27 September 2005

Houston: where people go to fry eggs on the sidewalk


Today I am camping out at Starbucks. Lucky me, I landed a spot in one of the comfy plush chairs. And for an added bonus, there's FREE wi-fi here. I didn't think Starbucks was offering that yet so I am pretty excited. It's close to 8 million degrees in Houston. We live in the northwest part of town, a suburb of the city, and everywhere you look there are shopping centers overflowing with stores and restaurants. I am starting to think all people do here is eat and shop, which explains why there is so much traffic (driving from eating to shopping and repeating the process over and over.) I do not really blame them though because it's so dang hot outside that they probably just want to escape the blistering humidity with an ice cold drink or by taking all their clothes off in a dressing room at Gap.

I do have to say that there are quite a few good restaurants here, and that is one thing I have missed since moving to Nashville. My friend Jenni and I are going to meet for dinner tonight, hopefully at one of my favorites (there are many.) She said I could pick! At the moment I am deciding between:

Kim Son: all-time favorite Vietnamese...best steamed spring rolls in the United States

Empire Cafe: I think Tuesdays are half-price cake day so I might have to choose this one. It's just a really good cafe with an artsy-eclectic menu, and they give you 2 little free cookies when you order coffee...to go with the half-price cake!

Cafe' Lili: Scrumptious mediterranean restaurant with the ultimate chicken kabobs ever. The owners, who are Lebanese, are always there running the place and the elderly husband brings around turkish coffee in tiny cups at the end of the meal. It's super-strong and tastes like cloves and cinammon. He scowls at me if I add Sweet-n-Low so I have to hide it and do it when he's not looking.

Shiva: Indian restaurant in Rice Village, with cozy booths adorned with hanging beads.

Hobbit Cafe': I think I want to wait until Jeremy comes back next week to take him there. It's decorated with Hobbit-y stuff, made to look like The Shire kind of, and the menu is really healthy...lots of sprouts...and the dishes are named after places and characters from Middle Earth.

***
Today has been a tough day emotionally and I am starting to feel the weight of things. It will be good to go downtown tonight for a change of scenery and to visit with a good friend for awhile.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

hard choice between Lilly and Shiva. but the falafel at Lilly is calling stronger than the tandoori for some reason. Definitely Lebanese and Indian are God's most amazing food-gifts to mankind. If you like Lilly, you should try La Fendee Mediterranean Grill on lower Westheimer near Montrose, same quality, half the price. FYI. Your blog roolz.

jenni said...

Empire was a great choice - it always seems to suit our visits. I will let you pick again on Saturday! Praying & praying ~ Jenni

kierstin said...

yes, always a great choice, and thank you again for the Italian Cream cake you bought for us to share...especially since I was wrong about it being half-price cake day!

(we'll have to go to Cafe Lili next time and Kirby can meet us...it will be reminiscent of the early days when we had our office of three.)

Jeremy said...

man i'm missing out on food and fun!

i miss you love!