California Pizza Kitchen - Revisited

It has been a while since I have gone to California Pizza Kitchen at Memorial City in Houston.  A year ago they had a different menu, a different cook and their food was decent.  However, with the economy being the way it has been, it is understandable that cutbacks and changes would have to be made.  The few times  my husband and I have gone back, the tacos were heated and not grilled so the meat was chewy.  The salad was made with mostly the end parts of the lettuce and was hard to eat.  Last night was the last straw.  I ordered the pea soup and it was watery and tasted like dish detergent.  Management apologized and asked if I wanted to order something different.  We were on a time crunch to see a movie and I really was in no mood to try something else and possibly be disappointed yet again.  The positive side to this was that we were not charged for the soup, but I was fed up and resorted to eating a hot dog at the movie theater instead.  That was just ridiculous.  We have given our time, patience, loyalty and money to this restaurant on too many occasions.  Personally, I have had enough.  I am not putting down all franchises of California Pizza Kitchen, but the one at Memorial City has literally put a "bad" taste in my mouth.

Cafe Caspian

Cafe Caspian is a Persian restaurant in Houston.  If you are not familiar with Persian cuisine, it reminds you a little of Greek food.  Their main proteins are chicken, beef and lamb.  They start you off with chunks of blue cheese, radishes and some herbs for a light type of salad.  Two of our new favorites are their dolmeh, which are stuffed grape leaves.  They are stuffed with rice, onions, leeks, parsley and mint.  It's served hot which is different then the Greek way which is served cold.  We tasted a new soup they serve which is a delectable lentil soup.  It is delicious.  They also have a fresh herb stew that is fantastic and their hummus is to die for, "not literally".  The decor is Middle Eastern and the people are very polite and informative about their cuisine.  If you are ever in the area, this restaurant is one stop you should make.

Rattan Asian Bistro

Rattan is an Asian restaurant in Houston and it's one of our favorite restaurants.  It's not a Chinese restaurant but a combination of different Asian cuisines.  They serve Japanese, Chinese and Thai based meals.  They also have an extensive wine list, happy hour and a live band plays on the weekend.  Their decor is modern rattan furniture.  The staff are very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable on their cuisine.  The newest item I just tried was the seaweed salad.  It had julienned  cucumbers with the seaweed in a nice light chili vinaigrette dressing.  Marvelous!  If you love Asian food, this is one restaurant you will love.

Cyclone Anaya Mexican Restaurant

Cyclone Anaya is a new Mexican restaurant located in City Centre in Houston.  The name sounds intriguing and would indicate fast service.  The interior and exterior of this establishment is beautiful.  It has a lot of nouveau contemporary sculpture pieces and beautiful furniture.  They have an extensive list of margaritas which they must be famous for because a lot of their patrons were drinking that and beer.  At this point is when I have to pause and say, "The good times have ended!"  When we walked in, we had a bit of a wait and when someone finally came they just asked if we needed a table for two.  We didn't get any type of greeting like welcome to Cyclone Anaya, my name is so and so...We finally got to our table and patiently waited for the waitress.  She was at least nice but she never told us her name and if there were any specials, we knew nothing about them.  We just ordered some water and ice tea.  The ice tea was awful.  My husband said it tasted like there was fuel at the bottom of the barrel, then rinsed out and tea was added...not good.  I decided to order something familiar and ordered the Rollo Anaya which is grilled chicken, mexican rice, grilled vegetables, refried beans and guacomole.  My husband ordered the tamales.  Our chips and salsa came and the salsa tasted like chunky ketchup with pepper added.  When our dinner came out, I received two big pieces of grilled chicken on top of my mexican rice with a lemon on top.  I had to move the breast to see the rice.   The grilled vegetables were 4 slices of grilled squash , the refriend beans looked and tasted like a dried up lump of brown beans.  There were two chunky slices of guacomole and two large chunks of tomatoes.  The thinest part of the chicken was kind of juicy and it was well seasoned.  The tamales were covered with a lot of cheddar cheese which sat on the dish like velveeta.  The tamales had more oil then Exxon Valdes.  I told him I had better food at Taco Cabana.  We finished our meal by admiring the decor and proceeded out the door.  Hopefully management will get their act together or change their executive chef.  It would be a shame to see this beautiful restaurant go out of business before its time.

Polonia Restaurant

There is a polish retaurant in Houston at 1900 Blalock that needs some work done in the kitchen or just a new chef.  (No offense to the Polish).  Let's start on a positive note.  The waitresses and the staff were very nice and accommodating.  They were packed and could have turned us away but they brought out a table to seat us.  Also, when the food came, I have to say that it was hot.  Unfortunately, this is where the kindness ends.  We were given glasses of water that was clearly unfiltered tap water.  It had an after taste that was not pleasant at all.  Our first dish, the potato pancakes "Goral" style came out with pre-packaged cream cheese and apple sauce in little plastic to-go containers.  That should have given us a clue as to what we were in for.  The pancakes were overfried, not seasoned and greasy.  They were edible only by drowning then either with the cream cheese or the apple sauce.  The main course came and it was the Pierogi with sauerkraut.  The Pierogi tasted like spam wrapped in thick rice dough.  This reviewer played it safe and had the chicken sandwich.  The chicken was too deeply fried but it did have flavor and it was served hot.  The sauerkraut was sweet and overpowered  with vinegar.  This is not a good combination and could not be eaten.  We were invited to this restaurant and was under the impression that it served good food.  Perhaps the cook was having a bad night, unfortunately for them it will be a meal that we will not repeat.  After that experience, our much needed relief came from Tums.

Flora & Muse

Flora & Muse is a quaint bakery and restaurant located in our City Centre here in Houston.  I highly recommend both but the bakery have become one of my favorites.  They have cute garden tables where you can sit outside and enjoy a hot or cold coffee drink or tea.   I’ve become partial to their pastries.  Two of my favorites are their mini chocolate croissants and bear claws with shaves of almonds.  They are to die for.  They do small floral arrangements for those in need of something quick or for the boyfriend or husband who want to bring something nice home.  The staff is friendly, courteous and always smiling.  The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.  We mostly do lunch there.  One of my favorite items on the menu is the turkey and spinach Panini.  It has a green tomato in it that is so juicy.  It also comes with either a small garden salad or orzo salad.  I also had the salmon which is good as well.  For anyone who is lactose intolerant like I am, you will love the variety of non-dairy products they have to offer.  It is European in style and cuisine and a wonderful place for parties and get together especially for women.  So, if you are looking for a nice little escape from big city life and/or happen to be in the Houston area for a while, take a side trip to Flora & Muse.