Nish N.'s Profile

French Macarons? Why didn't you say so? Frankly, I had no idea what the difference was from the regular variety, but très magnifique, what a difference! These are little bites of sweet heaven, a completely sweet experience in just one bite. It's a little luxury to add some savoir faire to your perhaps humdrum day.

Special bonus: they carry Mariage Frères teas, perhaps the best loose leaf in the world, and for some reason nearly impossible to find here in the U.S. Tea bags are for suckers.

We found ourselves in St. Louis for a family funeral this past weekend, and had Gokul cater the dinner after the wake. Obviously this was a tough time for everyone in the family, but having food that comforted our collective Sri Lankan souls was for that reason so much more important.

Everything from the pakoras and vadas to the various curries (matter paneer, channa saag) and rice were flavorful and fragrant, and the service was just right. Everything is vegetarian, by the way.

When I was talking to the owner (who was on hand), he asked me how long I'd be in town. I told him just until Sunday, and he said, "Well then you'll have time to come in for a full meal." You gotta like that.

There are only a handful of things that are just about perfect in life. Zooey Deschanel (http://www.youtube.com...) comes to mind. So does the Tendercrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch (http://www.youtube.com...). And then there's Tommaso's pepperoni pizza. It's magnificent, I tell you.

Somehow knowing that the restaurant is named after Tommy Chin, the long-time chef when the joint was Lupo's (http://tommasos.com/it...), just makes each bite somehow more compelling. My advice is go early in the week and in the evening to avoid the wait.

Da Mayor. There, I've finally arrived. No, I'm not getting into the political arena (don't have nearly enough scandal in my life). I'm talkin' about having the dish named after Willie Brown. It's half lasagna and half eggplant Parmesan, since, you know, why just settle for one?

It's not an inexpensive lunch, but it's a boisterous one (Italian red wine can have that effect). It's also one of the few spots South of Market that feel like some sort of wheelings and dealings are going on, and we just don't have enough of those anymore.

At first I thought this was Miller, as in the High Life... turns out it is another kind of Miller, as in the Miller Theatre Advisory Board (MTAB), a group of important sounding folks who are responsible for using the city's public funds to provide performances free to the public!

We took the METRORail over here on Saturday night, sweet tea vodka in our styrofoam cups, with perfect weather above and around us. Kids were kicking it while the older people like myself took in the show, which turned out to be The Gourds and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. I mean, I've actually paid money to see the former and the latter are good ol' Texas boys, so as a visitor to Houston, I was definitely impressed.

I hear the the symphony is a wonder to take in here as well, along with classic films. Indeed, this really is the true high life.

Poison Girl gives all hipsters in Houston hope! I had the chance to stop in for an early drink this past Saturday, and our bartender Robin was just perfect (she had stories, knowledge, is an artist herself). It's a whiskey bar of the highest caliber, meaning they have a seriously strong selection of rye and bourbon, but the vibe is just casually drunk.

Pinball machines line the back wall, and there's an outdoor patio for you smokers. Me, I'll just take that seat at the bar, glass of Michter's in hand, and stare longingly at the black velvet nude portraits that conjure up a more innocent yet tawdry time.

This is the best (and only) ice house I've ever been to! I'm not sure if this is really even a bar, but it is a laid back outdoor spot to hang out with friends, pop a few beers, heck even bring the kids for some hot dogs and bbq. I understand they've been serving up cold ones since the mid-1920s, so why mess with a good thing?

Special points for being extremely dog friendly and having an outdoor basketball hoop out back (game of drunk Horse, anyone?).

I drive a Volvo station wagon, and am probably more concerned with having a good stereo in the car than what's under the hood, but the permanent exhibits in this museum are things of beauty.

Whether it's actual art cars, paintings, a set of tires, a stretch go-cart or a Harley, each piece reflects our society's fascination and dependence on the open road. We're all trying to get some place, aren't we? Think about all the songs that are about driving -- "Drive" by The Cars, "Greased Lightnin'" of course, Prince's "Little Red Corvette," Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac" -- well they all get conjured up here.

Admission is free (they accept donations), which makes it even more imperative to get your own auto and floor it on over!

The Breakfast Klub deserves all the praise that people give it. After a rough night out, we decided that the only cure for our previous evening's debauchery would be fried catfish, chicken and waffles.

Yes, there is a line, but it typically moves by quickly (twenty minutes or so), plus the staff come out and welcome you along. It's all smiles and sunshine. Once you place your order at the counter, you then move along to get your coffee (strong and robust), hot syrup, butter, utensils... and find a seat inside.

Then it's up to you to chow down on golden delicious waffles and crunchy fried chicken, or that catfish with some of the most buttery grits this yelper has ever tasted. The coffee is unlimited, so take your time and recover/converse/eat.

I can't stress how friendly everyone that works there is. I think I talked to four employees during the course of our visit and on the way out, one big gent shook my hand for coming in.

I guess that all stems from owner Marcus Davis, who sounds like a generous soul (there's a few charities he's directly involved with, from what I gather). While in line I read one press clipping about how he used to run out to passing cars and give drivers muffins to try and menus to take with them. Now I'm not saying that's a reason to go, necessarily, but I don't know, maybe it is. You'd have to be "krazy" to pass up at least one visit.

When my friend Farrah told me there was a new bar in town whose main focus was serving shots, going by the name of Shotski's, I knew that would be my final destination for my Friday night!

It's owned by the same people behind Nox, which is right next door, but the two couldn't be more different. While there is a full bar, you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't try just a couple of shots. I think the menu has something like a thousand on there, no joke, with ridiculous and hilarious names that strangely match the ingredients to a tee.

Well, I can't be so sure of that, because after about four different ones, my memory started to be like this: nfadojdsofnhsakfjnas5927503nslkfsahq;mnvosyu93wrsl nf23475879824-noskkfmsofifsNISHOTSfnafknsafjnfksan fafjafnaksffjkdslf misfkdsfkdsflkdsf9iqwnfdsdfmdflksd9394u10777776666 sxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxnjfsfi82nmsfljsmflskjfi.xnvwhie-

... which pretty much was similar to someone shaking my skull vigorously and then my head hitting the bar. Yeah, I think I had fun, and so will you.

P.S. I can't confirm it for the above reason, but I think at some point there was line dancing going on.