Tag: Houston


Oct
2012

Kata Robata, Paris Crepe, and Rice’s Centennial – Houston, TX

categories: Reviews

I recently returned to Rice University, my alma mater, to celebrate their centennial – 100 years since the founding!  There were all kinds of events – a football game (which we won!), parties, galas, picnics, speeches, lectures, you name it!

And our first President – Edgar Odell Lovett – finally got his own statue!  About time!  William Marsh Rice (Willy) may have provided the money for the institution, but Lovett provided the vision for what it should be.

For something really incredible, click HERE to see a video of the Spectacle – an amazing work of art combining architecture, history, and technology into something the likes of which I have never seen before.  Seriously – watch it.  For real.

Ok – moving on.  Most of my food was provided for me at the events, but I did have the chance to eat out one night and was fortunate enough to go to Kata Robata – a sushi restaurant and Japanese grill.  Headed up by Manabu Horiuchi (aka Chef Hori), my favorite sushi chef from college, the concept is Japanese tapas and the food is AWESOME.  The service is pretty incredible, too.  Our server, Thai, was very knowledgeable and comfortable making suggestions.  The pacing was good and we always felt like we were being taken care of.  I tried to order a good balance between sushi and tapas to get a really good idea of the place. (more…)


Apr
2012

Mockingbird Bistro, Houston TX

categories: Reviews

We recently went on a trip to Houston, TX to attend an alumni event at my alma mater – Rice University.  The trip happened to fall around the time of our 2nd Wedding Anniversary, so we wanted to have a nice dinner in Houston to celebrate.  We chose the Mockingbird Bistro as our location and had a wonderful evening.

We were impressed as soon as we entered by the hostess’s greeting: “Are we holding a table for you?”  I thought that it was much more polite than the usual “Do you have a reservation?”  The manager brought us complimentary Cava in honor of our Anniversary, and they also knew our favorite (and hard to find) cocktail, Pisco sour, so we were quite pleased from the beginning.  Once we were seated, we had a chance to look at the decor and layout.  The main room is pretty small and divided into a bar/lounge area and a dining area, but there is another large room (which doubles as wine storage), and stairs to a balcony room (both of which are available for private events).  The style was very cool – hip, old Paris feel with a bit of a gothic edge – I was instantly in love with it.  The cool vibe, old-fashioned cocktails, and stellar wine list (one of the best in the city) makes this a place that I would definitely hang out at – if only I had known about it when I lived there!

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