Houston, TX.

I love Texas. Not only because my beloved Cowboys are located there but because of all the different types of food. You can find mixtures of Cajun, Creole, Southern, Tex Mex, BBQ as well as a melting pot of other worldly cuisine. I worked the summer of 93 down in Corpus, San Antonio and Austin and although it was bloody hot and humid the WHOLE summer it was an awesome experience. So when my bank I work for bought a bank in Texas that was headquartered in Houston I was excited to get back down there.

The city of Houston is huge and like San Antonio you can make one giant loop around the city for easy access to any part of town. My Aunt and Uncle and a few cousins moved down there years ago which made it doubly exciting to visit them and that city for work. I will start near the Galleria which is where I spent most of my time.

Gigi's Asian Bistro:     http://www.gigisasianbistro.com/

Start off with their Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Now I know that everyone does a lettuce wrap these days (PF Chang's are awesome) but these lettuce wraps take my prize as the best. The mixture they use is very original and the flavors blow apart in your mouth like Chinese fireworks. My menu item of choice is the Tamarind Chili Cashew Chicken. This was a different take on cashew chicken that I have had elsewhere as the chili spice really worked at giving this dish a unique kick. My work associate swears by the Shaking Beef so I will be trying that on my next visit.

Post Oak Grill:     http://www.postoakgrill.com/

This place is very trendy and by trendy I mean the menu is very diverse with signature dishes. Most of the finer places I eat on the road take traditional pasta, meat and seafood dishes and then make them there own and this place does that exceptionally well. For pasta I recommend the Crab/Lobster Ravioli as the mushroom lobster sauce is good enough to eat on its own let alone the stuffed ravioli. For meat I recommend the Three Peppercorn Filet. The sauce is fantastic and the meat was so tender. I will try the seafood on my next visit and let you know.

The Flying Dutchman (Kema):     http://www.landrysrestaurants.com/pages/restaurants/pg_rest_dutchman.htm

A work associate from near Kema told me about this place so I followed him down which was about a 45 minute drive southeast of Houston. Which at times he forgot I was following him which made for an adventure but I digress. This boardwalk area was really neat. It had lots of cool shops and eats. Allot of it was destroyed by Katrina but has been rebuilt and better than ever. Definitely worth the drive when you are visiting Houston. My menu item of choice was the Island Redfish but just about any seafood you get will not disappoint as Galveston bay is right there and the fishing is back.

Good Co. Texas BBQ:     http://www.goodecompany.com/

My cousin took me for a looksie around Houston one day I was down there and he took me to this place for some awesome Texas BBQ. We went to the original establishment on Kirby. I had the Beef Brisket sandwich on their jalapeno cheese bread and it did not disappoint. The Austin baked beans and cole slaw were some of the best I've had. But what really stands out was the slice of Brazos Bottom Pecan Pie that I got. Now I'm not one for nut custard pies as when you make them at the elevation we are at in Utah they are dry. But being in a humid area must make a world of difference as the pecans were soft and fused well with the custard and flaky crust. YUM!

Other places of choice by my co-workers are Yia Yia Mary's for Greek food. Pappasitos Cantina for Mexican or Pappadeauxs for seafood. I will also check these places out on my next visit and give a full report.

Thank you Sam Houston and remember the Alamo!