Sweet and Sour Brisket

name of recipe :: Sweet and Sour Brisket
website :: Food Network Ellie Krieger
review :: This recipe was rated easy, with prep time being 20 min and cook time 2.5-3 hours. The only problem was, I didn’t have the ingredients and it was getting late. I set out my grocery run at around five in the evening. The only item on the ingredients list I was not able to purchase was the allspice berry, which I substituted for crushed allspice. To be honest, I haven’t used my kitchen to cook in a good while, which makes me a little sad because I’ve always enjoyed cooking, but I’m glad to be back in. I paired the brisket with some salad and corn and it was a great meal.

This is a one-pot meal, which was great and clean up was a breeze. I'd recommend it for a first time dutch oven user.

rating :: 4 forks
reviewed by :: goose

Yelapa Playa Mexicana

name of restaurant :: Yelapa Playa Mexicana

address :: 2303 Richmond Ave.

hours :: M-Sa 11AM - 11PM

meals served :: L & D
prices :: $10 lunch, $20-30 dinner

dress code :: casual

reservations :: walk-ins welcomed

website :: www.yelapatime.com

review :: It's a good omen when, as you walk up to the door of a seafood restaurant, you catch a faint salty whiff of the sea. My increasingly frequent rambling quests to find new lunch spots near my work had led me here - Yelapa Playa Mexicana - and a gentle ocean-y tang practically emanated from the kitchen here.

Relatively new, Yelapa was nearly devoid of diners when I stepped inside - but the waiters were welcoming and the place had a laid-back feel to it. The main room was cabana'd out but not kitschy - cozy, with some modern touches. A bar and a secluded patio stood on one side while on the other side darker, more intimate dining spaces snaked off further back amongst racks of wine.

Billed as "fresh, local seafood with a Latin American twist" (i.e. expensive), my interest was only piqued after I learned about a $10 lunch menu. Ten bucks nets you 2 choices from the "nooner" menu - choices range from ambitious takes on familiar Tex-Mex to more mundane "home-style" dishes - the latter being a spicy red pozole (soup with pork and hominy) with a side of homemade tortillas here, a bowl of cheesy shrimp n' grits with chorizo there.

Among the gutsier choices you'll find "the real guacamole" - more like a salad with avocado, pineapple, dill, lime, tortilla chips embedded throughout and an arc of sweet cinnamon sauce to the side... it sounds (and should have been) ridiculous, but it was just really, really tasty.

The ceviches are another good example of their fetish for mixing disparate flavors. On top of a solid foundation of impeccably fresh-tasting mix of shrimp, scallops, and fish, one had artichoke hearts, tarragon, olives, and mustard -which made for a delicious, tart salad-y affair. Another was a bit more traditional, the margarita-marinated seafood naked on a bed of tortilla chips except for a few strategic bits of jalapeno and mint, alongside a shot glass of "leche de tigre" - tiger's milk, rimmed with salt. If that sounds scary, believe me it is. Apparently it's the leftover juices from the ceviche-making process, in all it's salty, sour, fishy glory. Altogether, the dish was like the essence of ceviche taken to the nth degree. If you're looking for something different, you've found your place.

Despite my fears to the contrary, the two dishes that come with the nooner menu are more than enough to fill you up nicely. Combine that with perhaps a Rio Red grapefruit agua fresca with basil or maybe a dessert - how about the absurd _cinco_ leches cake? - and you've got a recipe for not getting any more work done the rest of the day.

rating :: 5 forks
reviewed by :: John Malone

Lucky’s Pub

name of restaurant :: Lucky's Pub

address :: 801 St Emanuel
Houston, TX 77003
hours ::
meals served :: L, D and Happy Hour
prices :: $$
dress code :: Casual
reservations :: First come, first serve
website :: www.luckyspub.com
review :: We had the pleasure of eating at Lucky's Pub, thanks to the Great Urban Race starting and finishing there. Let me preface by saying, we did not eat anything all day. Our first meal was at Lucky's at around 4 in the afternoon. So, this review could be swayed by the fact that we would probably eat just about anything at the time.

I ordered the Lucky Burger and added Pepper Jack cheese, with a side of fries and for my hubby, he ordered the swiss and mushroom sliders with fries. I scarfed it down so fast, I think I may have forgotten to chew. The meat was pretty good, it did not taste frozen or fried. It had the right amount of juiciness to meatiness. I think the fries were the frozen variety, but they added a little bit of seasoning to it, that I didn't mind too much. As for the sliders, I only had one bite of them, but the hubby seemed to enjoy all three of them. I didn't care for the tomatoes on the bottom of the bun, but like I said, he didn't seem to mind.

For the price of the food, I think I would've gone somewhere else to enjoy a burger and fries. But, being in the moment with good friends and a great event, I didn't mind it too much.
rating :: 3 forks
reviewed by :: goose