Feast

name of restaurant :: Feast
address :: 219 Westheimer Road
hours :: 5-10PM, lunch F, Sa 11AM-2:30PM
meals served :: L & D
prices :: lunch $13-16 , dinner $21-28
dress code :: casual
reservations :: walk-ins welcomed
website :: http://feasthouston.googlepages.com/home
review :: Based on some good press (and boredom), I decided to pop on over to Feast for lunch. I was a bit apprehensive; Feast has a reputation as an eatery for the "adventurous", you see. The British chef & owner imported their "nose-to-tail" cuisine to Houston - homey, hearty "peasant" food that's not afraid to use the whole animal. Think fried pig tails w/ dipping sauce, snail fritters, black pudding, stuffed calf's heart... you get the picture.

The place really does have a cozy vibe - stout, dark wood furnishings in what basically looks like a converted home (what I imagine one in Europe would look like, no less). There's also a nice upstairs deck with views of downtown - so I've heard - but I was comfortably perched in the main room amid a small, thirties+ crowd.

To my surprise, most of the menu is actually "normal" stuff, but I'm feeling a little bold so, at the recommendation of the friendly waiter (who I later found out is the wife of the owner - the equally-pleasant English chap who showed me to my seat), I start with a "chicken onion". It turns out to be a whole onion marinated in olive oil (and other stuff I forget), covered in chicken skin and baked in an oven. The deliciousness will haunt my dreams forever.

Next I sampled the lamb stew with dumplings and mashed potatoes. It's as good, aroma-tastic, and filling as you can imagine. I can put away food as good as anybody, but their 3-course lunch meal put me under the table. I barely finished the upside-down plum cake w/ ginger for dessert (not for lack of trying). Red-faced from a bottle of "Imperial" Stout, I returned to work stuffed and weirdly happy (and sleepy) .

I can't wait to return and taste whatever other surprises they may have to offer, plus I felt the price-to-quality/quantity-of-food ratio was ridiculously reasonable, at least for lunch.
rating :: 5 forks
reviewed by :: John Malone

Lola

name of restaurant :: Lola
address :: 1102 Yale at 11th St
hours ::
meals served :: B, L & D
prices :: $-$$
dress code :: Casual
reservations :: first come, first serve
website :: www.eatlola.com
review :: While in a bind to get my husband dinner I stopped by Lola in the Heights. He wanted a turkey sandwich so I ordered him the Day After Thanksgiving sandwich (which comes with fries or a salad). The sandwich lives up to its name. Stuffing is smeared across the bottom of the sweet, buttery bun then buried underneath a mount of thickly sliced turkey and layer of cranberry sauce. A side of brown gravy is included. We ordered it with fruit which had suspiciously super sweet grapes.

Personally I could have used more cranberry sauce since I like the sweet tang against the salty turkey and stuffing but my husband has taken to it so much he has ordered it 4 times in the week since we tried it. I give it a 4 but the husband gives it a 5. The sandwich costs around $12 after tax. I don't long for it as he does but I will certain order it again. It hits the spot.

Beware going during the busy hours. Though there is a decent amount of seating, when it gets busy you might get stuck in close proximity with strangers.
rating :: 4 forks
reviewed by :: spankypants

Ray’s Franks and More

name of restaurant :: Ray's Franks and More

address :: 1301 Nance St Houston, TX 77002
hours :: Mon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
meals served :: L & D
prices :: $
dress code :: Casual
reservations :: N/A
website :: www.raysfranks.com/
review :: Located north of downtown this little hole in the wall is a little hard to find but well worth the search. They serve hamburger and hot dogs. Both excellent. I got the Frankenstein - sauerkraut and spicy mustard - topped with sweet cool relish. Husband bypassed the cleverly named hamburgers and wanted just a regular with avocado and ketchup and a bottle of Coke. We split an order of fries. Total cost $13 not including tip. Not bad at all consider the portion side. They brought out my hot dog first. Nestled in a large bun that resembled a hoagie bun but was soft and fluffy it was brimming with sauerkraut, spicy mustard and relish. They did not skimp out on the condiments. The Boarshead dog was juicy, plump and much larger than a normal hot dog. Husband's hamburger came out next. I didn't see the size of the patty but the bun was huge. Our crinkle fries came out last, hot from the fryer and dusted with a delicious seasoning we kept popping them like pills even though they scorched our mouths.

Will definitely return again when I get a hot dog hankering.
rating :: 5 forks
reviewed by :: spankypants

Oishii Japanese Restaruant

name of restaurant :: Oishii Japanese Restaruant
address :: 3764 Richmond Ave., Houston, TX 77046
hours :: M-F 11:00am - 10:00pm, Sat. 12pm - 10pm, Sun. Closed
meals served :: L & D, Happy Hour
prices :: $
dress code :: casual
reservations :: first come, first serve
website :: www.oishiihouston.com
review :: Let me start by saying, we love sushi! We always like to go to different spots just to compare and Oishii was delicious! It was our kind of place, not a chain and kind of hole in the wall. But don't let the outside fool you, the food was awesome. The prices are great, very affordable. You didn't need to spend an arm and a leg to get fresh sashimi. We were able to get 4 rolls and more than a handful of sushi and it was under $55. Every piece we ate tasted very fresh and even the rice was delectable. I didn't even have a problem chewing on the seaweed, like at most places. The only downside, I would say, is the customer service. We went at around 8:30/9:00 pm and were waited on 3 different people. Sometimes we felt like they forgot about us. Oh, be sure to hit it up during happy hour, I saw crazy good prices.
rating :: 4 forks
reviewed by :: goose

Whole Foods :: Cake

name of restaurant :: Whole Foods
address :: n/a
hours :: n/a
meals served :: n/a
prices :: $
dress code :: casual
reservations :: n/a
website :: www.wholefoodsmarket.com
review :: I'm a bit of a cakephile. Love me some cake. Cupcakes, Petit Fours, wedding cake, baby cakes, any cakes. I've had such bad luck with grocery store cakes that I've stayed away from them...with the exception of HEB's Boston Cream Pie...mmm.

After staring at the Whole Foods cake fridge for 10 minutes I decide on a beautifully decorated white sheet cake that feeds 8-12 (or so the cake decorator says but I can easily finish one off by myself in a day). Beyond just colored frosting there are speckles of color in the white base frosting and little hints of sprinkles to give the flowers a little texture.

Immediately my friend comments on how incredibly moist the cake is. A second friend raves about the light but delicious frosting - a nice deviation from the heavy and incredibly sweet butter cream. Before I dive into my slice I notice the color isn't your typical white cake, it's slightly browner which I presume comes from non-bleached organic flour. It was delicious. Just as my friends said, light frosting that perfectly compliments the moist cake. It was so good I contemplated going back to Whole Foods to get my own personal cake.

Sorry I didn't get pictures of the cake, once I people started raving about the cake instinct had me reaching for my fork without thinking.
rating :: 5 forks
reviewed by :: spankypants

Arcodoro

name of restaurant :: Arcodoro
address :: 5000 Westheimer @ Post Oak Houston, TX 77056
hours :: S-T 11am - 11pm, F-S 11am - 12am
meals served :: L & D, Brunch on Sun and Sat
prices :: $$$
dress code :: dressy-casual
reservations :: recommended
website :: www.arcodoro.com/Houston%5Cdefault.htm
review :: The Houston Restaurant Week menu enticed me to finally make a visit to Arcodoro to indulge in Sardinian Italian cuisine. Located in the heart of the Galleria area, Arcodoro's setting offers all sorts of seating for a romantic intimate dinner to large family style feasts or more casual patio dining. A couple of large wall paintings give patrons an interesting perspective into the sights of Italy.

To be honest, the reason I'd return to Arcodoro is not because of the menu served for restaurant week, but instead the food we saw served at the tables around us that appears on the regular menu. The aroma and sight of salt baked fish served table side invoked a sense of utter giddiness. We stared in awe and our mouths started to water as we watched the waiter smash the salty crust off of the fish and skillfully fillet and serve the fresh flaky flesh to the table next to ours. Fresh pastas and pizzas are also recommended on the menu, but I guess I must talk about food I personally ate...

First Course: The flavors of the Carpaccio di Salmone alla Bottarga were mild and light. The slices of Granny Smith apples gave the salad a crisp and tart brightness that cut through the rich, fattiness of the salmon and activated the palate in anticipation for the rest of the courses.

Second Course: The Paella Sarda was unique because instead of rice it was served with fregula pasta which resembles couscous. I was mostly disappointed by this course. On the good side, the pasta was not soupy and the texture was spot on al dente. However, the temperature of the dish arrived a bit on the cooler side and with a sort of pita chip on the side that did not seem to relate to the dish. The mussels and clams were probably simmered for too long and were reduced to pea sized lumps. I found the taste of the pasta to be a bit generic and not nearly as rich as I'd expect a dish that claimed to have so much seafood in it to be.

Dessert: Luckily the Panna Cotta alla Saba saved the evening. This dessert, that resembled a white flan, was lusciously rich, sweet and creamy and had a hint of pistachio that kept my spoon constantly scraping for more.

Despite my gripes, I believe I will return to Arcodoro because I've personally seen that it has much more fabulous food to offer beyond what I've sampled.
rating :: 3 forks
reviewed by :: MamaRamen

Le Mistral

name of restaurant :: Le Mistral
address :: 1420 Eldridge Pkwy, Houston, TX 77077
hours :: T-T 11am - 10pm, Fri 11am - 11pm, Sat 5pm - 11pm, Sun 11am - 10pm
meals served :: L & D, Brunch on Sunday's
prices :: $$$$
dress code :: Upscale Causal
reservations :: recommended
website :: www.lemistralhouston.com
review :: Let me first say, this is not where we would typically eat but we wanted to try it out for Houston Restaurant week. It is a beautiful, romantic restaurant where customer service was top notch.

While waiting for our dishes, we were served an assortment of fresh baked breads with butter. I am a huge fan of baked bread, so this was a winner for me.

First Course :: The Salade Le Mistral was delicious. The mix of greens tasted fresh and the blueberry vinaigrette was very unique.

Second Course :: The Poulet Fermier Roti au Jus chicken's flavor was quite tasty, however a bit salty. The mashed potatoes and gravy were smooth like butter and the peas with sauteed onions were good but a tad on the salty side.

Third Course :: Nos Trois Differents Sorbets du Mois were very refreshing, tasting like a strawberry piña colada.

Overall, the dishes were very good however I wish there was more of what I was eating. Usually a restaurant we would not consider, we were actually glad we did.
rating :: 4 forks
reviewed by :: goose