Scallops and Lobsters and Oysters, oh my!

/

Cheerio Sizzlers! I hope this finds you well, I'm chugging along these days, counting down the minutes for my trip! We're currently at the 6.5 day countdown. 

So I need to let you in on a new place in Houston that you should hopskipjump on over to. Like...now. 

If you like delightful cocktails, particularly of the Julep persuasion, and if you're a lover of all that comes from the sea, or a bay, or a gulf, river, stream etc, then you must try Julep. Don't mind the fact that I'm a bit biased since one of my close galpals is dating the Chef. Bias or not, this place is great. Adam and Lauren handpicked the cutlery, plates, stemware and helped customize each tiny detail.

I'm not typically a fan of anything on Washington Ave. Like...anything. But alas, Julep was a refreshing break from the hair gel, Ed Hardy and untz untz untz clubs that have taken over that stretch of Houston. 

So let us begin. Girl's night at Julep started with a cocktail and ended in a gluttonous seafood festival. (Not pictured were the amazing hand cut fries, fresh hush puppies and East coast oysters). 

I arrived parched and ready for a bev, so I opted for the "Sparkling Julep" which is garnished with mint and a lovely sprig of berries. This one is all the umph of a mint julep with some prosecco added for some fizz. 

My personal favorite from the night: Creme fraiche topped with smoked bluefish, farro, butter braised radishes, a lovely arugula salad with vinaigrette and ever so thinly sliced beets. This picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice. 

Another highlight were the bay scallops served atop a mint/pea puree, and topped with speck and microbasil. The scallops were juicy, sweet and ever so tender. Chart topper. 

Because what's a meal without the mandatory artsy intagram shot? We were anxiously awaiting our seafood tower and all we knew is that if clarified butter was an option, this would be gooood. 

Le seafood tower. Holy mackerel. Littleneck clams in white wine parsley, gigantic prawns, another serving of the scallops, but this time they were raw and perfectly seasoned. Dipping sauces included a house made mignonette, and two others that I was too excited to write down. 

seafood tower 2

The crowning jewel. Lobstaaaaaah. I can eat lobster all.day.long. 

Not pictured was the top tier which had fresh East coast oysters. Delightful

All in all, Julep is destined for greatness, and with Chef Adam Garcia in the kitchen, you know it's going to be an experience. 

So, mosey on over to Julep, have yourself a cocktail and slurp down some oysters. You can thank me later. Happy Friday dears, hope it's a great weekend!

Amiga Dinner and a Recipe that's #Droolworthy

/

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. 

#NOMCITY

#NOMCITY

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.