cristine

01.19.12

2012-01-19T12:07:00.001-08:00

Ryu Ngu!

01.18.12

2012-01-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

Been working out at the Y downtown and this chicken Caesar wrap they sell at the cafe there is the besttt!

01.17.12

2012-01-17T20:15:00.001-08:00

Credits for cake pops I did for Michelle and Tuan's wedding. Their wedding was featured in a magazine :)

01.16.12

2012-01-16T22:03:00.000-08:00

Pretty sure I'm addicted to Pinterest! Gojee.com also looks promising. Can't wait to try a kimchi soup recipe I found on there :)

01.15.12

2012-01-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

Serious convos. Sad that that Texans lost, but proud nonetheless.

01.14.12

2012-01-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

Spending the Saturday with Mom. She spoils us so much <3

01.13.12

2012-01-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

Chillin' with Buffy the heater hogger.

01.12.12

2012-01-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

Homemade chicken karaage a la East Side King.

01.10.12

2012-01-10T18:26:00.001-08:00

Dinner with dad and sisters before dad goes to the Philippines for a month! Crossing fingers he brings back an updated Magic Mic :) haha

01.09.12

2012-01-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

Printed out black and white pictures of some places I've been and framed them to put in my office!

01.08.12

2012-01-08T21:21:00.001-08:00

So glad I went out to Austin and visited my mom. Love her!

01.07.12

2012-01-07T11:55:00.001-08:00

Let's go TEXANS! #IPutOnForMyCity

01.06.12

2012-01-06T23:38:00.000-08:00

I'm in Austin visiting my mom. Trisha and I finally go to Uchi! Uchi is definitely more intimate than its trendy sister Uchiko. They have some similar rolls so I tried to order different rolls. Everything was DELICIOUS! Check my foodspotting for more pics!

01.05.12

2012-01-05T21:41:00.001-08:00

Tofu Village with Maribel, Karen, Kathleen and Angela. Kimchi Soup and Spicy Pork. Good food and good company

01.04.12

2012-01-05T06:29:00.001-08:00

SABS wins both PSA Men's Open and 6ft and Under divisions! Congrats fellas!

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Cristine Burgos

01.03.12

2012-01-05T06:27:00.001-08:00

This is Skeeter. He thinks he's a small dog, but he is SO NOT! Love him though, he's the nicest dog I've ever met!

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Cristine Burgos

01.02.12

2012-01-05T06:26:00.001-08:00

Simon broke his ankle and had to get surgery on the first. Simon was able to go home today. What a horrible way to start the new year. Hopefully, he gets better soon!

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Cristine Burgos

Let's Pretend it's January 1st...

2012-01-05T06:22:00.001-08:00

01112. Happy New Year! I'm going to attempt to post a picture everyday. Time flies so fast nowadays, it'll be interesting to look and see what happened over the year through pictures. This NYE, after stopping by a few family parties, Randy and I went to AJ and Elvira's Texans themed NYE party. We drank and popped fire works, nice and chill.
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Cristine Burgos

Homemade Pan de Sal

2011-09-26T09:22:00.001-07:00

This totally reminds me of eating breakfast in the Philippines. During a visit, my sisters and I would fight over the last pan de sal and my aunt told us not to fight because they sell it on the street, still warm! Geez, I thought they were so lucky to be able to buy fresh pandesal whenever they wanted.

Now my mom has been on this pandesal kick and needs to stop. It's so GOOD.

On another note, I've joined Foodspotting! Follow me: www.foodspotting.com/cristineburgos

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Cristine Burgos

Japaneiro's - Sugar Land, TX

2011-09-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

Nirvana Sushi Sampler with Shaggy Dog and Sasu Roll, Banana Tempura

Forgot to take a picture of the crab puffs, best appetizer there!

http://www.japaneiro.com/japaneiros_site/home.html
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Cristine Burgos

III Forks - Houston, TX

2011-09-08T07:24:00.001-07:00

Lunch: III Forks Salad, 10 oz Flat Iron Steak

Houston Restaurant Weeks
http://www.iiiforks.com/
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Cristine Burgos

Del Frisco's - Houston, TX

2011-09-08T07:21:00.001-07:00

Del Frisco´s Dinner Salad, Prime Ribeye 12 oz. with Chateau Potatoes, Banana Bread Pudding

Houston Restaurant Weeks

http://delfriscos.com/
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Cristine Burgos

The Oceanaire - Houston, TX

2011-09-08T07:17:00.001-07:00

B.L.T. Salad, Fried Asparagus, Fried Chili Calamari, House Hickory Smoked Salmon,Steak & Shrimp – Grilled Beef Tender, Gulf Shrimp, Baked Stuffed Flounder Fillet, "Black & Bleu" Catch of the Day, Coconut Tres Leches, Warm Caramel Bread Pudding

Houston Restaurant Weeks
http://theoceanaire.com/Home.aspx
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Cristine Burgos

Mark's - Houston, TX

2011-09-08T07:11:00.001-07:00

Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Trio Entree, Tahitian Vanilla Bean Créme Brulee

Houston Restaurant Weeks
http://www.marks1658.com/welcome/index.html
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Cristine Burgos

RDG + Bar Annie - Houston, TX

2011-09-08T07:06:00.001-07:00

Brunch - Endive and Pear Salad, Scrambled Egg Crepes, Mexican Style Scrambled Eggs, Buttermilk Drop Doughs, Old Time Beignets, Cinnamon Pastry Rolls

Houston Restaurant Weeks
http://rdgbarannie.com/
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Cristine Burgos

The Capital Grille - Houston, TX

2011-09-08T06:59:00.000-07:00

Field Greens, Spring Vegetables, 14oz. Bone-In Kona Crusted Dry Aged Sirloin, Classic Creme Brulee

Houston Restaurant Weeks
http://www.thecapitalgrille.com/about/main.asp
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Cristine Burgos

Smith & Wollensky - Houston, TX

2011-09-08T06:53:00.000-07:00

S&W Famous Split Pea Soup, Filet Mignon, Chocolate Cake

Houston Restaurant Weeks

http://smithandwollensky.com/
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Cristine Burgos

BaoZ Dumpling - Houston, TX

2011-08-03T12:52:00.001-07:00

My favorite dumpling place is in the tunnels at Fannin and McKinney. BaoZ Dumpling serves up yummy dumplings steamed or pan fried. The sauce is what makes it though, I usually get mine spicy. There is another dumpling place I haven't tried yet, Doozo Dumpling and Noodles. Both places always have a long line, a tell-tale sign of good food!

They have $7 Combo Lunch Specials that come with 12 dumplings, but for $7.75 you can get 18 dumplings, a side and a drink.

www.bao-z.com
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Cristine Burgos

Sears Fine Food - San Francisco, CA

2011-08-03T12:39:00.001-07:00

A San Francisco institution since 1938. Famous for their 18 Swedish Pancakes so of course, that's what I had to get. I'm not that big of a pancake person but these mini pancakes were perfect. Nice and fluffy, delicious with the warm syrup and whipped butter. They even sell the batter at the restaurant!

www.searsfinefood.com

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Cristine Burgos

Houston Restaurant Weeks

2011-07-28T08:56:00.001-07:00

Houston Restaurant Weeks is coming and I'm so excited that it will be for a whole month instead of just 1-2 weeks. Last year I tried Capital Grille, Del Frisco's and RDG Bar Annie. You can go here for pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/cristineburgos/HoustonRestaurantWeek2010.

This year I wouldn't mind trying those restaurants again! It's a great chance to try a lot of restaurants and not spend a whole lot. Here are my top choices this year, in no particular order:

http://www.houstonrestaurantweeks.com/

My Choices:
Brennan's of Houston

Eddie V's City Centre

Mark's American Cuisine

Where will you be eating for Houston Restaurant Weeks?

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Cristine Burgos

Treebeards: Market Square - Houston, TX

2011-07-26T12:18:00.001-07:00

One of my good friends picked me up for lunch and I gave her a list of restaurants to pick from. She picked Treebeards and I was glad she did! "Treebeards has been cooking fresh Southern food for hungry downtown Houstonians since 1978". Every Houstonian needs to experience Treebeards once in their life. They have 4 locations, all in downtown. I am so lucky to work here, haha. I had the fried catfish, red beans and rice and broccoli and carrots. Catfish was perfection and you can't go to Treebeards without getting their red beans and rice.

www.treebeards.com

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Cristine Burgos

Alto Pizzeria - Houston, TX

2011-07-13T13:02:00.001-07:00

I went to HH at Eddie V's West Ave. and afterwards we decided to check out Alto Pizzeria down the way. I'm really liking this development. Katsuya is supposed to open across from Eddie V's in early 2012. Anyways, Yelpers gave Alto only 2 stars! Glad I got to try it for myself. We got the Salami, Italian Sausage and Pepperoni pizza with mushrooms, onions and aged provolone. The pizzas are personal sized and they are a bit pricey, but the toppings were really good. We also got the Sourdough donuts with Nutella, so good!

http://avaalto.com/
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Cristine Burgos

Korea House - Houston, TX

2011-07-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

In the Memorial area and wanted some Korean BBQ for dinner. We went to
Asiana Gardens and it was closed! 6pm on a Friday! So we drove down
the street to Korea House. They gave us the option if we wanted to
cook and we said no, didn't want to stink like bbq afterwards. I think
it's a little pricier here, but the portions are big. We got spicy
pork and kim chi stew and it was more than enough for the both of us.
I loved it!

www.koreahousehouston.com/
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Cristine Burgos

Convey Sushi - Houston, TX

2011-07-12T11:38:00.001-07:00

Recently got to try Convey Sushi during lunch. I've always wanted to go to a sushi restaurant with one of those conveyor belts! The conveyor doesn't go through the whole restaurant at Convey, just around the bar area. We sat down and got a free salad and started picking stuff off the belt. If you didn't see what you wanted on there, you just tell the waiter and they put it on the belt for you with your seat #. I liked the spicy chopped scallops and the pork gyoza. Perfect place for lunch since the food comes quick!

http://www.conveysushi.com/

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Cristine Burgos

Ruby Tequila's - Houston, TX

2011-06-29T12:06:00.001-07:00

Notice a common denominator between this post and the last? Yep, its the Dos Rita! I've been wanting to try Ruby Tequila's Dos Rita for a while now and had the perfect opportunity a couple weeks ago. We didn't have any of their food, but will definitely try that next time. The Dos Rita is a huge margarita served with a Dos Equis turned upsidedown. As you sip the margarita you're supposed to gradually let the Dos Equis out. I think it tastes great and cuts down on that tart margarita flavor.

The waiter also suggested we try a tequila infused pineapple bite. If I wasn't buzzed off this Dos Rita now, the tequila infused pineapple bite definitely got me there! Who knows how long its been sitting in the tequila!

http://rubytequilas.com/
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Cristine Burgos

El Pueblito - Houston, TX

2011-06-28T11:23:00.001-07:00

Prepare to be transported to a beachy paradise right in the middle of Houston! This is the first time I have been to El Pueblito and boy was I surprised! I've heard great things about their patio and I was not disappointed. The misting cooling fans definitely helped as the party didn't complain once about the heat. It was cool and breezy. We had flavored margaritas served in pineapples and dos ritas which were all good and pretty strong. The service was a little slow since our waiter had another big table, but it wasn't too bad since they kept the chips and dip coming. We ordered the ceviche which was really good and fresh. The fish tacos were pretty bland though.

All in all a great place to have a group dinner with a nice change of atmosphere!

www.elpueblitopatio.com

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Cristine Burgos

Mother's Restaurant - New Orleans, LA

2011-06-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

Mother's is the place to go to when you want some traditional New Orleans dishes. They serve up red beans and rice, jambalaya, Shrimp Creole and po-boys. Go early, there's always a line that goes out the door. It's totally worth the wait, though.

www.mothersrestaurant.net/

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Cristine Burgos

Cafe du Monde - New Orleans, LA

2011-06-24T12:39:00.001-07:00

A trip to New Orleans wouldn't be complete with some freshly made beignets and a cafe au lait from Cafe du Monde. An order comes with three beignets heavily coated with powdered sugar. They are the perfect accompaniment to their cafe au lait which is also available frozen! The Cafe du Monde in the French Quarters is open 24/7 so there's no excuse not to get any!

www.cafedumonde.com/
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Cristine Burgos

Mia Bella - Houston

2011-06-24T12:21:00.001-07:00

Brunch may be one of my favorite meals. You get to have breakfast food and lunch food! At Mia Bella they serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. I had their Crespelle di Shrimp. Herbed crepes filled with shrimp (or chicken) with spinach, roasted red peppers, mushrooms & mozzarella in a sage butter sauce. So good!

http://miabellarestaurants.com/
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Cristine Burgos

Yank Sing - San Francisco, CA

2011-06-22T09:17:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't love dim sum? I went here a couple of weeks ago on a visit to San Francisco for a graduation. I went to the Stevenson St. location a block off Market St. and it is a pretty small space. Luckily a table of 10 cancelled their reservations and we were able to take that and another table. Right away we were offered a variety of dim sum including peking duck and miso glazed cod! Everything was very good. Although it is a little pricey for dim sum, the quality totally makes it worth it!

www.yanksing.com

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Cristine Burgos

PSAOT Fundraiser Event at Jonathan's Grill - Houston, TX

2011-06-09T13:58:00.001-07:00

Remember my entry on Jonathan's Grill? Well PSAOT is teaming up with them on our next fundraiser event. Jonathan's Grill is giving PSAOT $2 for every $10 ticket sold. Contact anyone on the flyer for a ticket. Tickets are $10 and gets you $10 worth of food at Jonathan's Grill anytime on June 25. You don't lose any money and you're helping out a great non-profit organization! Plus they have yummy food! Hope to see you there!

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Cristine Burgos

Fisherman's Wharf - Galveston, TX

2011-06-09T13:53:00.001-07:00

Fisherman's Wharf is located next to Historic Strand District. We came here after going out to Kemah and braved the Memorial Day Weekend traffic. I got the BBQ shrimp, what a horrible idea. I envisioned in my mind the New Orleans style bbq shrimp and instead I got salty shrimp with bbq sauce poured on top of it. I shouldn't have gone against my initial choice of the fried catfish. Thankfully Randy got the dungeness crab and they totally give you a hefty portion. We also got the raw oysters and they were as fresh as can be. After dinner we took a walk through the Historic Strand District to La King's Confectionery for some yummy ice cream (that will be another post)

http://www.fishermanswharfgalveston.com/

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Cristine Burgos

Kim Son Buffet (Bellaire) - Houston, TX

2011-06-07T10:29:00.001-07:00

I love going to Kim Son for dim sum, but lately I've been going to the Kim Son buffet for birthday or graduation parties. KSB is the best place to go when you want vietnamese food and can't decide what to get. They practically have everything here, all for $15.99. They have 7 course beef (for make your own spring rolls), eggrolls, rice cake, all kinds of soups, hot pot etc! Definitely go on an empty stomach, this place will fill you up!

www.kimson.com

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Cristine Burgos

Niko Niko's (Market Square) - Houston, TX

2011-06-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

I finally got to check out Niko Niko's at Market Square last Saturday when I had a party at Hotel Icon for my birthday! We walked across the street and ordered gyros to-go to eat in the room. Niko Niko's gyros are straight-forward, filled to the brim with hot, juicy meat, tomatoes and onions, dressed with tangy tzatziki sauce. Perfect!
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Sweet - Houston, TX

2011-05-23T13:41:00.001-07:00

I watched Something Borrowed at Studio Movie Grill with a couple of girlfriends and we decided to walk over to Sweet afterwards to get some dessert. We tried the Strawberry Cupcake with dried strawberries mixed into the frosting, macarons and some mini cupcakes. The macarons were good, we got coffee, lemon, strawberry and chocolate flavor. We also sampled some mini cupcakes to taste each flavor: red velvet, peanut butter, hummingbird and german chocolate. The Strawberry Cupcake was the winner with the dried strawberries in the frosting. It gave the cupcake the ultimate strawberry flavor. I love the Strawberry Cupcake from Sprinkles and this matches up with it!

www.sweethouston.com

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Cristine Burgos

LA Fisherman - Houston, TX

2011-05-23T13:24:00.001-07:00

This place looks exactly like Boiling Crab, but there's a huge sign on the wall that says "We are not Boiling Crab", haha. Flavor-wise its the same as Boiling Crab, but not as spicy. Instead of the whole She-bang, its Kablam. I was reading reviews on Yelp about LA Fisherman and one review said to order it extra spicy. I should have read Yelp before I came here. They have 3 spiciness levels here and I ordered the spiciest. It wasn't spicy at all. I will definitely come back and try it extra spicy. It's like Boiling Crab without the hour wait!

So far:

Flavor:

Boiling Crab > LA Fisherman > LA Crawfish

Spiciness:

Boiling Crab > LA Crawfish > LA Fisherman

I've yet to try Jolynn's and Crawfish & Noodles

http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-fisherman-houston
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Cristine Burgos

Eddie V's (West Ave.) - Houston, TX

2011-05-23T13:10:00.001-07:00

I went to happy hour at Eddie V's for a friends birthday. For happy hour, they have select appetizers ranging in price from $6-10 and select wine and cocktails for $5. We tried the Pot Stickers, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Maine Lobster Bisque and the Pointe Judith Calamari. Eddie V's is known for their fresh seafood so all of these items were delicious. The main star was the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. The whole crab cake was all crab, no fillers. I would definitely come back just for the crab cake!

http://www.eddiev.com/

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Cristine Burgos

Oh My Gogi - Houston, TX

2011-05-19T08:43:00.001-07:00

FINALLY got to try Oh My Gogi last night after not being able to try them at the Haute Wheels Food Truck Festival. (Their line was incredibly long). I tried a bit of everything, beef shortrib tacos, quesadillas and OMG fries. The tacos were a little too sweet for my taste, I probably should have put some sriracha on there. The quesadillas were better. The star was the OMG fries. Similar to Chilantro it had fries, mayo sauce, sriracha, beef, cheese etc. So good!

www.ohmygogi.com

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Cristine Burgos

Cyclone Anaya's (City Centre) - Houston, TX

2011-05-18T08:07:00.001-07:00

Early for a meeting, my sisters and I decided to take advantage of this nice weather we're having and stopped by Cyclone Anaya's. We sat on the patio and ordered margarita's and their seafood ceviche with crab. The mango margarita was refreshing with the right amount of alcohol and mango flavor. The ceviche was fresh with big chunks of fish, crab, scallops, shrimp, lime and avocados. They served it with plantain chips, yum!

I usually go to the midtown location and have their fish tacos or tacos al carbon. I'll have to frequent this location more, I love the atmosphere of city centre.

http://www.cycloneanaya.com/location_city_centre.php

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Cristine Burgos

LA Crawfish - Houston, TX

2011-05-10T13:52:00.001-07:00

LA Crawfish is located inside on 99 Ranch off I-10 and Blalock. I went here last week with my friends and got to try their crawfish for the first time. LA Crawfish has only one flavor, Garlic, but has 3 levels of spiciness. I like my food pretty spicy, so I ordered the level 3. It was very good and flavorful. Although Boiling Crab has lots of flavors you can choose from (my favorite still remains the whole shabang), LA Crawfish is a lot cheaper and the wait is definitely not long at all. Crawfish was pretty big too! Can't wait to go back!

If you don't like crawfish, visit 99 Ranch anyways. It's clean, they have a bakery and food court. They also have a Korean restaurant in there too. I've tried their spicy pork and its really good.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-crawfish-houston

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Cristine Burgos

Scala's Bistro - San Francisco, CA

2011-05-10T13:36:00.001-07:00

Last time we went to San Francisco, Dec.'09, we stayed at the Sir Francis Drake. Beautiful hotel right at Union Square, we walked everywhere. Scala's Bistro is inside Sir Francis Drake and we had breakfast here twice while we were there. I had the Lox Lux (smoked salmon, toasted bagel, cream cheese, capers, cucumber, Bermuda onions) and the Crab Cake Benedict.

Although both dishes were delicious, my favorite was something someone else ordered that I got to taste - the Chilaquiles (two poached eggs, fried tortillas, tomatillo salsa, salsa picante, creme fraiche, ricotta salata. Going to San Francisco in June, so hopefully I'll get to order it on my own this time!
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Cristine Burgos

Three Amigos - Cozumel, Mexico

2011-05-09T12:55:00.001-07:00

I recently went on a cruise on Carnival Ecstasy and one of the stops was Cozumel, Mexico. We went snorkeling, shopped around and then went to eat at Three Amigos since it was right at the dock near the ship. I've read a lot of bad reviews about this place, not about the food, but there are quite a bit of instances where people have had their credit card information stolen here. This was after the fact we ate here, so thankfully we used cash!

The restaurant is right by the crystal clear water and we got a table outside by the water so we could look out. The water is ridiculously clear. We ordered a couple of things so we could share. Fajitas, steak platter and the fish tacos. The best thing was the fish tacos, comparable but even better than Berry Hills. Yum! When you order margaritas, the guy walks to your table with all of them stacked on his head. He looks nervous in the picture, haha!

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Cristine Burgos

Little Bigs - Houston, TX

2011-05-02T14:35:00.001-07:00

I recently went to Little Bigs for the first time ever. I know right, I've been missing out. This little place is serving up yummy sliders everyday and they are open late night on Fridays and Saturdays. I got their signature slider topped with carmelized onions, their chicken slider and their pulled pork slider. I couldn't finish it all! The fries were good too. Definitely will be back to try more.

http://www.littlebigshouston.com/

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Cristine Burgos

Quattro - Houston, TX

2011-04-28T12:17:00.001-07:00

Quattro is located inside of The Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Houston, TX. We got to sit in the private room where you can see the chefs at work. I had the Ravioli Di Granchio – Crab, Tomato, Lobster and Shellfish Essence, Lemon and Chocolate Crunch for dessert. The ravioli was made with fresh pasta and came with big pieces of lobster. Very good but I felt like the portions were really small. The Chocolate Crunch was chocolate mousse with a crunch bar bottom, also very good and didn't taste overly rich. I definitely want to come back and try their brunch or dinner.

http://www.fourseasons.com/houston/dining/quattro/

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Cristine Burgos

Chi'Lantro - Austin, TX

2011-04-27T13:35:00.001-07:00

How have I not blogged about Chi'Lantro yet? If you have not been to Chi'Lantro, you are definitely missing out. It's a food truck in Austin that serves Korean and Mexican cuisine. Korean BBQ tacos and Kim Chi fries is where it's at. You get your choice of Bulgogi: Beef, Pork, Chicken, Tofu, but it's that magic orange sauce that makes it so good, I always have to get Chi'Lantro when I'm in Austin. I wish they had one in Houston!

http://www.chilantrobbq.com/

EDIT: Chi'Lantro will be in Houston this Saturday, 4/30 in front of the Ginger Man in Rice Village serving dinner! http://houston.gingermanpub.com/

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Cristine Burgos

Be More Pacific - Austin, TX

2011-04-27T12:32:00.001-07:00

I had the pleasure of finding the Be More Pacific Food Truck while at SXSW in Austin, TX and got to say hello to some friends that run the truck. Be More Pacific serves Filipino American cuisine. I got the bacon fried rice with the longanisa patty and a fried egg. Very tasty with a different twist to the traditional longanisa sausage. Try it next time you're in Austin!

http://www.bemorepacifictruck.com/

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Cristine Burgos

Haute Wheels Houston - Houston, TX

2011-04-25T12:57:00.001-07:00

This should be fun!

Houston's First Food Truck Festival

Saturday May 14 - Sunday May 15

HCC West Loop Center

5601 West Loop South Freeway

Houston, TX 77081

Tickets are $16

http://hautewheelshouston.com/

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Cristine Burgos

Nobu - Las Vegas, NV

2011-04-13T13:08:00.001-07:00

We ordered a lot of plates to share, but this dish had me craving miso cod for months. This is their Black Cod Miso. Since there were 4 of us they served it to us in lettuce cups. The miso marinade made the cod was carmelized and sweet. So good that I tried to make it at home and started ordering it at all sushi places that had it. A lot came close (Social House - Las Vegas, NV) but none really compared to Nobu. Definitely get this dish if you ever go to Nobu.

Nobu is located in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

www.noburestaurants.com
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Cristine Burgos

Fiamma Trattoria - Las Vegas, NV

2011-04-13T12:58:00.001-07:00

When I went to Fiamma, I was craving lobster so I got the Gnocchi with Maine Lobster, Mushroom and Black Truffles. WOW. The gnocchi was tender and the lobster pieces were big. I am not a huge pasta fan (i know, technically gnocchi is made out of potato) but this dish made me glad I ordered it.

Fiamma Trattoria is located in the MGM Grand.

http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/fiamma-italian-restaurant-bar.aspx
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Cristine Burgos

PPQ Dungeness Island - San Francisco, CA

2011-04-07T08:45:00.001-07:00

PPQ - Where do I even begin. When I went to San Francisco, I asked a lot of people for recommendations on where to go and where to eat. Most, if not all said PPQ for their house garlic noodles and roasted crab. We ordered the set menu for 4 which included all of this for $116.95:

Deep Fried Soft Shell Crabs
Cabbage Salad with Chicken
Roasted Crab
Steamed Shitake Sea Bass
Smoky Pork
Braised String Beans
House Garlic Noodles
Deep Fried Banana with Ice Cream

It was a ton of food for 4 people and we did not even finish everything. I've been trying to recreate the garlic noodles at home and I cant quite get it right. The internet doesn't help either because apparently this recipe is secret! If you're ever in San Francisco, make some time to go to PPQ!

http://www.ppqdungeness.com/

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Cristine Burgos

The Slanted Door - San Francisco, CA

2011-04-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

We got here right before dinner so we didn't the full dinner menu. Definitely go for dinner and try their shaking beef, I heard it was really good. Instead, we ate at the bar and had some small bites. Pictured here has got to be the most freshest yellowtail I've ever had. This is their wild california yellowtail with crispy shallots and thai basil. So good we ordered another and then dreamed about it haha.

The Slanted Door is located in the northeast corner of the restored Ferry Building across The Embarcadero from the foot of Market Street.

http://www.slanteddoor.com/

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Cristine Burgos

Koi - Las Vegas, NV

2011-04-05T08:41:00.001-07:00

Crispy Rice topped with Spicy Tuna. This was so good, we ordered another one. The only place I can find this dish at in Houston, is at RA Sushi. No other sushi place I've been to has it. Must be a west coast thing. We had other rolls and small dishes here but this one stood out the most. The rice is fried super crisp and then topped with spicy tuna and a sliver of jalapeno. RA serves it almost the same but in a smaller portion.

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Cristine Burgos

Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles - Los Angeles, CA

2011-04-05T08:34:00.001-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of savory and sweet, so when I ate here, I ate the chicken separate and the waffle as like a dessert. I know you're supposed to eat it together but I didn't, haha. The fried chicken on its own is great, crispy and seasoned well on the outside and moist on the inside. The waffle was anything you'd expect a good waffle to be. In conclusion, I bet they'd be great together, haha!

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Cristine Burgos

Beso - Las Vegas, NV

2011-04-01T10:10:00.001-07:00

Beso is located at the City Center in Las Vegas and owned by Eva Longoria. Voted "Best New Restaurant in 2009" by the Las Vegas Review - Journal. I didn't really have a great experience here, food wise. We started with Eva's Avocado Guacamole, and if you're going to have it highlighted in the menu as being a specialty item, it should be great guacamole right? I thought HEB guacamole was better, haha. I guess being from Texas, I probably have higher expectations for guacamole. Anyways, they also ran out of ribeye... so I had the Bone-In Filet and they overcooked it. One stand out item was the chicken tortilla soup, so if you go here, get the soup and not the guacamole =)

www.besolasvegas.com

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Cristine Burgos

N9NE - Las Vegas, NV

2011-04-01T08:32:00.001-07:00

N9NE Steakhouse is located inside the Palms Hotel and Casino. It was probably one of the first steakhouses I've eaten at in Vegas. Although the steak was good, what stood out the most was the lobster mashed potatoes. I'm sad I don't have a picture of it. It was rich, creamy and decadent... lobster and mashed potatoes... what's not to love? It was the perfect accompaniment for the steak.

http://www.n9negroup.com/#/n9ne/main/

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Cristine Burgos

Delmonico - Las Vegas, NV

2011-03-31T13:47:00.001-07:00

Delmonico is one of Emeril's restaurants and is located at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Out of all the steakhouses I've been in Vegas, the steak I had at Delmonico was one of the best. The ribeye had a flavorful crust and was cooked perfectly to a medium rare. One of the dishes that also left a mark was their Barbecue Shrimp. It's not the usual barbeque that you think of, but more cooked in a cajun seasoned butter. So good.

http://www.emerils.com/restaurant/5/Delmonico-Steakhouse/

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Cristine Burgos

Portillo's - Chicago, IL

2011-03-31T12:23:00.001-07:00

A trip to Chicago wouldn't be complete without an Italian Beef Sandwich. My fave place to go is Portillo's. A little giardiniera (spicy pickled vegetables) on top completes the sandwich.

www.portillos.com
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Uno's - Chicago, IL

2011-03-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Claimed to be the Original Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, Uno's is not as good as Giordano's (see previous post) but still a good pizza. More toppings and less sauce than Giordano's, so it depends on your preference.

www.unos.com
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Giordano's - Chicago, IL

2011-03-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

Their famous stuffed pizza is crazy good. I've been to Uno's (that will be another post) and Giordano's is better. No need to say anything more, the picture says it all!

www.giordanos.com
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Drago's - New Orleans, LA

2011-03-30T14:06:00.001-07:00

My fave here has got to be the Charbroiled Oysters. Served cheesy and hot straight from the grill with bread. They were featured on Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate".

www.dragosrestaurant.com
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Bombay Pizza Co. - Houston, TX

2011-03-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

The Slumdog - Pepperoni, Spanish Chorizo, Beef, Canadian Bacon, Mozzarella, Grilled Chicken, Jalapenos, Red Onion & Bombay Pizza Sauce

I want to try the Saag Paneer next!

www.bombaypizzaco.com
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Jonathan's Grill - Houston, TX

2011-03-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

Sizzling Chicken Adobo

www.jonathansgrillhouston.com
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Cherry Cricket - Denver, CO

2011-03-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Green chili cheeseburger and fries.

Featured on Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate"

www.cherrycricket.com

Marini's - Katy, TX

2011-03-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

The BEST empanadas in Houston/Katy. The original Marini's is located in Katy.

My faves are the Beef Gaucho, Texan BBQ and Italian Marcello. They also have dessert empanadas too!

www.theoriginalmarinisempanadahouse.com
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Lucayan Beach, Bahamas

2011-03-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Conch Fritters and Conch Nuggets
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Babin's - Katy, TX

2011-03-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

Crawfish is $3.99 at Babin's on Tuesdays!

www.babinsseafood.com
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Fusion Taco - Houston, TX

2011-03-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Indian beef shortrib on grilled flat bread with spicy yogurt sauce

www.fusiontacotruck.com
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Chez Zee - Austin

2011-03-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

Migas

www.chez-zee.com
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Kata Robata - Houston, TX

2011-03-23T12:00:00.001-07:00

Uni & King Crab Spoons - sea urchin, king crab, black caviar and kaiware with vinaigrette sauce

www.katarobata.com

Farmer's Market at City Hall - Downtown, Houston, TX

2011-03-15T22:09:00.000-07:00

Ola - Miami, FL

2011-03-07T20:35:00.001-08:00

Watermelon Mojito

Cheese Popovers

Smoked Marlin Tacos

Fire and Ice Ceviche

Sugarcane Tuna

Filet Mignon Churrasco

My faves were the Fire and Ice Ceviche and the Cheese Popovers. The Fire and Ice Ceviche could possibly be the best ceviche I've ever had. Super fresh fish, perfect amount of heat and the pear granita was refreshing. The Cheese Popovers came fresh from the oven and were so addicting!

http://www.olamiami.com/

The Noble Pig - Austin, TX

2011-03-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

Creole Catfish

The Noble Pig - Spicy Ham, Pulled Pork, Provolone and Bacon

Thai Chicken

French Toast with Blueberries and Nutella

My faves were the Creole Catfish and the French Toast with Blueberries and Nutella.

Love that they use local ingredients in everything they make. Super fresh and flavorful.

www.noblepigaustin.com

Uchiko - Austin, TX

2011-03-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

Hama Chili

Tempura Onion Rings and Grilled Edamame

Koviche

Hotate

Salmon Toro

Avofry

Hot Rock

George

Crunchy Tuna

P-38

Shag

Ham & Eggs

Komaki

Suzuki Yaki

Gyutan Toro

Toledo

Tiger Cry

Fried Milk

I've really got to update this more. Uchiko was so GOOD that it made me want to blog about it. That's how good it was, haha. The whole Uchiko experience was wonderful. YUM! My faves were the Koviche, Gyutan Toro, Hotate, Salmon Toro and Shag.

www.uchiaustin.com

Yo Gabba Gabba

2010-05-10T21:43:00.000-07:00

An old friend of mine, Jennifer, was having a birthday party for her kids and asked if I could make her some Yo Gabba Gabba cake pops. I was not able to make it to the birthday party (I was at a wedding in Austin), so she came and picked them up the night before. She sent me the pictures she took of them today and they turned out great! She told me they were a hit and I'm so glad they were happy with them!

Here are the pictures she sent me:

I love how the pictures turned out! Thanks Jennifer!

Cake Pops

2010-04-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry I never update this blog, I've been so busy... making cake pops! Just thought I'd get on here real quick and show you what I've been up to... enjoy!

Yo Gabba Gabba

Texas Flag

Strawberries

Tuxedo Grooms Cake

Chicks

Easter Basket

Chicks, Bunnies and Eggs

Chicks and Bunnies

Denver Food

2010-03-03T21:07:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I went to Denver for our annual snowboarding trip. I went a day early to spend some time with Randy and we went out for breakfast to Snooze. We tried to go to this place last time I was in Denver, but the wait was ridiculous. Luckily this time, we went on a weekday morning and there was no wait.

The best thing we got - The Pancake Flight, where you get to choose 3 pancake flavors. We got the Pineapple Upside Down pancakes, Cinnfull pancakes and the Blueberry Wheat pancakes.

The Smokin' Salmon Benedict

Corned Beef Hash

Another place I totally recommend going is Saigon Bowl. They've got the best vietnamese food in Denver. It's not in the best neighborhood in Denver, but really just reminds me of Bellaire in Houston. Saigon Bowl has huge portions and is very cheap. You definitely get more bang for your buck here. The best thing to get is #160, you get to make your own spring rolls and it comes with BBQ pork, grilled chicken, soft shell crab, fried shrimp paste and vietnamese eggrolls... YUM!

I was craving the spring rolls from Saigon Bowl so much, that I made my own spring rolls for dinner!

I don't know why this picture showed up ridiculously huge, but oh well. I made them with shrimp, red leaf lettuce, vermicelli and rice paper. I would have added some bean sprouts and cucumber, but I didn't have any on hand, maybe next time!

Happy Hour

2010-01-21T22:42:00.000-08:00

Some of the most recent restaurants I've tried for HH, Sushi Raku in Midtown, Straits and Yard House at City Centre.

Sushi Raku opened up back in November I think and when we went there last month, the chairs in the bar area were too short for their tables. They said they ordered the wrong chair height and they were being replaced, haha. The ambiance is pretty dramatic inside, with long red rope drapes that divide the dining area from the bar. It was pretty dead on the Thursday we went, but I'm pretty sure more people will start coming.

They have specials during HH on most of their appetizers and drinks. HH ends at 630pm which is kinda early for most HH.

The City Centre here in Houston is a pretty new development on the corner of Beltway 8 and I-10 which used to be the old Town and Country Mall. The area has come out with a lot of new restaurants to try including Eddie V's, RA Sushi, Mona Lisa, Yard House and Straits.

Straits features Singaporean fusion food, which includes Malaysian/Indonesian, Chinese, and Nonya. To sample everything, we ordered one of each on their HH menu, haha. All of the plates on their HH menu range from $3-$5 except for the oysters.

Last but not least, Yard House. Yard House has the largest selection of draft beers and during HH their pints are $3 I believe and its half price on select pizzas and appetizers.

I don't have many pictures to show you for Yard House, and although they do serve American food, I was in the mood for Asian and ordered the Chinese Garlic Noodles (no where near the greatness that is PPQ Garlic Noodles in San Francisco) and Korean BBQ. =)

All of these pics on this post were taken with my Blackberrry, trying to be inconspicuous here, haha.

Cake lollipops

2009-11-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

My little sister, Maribel, needed some help with a bake sale for her organization at UH so with some inspiration from bakerella.com we made some cake lollipops! They are red velvet inside and chocolate on the outside.

They are so easy to make - summarized - red velvet cake cooled and mixed with cream cheese frosting, rolled into balls, put in the sticks, and dip into the chocolate.

For packaging, we put them in these small treat bags and tied them with colored twisty ties. Everything turned out super cute! Here's the finished product; we also made some molded chocolate lollipops.

Everytime I cook or bake I totally want to quit my job and turn into a chef/caterer. *Sigh.

Rice Cake

2009-10-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of rice cake and I'll order it whenever I see it on the menu... but my absolute favorite place to eat it is at Tan Tien or Tan Tan. I'm more fond of Tan Tien, its my Alief bias... haha, but thats another story. I've taken it upon myself to learn this recipie. I mean, how hard can it be? It's basically an omelet with rice cake, fried onions, and green onions. So i googled banh bot chien and i found out I could practically buy everything i needed at Viet Hoa or Hong Kong and make it myself at home.

The rice cake part you can either make from scratch (banh bot rice flour, water, steamed and then cut) or you can buy already pre-made and even pre-sliced for you in the frozen foods section. I bought both the flour and the pre-made to try it both ways. I also bought green onions and the fried onions (also already made). I boiled the frozen rice cake slices, then pan fried them. I then covered with the eggs and sprinkled both the green onions and the fried onions. Here is my finished product.

I also made the sauce to go with it. Soy sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, water. So easy! Next time I'll try making the rice cake from scratch. It was really good and even better that I didn't have to drive all the way to Tan Tien to get it! =)

Genji's

2009-09-19T08:18:00.001-07:00

Genji's is a small hole in the wall kareoke place that is very popular. Every time I go I HAVE to order the Yakiniku. It's grilled thinly cut slices of steak topped with a dark garlic sauce and green onions. They serve it with a small salad, cucumbers and tomatoes and some mayonnaise. I know it seems weird with the mayo, but man... it totally makes the dish when you dip some of the meat in that mayo. I think thats what makes this dish so good!

Besides the Yakiniku, other honorable mentions are the $90 bottles of crown of course, the chicken nuggets, dried squid, calamari, and beef tongue. Yes, I said it, beef tongue. Last night was my first time trying it, and I totally felt like I was on Fear Factor. It came to our table on a small plate, grilled and thinly sliced, garnished with a lemon wedge. We squeezed the lemon on there and took a bite. I thought it would have the texture of liver, which I hate, but it didn't. The beef tongue was very tender and tasted great! Glad to say that even after the beef tongue I can still say I've never had a bad dish at Genji's before haha!

Miami Eats

2009-09-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago in October I went to Miami, FL. Sunny skies, white sand, and the clear blue water set the tone for a wonderful vacation. Stone crabs are local to Florida and October kicks off the start of stone crab season. We were totally lucky with the timing, so we went to have dinner at Joe's.

Joe's specializes in stone crabs so of course I had to order them. I ordered the Medium Claw Platter that came with 8 medium claws pre-cracked for you. Right off the bat, I could tell that I was going to enjoy this because they were so convenient to eat. I didn't have to sit there and crack away because Joe's did all the hard work for me. The stone crabs tasted wonderful. They tasted fresh, clean and incredibly succulant. Dipped in a little melted lemon butter and they were heavenly. Let me tell you, these stone crabs were the best! This restaurant is a bit pricey, but the crabs made it all worth it!

Another food Miami is known for is their Cuban food. We asked the concierge at the hotel if he knew a good Cuban restaurant nearby and he mentioned Puerto Sagua Restaurant. The restaurant ended up being a couple of blocks from our hotel.

Our concierge recommended the Picadillo, which is also a popular dish in the Philippines. My mom makes Picadillo and some of my friends ordered it so I ordered a grilled steak with rice and black beans. The steak was tender and flavorful, but the real stars were the black beans and rice. The rice was seasoned a bit like Mexican rice and the beans were soupy yet still had a bite to it. They both complimented the steak perfectly. I also had a couple of bites of the Picadillo. The ground beef dish was savory but also had the right amount of sweetness from the bits of carrots, peas and raisins running thoughout the dish. This restaurant was moderately priced and the portions were huge.

We got a recommendation from a friend for the best gyro's. He claimed they were the best gyro's he's ever tasted so naturally we had to confirm his claim.

This place was simply called The Greek Place. It is a small restaurant with an ordering counter to the right and a row of stools to the left. We ordered our gyro's which came with a choice of a side of greek salad or fries. I ordered mine with a greek salad. The gryo's came on a paper plate and was overflowing with meat, tzatziki sauce and shredded romaine lettuce. This gyro totally lived up to all of its expectations. The pita bread was warm and soft. It was stuffed to the max with sliced lamb, but the real winner was the tangy and creamy tzatziki sauce which they were definitely not shiesty with. Unfortunately this little gem of a restaurant is not open anymore. I'll definitely have to do some research and find out where they went!

During our trip we discovered this little stand behind our hotel called La Sandwicherie. This stand served up the best sandwiches and really hit the spot after a morning of swimming or even packed to-go to take to the beach.

I got this next picture from the website because for some reason I didn't take one during the actual trip, which I now regret. The sandwiches were made to fresh and made to order which sometimes made the line a bit lengthy but always worth the small wait. I always ordered the Ham, Turkey and Salami sandwich on french bread. They gave you your choice of french bread or croissant and also your choice of toppings which were all free. What made this sandwich so good was the herbed vinegarette that came with the sandwich. The vinegarette made the sandwich so flavorful and savory. The sandwiches ran from $5-9 and was worth every penny. This stand is also featured on the Food Network website.

So whats a Miami trip without the perfect mojito? We made the mojito the drink of choice for this trip because we pretty much ordered it wherever we went. The best mojito drink I had during the whole trip was at the Clevelander Hotel.

They have this outside patio that faces Ocean Dr. which was perfect for sipping on mojitos and people watching. They had a lot of different flavors of mojito's and I ordered a raspberry mojito. The mojito was refreshing with the perfect amount of rum balanced by the coolness of the mint and the sweetness from the raspberries. It also came with a raw sugar cane stirrer. So yummy!

So call me blagger no more! I'll try to post my other city eats sometime this year, haha. I've also got a lot of Houston restaurants to put on here as well. Till next time!

Trailer Burger

2009-06-11T08:16:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I went to Orlando, FL. We went for Randy's cousins Dwight and Matt's graduation party. We also fit in Cocoa Beach, Disney World, saltwater pools, NBA City, Universal City Walk, and Universal Islands of Adventure in there. You can view my pics here - http://picasaweb.google.com/cristineburgos/Orlando02?authkey=Gv1sRgCIey2fDUtePCxAE&feat=directlink.

One night, after the grad party, we went out to downtown Orlando where they had blocked off some of the streets and all of the bars and clubs were in one area. We went to this place called Wall St.. It had bars and clubs within that area and the cover was $5. Pretty good deal!

What I'm really getting to is after we went out, Matt took us to a trailer for burgers. The trailer was called something else, but Matt called it Trailer Burger, haha.

It was a trailer set up in a parking lot, but the parking lot was packed with people who have just got done going out for the night. We ordered 12 burgers and it took a while for them to fix our order but it was definitely worth the wait...

Forgive the picture, my phone was low and battery and would not let me use the flash, but as you can see, the burger is huge. What was interesting about this burger, was that it had potato chips, sauteed onions, and a special sauce. The crispy potato chips is what made this burger so good. It added just the slightest addition of saltiness needed to counter the sweetness of the sauteed onions. This burger was a great find! Thanks Matt!

Max's Wine Dive

2009-04-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I went to Max's Wine Dive with my friend Sarah after work. There were no parking spots in their parking lot but I found a spot on the street behind the restaurant. We walked in and the place was packed. I thought there might be a wait for a table, but we were seated right away at a small table with barstools. The place is small with a bar on the left that runs 3/4th's of the way towards the back of the restaurant. There are booths that run along the opposite wall and small tables in the middle.

On their menu they had small and large plates. Small plates consisting of more appetizer food and large plates were more like entrees. We ordered a couple of small plates to share.

We ordered the buffalo sliders made with house-made pickles and carmelized onions. These sliders were only OK. The meat was really lean, more lean than I'd prefer and the bread they used was kind of dense which hid the flavor of the meat and onions. I thought it might be better on a softer roll to offset the lean-ness of the meat. (I'm not sure if lean-ness is even a word haha).

To accompany the sliders, we ordered the Max and Jack's Frites. They've got two versions - 1) Plain with "Max's secret fry dust" and 2) With venison chili, jalapenos, and cotija cheese. We ordered the plain ones since we were getting another dish. It came served up in a cone and we didn't even reach the bottom. The "secret fry dust" didn't seem so special to me but the aioli they served it with was very tasty.

The last thing we ordered were the Nacho Mama's Oysters.
Crispy fried Gulf Coast oysters over fried wontons topped with habanero salsa and cilantro. Available in half a dozen or a dozen. They were the best thing we ordered. The oysters were lightly fried and not overly battered. The habanero salsa added just the right amount of heat. I am definitely ordering this again the next time I go.

Pricewise, I think this place is moderate. The small plates we ordered ran from about $6-14. We also ordered some wine. I ordered white while Sarah ordered a red. I'm not that big of a wine drinker so I asked the waiter for a suggestion. The people that work there really know their wine's and will give you a great suggestion of wine to pair up with your food.

Tokyo One

2009-04-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

Last night I ate at Tokyo One off Beltway in between Richmond and Westheimer for my friend Korone's Surprise Birthday Dinner. He didn't suspect anything until they pulled up and he saw all our cars out front, haha. I guess we should have planned that better.

Tokyo One is a Sushi and Grill Buffet. Think Todai. Dinner runs around $24.99 per person for the buffet. They have all kinds of sushi, sashimi, raw and cooked rolls, hibachi fried rice and grilled meats, snow crab legs, oysters, shrimp, tempura, salads and desserts, including my favorite, creme brulee.

I think the fresh sashimi shined better than the cooked rolls. I had the fresh salmon and escolar and each piece of sashimi was so fresh it melted in my mouth. I also had the snow crab legs which were also good. But besides the meaty snow crab legs and the incredibly fresh sashimi, the absolute best thing I ate last night was the hibachi shrimp fried rice. They cook it fresh in front of you at the buffet. The fried rice is full of shrimp and veggies and tastes like every grain of rice is coated in buttery goodness. Even when I went back for another round at the buffet the hibachi fried rice found a spot on my plate. Too bad I didn't take a picture of any food.

Benjy's

2009-04-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been reading a lot of Foodie blogs. I would have loved to go to culinary school and became a chef or a food critic. I love trying new restaurants and food. With that said, my friend Michelle came here on Monday for a business trip and it was her birthday so we decided to take her out for dinner and drinks. We decided on Benjy's since they have a great Happy Hour and the new location on Washington turned out really nice.

We ordered a whole bunch of stuff from their Happy Hour which comprised of $5 appetizers and pizzas. We got the Pork Dumplings, Beef sliders, Calamari, Smoked Salmon sashimi, Warm Pistashio Crusted Goat Cheese Cakes, Jumbo Crab Gratin, Chicken Sausage Pizza, Margherita Pizza, White Pizza, and my absolute favorite, the Tuna Pizzette. (Salmon sashimi, Crab Gratin, White pizza, and Tuna pizzette were not on HH menu). They also had $5 drink specials as well, including a very tasty Blood Orange Margarita and anything with Crown Royal in it.

The Tuna Pizzette did not sound appetizing to me the first time i visited Benjy's. My friend Cassy works there and she recommended it to me, otherwise I would not have ordered it on my own. It has really fresh Ahi poke, wasabi caviar, cherry tomatoes, and dressed field greens all on a super thin cracker like crust. I could probably eat the whole pizza to myself. The way they make their Tuna Pizzette here is different from the Rice Village location. Rice Village Benjy's sears their tuna and slices it. I like the Washington location version better.

After HH at Benjy's we headed down the street to the Lot and then to Pearl for some shuffleboard action. In the end, the girls won over the boys... Yes!

10 years

2009-02-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Vincent hosted a 90's themed party in his Lola's backyard, which was called "Paradise" back in the day. The party was complete with songs from the 90's, 40's, packets of twang, cafeteria food - chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes with gravy, tater tots, corn, people wore wide legs, overalls, loop earrings, anoraks, jerseys, pagers, we talked about street fighter codes, saved by the bell, fresh prince, ninja turtles, hastings vs. elsik...

This was us at the party...

... and this was us 10 years ago at Astroworld for prograd. Astroworld isn't even open anymore. They closed down Astroworld for all the graduates to go hang out at after graduation. I still talk to and hang out with most of these people on a daily basis. I'm lucky to have known my friends for such a long time. <3

The Boiling Crab

2009-02-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

Crawfish season is upon us. I went to Boiling Crab last night, the crawfish were still pretty small but the crabs were meaty and yummy.

My fave places to eat crawfish are:
1) The Boiling Crab

2) Pappadeaux

3) Cajun Corner/HK/Cajun Kitchen

The reason why BC is #1 is their seasoning. These are the choices:

1) Rajun Cajun - the original

2) Lemon Pepper

3) Garlic Butter

4) The Whole Sha-bang (all of the above)

- from there they ask you mild, medium, spicy, etc...

I usually get the whole sha-bang medium and their cajun fries and sometimes I'll order crabs. I like to dip my crawfish in lemony butter. BC has a really clean restaurant, and their bathrooms are clean too. It's funny that BC originated in California since crawfish is a southern thing. There are only BC locations in Cali and Texas. http://theboilingcrab.com/

I like going to Pappadeaux because during crawfish season, they have specials during hh for crawfish. Usually its like $2.95/lb? Something like that. Their seasoning is different from asian crawfish places, but still good nonetheless. They have that yummy garlic butter they serve it with and also free bread. I usually come here with the girls after work.

Cajun Corner, HK, Cajun Kitchen have yummy crawfish too. You can get it as mild or as spicy as you want it. They have this ridiculously thick butter that comes in a squeeze bottle. The crawfish fried rice at these places is great, it comes full with crawfish.

I am so addicted to crawfish that I bought a crawfish boiler for the house. Its really a turkey frier, but also used to boil seafood. Hook it up to a propane tank and you're good to go. My friends and I used to boil crawfish everywhere... haha.

Ok so this has become a crawfish blog... haha. I still have to blog about Hess lunch!

Snowboarding

2009-02-10T10:59:00.001-08:00

I'll be going to Denver, CO for Maribel's birthday trip... with my sisters and 20 of our friends to go snowboarding at Keystone and probably Breck. I went snowboarding in Silverthorne, I think, last January, that was the only other time I went, so I'm still pretty new at this. I'm not a very athletic person and I really hate the cold, but snowboarding is a lot of fun.

So the past couple of months, I've been buying new snowboarding stuff. I've bought a new jacket(above), pants, gloves, goggles, under armor, thermals, wool socks... and two of my latest purchases, impact shorts and a pom pom beanie with ear flaps... haha. I've yet to buy a board, bindings, and boots. I've been contemplating whether or not to buy it before I go on this trip... but I think for sure I'll be on the lookout for one after I get back. I would definitely like to go more often... hopefully I'll get better haha.

Thanks Rene for reminding me that I have a blog... haha!

Sicko

2009-01-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

Ugh, I never get sick... well rarely.

But everyone around me has been sick so I guess it was inevitable that I'd get sick too. Monday after work I started feeling an itch in my throat, so I took some meds and went to bed. Tuesday I woke up and had the most horrible feeling ever. My whole body ached and I couldn't get comfortable no matter which way I layed in bed. I called in and suffered all day while watching inauguration.

Although I wouldn't have voted for Obama, listening to him speak is pretty inspirational. It must have been an exhausting day for them with a full day of activities. The Obama's looked super cute at the Ball. Michelle Obama's dress was designed by 26 year old Jason Wu.

"Michelle Obama's style statement is one meant to inspire ethnic and class diversity in the world of fashion. Aside from being a socially conscious purveyor of style, Obama also sends a clear message of hope and promise by choosing colorful, reasonably priced pieces. " I love that she picks American designers that come from other countries. That and she picks reasonably priced clothes. Shows some sense of realness.

So yea, I'm at work today, feeling a lot better but I have a freakin huge headache!

Notorious.

2009-01-19T14:34:00.001-08:00

Pretty good movie. I felt like it was a little bit long, maybe that meant it was slow in parts, but nonetheless, a good movie. I didn't really know much about his life before the movie, except for his songs. It's like Lil' Mama's Brooklyn sob story on ABDC... haha. Basically he grew up in Brooklyn hustlin' and then turns into a big star. I also didn't know about that East Coast/West Coast rivalry. They made it seem really bad in the movie.

Other recent movies I've seen... Gran Torino and Twilight. I really liked Gran Torino. Twilight, meh the book was way better. I can't wait for the the 2nd movie to come out in November though haha.

I think I'd much rather stay at home and watch a DVD rather than go to the movies. I hate the smell in there and the chairs are always uncomfortable. Just feels dirty and sticky in there.

So anyways, I'm at work on MLK day counting down the minutes till I get off work. I'm so bored that I'm blogging, wth.