Previously on The Blog About Nothing... in London!

  • stamaria Santa Maria
    Best Pizza in London
  • tapcoffee Tap Coffee
    Coffee time in Warren St
  • exmouthespresso Bean Review
    Exmouth Espresso Blend
  • kurobuta Kurobuta
    Japanese Tapas
  • oddonos Oddono's
    Gelato in Chiswick
  • smokehouse Smokehouse
    Mouthwatering Burgers and BBQ
  • firehouse No 197 Fire Station
    Complete disaster
  • irisandjune Iris & June
    Independent Coffee Shop in Victoria
  • coffeeguide The Not Official London Coffee Guide
    Humble take on the independent scene
  • dumdum Dum Dum Donutterie
    They don't have Cronuts but they do Cros
  • bonanza Bean Review
    Bonanza's Espresso Blend
  • moo Moo Cantina
    Lomito Time
  • chorbizarre Chor Bizarre
    Restaurant with personality
  • squaremilebelen Bean Review
    Square Mile's Belen Espresso
  • ottolenghi Ottolenghi
    Not as good as usual!
  • quantus Quantus
    European cuisine in Chiswick
  • pearlliang Pearl Liang
    About Time for a Chinese
Showing posts with label downtown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label downtown. Show all posts

Anthony where is Vic? [On The Road: Houston]

Vic and Anthony’s Houston acclaimed steakhouse and recommended by the locals. Four locations in the USA, traditional steakhouse style playing with dim lights and wood panels. Prime beefs and premium cuts balanced with seafood options in the menu. 

Bar candles
Dining
I started the night with a lobster bisque. Great flavour, dense, thick, good aromas, nice balance, it’s finished with cognac giving a nice touch, overall excellent. Then moved to a 12oz prime filet. Perfectly cooked medium rare, nice seasoning, it was seared to perfection, a great steak. 

Bisque
Filet
Nice place, great steaks, service was friendly, another excellent steakhouse in Houston. 

Perfectly cooked
Anthony reminds me the Seinfeld episode “Junk Mail” 

Jerry: What do I have to do to put you in this van today?
Kramer: Well, I don't really have any money. But it says right here, interesting trades considered
Jerry: You put that in!
Kramer: And I'm glad I did
Jerry: You want to trade me an undershirt?
Kramer: No, I want to trade you screen legend Anthony Quinn's undershirt. He took this off to do sit-ups in the park and I nabbed it
Jerry: That's disgusting
Kramer: Well, it's my final offer

Vic & Anthony's
T: +1 713 228 1111
Steakhouse
Approx Damage: $60pp
Area: Downtown
Houston
Vic & Anthonys on Urbanspoon


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The King of Houston Burger Joints

No I'm not talking about Burger King, this is a different monarch, I'm talking about Hubcap Grill, Houstonians rank it as one of the best in Houston. 2 locations the original Downtown and in the Heights, patty made fresh daily with chuck beef, toasted buns, homemade fries fried twice, and fresh ingredients. 

The Place
Got to the place with a couple colleague, the place only accept cash, a convenient cash machine in the premises, a small counter with a couple tables inside, and some sort of roof patio. Industrial and simple decoration, full of hubcaps all over as you could expect. After a couple minutes of hesitation then went for my obvious choice the Black and Blue Burger, bacon and chunky fresh blue cheese dressing, cheese fries and a diet coke to keep the figure. 

Eating Al Fresco
The burger was really good, the juiciness of the beef and the power of the blue cheese was excellent, nice bacon to complement the balance, simple but good bun it hold until the end without hesitation no crumbling under pressure, good fries, nice messiness with the melted cheese all over, pretty good burger in a steak city, a must if you are in Downtown. 

Black and Blue
Fries say Cheese!
These car parts remind me the Seinfeld episode “The Bottle Deposit” 

Tony: Oh, yeah. I remember this car. Beautiful car 
Jerry: Yeah. So, anyway, the engine's been idling a little rough. I thought it might be time for a check-up. There's really nothing wrong on the inside 
Tony: Well, the shift knob is loose. You know about that? 
Jerry No, I hadn't noticed 
Tony: Have you been picking at it? 
Jerry: Have I been picking at it? No. You know. It's just wear and tear 
Tony: Wear and tear. I see 
Jerry: The engine is really the only thing that needs checking 
Tony: You been rotating the tires? 
Jerry: Try to 
Tony: You don't try to. You do it! Fifty-one percent of all turns are right turns. You know that? Try to

Hubcap Grill
T: +1 713 223 5885
Burgers
Aprox Damage: $10pp
Area: Downtown
Houston
Twitter: Hubcap_Grill
Hubcap Grill on Urbanspoon


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UFO All Over Houston

I spent a week working from Downtown Houston, so looking for options I read about this place that serves good sandwiches. A pub called Flying Saucer, with presence in 15 cities, their main attraction and challenge of the pub is to drink at least 200 different beers, with the limitation of no more of 3 a day, so be prepared for a long and winding road. After you complete that challenge you get immortalised and your own plate, flying saucer perhaps? Hanging in the ring of honour, a wall of fame which is pretty full with record holders I have to say. 

Fancy a plate?
Draught Emporium
Some of the many awards
Sadly we weren’t there for the beer, so saw the menu and already knew what to order, chicken wings not surprisingly and a pork belly sandwich even more predictable. The wings came in 4 versions, buffalo, mojo, Asian, and atomic. I ordered mojo style as I wanted some Cajun spices, they were good, nice flavour, naked, not a big fan of naked wings but I can live with it, nice spicy kick, decent blue cheese dressing. 

Wings
The sandwich was good as well, shredded pork belly, ham and bacon with a jalapeno-apple chutney. I was expecting more a crispy pork belly but I got it oven cooked style, the spicy/sweet chutney was nice and different. Good flavour from the pork but the texture I think it wasn’t completely right on my mind. 

Pork Belly
Ok place for food, main attraction drinking an outstanding amount of beer to get immortalised. 

Beer reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Bizarro Jerry” when Jerry is dating a Gillian who has men hands. 

Gillian: Would you like some bread, Jerry? 
Jerry: No, no thanks, I'm, just not hungry 
Gillian: Well, then at least drink your beer 
Jerry: It's not a... Twist off 
Gillian: You have a little something on your face 
Jerry: I can get it 
Gillian: Eh, no, no, no, no, you're missing it, it's higher 
Gillian: It's an eyelash. Make a wish 
Jerry: I don't want to 
Gillian: Make a wish 
Jerry: Okay. Didn't come true

Flying Saucer
T: +1 713 228 9472
Pub / American cuisine
Aprox Damage: $18pp
Area: Downtown
Houston
Twitter: FlyingSaucerHou
Flying Saucer Draught Emporium on Urbanspoon


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Long Ago a Day of Rugby in Austin

During the last Rugby World Cup I was with a couple colleagues in Austin, both of them English, and as straight forward traditional British boys both rugby fans, so it was a must to spend Saturday morning/noon watching the rugby match. The place they chose was Fado, and Irish pub in Downtown Austin, actually a chain with locations in 14 states. Fadó apparently means long ago, their objective is to celebrate Irish pub culture, in few words drinking, eating, and singing, just like in any pub down Killarney way.

The Pub
Traditional English/Irish pub, wood panels everywhere, flat TVs with premier league football, rugby, and other sport events, and full of male testosterone drinking and screaming to the TVs every time their team screw it up. 

Bar Menu
Well I was hungry, so had to ask for food, check the menu and went for the easy stuff, Guinness BBQ Wings, and Smithwick’s Mini Burgers. The wings were ok, just edible to be honest, a little overcook, I thought the BBQ Guinees sauce was going to be pretty good, but didn’t do the magic for me. The mini burgers, a train wreck, they came with pickles, onions, melted cheese, and a Guinness mayo, do they do everything with Guinness? Not good at all, the burger was overcooked, the sauce/mayo was plain without imagination, the cheese was even worst, moreover three burgers exactly the same? Are you joking, they should get creative, do different types of meat, make it interesting, I ate over and over again the same boring mini burger, I almost die doing that. 

My Healthy Options!
Mini Burgers
Wings
Nice atmosphere, terrible food, good for a drink and watch a sporting event, I guess if you’re drunk enough you wouldn’t care too much about the food, sadly I wasn’t. Keep only with the pints and you should be fine. 

To be fair with them, pub food historically hasn’t been so good, however, gastropub movements in England has taken the next level and elevated their food, meaning it’s not impossible to have a great meal while enjoying your pint of Guinness. 

Pubs remind me the Seinfeld episode “The Sniffing Accountant” where Kramer wants to expose Jerry’s accountant in a pub. 

Kramer: I'll have a brewsky, Charlie
Bartender: Name's Mitch
Kramer: Oh, there's nothing like a cold one after a long day, eh?
Barry: Yeah
Kramer: Oh yeah, I've been known to drink a beer or two. But then again, I've been known to do a lot of things
Kramer: Cigarette?
Barry: No, I never touch them
Kramer: I suck them down like Coca-Cola. Well here's to feeling good all the time, looks like you've got yourself a little cold there, eh?
Barry: I don't think so
Kramer: Me neither

Fado
T: +1 512 457 0172
Pub
Aprox Damage: $20pp
Neighbourhood: Downtown
Austin
Twitter: fadoaustin
Fado Irish Pub and Restaurant on Urbanspoon


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Breakfast in Austin

I was looking for a place to have breakfast in Austin, wandering around Congress avenue I found a nice café, so with my adventurous spirit I decided to give it a try. The place Annies Café & Bar, a modern brassiere that make you feel in Europe in the heart of Downtown Austin, al fresco tables to enjoy a breakfast or a coffee, their menu full of not complicated and tasty options including a full English breakfast. 

The Place

I got a house brewed coffee with an omelette, sausages, and ham joined by a croissant. The omelette was good, nice flavours, the croissant on the other side was cold and a little rubbery, not good at all, I was expecting a fresh hot croissant to add butter on it and watch it melt away. 

Coffee Time

Omelette Time

Good place, excellent service, nice coffee, tasty omelette, sadly the croissants didn't meet the expectations, overall a good enough to come back. 

Breakfast reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Wizard” 

Helen: Don't eat cookies for breakfast! I'll fix you something. How about a feta cheese omelette? 
Kramer: Mmmm, that sounds great, Mom 
Jerry: If you feed him, he'll never leave

Annies
T: +1 512 472 1884
Cafe
Neighbourhood: Downtown
Austin
Twitter: AnniesAustin
Annie's Cafe and Bar on Urbanspoon


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Steakhouse Adventures: Perry’s Rare and Well Done

While in Austin one night I decided to try an establish steakhouse in town. My stop was at Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille. 9 locations in 4 Texan cities, they opened business in 1979 as a butcher shop but later transformed into award winning restaurants, steaks and live music will give you a rare and well done experience. 

We got for starters oysters on the half shell, and a traditional iceberg wedge salad. My main was a 14oz prime three peppercorn New York strip. 

Oysters 

Iceberg Wedge Salad

The oyster were fresh and good, the salad classic flavours good blue cheese dressing, perfect executed, and the strip was cooked perfectly medium rare, and the peppercorn demi glaze gave a nice touch to the searing. 

Steak Time

Nice steaks, good ambience with the live jazz, excellent service, and consistent flavours from chef Ruben Robledo. 

Steaks remind me the Seinfeld episode “The Wink” 

Waiter: Ready? 
Holly: I'll have the porterhouse medium rare, baked potato with sour cream 
Jerry: What do you recommend besides the steak? 
Waiter: The lamb chops are good. 
Jerry: Anything lighter? How do you prepare the chicken? 
Waiter: It's a full bird. Stuffed with ham, topped with gorgonzola 
Jerry: You know what? I think I'll just have the salad. 
Waiter: Thank you. 
Jerry (mind's voice): Just a salad? Just a salad? Just a salad?

Perry's Steakhouse & Grille
T: +1 512 474 6300
Steakhouse
Neighbourhood: Downtown
Austin
Twitter: PerrysDining
Perry's Steakhouse & Grille on Urbanspoon


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