this is not broccoli. its broccoliNI
3-4 garlic cloves (you should still have some leftover or 2/$1)
1/4 of a red onion
2T butter
Morton Natures Seasoning (I use this stuff alot! Im not sure of the price and Im sorry about that... it shouldnt be more than $3 and it truly is an amazing seasoning for so many meals as you will see in future meals!)


The first thing I did to prepare for this meal was chop, slice and dice the garlic for the broccolini.
I put in 1T of butter in the sautee pan along with the garlic and sprinkled the Morton Nature Seasoning along in there as well before placing the broccolini in.
I allow the butter to melt and sit with the garlic and seasoning on low heat.
While the butter is melting is when you start the gas grill and let it preheat for about 5 minutes.

We seasoned it the same with the 7Spice ($4.99 at Kroger or Saltgrass) and we also have a salt and pepper mix we add as well. yum.

Once the ribeyes are on the grill we cook it for 4 minutes on each side for a medium rare. This isnt a consistent time since steaks are sometimes super thick or thin. ya know?

Once the ribeyes are flipped is when I turn the heat up to medium add another Tablespoon (T) of butter and put a lid on the pan.
While this is cooking I cut my red onion up. We cut about 1 inch pieces.
I add the onion in the last 2 minutes. Broccolini only needs about 5 minutes to cook and I really enjoy the crunch and flavor of the red onion with broccolini. yum :)

The time the ribeye is done is when the broccolini is done and your meal is ready.
DONT FORGET THE MILK :)

and yes... this may seem really quick and easy... and well... IT IS!

Happy Eating,
Ava Chino

DONT FORGET TO COMMENT. TAKE THE POLL AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. AND FOLLOW ME!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

ANOTHER MEAL FOR LESS THAN $10- steaks.



So JP and I made another delicious meal. And OMG... Sooooo good :P

Last night we cooked Bone-In Ribeyes, Baked Potatoes and Sauteed garlic spinach.

What you need:
Bone In Ribeye ($6.67)
Baked Potatoes (2/$3)
Use the sauteed spinach from the other night... if you didnt make that meal then you will need to buy fresh spinach($1.48) or bagged baby spinach ($2.99)
Garlic (2/$1.. or you should have some)
Foil
7spice ($4.99)
olive oil
toppings for your baked potatoes (cheese, butter, sour cream, bacon, chives, picante sauce, etc)

I started with the Baked Potatoes. The ones I had bought at HEB were pretty large so I put them in the oven at 450 degrees for one hour. Prep them first by washing them off and placing them in tin foil. You can check on them by feeling the softness of them- Just lightly squeeze the sides... but make sure you have an oven mit on :)

After 45 minutes of them in the oven I start chopping, slicing, and dicing the sauteed spinach. You should remember this from the last blog- So I'm not going to get into it.

I then prep the steak that i had bought. A Bone-In Ribeye for $6.67. (YUM!). I rub in 7spice seasoning and let it sit for about 5 minutes. You can buy 7spice from either Krogers (4.99) or SaltGrass (for it is sg seasoning). JP likes to add this salt/pepper mix as well.

We have a gas grill. So we start the grill and let it warm up for about 5 minutes... right about this time the Baked Potatoes should be finished. So turn the oven off and just let them sit in there.

At the same time you start the put the ribeye on the grill should be the same time you turn on the stove for the spinach. Medium heat add olive oil and the garlic... you can also add some salt at this time or wait until after the spinach is in the pan. Its really up to you.

At this time you should also take the baked potatoes out of the oven cut them open and add the toppings you like (such as butter, cheese, and bacon) and put it back in the oven so it can melt to yumminess. Once that is melted take it out of the oven and add anything else you like (such as sour cream, picante sauce, and chives).

Once the ribeyes have been flipped over to cook the other side is the time you should start on the fresh spinach. Just toss it in, sautee, and viola. (for more info read the other blog).

Once the spinach is finished the ribeye will be done and your entire meal will be complete. Just get your beverage of choice (milk for me :)



Happy Eating,
Ava Chino

ps- DONT FORGET TO TAKE THE POLL AT THE TOP OF THIS SITE! LEAVE ME COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS! AND MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW ME :)

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

EAT HEALTHY FOR LESS THAN $8


So I got off work tonight and decided to go to HEB to find dinner.
I didnt want to spend that much money since I didnt make that much mula tonight, so I went with fresh spinach ($1.48), salmon ($4.99), and garlic(2/$1).
The meal I made was sauteed garlic spinach, left over mashed potatoes, and a traditional salmon.

Here's what you need:
Tablespoon of olive oil
sprinkle of salt
fresh spinach (or you can get the bagged baby spinach($2.99)
3-4 garlic cloves per person
salmon
foil

First thing I do for this meal is take some cloves of garlic and chop, slice, and dice them. Since this was a meal for one, I only used 3-4 cloves... But if youre cooking for more than 1, i would use up to 8 cloves... it really depends on how much you love garlic.
So I set the stove on low/medium and place a sautee pan on the stove with some olive oil.
As the garlic is chopped, sliced, and diced I add them to the olive oil.
I do this first so that the garlic taste can sit in the olive oil. Its awesome.
I have a gas grill so I take my salmon put it in the foil and place it on the grill.
Salmon doesnt need to cook too long; if you cook salmom too long, it will dry out.
Once the salmon is on the grill, I add the fresh spinach to the olive oil and garlic.
You must move the spinach around or else it wont all cook.
This was my first time to cook fresh spinach instead of the bagged baby spinach... the difference is (1) you must for sure rinse, rinse, rinse the fresh spinach! It is for sure fresh and so its dirty! Rinse it and then rinse some more. (2) baby spinach wilts a ton and the fresh spinach is much, much larger and therefore has more texture. i love it a lot more. plus, its cheaper! :)
Sprinkle some salt over the spinach once you add it to the pan... you really dont need much salt at all.
By the time the spinach is cooking all the way, the salmon should be finished as well (5-7 minutes)
So take the salmon off the grill, take it out of the foil, add the spinach to the plate and viola... dinner is served!

I had leftover mashed potatoes and so I added that to my meal. One thing i have learned is a great thing to do is take a leftover vegetable and add it to a freshly made meal... that way leftovers arent completely awful! haha

I had taken more pictures of this meal to post; however, I accidently deleted them when uploading the pictures. yah. it wont happen again! promise :)

Happy Eating,
Ava Chino

AND DONT FORGET TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!
IF YOU HAVE ANY MEAL IDEAS LET ME KNOW!
IF YOU HAVE RECIPES SEND THEM MY WAY!
THANKS! :)

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

GOURMET INDIA (lunch)


So JP and I really wanted some rice for lunch... We love trying new foods and we had been wanting to try some Indian food again, so we used the app "urbanspoon" on my iPhone and it told us to go to Gourmet India. So we did.

It was lunch and so i was wearing jeans and a tee and my hair and makeup werent really done. Afterall, it was lunch. Gourmet India had a lunch buffet. I didnt feel like i needed to put on my slacks and blouse and fix myself up. I was wrong.

So we get there before 2pm and it turns out they closed at 2:30... they didnt seem to mind so we stayed.
I felt a little out of place since I was dressed down; I felt like they were looking down on us for looking so shabby. But after getting some food and digging in, the staff warmed up to me and I felt more comfortable.
The place was very lit up with the window shades being pulled away and so the natural sunlight was just really relaxing. The staff was attentive, they brought us out some warm pita-like bread called roti, and even though i was little skeptical about eating at an idian buffet... it ended up hitting the spot. delicious.

Their buffet option wasnt huge but it was perfect. Here are the foods we chose off the buffet line:
Peas Pulao (which is rice)
Tandoori Chicken (JP ate this. it was pinkish/red. i didnt try it)
Goat Masala (JPs favorite. It was very good)
Zuccini Masala (great as well)
Mix Veggies (i liked mixing this with the meat)
Chicken Tikka Masala (my fave. orange, very saucy, and delicious)

All the foods had so much flavor, the atmosphere was nice and relaxing, everything was very clean, the servers were nice and attentive, the place is very Indian, I will def dress up a bit more the next time, and I definitely recommend first time Indian eaters to go here!!

Gourmet Indian opened in 1996 and if you look them up online they get a 4 star rating! JP and I ranked them before seeing this information and we gave them 3.75 stars.
If you go (during lunch) it is about $30 for 2 including sodas.

Below is the information you will need to find them.

Sun - Thu
11:00 am - 02:30 pm
05:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Fri - Sat
11:00 am - 03:00 pm
05:30 pm - 11:00 pm


http://www.gourmetindiahouston.com/
281 493 5435
13155 Westheimer Road
Houston TX, 77077

Happy Eating,
Ava Chino

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Captain Toms

Do you absolutely love oysters but hate paying high prices for decent delicious oysters?
Well then go to Captain Toms!!

Captain Toms is a seafood establishment that is able to maintain low prices because they go out and fish for their own supply... Seriously.
You will find amazing oysters for $5.95/ dozen and they always throw 1-3 extra oysters on your plate.
Their gumbo is the best I've had... It is loaded with shrimp and crab!
Try their stuffed shrimp and stuffed crab too.
Honestly, everything is really great... But you must like fried foods... Everything is pretty much fried.
One thing i have yet to try is frog legs... I want someone to go with me and order it and then i can try theirs haha.
You can find anything on the menu for less than $10 too!!
Another plus is their beers are pretty low priced as well.

But here is your warning...
This is not a table establishment where you can truly enjoy the company you are with... Its loud, busy, your space is invaded.
Get their early enough to sit at the bar or else it's not as fun... This is a seafood and oyster bar after all. Did I mention that?
This is another place that i can't get enough of. It's on my top 10... Now if I could only get my bf to love oysters. Hmm.

Below you will find their 3 locations. My most visited is Katy.
  13955 East Fwy (IH-10) Houston TX 77015 713.451.3700
  9651 FM 1960 Rd W Houston TX 77070 281.890.8334
  20525 Katy Fwy Katy TX 77450 281.829.6407

Happy eating,
Ava Chino

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Yum Yum Cha Cafe.

I remember about 3 years ago one of brothers, Eric, told me about this place that served dumplings that I just had to try. I also remember being a little hesitant because when I thought of dumplings I thought of East Texas chicken and dumplings- which I hate. He had declined to tell me that this place was of Asian decent and had been rewarded many acknowledgements of how awesome their food is. So we go and I haven't stopped spreading the word about the amazing dumplings of Yum Yum Cha Cafe.

I am going to start off with my fave dumplings here:
1. Ha gau (steamed shrimp dumpling)
3. Teow chow fun gau (pork and Nut dumpling (shrimp))
6. Hueng sai gau (cilantro shrimp dumpling)
31. Gow choy ha bang (pan fried shrimp and chive dumpling)

Other amazing foods on menu:
37. Tong Kai jiu (eggplant stuffed with shrimp)
38. Ha chung guen (deep fried shrimp roll)
39. Ja ha yuen (deep fried shrimp ball)
B. Steamed asparagus with oyster sauce
28. Gai Lang (Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce)

So you go into Yum Yums and they tell you to take a seat.
After choosing your seat they bring you a paper and you mark what you want.
The numbers/ letters above refer to the numbers on the menu.
Yum yums is a tiny place that needs some serious remodeling; however, it seems to fit them.
Its super laid back and you def don't need to dress up and it won't break the bank.
In fact, if you ordered everything above it would still be less than $30!
A soda is $1 and they have some pretty awesome hot tea.
My boyfriend and I go on a regular basis and we hardly ever order over $30 and when we do we can't even eat it all.
As much as I love this place, I do still have my critiques. Not every place can be perfect and they do have their drawbacks.
Such as the manager could use a bounce in her step... This is my nice way of saying she isn't very friendly. She airs out her problems to the staff and not quietly. My boyfriend and I have probably eaten here about 100 times (as it is my fave place to eat) and she has yet to come by to say, "welcome back" or even a courteous, "hello!" - and well... That bothers me!
The staff is ok friendly. I would say the best server is Kiera (I'm probably spelling her name wrong) and she is almost always there.
Another drawback is they need a serious deep clean. The place is clean, but like I said earlier... They need a serious makeover.
But even with my small complaints, you will never find dim sum this amazing. Seriously. It truly is the best.
Below you will find their location, hours, and website. I urge you to go!
Let me know what you think or if you know another dim sum restaurant I'm missing!

http://yumyumchacafe.com/index.html

Located in Rice Village!
2435 Times Blvd
Houston, TX 77005

PH: 713 527 8455

HOURS:
Sunday: 11a- 7p
Monday: 11a- 5p
Tuesday: CLOSED
Wednesday: 11a- 3p, 5p- 10p
Thursday: 11a- 3p, 5p- 10p
Friday: 11a- 3p, 5p- 10p
Saturday: 11a- 3p, 5p- 10p

Happy eating,
Ava Chino