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Food

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Making a Pass at Provisions

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After hungrily lusting at Provisions for far too long, Sasha and I finally had a double date  there on Saturday. Housed in the old Gravitas building (and the even older original Antone’s PoBoy Deli location), this dual-intentioned restaurant (both The Pass and Provisions) tickles all audiences’ fancies, with an elaborate sit-down 7-course meal dinner at the former, and a more relaxed dish-sharing atmosphere for the latter.

The walls are covered with repurposed floorboards from a nearby gymnasium, which gives Provisions a very retro, cool vibe. On one wall, the original lightbulb-ringed Antone’s sign is on display, which is a nice commemorative touch to the building’s original tenant. The entire middle row of tables is adjustable, so you can make one long, communal table or have a dozen two-seaters. In addition to the restaurant’s decor, the unisex bathrooms have a looped soundtrack of Julia Child, whom I adore (partially due to my love of Meryl Streep, who played her in Julie & Julia).

The Pass and Provisions was recently named the #6 best new restaurant in America by Bon Appetit magazine, and I now see why. While not the most vegetarian friendly menu in Houston, our waitress was more than happy to remove the duck eggs from the Brussels sprout appetizer, which was one of the most delicious Brussels sprouts dishes I’ve ever tried. I ordered the Arugula Cress Salad, which was very tasty, but definitely an appetizer sized dish (cue another bowl of Brussels sprouts being ordered for the group).

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Owners Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner

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Authentic gymnasium wood floors act as wall panels

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The communal table in the middle of the restaurant

Provisions-910x606The Antone’s sign on the far wall

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Click on all images to link to the source

Houston’s Healthy Vegetarian Guide

Houston's Healthy Vegetarian Restaurant Guide | Snapshots & My Thoughts

Houston used to have a rap as being a steakhouse city – a place that vegetarians would avoid while en route to hippie, vegan-friendly Austin. Recently, with the food movement in our city, vegetarian options are becoming more and more prevalent. I’ve made a list of my favorite healthy vegetarian options at some of the best restaurants in Houston. You’ll notice there’s no pizza or pasta options, as I don’t eat either!

Adair Kitchen (Galleria) – Black Bean Quinoa Burger (Lunch), Kale Salad (Dinner)

Baba Yega (Montrose) – Portabella Burger

Backstreet Cafe (River Oaks) – Portabella Burger, Spectacular Veggie Platter

Barnaby’s (Various) – Garden Salad (Without Bacon) and Falafel Patty

Benjy’s (Rice Military and Rice Village) – Curried Quinoa

Cafe Brasil (Montrose) – Hummus and Falafel Plate, Goat Cheese Salad

California Pizza Kitchen (River Oaks) – Roasted Veggie Salad, Quinoa and Arugula Salad

Canopy (Montrose) – Baby Spinach Salad (Substitute Quinoa for Chicken)

Carrabas (The Original on Upper Kirby) – Ensalata Fiorucci

Coppa (Rice Military) – Burrata appetizer, Insalata Tricolore

Corner Table (River Oaks) – Earth Burger (without the bun), sub fries for side salad

The Counter Burger (Rice Military) – Build-Your-Own Vegan Veggie Burger

Harvest Organic Grille (Memorial) – Harvest Eggplant, Veggie Mixed Grill, Chard o Yay

Indika (Montrose) – Paneer and Eggplant Chaat, Vegetarian Tasting Dish

Kiran’s (Highland Village) – Organic Kale Salad, Baby Eggplant, Pindi Channa

Latin Bites (Memorial) – Quinoa Salad

Maryz (Richmond) – Hummus (Best in Houston), Falafel

Pondicheri (Upper Kirby) – Curried Popcorn, Barley Salad, Vishnu Thali

Radical Eats (Montrose) – Knocked Up Avocado Salad

Relish (River Oaks) – Beet Salad

Roost (Montrose) – Fried Cauliflower, Ma Po Tofu

Ruggles Green (CityCentre, Upper Kirby) – Texas Goat Cheese Salad

Uchi (Montrose) – Uchi Salad, Brussels Sprouts

Zoe’s Kitchen (Various) – Vegetarian Kabobs (Hummus Side)

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images via Sprouted Kitchen

Urban Harvest Farmer’s Market

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On Satuday, I headed to the Urban Harvest Farmer’s Market (Eastside location) – something I’ve been meaning to do for ages and had never gotten around to. One thing’s for sure – I’ve been missing out. Enticing aromas welcome you when walking towards the long two rows of tents selling everything from brightly colored vegetables to fresh flowers, organic beef and vegan treats. I went with Sasha’s aunt, Zlata, who enjoys markets as much as I do. We left with a full (recyclable, of course) bag, stuffed with basil, portobello mushrooms, peppers, flowers (top left picture), limes, and last (but definitely not least) vegan pumpkin pie! I was giddy with excitement when I saw Sinfull Bakery‘s stand (my favorite), as I’ve been trying various vegan pumpkin recipes to little success, and wanted something tried-and-proven on that particular morning. Sasha scarfed it down when we got home and gave it two-thumbs up, which means a lot coming from a carnivore who eats eggs but doesn’t like desserts.

My favorite stands were:

Sinfull Bakery – as mentioned above, the vegan treats (and samples) are so tasty
Pat Greer’s Kitchen – I was handed a vegan sauteed veggie taster and it was heaven-in-my-mouth (need to head to her restaurant!)
Billabong Fresh Flower Farm – where I got my gorgeous flower arrangement
Utility Research Garden – the juiciest limes I’ve ever tasted
Shade/Canopy – I love the restaurants, so naturally loved the booth
Knopp Branch Farm – some of the best portobello mushrooms we’ve ever eaten
Revival Market – a little sneak peek before I headed there for lunch with friends on Saturday

My love for farmer’s markets dates back to my time in Austin at The University of Texas – I wrote an article for the UT newspaper, which was linked to here.

Have you been to your local farmer’s market?

Houston Weekend Travel Guide

williams-water-wallIt is no secret that I love Houston. After moving back to the city from Austin, where I went to college, I became an adventurer of my own habitat. I wanted to try every restaurant, see every sight, walk on all the trails, etc. I also love to travel to new cities in the US, and in the last 2 years covered San Francisco (6 times), Los Angeles, Boston (3 times), Miami, Portland, Minneapolis, New York, Denver, Durango, Dallas, Austin, Chicago (2 times), Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, Bozeman (Montana), and Washington DC. I would always have a fully packed agenda for all of these places, which included food, event, and sightseeing recommendations. I thought it would be fun to create my own Houston weekend guide (Friday evening through Sunday night)! Hopefully you find this list useful.

biscuit-paint-wall-montrose-houston-biscuitpaintwallFriday Evening

  • Take pictures at the Waterwall Park (Galleria)
  • Enjoy happy hour at Anvil (Montrose) – try the French 75! or go to Bar Boheme for a more relaxed vibe
  • If you go to Anvil, walk across the street and take a picture outside of Biscuit Home (#biscuitartwall on Instagram) and check out their gorgeous, slightly eclectic selection of home goods
  • Eat at Indika (Montrose) if you like Indian food or head to Benjy’s (Rice Military and Rice Village) if you prefer modern American cuisine
  • Head to Sprinkles for a cupcake or to Pinkberry (both River Oaks) for some frozen yogurt
  • Drive down Westheimer to Underbelly or Hay Merchant (both Montrose)

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Saturday 


Beer Can House

Sunday


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Voilà. There you have it – some suggestions for a “perfect weekend in Houston.” There are, of course, tons and tons more fun things to do in this city, but I had to narrow it down. Some additional items include:

Visit the Bayou Bend Collection

Go to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Run at Memorial Park

Do a Segway Tour of Downtown

Visit the Saint Arnold’s Brewery

Take a cruise down the Bayou on a canoe or kayak

Go and experience Houston’s Theater scene

Laugh out loud at ComedySportz

Take a tour of Houston’s underground tunnel system downtown

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I am always open to suggestions and also would love to help you plan a personalized trip if you’re coming to visit the Bayou City. Please email me!

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Sprouted Kitchen: Almond Date Truffles

I absolutely adore cooking. I make Sasha dinner from scratch every single night. Since I’m a vegetarian and he’s not (except for Meatless Mondays), I’ll make the same dish for us, but add chicken, shrimp or salmon to the top of his meal, which makes life much easier. While I’m not a vegan, I don’t eat eggs, so baking has never, ever brought joy to my life like cooking has. I recently stumbled upon Sprouted Kitchen, the most amazing food blog ever, and found a host of amazing meatless recipes and eggless desserts. I am thrilled. The Almond Date Truffles, shown below will definitely be my first trial.

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Almond Date Truffles  // Makes 18

  • 20 Medjool dates, seeded and halved (plump and slightly glossy)
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup creamy almond butter
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. natural cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup toasted almonds, well chopped

Put the dates and vanilla in a food processor and run until a chunky paste forms. Add the almond butter and pulse a few more times. Add the coconut, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon and pulse a few more times. The mixture should be a tad crumbly, but press between your fingers and stick together. If it seems too wet to hold in a ball, add more coconut, if too dry, add a touch more almond butter or a splash of water.

Roll a heaping Tbsp. of the mixture between your palms to form a ball. Repeat with remaining mixture. Put your chopped almonds on a plate and roll each truffle in the almonds (apply a bit of pressure to get them to adhere). Place the plate in the fridge to chill for at least an hour. Truffles will keep covered in the fridge for a couple weeks.

 

Recipe and pictures via Sprouted Kitchen