Brunch at Grand Lux Cafe

A few Sundays ago, I went to Grand Lux Cafe for their brunch. Now, Houston does not have a lot of brunch places and since I've been to Grand Lux Cafe (usually for lunch and dinner) and seen their brunch menu, I just have to try it out!

First, Grand Lux calls their brunch "Late Breakfast," which is true since that menu consists of mostly eggs. The con of that menu, not a lot of "meat" selections: meaning its eggs and veggies without the "side of bacon or sausage," etc. Honestly, I was not impressed with their brunch menu because I felt like other places offers a better variety of brunch items and has their own "signature" brunch entree. Here, at Grand Lux, it seems like you're just eating there because it's "Grand Lux Cafe."

Second, other brunch places usually have a deal with your "brunchone drinks" like unlimited bloody mary or mimosas. Here, you only get one glass and you could have paid the same price for unlimited refill.

Now on to the food! I tried the "Tuscan Farm House Egg," which includes scrambled eggs with cherry tomatoes, pesto, and parmesan cheese on top of 2 sliced toasts. Not only did the description sound healthy, but it looked and tasted fresh too! Well, the plate was actually HUGE and I could not finish it, but it was delicious :) However, eating the eggs with the tomato and the bread makes it too "heavy" of a meal.

What was even more delicious was their "Fried Chicken & Waffles"-- its a HUGE piece of waffle (as big as the plate itself) with dusted powdered sugar on top, 5-6 pieces of chicken tenders, and topped with chopped pecans. It comes with a side of melted butter and maple syrup. That dish was seriously yummy! So if you're not watching your weight or what you're eating, you definitely need to try out their Chicken & Waffle! It was like the perfect combination together. I kept wanting to eat from that plate and give away my "Tuscan Farm House Egg" -lol.

One last thing that I'd like to point out with their brunch menu is the "Deluxe Breakfast Sandwich." Please don't waste your time ordering that for brunch because its available on their lunch menu! The only difference is during lunch they serve that sandwich with french fries, and brunch is served with hashbrown. So if you want to try something from their "Late Breakfast" menu, be sure to not try the sandwich and order the "Fried Chicken and Waffles" instead :)

Let's Make Taco Soup!

Its a week night, you get off late from work and you're starving! But, you don't want to go out to eat and you really don't want to get fast food. What to do... what to do...

WELL... you could make this recipe: Taco Soup (okay, a bit anticlimactic, sorry!). But its simple to make and very tasty! All you need is:

• 1lb of ground beef (or ground turkey for those of you who don't like beef);
• 1 can of hominy;
• 1 can of whole kernel corn;
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (if you like it spicy, get the "Ro-Tel" hot- its made with habaneros and super yummy, but make sure you also add a can of regular diced tomatoes);
• 1 can of pinto beans;
• half an onion-diced
• 2 cloves of garlic-diced; and
  
• 1 package of taco seasoning

Now what you do is brown the beef with the garlic and onion. As the meat is browning, get a pot out and mix in all the canned goods (yes, I know it doesn't seem appealing, but just trust me!). After the meat is browned, drain the oil and place the meat in the pot with the rest of the ingredients. Then mix in the taco seasoning. Keep the pot at a medium to medium-high heat and stir occasionally. Give it about 5 minutes and the whole meal is basically done!

You can top off the soup with some shredded cheese and sliced avocado (that's what I usually do). You can also top it with some sour cream if you like or chives (even tortilla chips).

I know... for my first recipe on this blog it doesn't seem great and all, but it really is something quick, easy, and yummy! So let me know what you all think!! Enjoy!

Lunch at Osaka

So for lunch the other day, I was craving for sushi and ended up at Osaka in the Montrose area. Funny thing is, I ended up getting the "Bento Japanese Lunch Box B," which includes 2 skewers of chicken with teriyaki sauce, vegetable tempura, pork gyozas, seaweed salad, and three slices of salmon sashimi (no sushi). The bento box also includes a cup of miso soup and creamy ginger salad.

The salmon sashimi was fresh and the slices were thick. The seaweed salad sits on top of sliced cucumbers, and it was also fresh and crisp! Initially when I tasted the chicken with the teriyaki sauce, the taste was not as sweet as your usual teriyaki chicken. However, after tasting the chicken on its own, you can taste that the chicken was marinaded with rice wine (something that I thought was unique). The chicken was juicy and delicious! The vegetable tempura, however, was a disappointment. I thought the vegetables were "over breaded" and all you're really eating is the breading. The plus side of it was the fact they had pumpkin tempura (my favorite!)!!

Before I forget, shrimp and vegetable tempura is usually what is served with the bento box, but I asked them to substitute the shrimp tempura for more vegetable, and I received gyozas instead. It was nice of them to be able to substitute that out since other restaurants refuse to do that for you.

The awesome thing about Osaka is their "freebies." Osaka gives you free appetizers and dessert. Usually for dinner you will get a gyoza (literally just one piece per person). During lunch, I got one piece of the Hawaiian sushi roll (which was delicious!). The Hawaiian sushi is made with crab, jalapeno, and mango, topped with white tuna and strawberry. That one bite was yummy and it made me feel healthy eating it too!

For dessert, Osaka usually serves you one scoop of ice cream (your choice of flavor: green tea, plum, mango, or ginger). I love the plum flavor! Green tea and mango is yummy too. The ginger, I heard, is also something for everyone to try.

Personally, I would like to come back here once a month for lunch. There are other better luncheon places if you're craving for the bento box (Fish is one of them, which I will blog about after I grab lunch there soon).

There are two locations of Osaka: one on Westheimer and the other on Bellaire blvd. Just so you know, I've only tried the restaurant off Westheimer and had no idea that the second location exists until recently.



Bento Japanese Lunch Box B


Hawaiian Roll (my free appetizer)

Saturday Morning at Tiny Boxwood's

I had breakfast with my girlfriend yesterday morning at Tiny Boxwood's, located on West Alabama. This restaurant is a very warm and pleasant place, great place for hanging out and catching up with some friends during the spring or fall season. It has an indoor and outdoor seating with a pretty garden area. Once you enter this place, you tend to forget that you're in Houston.

The menu here is written daily on this huge chalkboard (which is located on your left once you walk-in) and once the kitchen sells out an entree, the menu is updated to reflect that.

The food here is simple and fresh. For breakfast, they serve pastries, quiche (which runs out quickly), fresh fruits, cheese plate, granola, etc. I had the "Loving Canada" which includes 2 hard boiled eggs, a stack of toasted sourdough bread, jam, and honey-butter. You can tell the jam and honey-butter are made fresh at that restaurant. The food does not sound like much, but it was filling. Especially if you pair that up with their HUGE (ultra extra-large venti) "vanilla latte"! I believe there is only one size, but the money you spend here is much more worth it than at Starbucks (and you all know how much I LOVE sbux!). And for you ladies, they do make it in skim milk :)

However, a few tips for any newbies out there ;) First, Tiny Boxwood's does NOT substitute anything. They have bottomless mimosas on Saturday and Sunday, but please note, they ONLY have bottomless, no single serving.

For those of you who love bringing your dogs everywhere, this place is pet-friendly and you can bring your dog with you.

Also, one last thing (and the staff won't tell you this), but there are filtered glass water bottles in the cooler that you can drink for free!

I recommend coming here on a weekend, but come EARLY! The line never ends and seating is limited. Further, parking there is a bit inconvenient. The parking at the actual location is about 10 spots max and there's additional parking a little further down the street (its on Saint street).

The next time I go there, I'll be sure to try their lunch menu and update you all! :)

Vanilla Latte

Loving Canada