Day 6 & 7: Turkey Chorizo Scramble (and my first weekend of Whole30)

I think I survived my first weekend of Whole30! I was even with my sister for most of Day 7 and survived it... wow!  Quick recap: on Day 6, I had a run (4 For the Park) and I did not allot enough time for me to make breakfast, digest, and go all out for my race.  Instead, I got up, made coffee, raced and noticed my energy level depleted after mile 2.5.  I really need to learn how to eat a good breakfast before a race, especially when I have one coming up at the end of the month (well, I have another one next Sunday, but the race I care about is on the last weekend of April).  Hopefully, I will have something figured out by then.

On to food: I found this turkey chorizo at Whole Foods the other day.  I was excited because I like chorizo and I figure I need to change up my breakfast protein here and there (I've been eating a lot of chicken sausages lately).  Anyway, the turkey chorizo is all natural and Whole30 (paleo) compliant.  I was so thrilled because I was honestly looking for bacon and none of them were compliant.  So for Saturday brunch and Sunday breakfast, I made myself scrambled chorizo with avocado slices.  It was seriously delicious!  In fact, I had to text my girlfriend about it so she can pick up some for herself the next time she went grocery shopping (which happened to be today). 

Again, this was super easy to make:

Turkey Chorizo Scramble (makes one serving)

• 1/4 cup of turkey chorizo (or more if you prefer)
• 1/8 cup of onion, diced
• 1/4 cup of mushrooms, sliced
• 1/8 cup of tomato 
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 of an avocado (or more if you prefer) 

 Directions:

1. Heat pan at medium-high heat and cook the turkey chorizo (you do not need any added oils)
2. Once the chorizo is browned, add mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs together.
4. Once the mushrooms looks done, pour the eggs over all chorizo and veggies (make sure it covers the pan.  
5. When the eggs look almost done, scramble it up! 
6. Transfer the scramble onto a plate and place the avocado slices on top.
7. Enjoy!

Brunching at Max's Wine Dive

Another brunch place taken down by "hungry sandy"! ::clears throat::

The other Sunday, I went out to brunch at Max's Wine Dive with two of my guy friends.  I don't know how I ended up here, but I think it's partly because I've heard so much about their fried chicken AND the boyfriend is still not back from his business trip so I made plans to keep myself busy.  Anyways, I was able to make reservations 2 hours before I got there!  (I know... I love it!) However, even with the reservations, we still waited for about 10 minutes.  But I'm still glad I made them because this place was PACKED! 

Real quick about the place: its small!  Basically there's a bar (where you can sit and dine as well) and two rows of tables.  A friend of mine mentioned how he doesn't think the place would fulfill the disability standards, and I agree.  So if you're claustrophobic, don't even think about coming here.  

Since it was crazy packed, we had a lot of time to look at the menu.  I was torn between the fried chicken and jack cakes or the fried chicken with the collard greens, brioche bread and potatoes.  I even bugged our server about which dish she'd order.  However, I ended up with their Chicken Fried Ribeye with over-easy eggs and their jalapeno cheese grits.  WHAT?! I decided I didn't want to eat around chicken bones!!  Regardless, it was a scrumptious dish.  I cleaned off the entire plate before the boys even finished their entrees (yay me!).  

Anyway, the fried chicken was not the only dish I was pondering about.  I was having a difficult time deciding what to get that day.  They have Red Velvet Pancakes and Nutella-Banana Crepes... I really couldn't decide!  Luckily, I was with some boys who also love red velvet and we ordered the Red Velvet Pancakes for the table to share.  Now, don't get me wrong... the pancakes were good, but it wasn't as good as I hoped.  It wasn't as flavorful as an actual slice of red velvet cake.  What's amazing was their cream cheese butter.  That butter did make the experience better, but I have to be honest I was a lil' disappointed with it.  Even so, I finished off my share of the pancakes too.  

Actually, looking back... I'm dang proud of myself!  Not only did I manage to finish off my glass of mimosa before the boys (there were two), but I cleaned up my plate before them (one didn't finish his entree) AND I cleaned up my share of pancakes (there were 3 so we each had one).  I didn't even realized we were competing to see who ate the most until I was sipping on coffee and watching the boys try to do the same damage I did!  One of the boys finally managed to finish everything just to make us "even"- NICE TRY, but I think I won.  I at least enjoyed everything... he was miserable half way through his pancake.  

Okay, sorry, I went off on a tangent over there.  Back to the food... I say its definitely a place to try out.  I really loved the jalapeno grits.  It was really tasty and I wish the serving was bigger!  The mimosa here was pretty darn good too.  Not the best that I've had, but it was good enough to where I enjoyed it.

I want to head back here for the nutella crepes and maybe even their egg sandwich.  Heck, I just want to try everything because it looked so good and everything I had was great!  Yes, so come try this place out!  Remember... you can make reservations the day of!

Brunch Time at Paggi House (Austin, Texas)

ALL YOU CAN EAT BRUNCH BUFFET!  Should I say more??  Actually, yes since I'm blogging.  Anyways, I was in Austin last weekend and ventured out here with my friends since they raved about it.  They also mentioned how this place is comparable or even better (I forget) than Backstreet Cafe.  Ummmm... WHAT?! Okay, now I REALLY have to try it.

The drinks here are definitely cheaper than Backstreet Cafe.  Mimosas are $1 per glass.  Yup... one dollar; however, it was not as tasty as the mimosas at Backstreet (considering that Backstreet pair theirs with other fruits).  I didn't get to try the Blood Mary, but I heard it was good (it was also $2.50).  

So what can $24 get you?  Apparently, it gets you: an assortment of cheeses, fruits, pastries, french toast, bacon, sausage, corned beef hash, quiche, bread pudding, roasted pork, veggies, and home fries.  Now, those are what were out on the buffet.  You can also order from their menu: chicken and waffle, eggs (any way you want it, but know that an order comes with 2 eggs), a garden omelette, and a bacon omelette.  

Let me tell you... the chicken and waffle was DELICIOUS! Omg... I'm craving for one right now as I'm typing away.  Anyways, you get 2 fried chicken tenders and two pieces of waffles (I know I suck... I didn't get a chance to take photos).  The syrup that comes drizzled on this dish was amazing as well.  

I also tried their poached egg.  Talk about YUMMY!  The egg was perfectly poached and it was served on top of a thick, heavily buttered toast.  It was absolutely delish!  Something I can eat everyday and gain weight on.  

The Bacon Omelette was not that impressive.  Even though it was made with brie cheese (and I love brie cheese), it wasn't that flavorful.  It was actually kinda bland, like it needed either seasoning or more ingredients.  Anyways, I digress.  

Everything I had here was awesome!  I was really impressed with the blue cheese grits.  It was creamy and tasty.  The bread pudding was also fabulous.  I can go on and on about each item, but if you haven't noticed I would only talk about how good it was.  

Service here was excellent.  Everyone was friendly, even the dude who sliced the roasted pork.  So, to answer the million dollar question... is Paggi House better than Backstreet Cafe??  I'd say "yes!"  The drinks here are cheaper (even the pitchers) and the food was delicious and unlimited!  

Now, I suggest you valet your vehicle here even though you may park on the streets.  There's a golf course located right across from the restaurant so... I don't recommend it.  I also recommend making reservations.  We were lucky that the hostess was able to seat us because the place was apparently booked.  

Backstreet Cafe

A girlfriend of mine was leaving town so I decided to take her to Backstreet Cafe for one of her "last meal" here in Houston. Like always, this place serves an amazing brunch! Their brunch drink menu consists of fresh fruit sangrias and also flavored mimosas. You can order it by the glass, half pitcher, or a full pitcher. The half pitcher costs about $20... so it does get a bit pricy, but its worth it!

We shared the Wild Berry Mimosa and the drink was infused with strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, and fresh lime juice. The drink was garnished with fresh slices of strawberries and whole blackberries in your champagne glass. Absolutely a delightful and refreshing drink! I've also tried their Watermelon Mimosa before and that was also refreshing as well.

Another concept I like about this place is how they serve you a "muffin & scone" platter while you're waiting for your food or just waiting for your guest to arrive. This platter usually consists of one chocolate muffin, one blueberry muffin, one banana-nut muffin, and 2 scones. Last year, they also served a sun-dried tomato muffin (which was yummy), but I haven't seen it lately.

Recently, I've tried two brunch entrees here. I first had the Smoked Chicken and Potato Hash. This dish was flavorful! The entree came with stripped chicken breasts cooked with bell peppers and onion, two poached eggs (however you like them cooked), 4 slices of avocado, two HUGE homemade tortillas, and topped with tomatillo sauce. The tomatillo sauce was definitely spicy (and sooooo good!). Their tortilla was so big, I had to tear it into smaller pieces to wrap the chicken in it. Overall, this entree was absolutely delish (but a bit on the heavy side).

The second entree I tried was the Brioche French Toast. Talk about yummy! You get 3 gianormous pieces of french toast with caramel sauce on the bottom of the plate and topped with fresh berries. Each piece of toast is basically two brioche bread infused together with slices of bananas. Now, the only complaint I have is, there should be more bananas! Other than that, this dish is pretty awesome. Again, a bit heavy since it is brioche (even though the bread is soooo fluffy and soft!), but french toast is only fabulous when its made with brioche bread.

What's unique about Backstreet Cafe is, it's literally located on a backstreet of Shepard. There's no parking except for valet (and sometimes the valet person would ask if you'd like your car vacuumed and such for $20). Service here is usually pretty good. They are very attention-detail oriented and will come top off your mimosas regularly (which makes you lose count of how much you've been drinking after a while...). So if you haven't been out here, you should definitely put this place as a "must try".

BRC (Big Red Cock)

On December 26, 2010, I went to try out BRC's brunch. Normally, I am at BRC for their happy hour (which, I recommend going out to!). However, after staring at their brunch menu the last two time I visited, I made my way out there.

First, let me tell you about the place and the decor. BRC stands for "big red cock" and literally, there's a statue of a red rooster right outside the venue near the parking lot. When you drive up to the place, it looks like

this house that doesn't seem inviting; however, when you walk into the restaurant, it has a whole diffe

rent feel from the outside. Inside the restaurant, BRC sticks with the red color scheme and there's a victorian-like feel inside. Its not a big place, in fact its very cozy (you can totally listen to the next table's conversation if you'd like). The seats are very comfortable. The booths is basically this huge button-couch. They do have one huge table that seats about 10-12 people in the dining area.

The bar area is small, but looks really awesome. They have a lot (and I mean a lot) of beers on tap. BRC also have an awesome mojito drink that is already either pre-mixed or pre-made daily. They have two separate alcohol list: one for beer and one for wine.

Service here was excellent. My server was super attentive and even changed out my silverware for me in between my appetizer and entree. My drink (coffee) was always topped off and I never once had to ask her to fill it up.

Okay, on to the food. I tried an appetizer: Blue Crab Beignets. This appetizer only comes with three (3) hushpuppies-looking "beignets". The sauce that comes with the beignets is a cocktail sauce mixed with horseradish. It was perfectly mixed and went well the the beignets. Even though the beignets were a bit small, they were made with lumps of crabmeat and were very tasty.

Now BRUNCH! Like I said, the last two times I was at BRC, I was really drawn to their brunch menu so I was super excited when I got to try it. I was really torn between three items: Poached Eggs & Potato Skins (because anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE poached eggs and potato); Blueberry Supreme Stuffed French Toast; and Skillet Fry Bread & Eggs. Surprisingly, I ordered the Skillet Fry Bread & Eggs. I ordered that because on the menu it read that its "our Founding-Father's favorite" so I assume it just had to be good. AND IT WAS! The dish was served in a skillet with a piece of sourdough bread covered with 2 slices of bacon and cheese, and topped with two eggs cooked over hard. It was very good (and greasy as well). The breakfast potato that came with the skillet was tasty as well; however, there were a few pieces of potato that were undercooked. Overall I have to say my brunch was awesome and can't wait to try the other two dishes I was eyeing on.

I also tried the American Meatloaf Sliders. This item was listed on BRC's daily specials, which are written on a butcher paper and hung on a side panel that is near the bar. (Please note that when people are sitting by the daily special list, it might be awkward to go over there and look at it). Now the sliders are on the "typical sliders bread", but what's unique about this dish is the meatloaf is "lined" with mashed potato. The meatloaf taste just like any other, but with the mashed potato lined with it, it made the experience better.

Now, what is absolutely the one thing you CANNOT MISS! Its the White Chocolate & Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding. OMG! Its orgasmic! The bread pudding is served warm and covered with whipped cream, caramel, and chocolate. It is one of the best bread puddings I've had so far and a MUST for everyone to try!

So if you're looking for a new place to try... I suggest BRC if you're around the Washington/Shepard area.

Quattro at the Four Seasons Hotel

Another Restaurant Week restaurant I tried this year was Quattro at the Four Seasons Hotel. Here, I tried out their lunch menu since my girlfriends and I wanted to go somewhere "new." The Quattro posted an impressive menu on the Restaurant Week website, but I only liked the Eggplant appetizer.

The Eggplant appetizer had a thin slice of eggplant on the bottom, topped with a layer of burrata cheese, roasted red bell pepper, and paper-thin sliced eggplant. It was also drizzled in puree black olive sauce. The cheese was creamy, soft, and has a light nutty flavor. The burrata cheese was what really made this dish! I suggest trying this dish if its on their regular menu, but know that the eggplant is lost in this dish (even though eggplant does not have a lot of flavor).

For my entree, I had the Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms. This dish was served with 3 slices of glazed duck. I was actually disappointed with this dish because the risotto was undercooked. If the risotto was cooked correctly, then this dish would be fabulous. The mushroom was tasty and cooked well, but there were about 5 pieces of mushroom. As you can tell from the photo, the entree was super small.

I would not recommend coming here. The service was okay. We had mimosas here, but for the price we paid, they used VERY cheap champagne because we all had a headache afterwards.

In addition, one of my girlfriends had the Seared Red Mullet (which is a type of fish) and it was TERRIBLE! It was super fishy and not appetizing at all.

Another dish that one of my girlfriends tried was the Steamed Wild Sea Bass Escalope. Again, terrible! Not only was it fishy, but it tasted "dirty." Something that I would not want another person to know what that taste like!

So if you do head over to Quattro, do not order any seafood! They just don't know how to prepare it!

Mon Ami Gabi for breakfast please!

While in Vegas, I had brunch/breakfast at this restaurant in Paris: Mon Ami Gabi. Now, I stopped there to eat because it had a nice patio seating which faced Bellagio and its water fountain show. Well, the real reason why I ate there... the buffet line to Paris for breakfast was super LONG and I was starving! With that said, I am so glad that I stopped here because they have the most fabulous "Banana Foster Waffles"!!!!!!

I actually had breakfast/brunch at this place twice during my last visit in Vegas, so that should tell you how addicting this place can be. Again, let me emphasize that should you eat here, you MUST dine at their patio area! With many internationals and tourists in Vegas, one would feel like they're in a foreign place with amazingly good food! (at least that's how I felt)

One morning, I had their "Corned Beef Hash and Poached Eggs" and it was delicious! The corned beef is actually "pulled" beef and not the smashed-up canned ones with potato. This breakfast item also came with roasted red peppers, which gave the dish some color. The eggs were poached correctly and combining the eggs and beef took away from the saltiness of the beef, in a good way. Almost every entree is served with two slices of toasts. The butter and jam that comes with the toast is AMAZING! The butter was freshly churned and the jam was "homemade" (made at the restaurant presumably). The butter and jam was so amazing that if you fail to eat it, you would not have a complete breakfast there!

Another morning, I had the "Eggs Florentine," which was basically eggs benedict but with artichoke and spinach, no meat. Again, this dish was wonderful! Even though there was hollandaise sauce, the meal tasted "lighter" than the Corned Beef Hash I had the morning before. I even felt healthier eating this dish.

Now, both mornings I had their "Banana Foster Waffles" :) I know, I had two entrees each day, but these waffles were worth it! The waffles are Mon Ami Gabi's "made from scratch waffle" and they were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside (and they really were!). They had a few you can pick from: strawberries, chocolate, blueberries; but I HAD to order the banana fosters one. First off, the whipped cream was rich and fluffy! You can taste how fresh the whipped cream was. The fosters sauce that was drizzled on top of the waffles was sweet and it complemented the bananas that were sliced on top of the waffles. The presentation of this dish was absolutely mouth-watering. In fact, the reason why I ordered this dish was because a server walked past my table with the waffles... it looked so delicious that it became a MUST for me to order (and I did). Note that the Banana Foster ones are ONLY served during breakfast so you must get there before 11AM to enjoy a taste of heaven.

Please note that if your party is incomplete, the hostess will NOT seat you, so be there with everyone!

(sorry for no photos! I didn't realize I was going to blog about it until after the fact)

Brio - Tuscan Grille

Deciding where to have brunch in Houston can be tricky. Luckily, I stumbled upon this restaurant, "Brio - Tuscan Grille" at the Domain City Center (formerly known as Town & Country). This restaurant has a Saturday and Sunday brunch menu (until 3:00PM). They also serve a lunch menu for those of you who do not feel like having brunch around that time.

Now, I highly recommend this place! The restaurant has an awesome patio seating that is covered and has a ceiling fan over the area to cool you during the summer time. The seating arrangement in the patio resembles a lounge like area... almost like you're having lunch at a nice pool resort minus the pool. Inside the restaurant, the decor was nice and welcoming. It resembles Bellagio (the casino in Vegas- and yes, of course I would make that comparison!).

The food there was fabulous! For an appetizer, I had the Ravioli Caprese. Its basically 4 huge ravioli, stuffed with mozzarella and spinach, deep fried, drizzled with pesto, and topped with diced mozzarella cheese and sliced cherry tomatoes. It was absolutely delicious and something worth trying! But remember, this is deep fried, so if you're watching your weight, then try to skip this appetizer.

For my meal, I had the Bistecca Alla Romano. Honestly, I could not figure out which entree I wanted to try. I was between the Frittata Al Forno and the Bistecca. I asked the server to decide for me and he deferred to the chef (who decided the Bistecca). This dish was yummy! Its like an Eggs Benedict with Romano crusted tomato instead of the english muffin, and grilled beef tenderloin instead of ham. The eggs were perfectly poached and the Hollandaise sauce is unlike anywhere else I've had (it was really rich and creamy). Although the combination of the tomato, egg, and beef does not seem to sound right, it was a great combination! Again, not a light brunch, but a fabulous meal with a heavenly taste.

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 :)

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