steamed artichokes

Baklava Cafe at 1531 Texas 6 #100 Sugar Land, TX 77478. After a...

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:41:00 -0400

Baklava Cafe at 1531 Texas 6 #100 Sugar Land, TX 77478.

After a four hour drive back to Sugar Land from San Antonio, Andrea, Kristine and I were all rightly starved. We couldn’t decide what to eat so we just drove down Hwy 6 until we could think of a place to eat, and we settled on Baklava Cafe after much discussion. :)

Kristine and I orderedshawarma(Kristine ordered the plate while I ordered the sandwich) because we were still in Avengers mode. :) I’d had the shawarma here several times, and while I cannot say it’s the best shawarma I’ve had, it hits the spot when I get cravings for it. I believe it was Kristine’s first time trying shawarma. I think she was a bit unimpressed with it. Perhaps I hyped it up too much? Probably. I can’t remember what sides she ordered with her shawarma, but she thought the flavor profile of one of her sides was quite strange, and I agree; it was some dish with fava beans if I recall correctly, but I don’t think I am.

Andrea ordered the gyro sandwich. Ahh! I totally had a craving for shawarma, but I wish I had ordered this instead! It smelled so, so good! Kristine, if you ever read this (I know you’re still in Thailand!), please get this next time or at any other Mediterranean restaurant! It’s simply deliche. The tzatziki smelled awesome at Baklava Cafe.

BTW, the sandwiches cost $6 or so, and the gyro and shawarma plates both cost $10 and come with rice and two sides. I think this restaurant is a great place to get take out for lunch or dinner. The bakery side of the cafe also has coffee, tea, several different types of baklava (all of which are very nice), as well as many other types of baked desserts. I will try them all someday! :DD

Mango Snowflake shaved ice from Nu Cafe at 9889 Bellaire Blvd,...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 18:04:00 -0400

Mango Snowflake shaved ice from Nu Cafe at 9889 Bellaire Blvd, Ste 112A Houston, TX 77036.

The snowflake ice at Nu Cafe is different from most other shaved ice places. Ten+ hours of preparation are needed where the sweeteners, flavorings, milk, and other ingredients are mixed and frozen in large cylindrical blocks. When served, the ice blocks are shaved so that customers are given a tower of sheetlike milky, cool ice.

I was a little disappointed by the size of the dessert. The images at the shop had shown significantly taller ice towers, but whatever. I still thought it was too little ice for $7 or so. Anyway, the ice was actually really good and refreshing. We ordered the mango flavored ice, but it didn’t really taste very mango-y. The flavor of the ice was really more reminiscent of that green, enzyme-ish aftertaste of mango and not the actual mango flesh itself. The mango flavored syrup was way more flavorful than the shaved ice. The fruit at Nu Cafe was very fresh, but the red beans weren’t sweet enough for my tastes.

The snowflake ice at Nu Cafe is still definitely worth a try, and I’ve heard that the green tea shaved ice is much, much better! :) Nu Cafe also has other Taiwanese foods, both sweet and savory, but I can’t judge them as I haven’t tried any of those dishes. :)

The Egg and I at 9985 W Interstate 10 San Antonio, Texas. I...

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:51:13 -0400

The Egg and I at 9985 W Interstate 10 San Antonio, Texas. I think this is the first big-ish chain restaurant review we have done.

Eggs Benedict (with ranch potatoes) Andrea and Wenet ordered this. It was alright. It definitely wasn’t the best eggs benedict ever, but it was pretty alright. The potatoes were really nice, however. The dish was quite heavy, so it was definitely a good decision to serve the lemon wedge with the eggs. It really helped to cut down the heaviness of the dish. Is having lemon with eggs benedict common? Although it was on the rich and heavy side, there was a refreshing light element to the dish that made it more enjoyable. :) All the eggs benedict variations were $9+, which I think is too much. In fact, all the egg dishes were on the expensive side. Eggs aren’t expensive at all, and they’re not that difficult to cook, you know? Also, for a restaurant with a focus on preparing eggs, the egg dishes weren’t as great as I had hoped.

French Toast Gah! I wish I had ordered the eggs benedict or an omelet. I refused to pay an exorbitant amount of money for eggs, so I decided to get the French toast. It, too, was alright. I was actually pleasantly surprised that the toast wasn’t too sugary like I would have expected. The topmost slice was really pleasant and just the right degree of sweet. The slices beneath the first were lacking in sweetness, so I had to add some myself. By the end of the second slice, I had become very bored of the same taste and was getting carb-full, so I bartered the rest of my toast for bites of eggs benedict and omelet. If you decide to tread the waters of the French toast sea, you should probably at least order some potatoes or some other side dish as eating only the French toast can become tiresome after the first or second slice. :/ The French toast was kind of awesome; it was just also really boring after a while.

Koppe Bridge at 11777 FM 2154 College Station, TX 77845. Fried...

Wed, 30 May 2012 21:33:00 -0400

Koppe Bridge at 11777 FM 2154 College Station, TX 77845.

Fried Pickle Spears ($5.50) Honestly I can’t even remember much about this. BTW this is a really, really late review. Andrea and I ate here about a month ago. We’re super late on this, but not to worry, we should have new, more timely reviews coming up. Anyway, yeah, the fried pickle spears were nice and tangy but nothing to rave about.

The Original Burger Basket ($7) For a restaurant that prides itself on having several Best Burger awards (recently, too!), this was astoundingly and disappointingly average. There was nothing special about this at all. Me and the other people in our group who ordered this had to force ourselves to finish it— not because the portions were too large, just because it was bland and boring as paparazzi photos of Hilary Duff coming out from Whole Foods. It might have been the most boring food I’ve ever ordered at a restaurant.

The other food at Koppe Bridge might be better, but this definitely isn’t the best Burger in BCS. I would still recommend dining here as the atmosphere is very College Station, but don’t be too excited for anything you order. :/

Qin’s Noodle House at 9889 Bellaire Blvd. Houston, TX...

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:58:00 -0400

Qin’s Noodle House at 9889 Bellaire Blvd. Houston, TX 77036.

We decided to try this place becaude it was recommended to Andrea with the simple description “cheap and big portions.” This turned out to be very true. With the exception of a handful of menu choices, everything else on the menu was around $7 at most. The fabled portions turned out to be true as well. I felt like the bowls were the size of a small bathroom sink. Mr. Kwan and I couldn’t even finish our dishes. The restaurant also has self-serve wonton and sweet and sour soup as well as water and tea.

Andre and Mr. Kwan ordered the Beef Noodle Soup. Andrea thought is was really fatty, but I guess that could be expected for a giant $5 bowl of soup. Kwan couldn’t finish his; it was just too filling. It wasn’t quiet spicy enough for Andrea’s tastes, so she added a lot of the chili oil. Andrea managed to finish all the noodles and veggies but remarked that she felt disgusting afterward.

I ordered the House Special Soup ($7). I can’t read Chinese, and the English description just said “house special.” I thought it would be a safe bet. OMG! It was humungous! My soup arrived in the same giant bowls as Andrea and Kwan’s food, but it was piled over with seafood and veggies. It was a little spicier than I expected, but it was still easily palatable. This soup reminded me a lot of the Korean soup Jambbong. When I ordered this, I did not know that it was a seafood dish. The soup contained whole shrimp, squid, fish balls, scallops, and a lot of shredded imitation crab. I don’t really like to eat imitation crab or fish balls, so I wish I had known about that. It was still pretty good. I especially like the noodles at Qin’s.

Rise No.1 at 5360 West Lovers Ln #220 Dallas, TX 75209. Neither...

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 21:49:27 -0400

Rise No.1 at 5360 West Lovers Ln #220 Dallas, TX 75209.

Neither Andrea, Kristine, or I had tried this place before, but we were really excited. We had looked up a few restaurants online, and Rise was the most intriguing while also staying within our budgets.

We all ordered the Chocolate Souffle, $12. This was bigger than we expected, but it certainly wasn’t enough to be split among three people (we were quite full from earlier that day. Don’t judge us!). It’s a fine portion for two people to split after having an entree, but yeah, we made work of it quite quickly. It was really good! The souffle wasn’t overbearingly chocolately. It was distinctly chocolatey but not so much that it was too much. for those who do prefer a bit more chocolate, the souffle comes with a rich dark chocolate sauce. It was delicious! The server had to bring us another small pot of the chocolate sauce. The sauce on top of the souffle was mega delicious. The texture was vaguely eggy (as it should be) and really soft. It was really enjoyable. I would very much recommend it. :)

OMG the bread! It was really good as well. Actually, I think we all enjoyed the bread more than the souffle. The bread was crunchy and salty on the outside, but so soft and fluffy on the inside. The bread-cutter was totally a plus. It was like a paper-cutter, only for bread. I became quite obsessed with using it. The homemade butter was excellent and a perfect compliment to the bread. It was the best butter I’ve ever tasted! I think Andrea, Kristine, and I now understand why Paula Deen loves butter so much. We all have a new appreciation for the food lipid.

I totally recommend Rise No. 1. Everything on the menu looks really delicious. Even the oddly named “Marshmallow Soup” is a very popular item at Rise. I am eager to try it if I ever have the chance to go again. :) I would go again just for the bread. ;P

mini-mogul and spontaneousnguyen, thanks for following! <3

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 22:52:30 -0400

mini-mogul and spontaneousnguyen, thanks for following! <3

Nidda Thai Cuisine at 1226 Westheimer, Houston 77006. Pad Thai...

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 22:47:40 -0400

Nidda Thai Cuisine at 1226 Westheimer, Houston 77006.

Pad Thai (left): My brother ordered this, so I was only able to have a small bite. It was refreshingly mild. :) The pad thai wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet or too spicy like I’ve had a lot lot of places. I didn’t have a clear impression of the dish until I had some absolutely horrid pad thai at Chef Cao’s in College Station. CC’s pad thai was sour and slightly too spicy, but the most abhorrent facet of it was it’s sweetness. It was like it was entirely made of chili sauce and tamarind sauce. It took a truly horrible example of pad thai to help me realize how good authentic pad thai is, and Nidda’s pad thai is exactly that: good and authentic.

Red Curry (right): I don’t think I can give a good review. I love red curry, and I’ve never had a poor serving of it for comparison. The chicken was tender, the basil was sweet and green, and the bamboo soaked up the flavors of the curry sauce wonderfully. It was so good. :) So good!

I would totes go back again. There are a few good Thai restaurants in Sugar Land, but if I’m ever in the Montrose neighborhood again and want Thai, I would so go back to Nidda. I only had lunch there, so I would be happy to try some of the dishes from their dinner menu. A lot of the items look really tasty. :3

Mango, Strawberry, and Watermelon Shaved Ice from Juice Box at...

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:01:00 -0500

Mango, Strawberry, and Watermelon Shaved Ice from Juice Box at 9889 Bellaire Blvd. Houston, TX 77036.

It looks unappetizing, but it was so, so good. There really isn’t much to it. Fresh strawberries, mango, and watermelon on top of a pile of shaved ice and drenched in sweetened condensed milk all topped off with a scoop of strawberry ice cream. So good! My only complaint is that there was a lot of condensed milk pooled beneath the ice. The mangoes were a little bitter, but I know they were out of season. I still like that Juice Box uses all fresh fruit. Just be knowledgeable about what you order so you can get fruit at their tastiest when you visit. :3

These weirdos next to us (jk guys) ordered the chocolate avocado shaved ice. What were you guys thinking. The avocado wasn’t even in season. I’ve ordered it before, and it’s interesting. That’s all I can say.

Bacchus is a Mediterranean winebar and coffee shop in the...

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:17:00 -0500

Bacchus is a Mediterranean winebar and coffee shop in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston at 2502B Dunlavy St. (it’s kind of behind Agora). It’s the first coffee shop/winebar in Houston to serve Illy. The manager informed us about the arduous approval process that the Illy company conducts before it allows permission to be served in restaurants, cafes, etc. to maintain quality and exclusivity, so it must be awesome. :) Bacchus has a really unique feel. It’s small but feels really spacious. The furniture is modern and ecclectic and totally doesn’t fit in with the relief vases and fishing nets on the walls. The impression of the place is very Aegean. Everything in Bacchus reminds me of Clycladic and Mycenaean stonework.

Doppio: My brother has been itching to drink cafe-prepared Illy for a while now. He usually drinks about four shots of espresso a day at home, but he says nothing compares to Illy. :) Needless to say, he gives this a positive rating. He enjoyed Bacchus and the espresso so much that he has proclaimed it his new study spot.

Macchiato: I ordered a single macchiato. It was a bit stronger than I expected, but it was definitely the richest espresso I’ve ever had. The biscotti was a bit difficult to dip into the one ounce cup, but it was great once I was finally able to. I had to let it soak for a few seconds; it was a tough little cookie. :)

For those not interested in drinking straight up shots, Bacchus has mochas, lattes, frappes, and whatever else you would expect at a coffee shop.

*Ugly photos by Sarah. Andrea was studying for CPA stuff. :(

During winter break, Andrea graced us Houstoners with her...

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:02:00 -0500

During winter break, Andrea graced us Houstoners with her presence one weekend. I’m not sure whose decision it was to eat at The Breakfast Klub, but it was the best decision ever. :) The staff at the restaurant were all super friendly and sassy. It was very southern. This place is a big deal; when we left there was quite a line already, and that was around 10:30 am or so. If we had come any later, we’d probably have waited a long while for seating. Ambiance-wise, this place was great! It was very urban-in-the-south but cozy and warm as any coffee shop ought to be. Also, yeah, this place is in fourth ward/midtown, but it didn’t seem at all dangerous if that was a concern. It’s totally worth it.

Wings & Waffle

This is one of The Breakfast Klub’s signature dishes (the other is Katfish & Grits), and it’s completely obvious why it’s their most popular. In our party, all of us ordered this item (one of us replaced the waffle with French toast, which, I’m sure, was brilliant), and it was beautiful. Six perfectly battered and deep-fried chicken wings/legs were served circling a spongey soft waffle. I’ll begin with the waffle. I’ve never quite had a waffle like this. Whenever I order waffles, they’re usually a bit more crisp than the ones at The Breakfast Klub. The one here was very soft, but it was still very enjoyable. The softness is a perfect counterpoint to the crispiness and flakiness of the chicken. OMG the chicken! It was so good. I’m not sure how they got the chicken to be so crisp and juicy simultaneously. The batter was spicy (just a hint, not overly), and the spices were balanced really well. I usually find deep-fried chicken to be overly salty or too seasoned, but this was impressive and subtle at the same time. Great! Mr. Kwan almost inhaled his food, but he was fancy about it: forks and knives~

Double Karamel Makiato

One of the awesome things about The Breakfast Klub was that a double shot drink was only five cents more than a single, so yay! More caffeine for everybody! I think I should have ordered this without the whipped cream. It was so, so sweet. The drink itself was sweet to begin with, but the whipped cream was almost overkill. Still, it was enjoyable. Caramel macchiatos are usually considerably more sweet than a regular macchiato due to the sugar in caramel. The macchiatos at The Breakfast Klub are larger and more diluted than macchiatos are usually served, so they are less stong. Adding 3+ pumps of caramel syrup made the already dilute macchiato very, very sweet. I expected this though. I was still able to enjoy my caramel macchiato, and I would totally order this again.

Final notes:

I would try to arrive earlier than 11:15. I think by then, the line would have a super long wait. Also, be prepared to shed a few layers. I’m not sure if it was because the weather was so unpredictable, but it was sauna hot inside the restaurant when we went. Get the Chicken & Waffle when you go!

We have some food updates for Houston: O_O There are three Yogurtland locations in Houston that I...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:33:17 -0500

We have some food updates for Houston:

O_O There are three Yogurtland locations in Houston that I was not aware of until yesterday. The one I saw was at 5901 Westheimer Rd. in Shepherd Square (in the same plaza as Teahouse and Aunt Chang’s Dumpling House). There are also locations at 2055 Westheimer Rd. #115a and 303 Memorial City # 303.
There is also a Torchy’s Tacos in Houston. It’s about two minutes away from Shepherd Square at 2411 South Shepherd Dr. I’m fairly sure that this Torchy’s is new, but, in true Torchy’s style, it looks like it’s been there forever and looks like the furnishings were found by derelicts. :/ It was really busy though, so yay!
Our review for The Breakfast Klub will be written eventually. haha
Yay! Happy New Years and happy food times!
Keep reading please, and please do leave us any criticisms/questions/suggestions/friendly notes. :)

Strawberry cupcake at Crush Cupcakes (ya, that place inside...

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:06:01 -0500

Strawberry cupcake at Crush Cupcakes (ya, that place inside Muldoons):

Rather good. I’m not great at describing desserts. Nice, fluffy strawberry cake with bits of macerated strawberry inside. The strawberry flavor was pleasantly dominant, and the frosting was sweet but not overly so. I quite liked it, but it wasn’t worth $3.

I think strawberry PopRocks would have been awesome as a topping instead of decorative sugar. It would have given it more zing. :)

Butterbeer at Muldoons in College Station! I was so excited to...

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:55:25 -0500

Butterbeer at Muldoons in College Station!

I was so excited to try this before going home for winter break. Andrea and I made a special trip just to Muldoons to try it. I think we both needed a study break. :) Unfortunately, Muldoons was filled (grr sorority girls), so we got ours to go. I’m not sure if it would have been served in a cool cup if we had been able to stay.

I totally saw the guy making them, so I have the full breakdown of ingredients. :) The coffee shop’s butterbeer is comprised of A&W root beer, butterscotch and caramel syrups, and half and half served over ice. It tasted really great. Andrea and I both enjoyed them very much. I usually hate root beer, but adding the other ingredients really made it taste wonderful. It was light and creamy and bubbly. It definitely tasted like fizzy butterscotch. I didn’t get any of the licoricey aftertaste that root beer seems to give. We would totally recommend this! The only thing that was strange was that it was served iced. Since it’s a seasonal drink for the winter, I thought it would have been served hot. I suppose it was served cold because of the root beer would have lost its fizziness if it were warmed, but I still wish they would have had a recipe for butterbeer that could be served hot.

Ah! I forgot to post this! Thanks Wenet! :DDDD We should so do...

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:54:02 -0500

Ah! I forgot to post this!

Thanks Wenet! :DDDD

We should so do another road trip sometime. :3

Madden’s Street Cuisine truck in College Station One lazy...

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:06:07 -0500

Madden’s Street Cuisine truck in College Station

One lazy morning, Andrea and I ate lunch at Village Foods with Zachary. The Madden’s truck and Chef Tai’s were outside as well. We decided to try Madden’s as eating at the fabled Madden’s truck was the final obstacle in our way of completing the Deathly Hallows of College Station food trucks. Onward, ho!, to the review!

Andrea and I both ordered the Green Chile Burger as it seemed like the only appetizing item on their menu. Madden’s’ menu is rather limited, and their lack of specialty items or variety gives little incentive to be a regular customer. Bacon ice cream, though intriguing, is hardly a novel idea anymore. Madden’s really needs to bring more innovation and variety to their menu.

The Green Chile Burger is composed of freshly-ground beef, avocado, roasted green chile, and cheddar cheese on a sourdough bun with a side of chile-cilantro fries. I’m not sure if they had suddenly run out of sourdough, but the buns Andrea and I received were definitely not sourdough. They were soft and sweet and quite good, actually, but that isn’t what we ordered. The bread wasn’t a problem, but they should definitely change their menu if this is a permanent change. I do think that this bread suited the burger more than a sourdough one would have. The rest of the burger is a complete blur for both me and Andrea. I remember seeing bits of green chile, but I couldn’t clearly distinguish the taste. I think the butteriness of the avocado might have overtaken the green chile. Sourdough, as well, would have masked the green chile flavor completely, which might have accounted for the change. Andrea, more of an authority on green chile than I, said it was very unremarkable and added nothing to the burger. The green chile was too mild and bland. She has had much better green chile in New Mexico, and the Madden’s green chile tasted badly in contrast to authentic green chile. I remember the lettuce was just shredded iceberg, which was a major annoyance to eat, as the lettuce kept falling out of the bun. And really, iceberg? Fo’ real, honeybee? If you’re going to call yourself casual gourmet cuisine, do not give me iceberg. Even frisee, the awkward lettuce, would have been an improvement from iceberg. Let Subway have all the shredded iceberg, and step up your lettuce game immediately, Madden’s. The beef was really standard. It tasted fresh, but I really don’t recall anything else worth noting about it. The fries on the other hand were quite nice. They were very thinly cut and crunchy, and the chile oil was a nice accent to an otherwise forgettable meal.

Andrea and I kept glancing enviously toward Zach and his delicious-looking double cheeseburger from Village Foods. I’ve yet to try it, but it must be good. He has ordered it every time I’ve eaten there with him. It looks so junky and unctuous and without pretension, but that makes it look all the more delicious. Next time!

We did manage to snag a few of his sweet potato waffle fries, also from Village Foods. Andrea liked them. They were sweet and spicy and very crunchy. I don’t really like sweet potatoes (I get sick from them, and they’re just not my thing), so from my single fry I was only able to note that they taste much better when warm. The last time I had tried one of these fries, it was cold and the oils had solidified throughout the fry. I felt like Paula Deen eating a whole spoonful of solidified lard or something.

The last stop on our trip was Taste at 17503 La Cantera Pkwy....

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:29:59 -0500

The last stop on our trip was Taste at 17503 La Cantera Pkwy. 103, San Antonio, TX 78257.

Taste is in a really cool shopping area in SA. This is a really nice place to have brunch, and their menu consists of sweet and savory crepes, pizza, paninis, and coffee. This is one of the few places that I’ve seen Illy coffee served at in Texas. :D It totally made my day! The restaurant is a little small and has poor acoustics, but it has a really nice mom and pop shop feel. :) The open kitchen is also really cool. You can see the cooks make pizza and crepes right behind the counter. It’s really nice.

Oh Baby!: A sweet crepe with nutella, fresh banana, and strawberries in syrup. Andrea and Kristine split this crepe. They both enjoyed it a lot. :) It was a bit smaller than I would have hoped, but it was very tasty. They used a lot of nutella, and it was the best thing ever. The banana was nice and fresh. The preserved strawberries were a bit surprising. I had expected fresh berries, but fresh strawberries would likely have been too tart for the crepe. It was probably a good decision to use preserved strawberries. The crepe itself was very thin and had perfect crepe texture. It was perfectly milky and eggy as a crepe should be.

The Smurf: I ordered this. Chicken, mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, and mushrooms in a crepe. OMG! This thing was huge! I did not expect it to be this big. O_O The chicken was really flavorful and juicy. The onions and mushrooms were very good together. The onions were a bit sweet from caramelization, and the mushrooms were salty and meaty in a mushroomy way. It was kind of hard to finish all of this. It was really filling. Fortunately, I was really hungry. :D

I also ordered a latte from Taste. You guys, they had Illy! I was so excited. It’s like some of the best coffee ever: so rich and smooth. :D This is the brand that most cafes and coffee shops use in Europe, so, ya, it’s a big deal. :3 I’m not sure what else to say about it. The lady should have added a bit more milk, but that is my only complaint. The espresso machine was brand new; I could tell from the purity of the espresso as new espresso machines usually yield the best pulled shots. My latte helped me drive Andrea and Kristine safely back to CS. I owe it to the latte.

Wenet, why you no eat anything? :(

And, here our adventure comes to a close. D:

Torchy’s Tacos at 2801 Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX 78705....

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:34:34 -0500

Torchy’s Tacos at 2801 Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX 78705. There are seven more locations in Austin and one in Dallas as well.

This the second place that Andrea was really adamant about trying. As coffee is a required element of food adventures with Sarah, tacos are a requirement for food adventures with Andrea. :3 This was the gnarliest spot we visited. It wasn’t even gross in a cool, grungy way. It looked like a McDonald’s which hasn’t been remodeled since 1992. It was just plain gross. I totes saw an employee just wiping oil off the baskets with napkins and placing them back at assembly counter. T_T I’m aware that all restaurants have their unhygienic secrets, but most places at least keep these unbecoming practices behind the kitchen double doors.

Onto the food:

Dirty Sanchez: Wenet and Andrea ordered this. Scrambled egg, a fried poblano chile, escabeche carrots, guacamole, and shredded cheese on a flour tortilla with Poblano sauce. Andrea described the Dirty Sanchez as intriguingly undirty. :D The scrambled eggs were stacked on top of the tortilla in a sort of eggy, scambled, solid blob disk. The other components were placed on top of the egg. Andrea thought that “the acidity of the pickled carrots cut through the oil a lot, which was really helpful. It was a really nice touch!” :)

Chorizo, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Taco: This is what the always price-minded Kristine ordered. As the straight forward title describes, this taco was simply made of chorizo sausage, scrambled egg, and cheese on a flour tortilla. Kristine described it as standard breakfast taco fare. Nothing that you wouldn’t find at any other taco place.

The Democrat: Regretfully, I ordered this. Beef barbacoa, avocado, queso fresco, cilantro, onions and a lime wedge. I squeezed the lime over the meat, and it really helped break down the oiliness of the barbacoa. Overall, I wasn’t too impressed. The meat was soft in some parts and charred and stiff in other places. The Tomatillo sauce was mild and pleasant. I’m not really a fan of tacos in general, so I really do not have any opinions on how Torchy’s compares to other taco places.

Sno Beach at 801 Barton Springs Rd., Austin, TX 78704. There is...

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:49:46 -0500

Sno Beach at 801 Barton Springs Rd., Austin, TX 78704. There is also a location on Guadalupe.

It took us forever to find this place, you guys. Sno Beach is in an easy to locate spot, but we just have super senses of direction and map-reading skills. :D This is one of the places that Andrea was most excited to eat at. There were also three other food trucks at this location—a sushi place, a froyo truck, and a Thai food truck. None of us had foodfood tummies at the time, so we bypassed the other trucks for snow cones.

Pomegranate and and Mango with cream: This is what Andrea ordered. Andrea expected the pomegranate syrup to overpower the mango syrup, but she was surprised to find that the cream allowed the two flavors to meld together and compliment each other. :) It was a happy marriage of flavors! She also thought that the fine texture of the shaved ice combined with the cream gave the snow cone an ice cream-like taste and texture. The syrup and cream didn’t simply surround the ice flakes like regular snow cones. Mixing the cream and shaved ice really did create a smoother texture much like ice cream or sorbet.

Banana: Kristine ordered a single flavor for her snow cone. She described the flavor of her snow cone as similar to the taste of banana Runts in cold, creamy, smooth form! :) I remember it definitely smelled like banana Runts as well. I guess the creamy texture is present even without adding cream to the snow cone. It’s no wonder that Sno Beach is such an Austin staple. :D

Horchata and Almond with cream: This is what I ordered. I shouldn’t have picked two clear syrups, especially since horchata can be made from almonds. The flavors were difficult to differentiate. It was still delicious. :3 The almond side of the snow cone was definitely more flavorful and fragrant. Wenet said that it smelled and tasted like that Asian almond milk stuff. The horchata side tasted similarly, but I also tasted a subtle note of cinnamon. When the cream topping was mixed into the syrup and the ice, it became a milky horchata sorbet. It was so good!

Sno Beach has a bunch of other interesting and exotic syrups, like Tiger’s Blood (oh, Charlie Sheen T_T), wedding cake, and a wealth of cocktail inspired flavors. If you ever go to Austin, you should definitely try it. :D

Jo’s Coffee at 1300 South Congress, Austin, Texas...

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:31:00 -0500

Jo’s Coffee at 1300 South Congress, Austin, Texas 7870.

We hadn’t originally planned to stop here while we were thinking of places to visit in Austin, but some of us were getting a little sleepy and thirsty and in need of refreshments. Also, a food trip with Sarah would be incomplete without getting coffee. :3

Andrea and I ordered Iced Turbos, and Wenet ordered a Mexican Hot Chocolate.

Mexican Hot Chocolate: Wenet ordered this, and neither Andrea or I tried it. We can’t give a full review, but Wenet liked it. :) Wenet has some videos from the trip that she might upload eventually, but I’m not totally sure if she talks about her beverage. However, we do recall that Wenet enjoyed it. :D

Iced Turbo: This was really good but maybe a bit too sweet for our tastes. Fortunately, the barista had made an extra doppio, so she gave it to us. She also gave me an extra stamp on my card because I think she felt bad that they ran out of soymilk. Thanks barista lady! Andrea and I each poured a shot into our Iced Turbos. The espresso shot gave us a bit more much needed caffeine and helped subdue the sweetness of the drink a bit. The Iced Turbo was really good as is, but adding an extra shot of espresso could be an option for those who prefer their drinks a bit more bold and bitter. :)

Kristine was too cool to order coffee. :3 She was also the most rested of us, having wisely slept at a sensible hour. I think the rest of us were exhausted from talking about serious things the night before, which Kristine skillfully avoided by fleeing to the futon to read. Oh, Kristine! :D