Monthly Archives: December 2013

Date 11 – Sushi King

Where: Sushi King, 3401 Kirby Dr, Houston, TX 77098
When: March 16, 2013

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It was late on a Saturday night and we hadn’t fit date night in yet that week… and my parents were in town. What to do, what to do… a few Google searches later we were on our way to Sushi King with special guests Don and JuJu. We walked in to the sound of a piano and a colorfully lit, romantic place.

Then we ordered sake, a lot of it.

We got edamame, many, many rolls, all of which were good and Don ordered don. I took detailed notes on all the rolls, but I don’t have a clue where that notebook is and I have to finish documenting these dates (plus, you know, sake). Good thing we took all these pictures!  My parents LOVED Sushi King and so did we. Brenden even requested “Moonlight Sonata” from the piano player and he played it!

We need to go back there.

Date 10 – Blacksmith

Where: Blacksmith, 1018 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77006
When: March 9, 2013

In search of a new breakfast joint, I suggested we go to the recently opened Blacksmith. I’ve been a fan of Erin Smith’s work and I was excited to try this out. Tagging along on this date was a special guest, Brenden’s friend Mars.

We arrived and stood in line to place our order. The line was confusing and in the way of the patrons and servers, which was annoying, but typical of a coffee shop. I ordered a latte and a croque madame, Mars ordered a tea and a croque madame and Brenden a cortado a sausage biscuit sans egg. The man doesn’t like eggs. I just can’t comprehend.

We thankfully found a table (the place was packed) and soon after got our food. Brenden looked down and his and said, “really?” I rolled my eyes, I mean, if you order something with a main ingredient missing, yeah, it’s going to look small. The biscuit was supposed to be the draw anyhow and Brenden did not seem impressed.

I highly enjoyed my sandwich, especially the perfect bechamel. Mars liked his as well, but seemed most impressed with the tea. Determined to make Brenden like this place, I went to the counter to get another latte and ordered him a croissant with marmalade.

When that came, Brenden again shrugged (he was in a mood) but his eyes lit up after the first bite. He loved it. What we didn’t love? The prices. But we’ve been back a few times since.

Date 9 – Last Concert Cafe

Where: Last Concert Cafe – 1403 Nance St, Houston, TX 77002
When: March 1, 2013

Last Concert Cafe is a Houston institution neither of us had ever been to. To be honest, I had no idea where Brenden was taking me as we parked on a sketchy street in the Warehouse District. The Last Concert Cafe famously has no signs and you must knock on the red door to gain entrance. That night there was a sign on the door that asked us to enter through the band entrance. There was a table at the stage entrance and the woman behind the table asked us to pay cover. Unsure, we mentioned we were here for the restaurant and the person allowed us in and told us we were only allowed to sit in the restaurant section. We found our way and took a seat.

We sat in a booth and took in the quaint “cafe” portion of the LCC. We could still hear the music from outside, a TV was on and many people kept coming in and out to get a drink from the bar. It was Texas Independence Day eve and Brenden thought it was important that we have a traditional Tex-Mex meal. We ordered 2 Lone Stars and kept an eye out for a Billy Gibbons appearance. I heard a cover of “In Spite of Ourselves” from the patio and smiled.

For our meal, I ordered the special – crab enchiladas – and Brenden ordered the Apolinar’s Beef Enchilada Dinner. Those were the best enchiladas I had ever had. I’m serious.

We think the Apolinar’s roasted beef is longhorn – it is shredded and juicy and not sticky. Brenden describes it as dense, with a barbacoa like texture or similar to what is in a tamale. In other words, yes. It even came with a taco.

We ended the night with a Tres Leche cake, which I moaned through. So, so delicious.

Last Concert Cafe was probably the best date of our 52 Houston dates. We’ve been back to Last Concert very often – it’s now one of our “go-to” restaurants and it’s in walking distance of Brenden’s shop. They have decent happy hour specials and run food specials from time to time. I’ve never seen the crab enchiladas on the menu again, though.

Date 8 – Beaucoup Bar & Grill

Where: Beaucoup Bar & Grill, 3102 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, TX 77054
When: February 24, 2013

This was a highly anticipated brunch date. I had been introduced to Beaucoup at the 2012 Houston Rodeo’s Best Bites, where they won. My coworker also mentioned liking to brunch here, so I could not wait to surprise Brenden with this date. We actually drove past it twice – it’s really hard to find! It shares a small parking lot with a meat market. Have no idea how people park when it’s busy.

We arrived on a warm Sunday morning to their restaurant, which was extremely dark and dank. This was definitely more bar than restaurant. There was a large, rather loud table seated inside already and jazz music was playing. The hostess asked if we’d like inside or outside seating and we opted for outside considering the weather. That might’ve been a mistake. It looked like the patio hadn’t been cleaned from the night before. The stale stench of beer and liquor and who knows what else lingered in the air. 104.1 KRBE was cranked up and we sat alone outside, in very unpleasant conditions. We weren’t completely alone though, a fluffy kitty sat in a chair next to us. The server apologized for the cat’s presence, saying that it was Wangs, the bar cat, which they took care of at Beaucoup. We are fond of cats and we assured the server we didn’t mind Wangs joining us for brunch at all. He looked like Brenden’s cat Wendy.

We ordered coffee. The menu called said it was French Press but it tasted burnt. Brenden opted for the wangs and waffles and I had The Big Easy sandwich. I also ordered a waffle. We suffered through KRBE commercials and watched someone wash down the tables from the night before. Everything seemed so… hungover.

When our food arrived, Brenden asked for some butter and syrup for his waffles. The server brought back a to-go container of syrup and some single servings of Country Crock, which upon opening were congealed, as they had been previously melted. We then asked if they had any real butter for their waffles – the server replied they did not. We were completely perplexed. “No butter… not even in the kitchen? What do you cook with?” The server responded that they did cook with butter but it was only melted. Which made zero sense. We left it alone.

Our meal was so disappointing. My sandwich was sloppy, the crushed croissant didn’t hold it together and it had a piece of processed American cheese on it. The waffles were even worse, soft and soggy and made out of a cinnamon batter. I think I only had a few bites before I gave up on it. Brenden said his wings were only ok, but also did not like his waffle.

I think Beaucoup does their non-breakfast food well. Everyone seems to rage about their crawfish bread. And they can obviously throw a party. Brunch, however, is not their forte.

Date 7 – Thai Pepper

Where: Thai Pepper, 2049 W. Alabama St, Houston, TX 77098
When: February 18, 2013

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On this date, Brenden and I left his house on foot, not sure where we’d end up. This kind of spontaneous date is Brenden’s favorite way to choose where to go, as where I like to do research and plan days, times and all the details. Probably says a lot about our relationship! :) It’s hilarious that his dates are usually the more successful ones too and Thai Pepper was no exception.

We walked in, not sure what to expect, but it seemed more upscale than I expected – white tablecloths, real flowers, couples dressed up, etc. After we sat down (within earshot of a couple on a first date, I might add), the server made me feel at ease with her courteous service.

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I had just started a weight loss challenge at work “Team Geek Physique” and wasn’t sure how 52 Houston Dates would configure into it. But on this date I decided that date nights would be considered “cheat meals” and I wouldn’t hold back.

With that in mind, we started with the cheese rolls, “A mixture of cream cheese, shredded carrot, and shrimp stuffed in a thin rice wrapper and deep-fried.” They must’ve not made too much of an impact on me, because I can’t quite remember them.

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We ordered, if I recall, drunken basil beef noodles (which the server assured me they wouldn’t be spicy at all per my request and they weren’t), basil beef, and tom kha gai. The noodles were a bit gloopy and stuck together in a mass, but we enjoyed our meal. It was right after Valentine’s Day and the server gifted us with a small ceramic heart, which I still use on my vanity to hold bobby pins. That was probably my favorite part of the entire meal.

Another part of the date I recall – there was a downpour on our walk home! Overall, a very fun date and a place we would return to (probably not in our hoodies next time).

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2013 52 Houston Dates Update

2013 was a fantastic year for Brenden and me. Brenden started a new business, the Common Motor Collective, in March (hence the lack of posting) and I traveled all around the country for work. We moved in together in June and our relationship continues to blossom, still filled with romantic adventures despite our busy schedules.

Best news of all: we’ve kept our resolution. We have continued to go on a date each week to a restaurant in Houston we haven’t been to before. No, we haven’t blogged about it, but I’m quite determined to finish all 52 posts before the end of the year. The posts will be shorter and it may be scant on all the details, but I do want to document them all.

Plus, dates will continue to 2014. Brenden and I both look forward to “date night” each week and we wouldn’t dare give it up. We’ve decided to incorporate blogging into date night so we don’t run behind like this year.

Here is to 52 more dates in 2014!