30 BEFORE 30...

if you take a closer look at what i did to celebrate my birthday (below) you might notice there was a surplus of good food involved. it's true, i like to eat. in the past, my birthday resolutions have been a little more noble than this year. for the 2009-2010 list i'm just making one resolution- to familiarize myself with more houston restaurants. i decided before i turn 30 i will try 30 places i haven't already been in the houston area. some are places i keep hearing about, some are places i drive by often and wonder what they are like, and some came highly recommended by my houston references. it took me a little while to compile my list but i am now ready, so let the tasting begin. as i try each place the restaurant name will no longer be written in bold and the tasting date will be recorded. (disclaimer: menu item descpritions may be taken from each restaurant's website). a rating will be given each restaurant on the following scale:
* bad, ** fair, *** good, **** great, ***** excellent

30 before 30 restaurants…

Artista (03-25-09)***

golden empanadas- house made pastry filled with seasonal and local ingredients
new england sea scallops- served with spinach, toasted sesame, and cilantro gremolata
cocoa tart- gianduja fudge, chocolate ganache, and coconut ice cream
(dined with evan for dinner before seeing les mis)

Auntie Pasto's (04-17-09)***
scallops & angel hair- sea scallops on top of angel hair pasta,

tossed in zesty tomato butter sauce, and topped with a dollop of tomatillo sauce.

served with sourdough loaf.
(dined with jim, karen, evan, and adelaide for a friday night dinner)

Azuma (11-10-09)**

miso soup,

noodle bowl with chicken

(dined with evan for a lunch date)

Barnaby’s Cafe (05-23-09)***

black bean veggie burger- served with cucumbers, feta, tomato, and sauce on a whole wheat bun

plus a side of cripsy french fries
(dined evan and adelaide saturday lunch)

Beaver's (09-18-09)****

fried pickles- served with chipotle ranch sauce

beaver nut burger- a protein bomb with brown rice, cashews, walnuts, cheddar cheese with bibb lettuce, tomato, onion, house pickles, and miso-mustard sauce.

macaroni and cheese- corkscrew pasta, parmesan, and cheddar gratin

(dined with tiffani and adelaide for a girls' lunch )

Buffalo Grille (02-28-09)****

french toast- with strawberries, pecans, and chocolate chips,

and a side of pecan smoked pepper bacon

cinnamon mocha- signature cinnamon coffee mixed with hot cocoa
(dined with evan and adelaide for birthday brunch)

Benjy’s (08-21-09)***

caesar salad- with wasabi-cilantro dressing

mushroom pizza- signature mushrooms and pine nuts and cheese atop a light flaky crust
(dined with evan for dinner before seeing the color purple)

Canyon Cafe (01-26-10)****

tortilla and sweet potato chips and homemade salsa

seared ahi salad- ahi tuna seared rare and chilled.

served over fresh greens with a light sesame vinaigrette, sliced apples, carrots, and radish sprouts.

topped with crisp wonton strips

(dined with tiffani, mazie, sarah beth, and graham for lunch)

Cleburne Cafeteria (12-27-09)***

blackened salmon- all dishes served cafeteria style

macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, and squash casserole-

made with vegetables bought daily from the farmer's market

(dined with evan, adelaide, graham, dad, mom, and sara kate over the christmas holiday)

Cyclone Anaya's (03-25-09)****

cheese enchilada lunch plate- served with mexican rice and black bean soup

plus a surplus of thin crispy tortilla chips and delicious salsas

(dined with tiffani and adelaide for a lunch date)

Doyle’s Pizza(08-27-09)***

garlic bread- buttered and toasted to perfection

hawaiian pizza- canadian bacon and pineapple on a tossed crust

(dined with tiffani, amanda, and adelaide for a girls' lunch)

Fu Garden (06-07-09)***

general tso's lunch special- sweet and spicy deep fried chicken,

fried rice, wonton soup, and spring roll

(dined with dad, mom, sara kate, evan, and adelaide for sunday lunch)

Goode Co. Seafood (03-21-09)***

baby coho salmon- served with sauteed mushrooms, fresh green beans,

and homemade sourdough bread

(dined with chris, kelli, caroline, evan, and adelaide for dinner)

Goode Co. Tacqueria (08-28-09)**

two crispy taco dinner- two tacos, rice, beans, and avocados

(dined with evan and adelaide for a family friday night dinner)

Ibiza (02-12-10)***

meat and cheese pairings

moroccan shrimp- with goat cheese polenta

mocha bread pudding- with carmel ice cream

(dined with evan before seeing miss saigon)

Le Peep (04-18-09)**

two squared- two pieces of french toast,

two eggs cooked over medium, and two pieces of bacon.

(dined with evan and adelaide for saturday morning brunch)

Mi Luna (02-18-10)****

greens with pine nuts

baked goat cheese in tomato basil sauce

fried potatoes

shrimp in aioli sauce

(dined with tiffani, mazie, adelaide, and graham for lunch)

Mia Bella Trattoria (06-19-09)****

insalata cesare- romaine lettuce, parmesan, croutons, anchovies, and caesar dressing

tortellini di pollo e spinaci-whole wheat tortellini filled with spinach and a trio of cheeses

in tomato basil cream sauce with grilled chicken and fresh sauteed spinach

(dined with evan for dinner before seeing cabaret)

Onion Creek (06-08-09)***

chicken salad sandwich- chicken salad with toasted pecans, dried cranberries, lettuce, tomato on wheat.

side salad- greens with carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and creamy cilantro dressing

(dined with tiffani, amanda, and adelaide for a monday lunch)

Piatto (10-16-09)***

jessica's gnocchi- fresh homemade gnocchi in a tomato cream sauce, served with sourdough bread

(dined with evan and adelaide for a friday night dinner)

Pronto (11-20-09)****

fritto misto- fried calamari, shrimp, and zucchini chips with a spicy marinara sauce
cannelloni- fresh pasta wrapped around roasted chicken, mushrooms, spinach and ricotta with tomato basil sauce

(dined with evan and adelaide on a friday night)

Ragin Cajun (11-06-09)***

shrimp po'boy- seasoned and boiled shrimp atop a hoagie bun with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayo mixed

spicy fries- french fries seasoned to cajun perfection

(adelaide and i met evan during his lunch break and dined in the tunnels downtown)

Raia’s Italian Market (05-16-09)***

caesar salad- romaine, capers, croutons, and pecorino romano with a homemade caesar dressing

bolognese- rigatoni pasta with Sicilian meat sauce

chicken marsala- breaded chicken breast, onions & mushrooms in a marsala sauceand served with alfredo pasta (technically i ordered the bolognese and evan ordered the chicken marsala but we shared both)

(dined with evan and adelaide for a saturday night dinner)

Raven Grill (06-12-09)***

fried calamari- served wtih ancho mayonaise and homemade marinara sauce

grilled salmon salad- grilled salmon served over field greens tossed with low-fat lemon caper vinaigrette,

mushrooms, carrots, roasted corn, and pico de gallo

(dined with evan and adelaide for a friday night dinner)

Ruggles Grill 5115 (inside the galleria saks) (03-12-09)**

smoked salmon sandwich- smoked salmon on a toasted sesame bun topped with greens and sauce

(dined with kelli, caroline, and adelaide for lunch after realizing the original ruggles was temporarily closed)

Ruggles Bakery (03-26-09)****

soup and sandwich combo- white meat chicken salad on croissant and homemade tomato basil soup

(dined with kelli, caroline, and adelaide for lunch after a walk around rice)

Skeeter’s (05-08-09)***

skeeter k'bob- skewer with beef and chicken, grilled peppers, tomato, onions, mushrooms, & pineapple

(dined with chris, kelli, caroline, evan, and adelaide for dinner)

Taste of Texas (05-12-09)****

salad bar and soup- baked potato soup topped with cheese, chives, and crumbled bacon

one of the tastiest salad bars i've ever had in texas, complete with homemade dressings and bread

(dined with misty and adelaide during misty's lunch break)

Treebeards (02-24-09)****

trio plate (choose 3 sides)- red beans and rice, squash casserole, and a fruit cup

chocolate cake- rich, moist, and delcious frosting

(dined with evan and adelaide for lunch near evan's office)

Ziggy's (04-24-09)***

grilled shrimp salad- fresh mixed organic greens, fresh kiwi, pine nuts, cheese, and grilled shrimp.

served with lemon ginger vinaigrette

(dined with tiffani and adelaide during tiff's lunch hour)

(all menu descriptions form restaurant websites)

other fabulous houston eating spots:

hungry's cafe and bistro, santos, fuzzy's pizza,100% taquito, collinas, lupe tortilla

in honor of the fact i turned 29 we celebrated, then celebrated, then celebrated some more.

friday night, the girls went out together. we got pedicures, we dined on MEXICAN FOOD AT LOS CUCOS, and went to the movies and saw he's just not that into you.

saturday just the 3 of us went to BRUNCH AT BUFFALO GRILLE . i totally pulled the "it's my birthday so i can eat whatever i want" card. i ordered french toast with strawberries. and pecans. and powdered sugar. and chocolate chips. then i had a cinnamon mocha to get some chocolate in liquid form too.

saturday evening we met up with more family for DESSERT AT THE CHOCOLATE BAR. once again i was not disappointed. neither was the mini chocoholic in the making who insisted on sharing all my tasty treats.