Therese "Trissa" T.'s Profile

I heard about a baby/maternity store that recently opened up on 19th St. though didn't really have any reason to go to 19th St, but one day opportunity just happened, so I went on a lark. And boy am I glad I did! People, this place sells gently-used items, but at a great price, and in really good condition! And if you want to get rid of your baby/preggo stuff, they accept consignment, too. Seriously, sometimes, the stuff they sell hasn't even been opened! They also have cute stuff from local/out-of-state indie artists, like cute stuffed patchwork animals, and baby wipe containers. We got a moby wrap here for $30, and a cute bella band,  some baby-rearing DVD's and socks, among other things. They have a good selection of maternity books, too, and today, I even saw a gently-used baby monitor AND co-sleeper! Now that I've reviewed it, I guess my secret for cute baby stuff is out; dang. Seriously, though, I was at lunch with a friend who's expecting her 3rd child, and she said, "why buy new stuff if you can get it secondhand?" I say Amen to that, especially clothes, as kids grow SO fast (I believe parents all over will give me a "heck yea!") So thank goodness for Thread.

I honestly think their food is delicious; a step above regular Indian food, but more casual than its sister restaurant, Indika. Their desserts are amazing, as well. They recently launched an all-restaurant Meatless Monday, and may I say, despite what some carnivorous Houstonites think, that it's darn good food. I had the paneer curry, and oh wow, the paneer was so soft it almost had the consistency of tender chicken or tofu! And the pomegranate pieces in it? Genius. I like their tisanes, too: my fave is the Shakti (orange rind, almonds). For malt-loving folks, they have a Bournvita shake and a Bournvita ice cream sandwich with Parle-G made in-house for dessert. If you are happy with cookies, my favorite remains to be their chocolate chip-chili-oatmeal cookie.  It doesn't hurt either that they locally source a bunch of their menu items, including the chicken, eggs, vegetables and milk. They offer gluten-free options, too. The service is more often than not good, and if it's not, just catch the eye of the manager and it'll be all right :) With the closing of Yatra downtown, this has become my Indian restaurant of choice. And with the choice of Meatless Mondays, things just got more interesting. They do have that $25 take-out with the metal stack-ems, and now, they even sell stainless steel bowls and glasses at an affordable price, i.e. no need to go to Little India! AWESOME! I seriously love this place, and hope they continue to get better.

This is the place to go for Vietnamese food. I don't recall them having banh mi (the sandwich), but the noodles and the pho are all great; they're also famous for these rice plates with a fried egg, which my parents love as it reminds them of food from home (the Philippines) It's also BYOB here, and just a note, they are closed on Sundays. If you want to avoid lines, I'd say come here for lunch. The store next door is also theirs, FYI, and they have nice buddhas if you catch it right, as well as nice teas that they serve at the restaurant.

I'm pretty jazzed that they offer green/eco-friendly products, even hair dyes that are ammonia-free! I see Trey here, and she rocks: she cut my hair, then a few weeks later, my husband's, and we're both very happy with the results. The salon is also in a house, so it's very homey; right off Grey, so it's not hard to get to. They used to be bad about answering their phones, and sometimes they still are, so my advice is to contact your stylist directly for an appointment, if you can.

This is the place if you want to get a poodle from a rescue (Poodle Rescue of Houston), and they've got 'em all: standard, mini, and toy. Their standards go quick, though, so FYI.
The dogs they have are great, but their organization style is poor. We adopted our dog from them, and from start to finish, it was a bit frustrating. We got our dog temporarily as a foster until she was clear of her medical conditions, but as with a rescue, stuff crops up. They have an in-house vet, so we have to take her back every time something crops up, or we pay out of pocket. We're grateful, don't get us wrong, especially now that we have to pay for all her vet visits, but from EaDo to Willowbrook? Oh Lord help us. And we're never given the complete answer: we'd have to go through several channels, and even then the explanations are varied and vague. The dog our dog was rescued with died of liver failure, so they were extra careful with ours after, but it also meant more of a run-around.The owner herself, on her last visit, asked us if we still wanted to adopt our dog. Um, WTF? Of course; if we didn't, we wouldn't have been dealing with all this, right?!
Given another chance, yes, we would probably adopt from them again, but hoo boy.

I'm pretty happy with this PetSmart, with its location and facility. They pretty much have most everything you'd  need (speaking as a dog-owner). I was pretty miffed with their policy on special food for dogs, though, i.e. the w/d canned food from Hill's: you're supposed to have a prescription from your vet to buy it. Folks, this is FOOD. No medicine involved. I was ready to deck the guy (hello, preggo hormones), but wisely refrained. My husband then asked the cashier if we could just buy the darned stuff on the down-low, and that's what we did: I snuck back and went the side aisles so as to leave undetected. But really, why can diabetics or even non-diabetics buy Ensure OTC at the pharmacy and our dogs need a prescription for special-diet canned food?! PetSmart, maybe you need to lax up here. We also get our dog groomed here, as she is still scared of the bathtub, for some reason. It takes 4 hours from start to finish, so we have to do other stuff after we drop her off or we go home and come back: it costs about $30 just for the basic grooming, too, so just a heads-up. Overall, though, I'm glad they're around.

Typical American food, but on the healthy side with vegan options, but my raison d'être for coming here is that they are dog-friendly (patio). Amen.

I love this place! Keep in mind that it's the hippiest looking house on the block, with plants growing outside, etc. I do love the vibe and welcoming atmosphere, though. Pat is usually on the premises, and when it's your 1st visit, you get a free mini-pie! They also have lunch combos where you can get an entree and dessert. You are also free to sample to your heart's content. My faves are the kale krispies, the shorties, their sugar kookies, and of course the kombucha: you can request the "scoby", too! Keep in mind too that this is a buy and go situation, unless you want to eat on the grass outside.

My parents stay here all the time when they visit, so we're often here. I am glad they've done a stacked system of parking, where they charge by the hour, and not a flat rate like they did. The facilities are pretty good; my parents complain though that their Ambassador Lounge happy hour is only from 5-7 pm whereas in Europe it's 5-10 pm. I'm not drinking right now, though, as I'm preggo. The pool and the fitness center are pretty nice; the area is right in the heart of 6-10 in the Galleria area, so if you're visiting and like to shop, it's pretty easy to walk to the Galleria from here.

I'm pretty OK with Gillman Subaru, only they're so.far.away. The service is pretty good, and it's a car dealership, so when we bought our Subaru, it took 3 hours from start to finish. Can't complain, the car is beautiful, and there was a promo going on, so we got $3k off.