Houston – Page 3 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Food September 23, 2013

Weekend Food Adventures

I love trying new restaurants. I got to knock out three that I’ve been dying to try for ages this weekend – Mockingbird Bistro, Underbelly, and Latin Bites. My thoughts on each place are below!

I met two of my good friends, Paola and Guillermo, at Mockingbird Bistro on Thursday to celebrate their recent engagement. I ordered the Organic Beet Salad, which was great. As a beet lover, I will always order a beet dish if it’s on a menu. This one definitely did not fail to deliver. The spicy walnuts were the perfect touch to the dish. The service was amazing – our waiter brought a Congratulations dessert plate without any of us even mentioning the occasion! He must have been very attentive!

I’ve been to Underbelly for drinks before, but not for a meal. The menu is not super conducive to vegetarians, but the atmosphere makes up for the slim pickings. We ordered the eggplant appetizer (amazing), and then I got the Crispy Market Vegetables, which was a bowl of green beans (slightly strange, although they tasted great). The best parts about the evening were meeting Chris Shepherd (Executive Chef) and bragging on one of my good friends, Bryan, who did some of the art work on the wine menu (illustration and Bryan’s bio on page 10 here).

At Latin Bites on Saturday, I ordered the Quinoa Salad. It was heaven on earth. The ingredients include crispy quinoa, poached quinoa, carmelized cashews, mint, mozzarella, choclo, fava beans, avocados, tomatoes confit and passion fruit dressing. It came with baby iceberg lettuce wraps – one of my favorite dishes in Houston. See their dinner menu here. My only complaint about this amazing Memorial gem is the logo. As a typography nerd, it kills me.

Houston September 19, 2013

The Book of Mormon

This past Saturday, Sasha and I headed to The Book of Mormon at the Hobby Center in Houston, and it was a million times better than I even anticipated (and my expectations were high).

To start, the cast could not possibly have been more character appropriate. You believed that Elder Price really is predestined to be the best Mormon missionary ever, and that Elder Cunningham really is just a Star Wars loving slob. The singing and dancing was spot-on, with catchy tunes like Hello! and Hasa Diga Ebowai (disagree with the translation!!!). The plot was slightly predictable, but I’m willing to bet people go to The Book of Mormon for the laughs vs. plot twists. It is honestly hilarious. Sasha and I were in hysterics at some points, and had our jaws wide open at others (definitely not appropriate for young children).

While it is certainly not intended for Mormon audiences, it was very informative about the religion. I learned a ton of history during the play, and while a conversion is 100% not in my future, it is helping to educate people about the Mormon beliefs.

While on the topic of plays, I’m going to see Kinky Boots while in NYC in a month and a half. I’m so excited.

This nine-time Tony winner is currently touring the US – see the schedule here. It is most definitely worth it to buy a ticket!

Image via

Houston September 10, 2013

I Love Roost

This beautiful, bright wall welcomes you to the intimate Montrose restaurant, Roost. I went two weeks ago to meet one of my good friends, Joy, after having it high on my places to eat forever, and I was not disappointed at all (in fact, we headed back on Saturday for Bryan’s birthday meal!). Joy and I arrived in time for Happy Hour drinks, so got some champagne for an incredible price. I ordered the Brussels Sprout dish (of course), and Joy got the crab cakes. When we went this weekend, everyone raved about how good these two dishes were. While dining with Joy, the Executive Chef, Kevin Naderi, came over to say hello – I hadn’t realized that him and Joy knew each other before, but he was so friendly. The food was seriously phenomenal – I never wanted my dish to end. The place was very crowded when we left around 8:30, and I cannot wait to head back. Roost definitely earned a spot on my Best of Houston list.

Featured image and Kevin Naderi photo via Houston Chronicle // Roost pictures via website

Food August 26, 2013

Rainbow Lodge

As part of my mission to eat Burrata cheese at all of these Houston restaurants, I decided to meet a good friend of mine, Paola, at Rainbow Lodge on Sunday for brunch (99 cent mimosas? yes, please). I had never been before, but had wanted to go for ages, so jumped at the opportunity to check it off the list. As I walked in, I felt like I had in fact been there before. I quickly remembered that I recognized the restaurant because I had seen it on photographer Taylor Lord’s blog. She shot a wedding there last year, and I loved every detail. In fact, little did I know at the time, but I would end up in the same Crepe de Chine BHLDN dress! I was grinning ear to ear when I pulled up the pictures again and saw that.

The food was incredible. The Heirloom Tomato Salad was heavenly – the Burrata cheese was perfect, as were the wonderfully affordable mimosas. The 100 year old cabin home turned into hunting-style restaurant is an amazing spot for Sunday brunch or date night. The views are amazing – windows all around. The vegetarian options are definitely limited, but that’s what I expected from an upscale game lodge eatery.

Food August 20, 2013

Burrata Cheese, Please

As mentioned here yesterday, I ate the most delicious burrata salad while in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. The first time I ever ate this creamy, melt-in-your-mouth cheese was at our menu tasting. We chose that salad for the wedding, and numerous people commented on how amazing it tasted. Burrata is definitely a guilty pleasure, as it’s made with fresh mozzarella and cream. It sort of resembles an egg, which made me nervous at first, but after my first bite, I was sold. Sasha and I decided that we’re going to try the burrata dishes at the following amazing Houston restaurants. Some of these are even on my Best of Houston: Restaurants and Coffee list, while others we haven’t tried yet. I’m so excited for this endeavor. Have you ever tried burrata cheese?

Da Marco: Burrata di “Puglia”, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Mockingbird Bistro: Local Tomatoes and Burrata Mozzarella Tian

Rainbow Lodge: Heirloom Tomato Salad (with burrata cheese)

Coppa Ristorante: Burrata, campari tomatoes, coppa (order without for veggies!), arugula, olive oil, sea salt

Tony’s: Burrata Carbonara

Backstreet Cafe: Heirloom Tomato Salad, Burrata, Kalamata olives, Basil

Up: Buffala Mozzarella Caprese

Ciao Bello: Burrata Caprese

Sparrow: Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad

Photo from A Nutritionist Eats blog