February 14, 2015

For Lovers & Friends

February 14, 2015/ Madeleine Hook

Valentine's Day for lovers and friends.

October 27, 2014

May the Pax Be With You. Seriously.

October 27, 2014/ Madeleine Hook

Greetings Sizzlings! Happy Monday... I know right? Those 2 words just don't mesh.

I spent a lovely weekend in the country with MainSqueeze and ate some delightful treats.

Speaking of delightful treats, you need to know about a new treat in Houston. Pax Americana.

We had a reservation for Thursday night, and my entire week was spent in anticipation. We were a party of 7, so they offered to serve us family style; which is one of my favorite ways to eat.

Here's the rundown of the #nomz. Photos will be below as well. Highly recommend, the staff was super knowledgeable and accommodating, and I love the general vibe of the place. I'll definitely be back.

(Dishes in BOLD are TheSizzles faves from the meal):

Beverage of choice: Evening Land Blue Label Pinot Noir by the glass and the Smoked Old Fashioned. REALLY tasty cocktail with a delightful drunken cherry as a garnish.

FAMILY STYLE DISHES:

Farm Fresh Eggs, scallion kimchi aioli, chilies, herb salad, purple barley

Grilled Honeydew Melon, hazelnut vinaigrette, thyme honey, feta

(not featured on the online menu) Baby carrots cooked in general amazing fashion with some hints of curry and candied nuts. PHENOMENAL. I could eat these with every meal. Call me Bugs Bunny.

(Also not on the online menu) Pan seared tile fish with a magical beurre blanc sauce and root veggies. Honestly, some of the best fish I've had in Houston to date.

(not online either) Enormously humongous ribeye, cooked medium rare. I love steak, and I love slicing my steak instead of hacking into it like a rabid wolf. The spices on the steak were on point, but I think it could use a little work on the sear. STILL a great cut of meat.

Brisket, nine spice, potatoes, soured cream, black garlic, sweet onions

Sanguinaccio Fritters, horchata ice cream, lemon curd, candied pecans

Chocolate Custard, bittersweet chocolate hazelnut cookie, lemon mint sherbert

***Please excuse the quality of the photos, it was super dark and I was too hungry to get technical!***

Please excuse our friend "guau's" obscene hand gesture photo bomb,...

And there you have it, a new "must go" in Houston. We're so lucky to have this burgeoning food scene, And now I'll be getting back to the treadmill...

NEXT UP: music, recipes, recommendations and more!

July 09, 2014

A Tropical Storm called Life...

July 09, 2014/ Madeleine Hook

Aloha amigos. So here we are. Life is a series of twists and turns, ups and downs, forks and narrows; and it's a beautiful thing. There has been packing, unpacking, repacking, transitioning, staying put, and moving forward. And this is all good. So I hope you're all good too.

But let's get back to what TheSizzle is really all about. Really good thangs. Food, tunes, treats, surprises, trips, adventures and the ever so random post.

About a bajillion years ago, I brought you Hawaii Part 1. Well folks, it's time for Part 2. And so we begin:

Hawaii Part Deux:

My mind was already blown from the absolute perfection I experience at Ono Seafood. I still crave that Poke on.the.reg. But MS had more in store for moi. We lazed on the beach in Waikiki, had a few cold cocktails, and watched the world go by. But then it was time. For SASABUNE.

I'm a sushi person. And I feel like a lot of people say that, but I think my appreciation goes a little deeper than the average bear.

MS and I decided to walk to our dinner destination. We found a groovy little spot on the way, stopped and had a cocktail to rev up our appetites. Pint + Jigger was a great place, low key vibe with #nomz that looked quite tempting. But we pressed on and refused food to save room for sushi.

MS had made a reservation at Sasabune and we decided to order "omakase" style. Where you sit, and they bring you food. Forever. And you want it to stop because you're so full, but you don't want it to stop because it's just UNreal.

COURSE 1: Albacore Tuna Sashimi Style. Creamy rich albacore served in a delicate, light ponzu sauce. I'm hooked already.

Course 2: California baby squid stuffed with blue crab. Tender, sweet, NOT chewy WHATsoever. The dream continues...

sasabune california baby squid with blue crab

COURSE 3: Toro. What else can I say other than it's a fatty part of the Tuna that literally melts in your mouth. Divine. There were two sauces glazed on top, but my eyes were totally glazed themselves and I couldn't type it into my notes fast enough (cold sake wasn't helping my motor skills much either...)

COURSE 4: Halibut and Red Snapper (from left to right). Fresh, light, incredible. Again, I couldn't type the sauce quickly enough. So feast your eyes....

COURSE 5: Hamachi 2 ways. Whatever ways these were, these were one of the highlights of the meal. Perfectly creamy and buttery. I'm pretty sure the left piece had a ponzu ginger concoction but I was having a hard time keeping up with the amazingness.

AND THEN MY PHONE DIED. I'm not kidding. And we needed to conserve MS's battery to get us home. SOOO......I didn't take any more pics and I decided I really just wanted to enjoy the experience and enjoy the company. Amazing.

If you get to Honolulu, you've got to try this place. It's small, unassuming, and only takes reservations. The waiters know their stuff, and they take their sushi seriously.

FOR EXAMPLE:

At one point, I was getting so full, that I was about to pull the fish off the rice, and go riceless. The waiter SWOOPED over, and said "Maa'm, please do not upset the chef. Eat the whole piece, it's an insult." So I felt silly and wasteful, and put the whole thing in my mouth and thought I was going to burst. But it was worth it. Later on, we had South African Rock Lobster, sweet Japanese shrimp, hand rolls, and more incredible culinary delights.

MS and I left thoroughly impressed, full as ticks and already looking forward to doing it all over again.

Next on TheSizzle.... Hawaiian Delights, sneaking into state parks, and being rrrrreally awkaward around a (notveryfamous) celebrity right before running 13.1 miles. Oh and some pretty #nomtastic San Diegan (is that a word?) meals....Until then, adios amigos.

June 10, 2014

I'm sorry. Lo siento. Je suis tres désolé.

June 10, 2014/ Madeleine Hook

Sizzlers. I don't even know where to begin. I have been so MIA that it's not even funny. Trust me, my heart strings have been pining for some Sizzle, and things have finally (somewhat) settled down enough for me to post!

Last time we talked I was in the airport headed to Honolulu. I have eaten delicious things, seen amazing sights, run 13.1 miles and taken PLENTY of pics for your viewing delight.

And so it begins. But first I had a spa day at the Trellis spa at the Houstonian. I had a credit there that I had been hoarding so I decided what more could prepare me for a long flight than a massage, lunch on the terrace, mani/pedi and a little peace and quiet.

Ladies & Gentlemen... if you're looking to splurge on a spa day, this is worth the cash. Excellent customer service, immaculate facilities and fabulous services. Highly recommend.

HAWAII PART ONE:

I was greeted by MainSqueeze with a beautiful orchid lei, big hugs, joyful tears (I know, I know, but I'm secretly a total softie) and a huge appetite. I have an odd habit of not eating too much while I travel, so after an almost 8 hour flight, I was FAMISHED.

MainSqueeze had been in Hawaii for almost a month, so he had been exploring the sights and tastes and staking out spots worth trying. One of his favorites was Ono Seafood and Takeaway near Waikiki.

Hole in the wall. Standing room only to order and literally, take out. There are two picnic tables out front and that's all folks. But that is NOT all in terms of flaaaaava. Wow.

Poke for days. Spicy ahi and octopus. #nomcity

Holy tuna. There are several flavor combos to choose from, and all they offer is ahi (tuna) and octopus served on white or brown rice. I can't even explain how delightfully fresh and tender the tuna was. un.real folks.

I inhaled it. I almost regretted being so hungry because I feel like I didn't get the full experience. So we obviously went back a few days later because, duh.

So now, ahi is kind of ruined for me. I haven't had any since my trip, and I'm afraid I won't be able to find anything close to it here.... Does that mean I need to try it again? Certainly.

So, chew on that. And get ready to feast your eyes on one of my top 3 favorite meals in my life (plus the company wasn't too bad) Next up is our "omakase" style dinner at Sasabune. Sushi.HEAVEN.

So, for now, tell me where to find velvety fresh tuna in Houston and I will repay you with sushi pics. In the meantime I shall hold them hostage. But not really, because I can't wait to share.

So long and so sorry for my hiatus!

May 19, 2014

Amiga Dinner and a Recipe that's #Droolworthy

May 19, 2014/ Madeleine Hook

Amigos! It's been too too long! Sorry for the lack of posting but I'm gearing up for this trip and avoiding training for the half marathon...Oops.

Lots to come this week! I leave for my big trip this Friday, but I'm still not telling you where. I'll leave some hints on the Twitter (@sizzlehouston) and Insta (@thesizzlehouston) and drop some teeny ones in my next few posts, bien?

So last week I had the girls over for dinner and we did a potluck sort of thang. I made a garden salad and used my special Balsamic vinegar that I brought over from Italy. (I hoard this stuff, so you know you're special if you get some!) Other treats involved amazing grilled cheese sandwiches on fresh sourdough with freshly sliced tomatoes and the most amazing watermelon/cucumber salad. I shall share the recipe.

So the watermelon salad is easy as pie to make, super healthy and tastes like magic. You dice equal quantities of watermelon and cucumber, chop 1-2 jalapeños, add juice of 1 lime, 1TB olive oil, a handful of roughly chopped cilantro, mix it up realllll good, then sprinkle crumbled feta on top. VOILA. That easy my friends.

IN OTHER NEWS:

I went to Common Bond. FINALLY. It was a soft opening and they ran out of lunch items but I had a cookie and OJ and it was magical. They officially open tomorrow. I dare you...

I have a new fave #vietNOMese food place in Downtown and I'll post my pics and reviews this week!

Did I mention I swim off on Friday? I'm joining MainSqueeze. I'm excited. You should be too.

Ok, I'm off to cram 10 days of work into 3... but I shall be back tomorrow!

Peace out girl scouts.

April 25, 2014

Friday Essentials

April 25, 2014/ Madeleine Hook

Hola Sizzlers! I hope yesterday's post didn't leave a bad taste in your mouth, but I couldn't not tell you about it. I do have some exciting things up my sleeve for today and the weekend though, so perk up!

Last night me and some amigas headed to Uchi for HH. I wanted to enjoy the HH and decided to stow my phone away and refrain from pics. BUT I did snap a photo of my beer. If you read my previous beer/wine post, you'll remember the Kitachino Nest Beer I am obsessed with. Well, last night I tried a new one and it was bombtastic.