Patrenella's

Kimmy and I had our 5 year anniversary on Sunday, and since Sunday was the Super Bowl, I took her out on Saturday night instead. We went to Patrenella's, which is an Italian place that my grandparents have recommended before, though the chef that had been there before left. New chef or old chef, the food was really good. The main restaurant, which is the Patrenella family's old house converted into a restaurant, was full when we got there, so they asked if we wanted to go wait in their bar behind the restaurant, called Corleone's. We went back there and there were people eating there too, so we just ate there. It's the same kitchen, same menu, so I'm not sure why they call it something else, but whatever. We ordered an eggplant appetizer - very thin fried eggplant parmigiana topped with marinara and cheese. With a serving of pasta that would have been a really nice meal, but it was a good appetizer too.

The waitress came by and told us the specials, and I really debated ordering the ribeye with bleu cheese sauce she mentioned, but I had already picked out Veal Piccata from the menu. Kimmy ordered something else I was eyeing on the menu, the seared scallops. My veal was good, nice and lemony and caper-y sauce, which is how I like it, and the pasta was cooked well. The meat may have been a little overcooked, but it was still good. The stars of the evening were Kimmy's scallops though. Seared Scallops on top of a REALLY good and creamy basil risotto, topped with tomato jam and pancetta. They were delicious. Scallops were perfectly cooked, nice sear on the outside and buttery soft on the inside. The tomato jam and pancetta were a nice match on top, and the risotto was amazing.

I also ordered a glass (and then another) of "whatever white wine they had open," and I was proud that I knew it was a Pinot Grigio when I tasted it. I don't know if I should be proud of that or not, but whatever.

We also played a quick Bocce match on the court out in front of the restaurant, which is always fun, even though Kimmy didn't throw the boccino very far.

P.O.'s

Last week on Wednesday I think, Kimmy felt like having a burger, so we decided to go to P.O.'s. My family used to go there every other month or so when we first moved out to Cypress, so I've got plenty of memories of greasy burgers and playing pinball there after baseball games and stuff. I decided to try the ostrich burger that they have there to tell you all how it is. It is... thin and dry and not very flavorful, I wouldn't recommend it. I wouldn't really recommend it. They have Buffalo burgers too though, and those are usually pretty good. Kimmy got a regular Bacon Cheeseburger, which I think they call a Bob burger there, and that was much better. I'll rate it as a "meh, good enough to try once," but childhood memories have me ending back up there every once in a while when I'm in Cypress.

Schmaltz- Waco, TX

I went up to Waco this past weekend for a short trip to reunite with some Gra(n)d girls- Jenny, Katie, Emily, & Rachel. Rachel and I stayed at a nice hotel which is surprising because you wouldn't really expect it to exist in Waco. Anyways, we went to dinner at the Elite Circle Grille off of the crazy circle that is in Waco. I forgot to take photos of our food here, but it was good. Big portions. I think I left about half of my mahi mahi and mashed potatoes on the plate. The next day, we had lunch at Schmaltz's deli. There are actually two locations in Waco- the one downtown was closed so we went to the one off of Valley Mills. It's in a small shopping center in the corner. The place was pretty crowded when we went- most of the tables were full. Simple menu on the wall, huge tubs of tea set out, and a counter to order your food. I think we all got the same thing- Turkey with swiss on white or wheat. The side salad was huge but seemed like they chopped everything up- like shredded lettuce (same one that goes on your sandwich), chopped olives, chopped ham, onions, etc. After you order, they give you a ticket stub and we were all hoping they would call our number next. Katie said it's feels like the lottery- waiting on your winning number. Anyways- fun trip to see the girls again. Good o Waco food. Not so good Waco water- blech.

Mom's one year prayer & Brownies

So January 22nd was the one year anniversary of my mom's passing. As a result, we had some of her closest friends from church and our family come over to our house Saturday night to gather, remember, and pray for her. Of course whenever our family gathers or invites people over there is a lot of food to eat. Since I'm still working on my Vietnamese cooking.. and my family doesn't exactly praise my Vietnamese cooking... my aunts/uncles brought the food over. My dad also went out to buy some roasted pig and duck as well. Here is what we primarily had that night:
-Noodles w/ pork
-Roasted pig
-Roasted duck
-Sweetened sticky rice
-Ca Ri Ga (curried chicken soup)
-Bo Kho (beef stew)
-Chicken
-Tons of noodles and bread



I also tried a new recipe/technique for making brownies. I used unsweetened cocoa powder in the recipe instead of chips. It turned out very very rich- for those who enjoy dark chocolate, this would be the ultimate brownies for you. My cousin also came over to help me bake these. I had some water simmering in a pot, and put a safe bowl over it. In the bowl, I first melted the butter, then added in sugar + salt, and finally added the cocoa powder. Took it off of the pot and let it cool down a little bit. Then added the vanilla, eggs one by one, and last- the flour. Put it into a square baking pan and about 20 minutes later they're done. They may not look like much changes on the top from the time you put it in, but make sure you check it with a toothpick because it is done.. I had them out on the counter waiting to cool down after they were done baking and my aunt asked me if I was waiting to bake them. These brownies are not fluffy but rich and almost fudgey.

CoCo Crepes & Coffee

peach crepe & vanilla gelato (VERY GOOD!)

We went out to Midtown last Friday with Brian and Jonathan. Originally, we went out for "happy hour" at 630 or so, but that turned into an all night thing, which was fine. Kimmy and I spotted CoCo Crepes & Coffee across the street from Front Porch Pub, so we took a break for a while and headed over there for a little dessert. We ordered a peach crepe & vanilla gelato, and took a seat at a nice table outside - it was a nice, cool night. The crepe came out in just a minute, and it was really good. Soft crepe folded with peaches inside (just canned peaches i think, but very good and went well with the crepe), topped with a nice scoop of some really good vanilla gelato - with the classic black specks of real vanilla. We devoured it pretty quickly, probably could have gotten another, but it was nice for a dessert for both of us. Kimmy got a hazelnut latte, which was pretty good too. We had a nice break from the crowd and had a nice talk and did some peoplewatching. When we got back over to Front Porch, I told Jonathan it would be a really good place to take a date after dinner, but he had had a few Lone Stars and said he'd rather get her drunk.

a nonfood post- Discovery Green

So one place Ryan and I went to, but didn't eat at, is Discovery Green Park downtown. We both said we guess it is like the Central Park of Houston. It's a really nice park. Great place to walk around, lay on the grass, roll down a perfectly formed hill, get drenched in really cold water from different fountains, watch people walking their dogs, watch people play frisbee or soccer with their families (including people who look like the Duggars from TLC), get a bite to eat if you haven't already from the Lake House, The Grove, or from vendors. I'd like to go back and get some food from the Lake House and find a spot on the grass somewhere. I'm sure the water fountains will be packed with children running through them when the weather gets warmer around here. I think there will be shows/concerts in the spring or summer similar to Miller soon. I also think they'll bring back the outdoor ice skating each winter. If you have the free time and want to take a walk or people watch... make your way downtown.

New edit: additional childhood photos added to La Vang post below

Mekong Grill

Kimmy has been feeling kinda sick with a cold the past few days, so she wanted some pho for lunch today. We were in Cypress and needed to go to the grocery store, so we decided to go to Mekong Grill on Barker Cypress (just south of 290, in front of the Stone Gate neighborhood) since HEB is right there too. It's a pretty good place for Vietnamese food by Cypress standards at least. The prices are a little higher than most other places in other areas of town, but the bowls are huge and if you're in Cypress you don't have to drive far.

Anyway, Kimmy got a bowl of pho, the usual beef soup with noodles, and I ordered bun bo hue, which is a little different, with spicy broth and bigger noodles. Both of them were pretty good, larger bowl than either of us could eat though. I ordered some egg rolls too, but they aren't too great there.

The interesting thing about this place is that there are always different people working there. We think the owners decided to hire a few of their neighbors or something. The inside of Mekong Grill is decorated with the leftover decor from an Italian restaurant that used to occupy the building. Garden scene painted on the walls, faux finish bricks-peeking-out-from-under-cracked-plaster and everything.