Ryan "I'm in pain" R.'s Profile
Date
1 Previous Review:
-
7/1/2010
I have been looking for a replacement for my last favorite sushi *coughcough* at Spring-Cypress. This place definitely fits the bill.
Their happy hour is really awesome, since it includes sashimi. I may run them out of business at those prices.
They have had some of the best salmon sashimi I've ever had the last two times I've been in there. Salmon is hard enough, let alone this far out of season. Definitely go there!
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 571-2010
Chesterfield's
Category:
Indian
Neighborhoods: Fourth Ward, Downtown
No more buffet. We left and ate somewhere else and I won't be back.
1 Previous Review:
-
1/20/2010
Ok, first off let me say that I've only eaten Indian food a few times, so I'm definitely not a snob about it like I am about a great many other things. So my review might be skewed a little high. Also, we all got the buffet, so I can't comment on the menu food.
This place is kind of odd. It seems like an American fare restaurant that converted mostly to Indian for some reason. It is in a nice location, with lots of light coming from overhead, in contrast to almost all other places in the tunnels.
Finally, I'm not a big buffet person. I can list maybe 3 buffets that I would voluntarily return to (I don't consider Mongolian BBQ a buffet). This place is definitely now on that list, just for the biryani.
The buffet was surprisingly small. I only went to this place because I work with a vegetarian and was trying to find more places nearby, but the choices overall were fairly limited and the veggie selection for an Indian restaurant was really small. The goat curry was only ok, another dish consisted of nothing but okra (which I despise) and some kind of gravy/sauce and the chicken tandoori was dry and lacked a lot of flavor. However, the chicken marsala was really good and the chicken biryani was amazing.
I normally don't choose to eat chicken or rice, but the biryani had me going back for seconds and I will definitely be craving it again sometime soon, I'm sure. The chicken itself and the rice both had great flavor.
Everything was moderately spicy, maybe 3 stars out of 5, but definitely not the burn your face off, cry for milk kind of spice that Indian food is known for. I found the spice level complimented the dishes quite nicely.
The service was spot on. There's a lot less to do in a buffet, but everyone was friendly and attentive. Dirty plates were whisked away in minutes if not seconds and our water glasses stayed full. I really can't say anything bad at all about the service.
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 759-9800
Russo's New York Pizzeria
Category:
Pizza
Neighborhoods: Fourth Ward, Downtown
It's similar to other Russo's locations. They offer NY style pizza (duh) which I don't prefer, having grown up on real pizza in Chi-town. However, they have a wonderful deep dish offering and great calzones, plus a lunch special that includes a salad.
The great thing about this location is that they are always busy at lunch, but they take care of you. It's the kind of devotion to service that sets great restaurants apart. They have a sign up that calzones can take 20-30 minutes at lunch, but they were almost full today and ours came out in about 15, maybe less. Definitely pushing it for a fast lunch, but if you are taking an hour lunch, it's well worth the wait.
I've only been here 3-4 times, but they have consistently great food and service.
Fortunately we had 3.5 people so we tried several savory and one sweet crepe. I had the salmon* (basically lochs in a crepe instead of on a bagel) and my friends had the breakfast crepe with portuguese sausage and egg and also the one with chicken, feta and a sun dried tomato pesto sauce. I loved my salmon crepe, but I have to admit the chicken was even better. The sausage was also delish.
For dessert we got the CoCo special with strawberries, chocolate, carmel and whip. It was good, but actually a little too sweet. Next time I'm going to try a different sweet crepe (the bananas foster looks awesome).
They have a few tablebooths inside and a couple out on the patio. It's small but cozy. Definitely a great place for breakfast on the NNW side.
*The description for the salmon crepe said 'red onion caper'. I thought maybe they just missed a comma there, but in fact I got just capers. I've never heard of 'red onion capers' and neither has my friend wikipedia, so I'm going to assume CoCo's has been doing some gene experimentation on the side. They tasted like regular capers, if a little mild.
We stopped in after already eating way too much sugar just to check the place out. I haven't been spending very much time with my dogs, so when I spied the pupcakes I figured I'd get them each one. However, I knew they'd just woof it down (get it?) in one bite and look at me for something else.
I was shocked when I gave them to my dogs and they actually had to chew the things. The looked and smelled like peanut butter, so I knew my dogs would love them, but they were obviously baked to a good consistency for dogs to be able to chew on for a few moments and not just swallow whole. The dogs followed me around for a long time after eating them, so they were obviously very delicious to a dog.
At 1.50 each (including tax) they were slightly pricey for a regular treat, but next time you want to spoil your man's best friend, give these a try.
Cypress, TX 77429
(281) 758-1323
Shogun Japanese Grill & Sushi Bar
Categories:
Japanese,
Sushi Bars
I still come here pretty frequently, but I don't think it trumps everyone else on the NW side anymore.
I've been dropping some hints, so maybe they'll make a correction and come back.
1 Previous Review:
-
9/10/2008
This is the best sushi on the NW side. Whenever I go to a sushi place I always ask the chef what's good. How and what he answers tells me a lot about the place. "Everything" or a list of the most popular sushi items is a dead giveaway that the place doesn't offer high quality sushi.
The tall sushi chef at Shogun knows his stuff. I had the toro here once and it was only ok, but everything else I've had is fabulous. I eat a lot of sashimi, so if the quality of the fish isn't there, I know it fast. The rolls are very good also and always made to perfection. The staff is pretty good and some of them are great.
We've eaten here once for teppenyaki and the experience was good, but not stellar. The food was prepared very well, it's just that the show was underwhelming. Maybe we caught the chef on a bad night. I'd rather have good food than a good show anyway.
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 739-9267
Yao Restaurant and Bar
Categories:
Chinese,
Sushi Bars
Neighborhoods: Fourth Ward, Downtown
I agree with another review: you really can't do really good Chinese and really good sushi.
Service was ok, but obviously not well trained on the menu.
Richardson, TX 75080
(972) 470-0722
Sushi-Sake Japanese Restaurant
Categories:
Japanese,
Sushi Bars
It's a pretty authentic place, by my never-been-to-Japan experience.
It is a bit hard to find, being kind of in the back of Vintage and surrounded by as yet unfilled retail spaces. They have a nice patio, however and inside is beautiful. It's tastefully decorated and while a couple others have said it's too loud, they do have plenty of soft surfaces to absorb sound, unlike a lot of new, chic restaurants. This was a Wednesday night and only about half of the tables were full, so it was nice and quiet.
Our waitress was definitely not a cheerleader, but she was professional, helpful and attentive. Our food was served on regular plates, not plastic. I'm not sure if other reviewer's experience was when the restaurant was new, but it would have definitely affected my review.
Deanna got a greek salad to start. The dressing was not what I would expect, but it was very good. The salad kind of embodied the vibe I got while perusing the menu: this place is unqiue. More than just a South African fusion place, Peli Peli pulls together dishes, spices and flavors from all over the place. When I asked the waitress recommended a Russian beer (Baltika - a definitely *not* American lager beer) that was great.
I got the lamb and I was not a lick disappointed. I was initially very surprised that they were served with miny jelly as this didn't seem South African. My first chop (of 4) was ok, but not over the top. However, it must not have been seasoned quite as strongly as the others, because 2-4 were amazing. I devoured them and noisily chewed on the bones. The spices were strong and had a little bite, but didn't overpower the meat. Combined with small amounts of the jelly, the taste was phenomenal.
We will definitely be back!
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Cypress, TX
Yelping SinceAugust 2008
Things I Lovegreek food, espresso, wine, scotch, sushi
Find Me InSomalia deworming orphans.
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Why You Should Read My ReviewsI'm a food snob. ...And a wine snob. Er, also whisky and espresso.
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It's too bad because they had a great thing going.