Monthly Archives: February 2016

A Two-Restaurant Kind of Day

This has been a rough week. I had a bout of what I initially thought was flu, which I soon realized was just a  bad reaction to greasy food. When I started this blog, I wrote in my author description that my being a foodie has brought me lots of adventures, both good and bad. This was definitely a bad adventure from some breakfast place in Clear Lake which I will not name. I was throwing up for two days. On the second day, I had to leave the clinic. For those who have worked with me, THAT is a big deal. On the flip side, this puking galore made me lose three pounds. Yey!

Today is Saturday and instead of resting and sleeping in, I had to wake -up early to bring B to his Regional Band Competition. The days leading up to this event has also not been easy. There was a daily sectional practice which meant I had to bring him to school even if I felt like crap. (Welcome to the US; I am not Kim Kardashian, I don’t have a driver )And then there’s the individual practice. If you have a kid who wants to play percussion in band but you, as a human being with ears, value your sanity, then just say no. The sound of the  snare and drums and my endless retching has been anything but musical.

By noon, competition is done and B got a 1. I was told that it’s the highest score and he’s getting a medal. I should be proud but then it means he will qualify for the Divisional Round. Great, more days of  practice….I’m turning into my mother. I remember growing up when my Mom used to stop me from practicing piano because it was too loud.

B was too exhausted with his victory to go anywhere so D and I went out for lunch. I wanted some nice soup so I thought of ramen. There’s a lot of good ramen places in Houston but they usually open at 5pm. Those that open for lunch usually don’t have a bar. After Googling and calling every ramen restaurant, we settled on Kata Robata. Their bar is technically close for lunch but I was assured that they will get me whatever drink I would need.

Weekend mojito!
Weekend mojito!
Baird Kurofune Porter---dark beer with hints of chocolate and coffee
Baird Kurofune Porter—dark beer with hints of chocolate and coffee
Appetizer 1 - Salmon and Soft Shell Crab Sushi
Appetizer 1 – Salmon and Soft Shell Crab Sushi
Appetizer 2 - Seared Blue Fin Toro. This is amazing. Takes me back to my Tokyo days
Appetizer 2 – Seared Blue Fin Toro. This is amazing. Takes me back to my Tokyo days
Truffle Cold Soba with Black Truffle and Uni. This is serious truffle flavor, highly recommended.
Truffle Cold Soba with Black Truffle and Uni. This is serious truffle flavor, highly recommended.
Ox Tail Ramen!!!
Ox Tail Ramen!!!

The ramen really rejuvenated me. There’s nothing like rich broth to rejuvenate your taste buds. All the food was delicious but service was underwhelming. Appetizers and entrees were served within 5 minutes of each other. Too much of a “rookie-mistake” for a restaurant which has been around for years. The waitress was aware of the misstep and was kind enough to send us complimentary dessert before we can raise a fuss. Smart move, sister.

Green Teas Souffle with Red Bean Ice Cream
Green Tea Souffle with Red Bean Ice Cream—made more yummy because it’s free!

I had a couple of errands to run and D was nice enough to drive me around. D is great company. He makes my most mind-numbing errands exciting. This time, I needed to get something done for my sister and I had to get some stuffs from Whole Foods. Unfortunately, Whole Foods has ran out of imagination in the dessert department. We decided to stop at Truluck’s to get some carrot cake.

Truluck’s is our go-to place when we are in the mood for crabs. They also happen to have the most awesome carrot cake. When we got there, we passed a table where stone crabs were being served. So barely three hours after our ramen lunch, we sat down again to eat some crabs…. well, I DID lose three pounds…

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I had my usual sangria and D found another coffee porter
I had my usual sangria and D found another coffee porter
For "veggies" we had soft shell crab lettuce wrap
For “veggies” we had soft shell crab lettuce wrap
Warm Goat Cheese and Mushrooms
Warm Goat Cheese and Mushrooms

When we paid the bill, the waitress noticed our last name and she said that they have a special function room with the same name.

Cool!
Cool!
We were shown the interior and looking at the wine-filled wall…yep, it's aptly named Naples!
We were shown the interior and looking at the wine-filled wall…yep, it’s aptly named Naples!
So here's the carrot cake we were originally here for.
So here’s the caramel-drizzled carrot cake we were originally here for.

We had it  wrapped to-go because I already started sneezing. Whenever I’m full, I start sneezing. Just one of my very many idiosyncrasies…

Safe to say, I gained back the three pounds I lost, with interest. Life is not only good, it’s absolutely delicious! Have a great weekend!!!