Monthly Archives: June 2011

Houston’s: Where “happy” hour lasts longer than actual dinner hour

Houston’s is part of the Hillstone Group (Bandera, R+D Kitchen) and has been a staple around Southern California and surrounding states for years. When it came time to celebrate the Englishman’s birthday, it only seemed appropriate to take him to a SoCal staple that has hosted many business lunches and happy hours alike.

We called to make reservations at the Irvine location on a Saturday evening for a party of 5 but they were booked up. No worries, we thought. We’d just get to the restaurant a little early then our intended time to eat and have a “happy hour” of sorts while we waited for a table.

At 6:30 on the dot we arrived at Houston’s where they promptly told us it would be an hour wait. No problem – to the bar it was! We ordered some drinks for the table and sat down and relaxed and chatted. I had a vodka martini with blue cheese olives that was quite delicious but oh was it strong.

An hour soon passed and we were getting quite hungry. We debated ordering more drinks/appetizers but the waitress reassured us that we were going to be seated next. 7:5. 8:00. 8:15. Nearly 2 hours after we arrived at the restaurant we were finally seated and promptly brought a spinach artichoke dip as the restaurant’s apology for the excessive wait. By that point everyone was so hungry that we all ordered some sort of burger or another and devoured them as they arrived at the table. The burger was good, but between being so hungry/slightly drunk I think I need to go back for a second, unbiased opinion. Houston’s sure knows what they are doing when they serve you drinks!

Since it was a birthday celebration and all, the Englishman was delivered a monster ice cream sundae. This picture does not do it justice.

This was also the only picture of the night due to my martini buzz and hunger pains. Blogger fail.

By the time we had finished dinner and left it was 9:00pm, which means our meal took half the time to eat than it did to wait for it! While I do like Houston’s, next time I think I’ll just stick to happy hour rather than dinner hour – at least then I know I ‘ll have a delicious martini waiting for me with my name all over it.

Houston’s

2991 Michelson Dr
Irvine, CA 92612

More Mexican Food Fun

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I seem to be on a Mexican food kick lately fellow readers (all 5 of you), which I can only attribute to my recent vacation to Cabo San Lucas and the abundance of yummy eats.

This week our Mexican food journey takes us to Javier’s, which has locations in Irvine, Crystal Cove and (gasp!) Cabo San Lucas. While I find Javier’s to be pretty decent, it is on the $$ pricey side and not quite as delicious as my beloved Taco Rosa/Mesa. But still good nonetheless.

Every Mexican meal must start with guacamole in my book, so that’s what we ordered. With a side of flour tortillas of course.

Holy onion batman! While the guacamole had a nice texture, there was almost a little too much onion for my liking – so much in fact that it overshadowed the other wonderful flavors guacamole has to offer including the avocado, cilantro, lime, tomato and salt. Next time Javier’s a little less onion and a little more guacamole mmmk?

For dinner I went with the soft taco dinner – one chicken and one steak with a side of rice and beans. It was good, but nothing mind-blowing.

I think after having really good food in Mexico I have a pretty high standard now and so far California isn’t quite cutting it yet. Perhaps a trip to Taco Rosa will turn it all around.

But that being said – Javier’s is a good Mexican restaurant with a good atmosphere and is definitely worth checking out. Just be sure to ask for less onion in your guacamole.

Javier’s

45 Fortune Drive #400

Irvine, CA 92618

Current Foodie Favorites: What’s up June

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Every now and then I like to talk about some of my current (ongoing) food obsessions over at Sweet Potato Bites. With summertime just around the corner, I felt it was time for another food obsession list.

Without further adieu…

1. The Acai Mojito at True Food Kitchen

There’s something about this mojito that was just so light and refreshing – maybe it was the Veev Acai, or the lemon juice or the fresh blueberries in the drink but it was just delightful. I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time at True Food Kitchen this summer enjoying these mojitos.

2. Bruxie

Have you been to Bruxie yet? If not, you really need to make it a priority to get down there and enjoy one of their delectable waffle sandwiches. Seriously people, these are really good. You can read more about my first experience with Bruxie here.

3. Everything at Taco Mesa

I love Taco Mesa (and Taco Rosa) and nothing to me says summertime like enjoying some freshly made tacos and an ice cold beer.

4. The Scones at C’est Si Bon

C’est Si Bon may be a new (to me) food discovery and it’s certainly left an impression. I spend nights dreaming about their raisin scones. No, seriously.

5. Watermelon

Now that the temps are warming up – I can’t get enough. Watermelon for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack? Sounds good to me. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top and it’s the perfect combination of salty and sweet.

6. The Calamari appetizer at Kitayama

I love pretty much everything at Kitayama but I really liked this Calamari appetizer. It had the great calamari crunch but then also had a slightly spicy flavor to it. Yum!

7. The Shrimp Quesadillas at the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar in Cabo San Lucas

Oh. My. Word. These quesadillas were pretty fantastic, so fantastic in fact that I had this meal twice. I plan on trying to recreate this shrimp quesadilla goodness at home, or at least see how Taco Mesa stacks up. If you ever find yourself in Cabo San Lucas be sure to go to the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar and order the shrimp quesadilla at the Delfines pool bar or Tomatoes restaurant.

I was too busy stuffing my face with quesadillas so I never took a photo, so here’s a view of Cabo instead.

Ahh…summertime.

Que Delicioso! Dining at Mi Casa in Cabo San Lucas

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This past week brought a much-needed R&R vacation in Cabo San Lucas Mexico. There was nothing on this trip agenda except eating lots of yummy Mexican food, drinking wine (and margaritas) and relaxing by the pool.

We were fortunate enough to stay at the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Resort just a few miles north of downtown Cabo San Lucas. If you ever make it down to Baja California, be sure to check this place out – between the pools overlooking the ocean, the private beaches, and villa-style accommodations, this place is top-notch.

While the food at the resort was fantastic (I’m still thinking about the Quesadillas al Camarron), our dinner at Mi Casa in the heart of Cabo San Lucas was definitely the highlight of the trip.

Mi Casa isn’t too hard to find – just look for the brightly painted purple building on the side streets of Cabo (read: non touristy areas). Once you walk inside you are surrounded by authentic Mexican artwork and crafts and are eventually led to the patio/dining area. As soon as we sat down I saw woman in a corner making homemade tortillas by hand. Yep, we were at the right place.

Naturally when you are in Mexico the beverage of choice is the Margarita, and Mi Casa doesn’t disappoint.

Margarita the size of my head? Sure, why not.

When it came time to order dinner, I decided to try the Chicken Enchiladas (with flour tortillas not corn since I’m allergic) and they were delicious. The chicken was juicy and seasoned perfectly.

Chicken Enchiladas for the Win

My brother’s carnitas dish was also pretty fantastic but unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of all of the carnitas glory since we were too busy devouring our food. Other notable standouts include the shrimp ceviche and the guacamole, but again, eating instead of photo taking was the priority at this meal.

Of course, no meal in Mexico would be complete without some authentic entertainment… Mariachis!

Entertainment at Mi Casa

And then there was some not-so-traditional entertainment most likely due to a few too many margaritas…

Mexican Blanket or head wrap? Either works...

We ended our evening at Mi Casa with their homemade flan. I’ve never been a flan fan myself, but after the flan at Mi Casa I may be changing my tune a bit.

That's two flans for five people. And yes, we ate them both.

Mi Casa is a great restaurant if you want the real deal; authentic Mexican cuisine that you couldn’t make yourself at home. A lot of people tend to have reservations about going off the beaten path (especially in a place like Mexico), but trust me, the food is so worth it. Fancy hotel and resort food can be/is wonderful, but there’s nothing like enjoying a meal in the warm evening air while listening to traditional music with some of your favorite people in the world. That my friends, is what it’s all about.