Table 7

It's new.  Somewhere on Durham near the Kicks Gym and Bliss Nail Spa.  It's a decent atmosphere. 



Asked the server what the most popular item on the menu, she said it was the Blackened Mahi Tostada (Blackened Mahi Filet over Black Beans, topped with Lemon-Garlic Slaw, Pico de Gallo and Feta Cheese 10), and she was right, it as good.  Light, healthy, minus the tostada.  All very good.  I liked it.



Another person in our party got the same thing, she thought it was good as well.  One of the persons in our group had the buffalo burger.  He said it was decent.  Someone else had the seared tempura tuna salad, said it was ok.  Conclusion, get the Blackened Mahi Tostado!

Canopy

Canopy is a new restaurant by the same owners of Shade.  I read an article that said the mural in the restaurant was a photo of the tree on the Rice campus where Claire Smith attended and another one of a tree in her backyard.  Just needless information, but it does have a large presence in the restuarant, so it's just a tidbit of information.  The restaurant has a retro modern vibe, woody, muted greens, etc.  I remember this building it used to house a wine bar, I forget the name.



I asked our waiter what was the most popular dish, she said it was the crispy chicken sandwich.  I subbed the blue cheese for cheddar at her suggestion.  When it came out, I kept thinking, damn this is so good!  I usually only eat half of my sandwiches, but this I almost ate the entire thing.  The chips are made in house.



I asked my dining mate what he thought, he thought it was awesome as well.  If you can get over the grease, I believe it had bacon, a crispy fried chicken, avocado, butter drenched bread, but man, it was soooo good!  We had the Ice Box Lemon cake, yum as well!

New or Coming Soon…

Kolache Mama Inc‎

3315 Marquart Street

Houston, TX 77027-6000

(713) 877-1885‎



New in Katy, doubt I'll go this far.



New BBQ place on the corner of Washington and Heights Blvd.



Celebrity Cupcakes in the Village.  Tried the Red Velvet cupcake, passes the test, very very good!

Gigi’s Asian Bistro & Dumpling Bar

It's in the Galleria Mall near Borders.  I had a bit of a problem finding it, finally found it and as I was turning the corner into the entrance, I was thinking, is this a small place or what? 



It's dark, but as you come around the corner, you see a long narrow entrance that goes further back.  The lighting is nice, I see exposed brick and a really nice flower structure hanging from the ceiling.  Very pretty.



We order the lettuce wraps.  It's good, doesn't have that crunch in it like PF Changs, but it was filling, good.



I know this is a bad picture but again, I forgot to take pictures.  We ordered the shrimp, pork and chicken dumplings.  Didn't try the shrimp, don't like shrimp.  Had the pork, didn't like them.  Had the chicken, pretty good.  Overall experience, pretty good.  I just don't like that I have to go to the mall to get here, but love the atmosphere, love it!  So pretty!

Closed Shutters

Closed shutters are a good option for houses that have a wall or space desparately needing a window.  It's an inexpensive fix on a crucial side, front or sides of the house.  It helps dress up an empty spot, adds charm and moves the attention away from a plain space.

Sushi Raku

So I was meaning to check out this new sushi place in downtown and might I remind you, I'm a sushi snob.  I have a very sensitive palatte to fishy flavors bc I didn't grow up eating seafood, long story, my sister was traumatized and me being the younger sister just followed her behavior.  I know it sounds weird, I learned to eat sushi in my mid 20s but still don't like seafood.  If the fish is fishy, I can't eat it and will never return from a first visit.  My current sushi spot is Aka, but I read this excerpt about this new sushi restaurant.  Jennifer wanted to try something new so there we went.

SUSHI RAKU, 3201 Louisiana at Elgin, 713-526-8885. With its sleek interior design (by Michael Hsu, who did Uchi in Austin) and a kitchen under the direction of Takayoshi Sekiguchi, this is 2009’s second outstanding Japanese newcomer. Chef Taka, as he is known, uses Western and Japanese techniques, melding them brilliantly, as with the single slice of fluke served with cubes of tomato water aspic, red pepper coulis, yuzu white soy and a tempura-fried shishito. Patrick Chiu, who also has Waza, is the owner.



So the food comes out, we ordered the Orange Dragon (spicy tuna, tempura crunch, avocado, salmon, ponzu), the Maiko (I forget what's in it, tuna and some other stuff with mango sauce), Spicy Salmon roll, two pieces of salmon sushi, and their salad, sorry forget the name too and couldn't find a menu.  The Maiko was okay, but everything else was excellent.  I was a little scared to eat the salmon sushi as it had this white strip on it, but nope, it was good, no fishiness.  Sorry, I didn't take very good pictures, as we were so excited to eat!  But I did happen to get a photo of the last Orange Dragon.



So Jennifer and I are sitting eating and she recognizes one of the workers there.  I pull out my blackberry, turns out it's Patrick Chiu, owner of Sushi Raku.  We chat for a bit, he brings over Chef Taka, who is an import from Japan.  I told him he's the second full Japanese person in Houston :B  Not many Japanese here in Houston.  So they talk of this pickled wasabi, Chef Taka brings it over, says eat the orange after you've had the pickled wasabi, as a back, kind of thing.  I only had a small bit, so it just burned my nose a bit.  Jennifer took an even smaller piece and didn't feel a thing.  She takes a much bigger piece, all of the sudden she's frantically rubbing her scalp, saying her scalp is burning, very funny in person, I promise you.



We pull apart the orange, as Chef Taka has precut it, all you have to do is pull it apart.  Chef Taka is standing there, he keeps saying I'll let you figure it out. We're like ???  We look over after Patrick points it out and this is what we're looking at.  We totally didn't even notice it.  Funny.



They bring over two desserts on the house, molten chocolate cake and the truffles.  YUM!  They were both good.  So nice!



Nice, fun guys.  We took a tour after we ate and noticed these drums by the door and they have drum sticks!    I used to do the old school Korean dancing, including the drums, so after some major cajoling, I go at it.  Jennifer is rolling on the floor laughing her ass off.  We had a good time, great place, go visit!

Warm Up Your Porch With Hanging Flower Baskets!

I saw a house that was super cute house, sold in less than 5 days.  This is not the house, this picture is of a florist.   Anyways, that house had these hanging flower pots framing their front door and porch.  I think it's a great accessory and adds that warm welcoming feeling.

Out and About Easter Weekend

Haven't tried this yet, but am putting it on my things to do.  They're making very large claims, so they've piqued my interest and I plan to try it soon and make my own opinion.



Also, FYI, sign's back up, looks like the Whole Foods Market project is back underway!  I'm so excited, can't wait!!



For you decorating buffs.  I loved this color scheme and the pieces, perty huh?



I went to Skinnovative to take advantage of a groupon for a Photo Facial Rejuvenation.  I thought it would definitely lighten up my freckles and discolorations, goodnesss gracious, it's been 3 days and my freckles have nearly all fallen off!  I went with someone that got the Pixel Laser Peel, supposedly really good for acne, though this person didn't have acne, theirs was more for large pores and fine lines, they're peeling right now, so it's hard to say for them.  While I was in the waiting room, I was watching the other products they offer.  This Zerona body slimming service seemed awesome with great results.