My Houston Blog

This is one city I haven’t been to in a while and never really look forward to going to. One of the last times I was in Houston my 2nd child was born while I was standing in line to get on the plane to come home. Yeh, I know.

While on this trip I didn’t have to worry about the wife giving birth but was worried about finding some new places to dine. I didn’t really succeed in doing this but found some new appreciation for a place I have been a couple of times in the past. I did get the opportunity to revisit Fogo de’ Chao (awesome – read previous blog from Dallas) but am refereeing to Sam’s Boat.

There are several of these locations in the Houston area and I have been to at least three at one time or another. The best part; they are all the same. The worst part; they are all the same.
I think the only time I have ordered off the main menu was the first time at Sam’s a couple of years ago. Since then a meal usually consists of a several appetizers and numerous buckets of beer. Yep, Shiner Bock.
So when visiting the Houston area and you looking for a local hang out to eat, drink, watch the big game or play bar games, stop by Sam’s Boat. Make sure to try the Shiner battered mushrooms, crab balls, crab and shrimp stuffed jalapenos, blackened hot wings and their signature dish, boiled craw fish (mud bugs). Two guys can make a meal out of these six but make sure to get six pounds of bugs. Tuesday’s the have a three pound special for $12.95. Oh yeah, don’t forget the 6 buckets of Shiner Bock. For some reason they classify Shiner as a import instead of domestic and charge you for it but to me, it’s worth it.

The only other place I went to was the Tilted Kilt. It was an alright place but was one of those Texas type places I have written about in the past. It’s all about the “scenery”. The wait staff is all dressed in short Scottish kilts with white shirts tied just below the chest, exposing their mid section while accenting their cleavage. Nope no men working here, but the few ladies with muffin tops give you the impression they are knockin’ down a few to many pints with the patrons. Great selection of draft beers but to many heavy foods on the menu (fish and chips, chicken fried steak, sausage plate, and a bunch of other things loaded with gravy). Holding true to this week’s pattern we order from the appetizer menu and are not disappointed with the huge nacho plate and basket of wings.

My last thought and probably the best part about this visit. I discovered another Texas brew that is well worth calories to drink 2 or 12.
ZiegenBock Amber is actually brewed by Anheuser-Busch but displays the Texas star on the bottle and is only distributed in Texas. It tastes more like a domestic dark beer than an amber but has a nice clean finish, less after tast than an amber and didn’t give me the hang over that I deserved. The task at hand, how do I get this back to Idaho?????

Sushi in Spokane

Kind of an impromptu trip to Spokane this week. I was supposed to be in Boise all week but hey, I’ve never had Sushi in Spokane before.

This time of the year traditionally yields the largest snowfall here in the North West and this year seems to be way above the norm. Currently there is 3 feet of snow here in the Spokane area and they apparently do not own a single piece of snow removal equipment. Might be a good idea to have a 4 wheel drive when making the visit.

Sushi.com is located on Main St in downtown Spokane. This is the first time I have ever been to a Sushi place that someone had not recommended prior to my visit. I used the Google Maps program on my cell phone and found 3 sushi restaurants all within a few blocks of one another. Why I picked this one? It’s called Sushi.com, it’s got to be good.
Yep, it’s good and I plan to return the next time I’m in town. Reasonably priced and quality to boot. Friendly staff and only a five minute wait for an order to go.