Confessions from a Gluttonous Chinaman.

Early Valentines Day Dinner

2012-02-14T06:45:00.001-08:00

On Sunday, Leaney and I decided to celebrate an early Valentines day by having some of my famous shrimp pesto pasta, along with a couple of crabcakes! I claim that the crabcakes are homemade, but in actuality, I bought them from the seafood section from HEB (Although I do need credit for heating them up properly). These cakes were VERY good...close to top steakhouse quality and were only $5/each. These were jumbo lump, which was a clear choice over the regular style or the stuffed crabs that were also available.

The pasta was good as usual. I think I calculated the fat content of this dish, and I am at about 50g of fat per serving. Paula Dean would be proud. Pretty solid Sunday as things slowed down a bit in my life. Time to take an internship this week, and start focusing on finishing the semester strong!

Random Itailian Food

2012-02-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

Students get angry when food is late, and BOY were we angry when the food was late last Monday. The meal was a bit plain, and I can't even blame the caterer (who was late) because I have no idea who catered (I had to grab the food and go grab a suit at home for an info session). At least this meal was as healthy as it gets for a plate with no vegetables. Chicken breast, bowtie pasta with barely any sauce, Caesar salad which was under-dressed. BLAH for this plate of "food".

Bomb Pop

2012-02-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

Remember the bomb pop? Man, it's been forever since I've had one of these amazing dessert treats. The ones we bought from HEB were kind of small though, which made me wonder if they were always this size? (and now I am just a big person?) Anyways, pretty solid week last week...as I got crushed by school but finally got an internship offer. Good timing, since finals are in 2 weeks and now I can focus back on school again! Tough decision to make this week, but I think I know which direction I'll be going!

Superbowl Feast 2012

2012-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

This year, we celebrated at the Superbowl @ NaelandHeather's place. There was SO much good food, as I give the MVP to the people who brought the KFC wings that have the BUILT-IN spice! Leaney and I brought our world famous jumbalaya, which was barely dented (better for us since we got the chance to finish it off!). Mahatma's edamame hummus was definitely also in the running for MVP, as I REALLY wanted to dip the KFC chicken wings into it. Jimmy was pretty solid as usual, with his patented shrimp cocktail and veggie tray. Most shocking goes to Tuna, who somehow stepped up to the plate and brought deviled eggs. Who says women can't change men? The cheesy butter bread was also very good, but the most impossible thing to eat on the face of the earth.

JUST GOT AN INTERNSHIP OFFER! FEELING PRETTY PRETTY GOOD.

Azuma - Chicken Katsu

2012-02-07T09:23:00.001-08:00

So the wifey and I headed to Azuma to use a $40 Groupon, and ended up with 4 sushi rolls (our usual) along with this order of chicken katsu. I LOVE Japanese fried chicken, and this meal definitely didn't disappoint. The sauce was strange (not sure if it was peanut or ginger), but the chicken was very tender and the white rice was moist, yet fluffy. Great dinner and great value. I'm really glad we bought 2 of the Groupons!

Pasta From French Corner

2012-02-06T20:29:00.001-08:00

I never knew Jason's Deli did pasta? Both the marinara and cream based pastas were pretty good, and had plenty of meat (meatballs & chicken, respectively). The cookie at the end was a nice touch as well, but for some reason this meal boated me into the next day. I didn't think I ate that much, but I felt like I was about to pop the rest of the night. God bless free food, which has been abundant lately in my life. Tomorrow, I write about the SUPERBOWL FEAST OF 2012.

Undergrad Business Panel

2012-02-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, I had a cool chance to sit on a panel and answer questions from undergrads about business school. Along with the Q&A, I chowed down on some Molina's beef sticks, empanadas and really random potato skins. The food was awesome, the panel was fun, and I am fat as hell right now. Superbowl tomorrow won't help the get in shape ship, either. Empanadas were delicious because they were kind of spicy!

BBQ Baked Sweet Potato

2012-02-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

I've had sweet potatoes and I've had BBQ baked potatoes. I have never had a BBQ baked sweet potato before (topped with both brisket and chicken). I should have gone pure brisket, but this thing was pretty damn delicious. I have no idea who catered this meal, but sweet baby Jesus this was an amazing combination of sweet, salty and filling. I topped this sucker off with a ton of sauce and green onions, ad didn't even have to add any butter (ok, I forgot the butter....but it was delicious even sans butter). Best free lunch in a while!

Tacos de Leaney

2012-02-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

I love it when the wifey makes tacos! 96% lean ground beef, flour tortilla, rice, beans and some fresh tomatoes and onions = YUMMY. Later in the week, I took all the leftovers and was able to make a modified taco salad using wonton strips as the "taco shell". Pretty creative as well as delicious! Shit still isn't slowing down...but hopefully the end is near! (in a good way).

El Taco Tote - Breakfast Tacos

2012-02-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

So the breakfast tacos at El Taco Tote are pretty plain, but at $1 a piece, they're not too bad of a deal at all. The salsa bar was also pretty solid, but I was sad to find out that the pico wasn't ready yet (it was 10a!). I really want to try their lunch/dinner menu, as most of the stuff looks pretty delicious and is priced VERY reasonably. The tortillas were really good...but the potatoes were the killer (flavorless) and there was not enough bacon.

Chinese Food from Sinh Sinh

2012-02-01T15:40:00.000-08:00

The food at Sinh Sinh is a bit underrated, however I do think it is a bit pricy. Last week, I grabbed some wonton soup (best wonton soup on the planet), walnut shrimp, sweet and sour pork and some lo mein (all for $44) and headed to Sugarland to see Leaney's parents (her mom just had hip surgery). Great meal overall...but I wish I was hungrier and not as fat so that I could have eaten more of it. I still have some sweet and sour pork leftover in my fridge, which I'll probably devour tomorrow.

Black Bean

2012-01-31T19:50:00.000-08:00

Last week was probably the hardest week of my life in terms of work load. 8 internship interviews, 5 group assignments, classes, extracurriculars, etc. I am a very tired man, but I feel like I'm close. So close to reaching my first goal in business school, which is to lock down a pretty solid internship. 3 months ago, I said I would eat this black jelly bean when I got an internship. For 3 months it has sat in my locker, waiting to be eaten. Mr. Bean...it's almost time. Prepare for your destiny.

Twin Peaks - Fish Tacos

2012-01-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

Fish Tacos @ Twin Peaks were grilled, not fried. Really good tortilla, and the fish was far more fresh than I expected. Topped with spicy mayo & pico, served with a side of chips. Pretty damn good for non-fried fish tacos. Would order again, great price @ $8.99. Not sure if I believe our waitress that she was enrolled in a calculus class. Carlito hates twin peaks. His judgement is terrible.

Michelangelo's Frozen Italian Sausage Lasagna

2012-01-24T07:21:00.001-08:00

Very cheesy. Very Saucy. $7 for about 4 servings of lasagna with plenty of Italian sausage. This is definitely one of the more premium TV dinners out there. I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't have much time, and is sick of eating sandwiches and hot dogs. The sauce is the boss.

The Hobbit - Burger & Shrimp Rolls

2012-01-23T21:36:00.001-08:00

Waiter defintely high and wanted us to order appetizers soooo badly. Burger very good (shared w/ wifey), kind of crispy on the outside, yet tender on the inside. Fries were slightly flavored, which was an interesting twist. Shrimp rolls are really good, too much cream cheese though, made me fart all night. Happy birthday to both Captain Hook and Carlita. Busiest week of my life keeps getting busier. May have to get FUBAR on Sunday after my midterm. 21 straight 15+ hour days makes me tired and in need of a drink. So scared to weigh in if I ever get to the gym again.

Real Dim Sum (Dim Sum King)

2012-01-22T10:47:00.000-08:00

Real dim sum from dim sum king. Soooo delicious and CHEAP! 12 dumplings for the price of 3 dumplings at Gigi's Asian Bistro. Ate this along with sticky rice with wife. Dog was jealous. She did not get dim sum. Total meal $15 including veggie spring rolls and the lotus leaf sticky rice. Nom Nom Nom.

Demeris BBQ

2012-01-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

Free BBQ. Always great. Gave me a tiny drumstick for chicken which made me mad. Was it because I asked for all 3 meats? Cole slaw is amazing. Beans were good too, kind of sweet. Too lazy to get water so was very thirsty after this meal. 2-3 more weeks of hell and it should all slow down a bit. GO PATRIOTS.

Sausage & Jumbalaya by Leaney

2012-01-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

So short on time. Internship crunch time. Sausage and Jumbalaya was for dinner this week. The jumbalaya came from a box, but the sausage was fresh ground from the deli. Italian sausage it was. Went nicely with the rice. So much flavor. Best wife ever.

New! McBites!

2012-01-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning, I hit up McDonald's w/ my little bro and tried the new McBites! I ordered the small, but really wish I would have ordered the XXXXXL because these things are FANTASTIC! A bit pricy, but definitely worth the price if you pair it up with a spicy chicken sandwich for a buck more (which I certainly did). The McBites feature all white meat chicken and have a very distinct flavor, which I can only describe as DELICIOUS GOODNESS!

GiGi's Asian Bistro (with Groupon)

2012-01-17T16:03:00.000-08:00

After the Groupon ($20 for $40), I still had to drop about $23 bucks to cover the overage and tip. Yup, that's $43 out of pocket, and technically $63 for 2 orders of dim sum dumplings (1 ha gao, and 1 siu mai), along with an order of shrimp ($28). The service was really good and the restaurant was pretty nice, but DAMN that was expensive. The only thing that MAY be worthwhile on this menu would be the all you can eat dimsum ($25/person), but I'm pretty sure no two people could possibly eat $50 in dim sum if they headed down to Chinatown, so the deal is kind of bullshit anyway. I'll def never eat here again (unless I'm rich and want to burn money), but mostly because I am one of the most value conscious people on the planet.

Berryhill Enchiladas

2012-01-16T07:10:00.001-08:00

Last week, we had a catered meal where Berryhill brought in 4 different kinds of enchiladas. My first plate featured the beef enchiladas, but I think I made a horrible mistake because I tasted Leaney's spinach and corn enchiladas and realized that they were TO DIE FOR! I actually ended up getting seconds and thirds (chicken and then the spinach and corn), while dodging the cheese enchiladas entirely. Long story short, the spinach and cheese enchiladas were by far the best. The beef were good, but I couldn't tell if it was ground beef or steak as the consistency of the meat was of a kind I have never encountered. Anyways, I have a couple of Berryhill coupons that I got in the mail, and I think I'll be heading back for some more spinach and cheese...unless I get sidetracked by the FISH TACOS.

Tofu Banh Mi

2012-01-15T17:23:00.000-08:00

No clue WHAT the hell got into me earlier this week when I ordered a TOFU banh mi (over the usual bbq pork). This was surely one of the biggest mistakes of my life, since the tofu version lacks flavor, yet is probably just as unhealthy due to the extra Vietnamese mayo that they poured on my sandwich. Still, it was pretty good, just not nearly as good as the one with meat. Banh Mi FAIL.

Pillsbury Dough Pizza

2012-01-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, Leaney and I made a pizza from scratch...sorta! We used some Pillsbury pizza dough (only $1.50 in the biscuits section), along with some packaged chicken breast, green peppers and jalapenos (fresh for me, pickled for her). This was an amazing creation, which probably only cost about $5 total in ingredients. It makes me almost want to open up my own pizza joint! GO SAINTS!

Twin Peaks - Pulled Pork Nachos and Wings

2012-01-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Leaney and I headed up to the local TWIN PEAKS to catch the Giants/Falcons first half. When we arrived, the first thing that I noticed is that the joint had the most TVs I have ever seen in any sportsbar. Along with roughly 100 giant flatscreens up on the walls, each booth had its own individual TV for you to watch whatever you please. Along with the TVs, this place definitely had some nice scenery. However, I must warn that most Houston breastaurants seem to be real hit or miss in terms of the talent...some very solid, some mildly horrific.

Anyways, we ended up ordering the pulled pork nachos, which were only $6 (for the medium). They were GIGANTIC, and piled high with both chips and flavor (I really enjoyed the sweet BBQ taste on these nachos). Personally, I would have preferred more pulled pork, but I definitely can't complain for only $6. The wings were VERY juicy, with my only regret there being that we only ordered 6 and thus could only try 1 flavor. Just fair warning...the hot is not very hot.

Friend's Pizza

2012-01-11T20:01:00.000-08:00

When I handed Mahatma a pile of menus which I've been collecting (including places like Chang's and NY Pizzaria), I did not expect him to choose Friend's Pizza. I had no clue what the hell a Friend's pizza was until this past Saturday...but hot damn these pies were pretty delicious. We ordered two pizzas for the Saints/Lions game, one with pepperoni and the other with peppers and onions. I'd have to say the pepperoni was my favorite, but both pizzas were EXTREMELY greasy and cheesy (that's a good thing). I had some money on the game with Carlito, which sucked since the Saints covered the 10.5 which I kind of saw coming anyways. Good football weekend overall as we all TEBOWED our way to Monday.

The Tasting Room - Akaushi Burger & Orchid Temprenillo

2012-01-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

I'll be very honest why Leaney and I selected the Akaushi Burger and the Orchid Temprenillo this past Saturday night @ the Tasting Room off Post Oak... They were two of the cheapest items on the menu. I will say that the burger was pretty delicious, but as you can see in this picture, it was pretty damn small. They do give you plenty of fries, but at the end of this drunken evening I had to eat half of a leftover Jimmy John's to top myself off. $50 for a burger and a bottle of wine for two (we shared the burger, which is also possibly why I was starving at 2a) seems a bit absurd to me, especially since this is the kind of place where you buy the bottle off the wall (I went to a similar place in Dallas with wines in the $10-$20 range...Orchid was $30+). Although it was pretty cool that we had the back room, give me dinner at Chilis any day with an oldtimer burger for 7 bucks. Happy birthay to PStein! No dance offs, but I bet you didn't see going to the Belvedere later in the night happening...now did you? (it was ethnic night).

Reception Food Tasting

2012-01-10T19:31:00.001-08:00

The day finally came last Friday where I would have a chance to do reception food tasting! Leaney and I headed over to Sweetwater CC and were able to try several of our appetizers out as well as some of the pastas. Unfortunately, we couldn't try the meat since it will be served via carving station. Anyways, we tried the coconut chicken tenders, veggie egg rolls, salami cornucopias, beef and chicken skewers, cucumber wrapped shrimp, bowtie pasta alfredo and cheese tortellini with marinara sauce. All of the food was good except for the chicken tenders which were a bit too dry...but you'll have to stay tuned until May 27th 2012 to see what we ended up choosing!

Red Robin - Chicken Tender Salad

2012-01-08T15:18:00.001-08:00

On Friday, Leaney and I headed up to the Woodlands to have lunch with JJ, Shasie and Hazzy at Red Robin. We ended up sharing the chicken tender salad, since we were food tasting for our reception later that day. This salad was absolutely delicious, served with two small slices of garlic bread and an amazing honey mustard (why is it so hard to buy good honey mustard from the grocery store?). Usually the burgers at Red Robin make me feel a little sick, but this salad was the perfect pre food tasting meal on a Friday afternoon.

Chang's Chicken Pesto Pasta

2012-01-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, at the wifey's request, I fired up a batch of my not very famous pesto pasta (with chicken). Basically, I take 8 oz of cream, a hulking spoonfull of butter, a cup of parmesan cheese, and some pre-made pesto from a jar, and whip it all together in a pan. Served on a bed of spaghetti, I'm pretty sure I made Paula Dean proud with my butter/fat content in this dish. Anyways, if for some reason you want to try the receipt above, it does serve 4...so it may not be as bad as I think it is. I've been too terrified to tally up the fat content, so living in ignorance in this case is absolutely delicious. Sad that my break is almost over, but ready to get back to work!!

Guacamole Victory

2012-01-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

So the last two times I've tried to make guacamole, I've chosen avacados that weren't quite ready which basically ruined the final product. Earlier this week, with avacados on sale for 98 cents at HEB, I decided to give it one more shot. Avacado, red onions, tomatoes, a bit of salt, a bit of honey, lime juice and some cilantro later...and I found myself with a huge VICTORY! Served with a turkey sandwich on a leftover hamburger bun (the straggling last bun from a 6-pack), this lunch was both healthy (sort of) and delicious.

Little Napoli - Angelhair Pasta w/ Meatballs

2012-01-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, Leaney and I hit up Little Napoli to make use of a $20 Groupon. She ordered the tortellini, while I went with the angel hair pasta w/ meatballs. After our meal, I whipped out Leaney's phone to pass on the Groupon...which made the waiter a bit pissy since he claims we were supposed to tell him we were using a Groupon before the meal. He then made us fill out this weird card, which we've filled out 3x already since they keep re-offering Groupons. Anyways, it's all good because the food here is amazing and the happy hour drinks are stiff as hell. Leaney and I admit that we would probably return sans Groupon, but since they keep offering, we'll keep on usin'

First Banh Mi of 2012

2012-01-04T18:51:00.001-08:00

Shortly after returning to Houston, Leaney and I headed over to Giverals in C-Town and shared a small order of pho and a banh mi sandwich. These banh mis are the best in the business, but the pho has a lot to be desired. Priced at 5 bucks for a TINY bowl, I definitely should have gone for the medium...but I guess its not 1990 anymore (the first time that I ate at this place -- the sandwiches were a buck).

Anyways 2012 has started so I guess its time to list out my new years resolutions. The list is short -- get back down to 200 lbs and get a solid internship! Go big or go home, I guess? No way this year can beat 2011 though... the year that I got married, the year I went back to school full time (which meant I quit my job), and the year my online poker career officially died due to online gambling black friday. Or maybe it can...?

A Gordon Biersche Brewery New Years

2012-01-04T11:31:00.001-08:00

After arriving in Dallas, we headed over to the Gordon Biersche brewery w/ the Krangs, DBo and Legend to enjoy a new years dinner. I had a pint of their hefeweizen along with the crab and shrimp salad with a chipotle dressing (this would start a string of healthiness for me over the break). The salad was amazing, but the best part of dinner was probably the garlic fries (Krang and DBo both had a massive pile). I'm still not sure if I loved or hated them, but these fries had more garlic on them than I thought was humanely possible. In fact, I would probably call them the garlic, served with fries. They were RIDICULOUS, and made my breath smell like horrible garlic for the next 2 days (I brushed 3 separate times before the taste completely went away). We spent the night watching Kathy Griffin on CNN count us down to the new year, and pounded one too many shots of whiskey along the way. I thought it was a great new years, and I hope 2012 is as good of a year for me as 2011 was!

Sunset Grill - Kilbasa & Eggs

2012-01-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

On our way out of Fredericksburg, Leaney and I hit up the Sunset Grill with our last breakfast voucher. She had the sausage and eggs while I had the kilbasa and eggs w/ a couple of corn tortillas and a side of potatoes. The kilbasa was amazing...and reminded me of the days I would climb into my polish neighbor's dorm room to eat kilbasa from his fridge. The eggs were kind of runny (I ordered over medium) and the potatoes were overly peppered. I ended up taking all of the components on my plate and forming breakfast tacos, which was a great idea. The meal was definitely over-priced at 9 bucks. 5.5 hours later, we arrived in Dallas to spend new years with the Krangs and Dbo. But not before we stopped at Taco Bell for a beefy crunch burrito (the one with the spicy fritos)!

Fredericksburg Wine Tasting & Chicken Fried Steaks

2012-01-04T11:06:00.000-08:00

Last week, Leaney and I took a day to hit up 5 vineyards near Fredericksburg with Texas Wine Tours. We were picked up at the doorstep of our B&B, and rode a limo bus around the area tasting random wines from the different vineyards (along with 4 other couples). We visited Mendelbaum Cellars, Roncho Ponte, Pedernales, Becker and Grape Creek...most of which were pretty solid (Pedernales sucked because they barely gave any wine to taste). Roncho Ponte or Becker were probably the most generous, while Mendelbaum had the most expensive wines available for tasting. Pretty solid day with a lunch break (included in the price of the tour) at the Rathskeller!

For lunch I could not help but go with the chicken fried steak. It was absolutely delicious, but definitely finished off my stomach as my poop became tar black at this point in the trip (reminiscent of Argentina 2010). The CFS was served with a thick side of cheesy German potatoes, as well as some green beans that were a bit too salty. Pretty solid deal as I would recommend Texas Wine Tours to anyone interested on hitting up Texas wine country.

Chef Chang's First Salmon

2012-01-03T15:44:00.000-08:00

Taking a break from my vacation posts, I've decided to go ahead and blog about tonight's creation...a Texas glazed BBQ salmon (served w/ leftover fried rice and Leaney's brown sugar glazed carrots). This is the first time I've ever cooked salmon, but I must say that it was a pretty solid success. I heated the oven to 450, and threw in a couple of salmon steaks which were marinated (for only an hour) in garlic/onion seasoning, HEB Texas sloppin' BBQ sauce and some olive oil. 13 minutes later, dinner was served and perfectly cooked! Sooo easy, pretty healthy and absolutely delicious. MmmmmMMMMmmm.

Mahaley's Cafe - Fredericksburg, TX

2012-01-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Before setting sail on an 8 hour wine tasting tour, Leaney and I stopped by Mahaley's Cafe and ripped 3 breakfast tacos using our breakfast certificates (provided by our bed & breakfast). These tacos were very good, and served as a perfect base to begin a long ass day of drinking 50 different wines. I went with the bacon, egg, potato and cheese while Leaney went with bean and cheese. We shared a sausage, potato, egg and cheese taco which we couldn't even finish because they were so big. Great breakfast tacos at a great price! Just don't dare try to eat two of them or you will be truly destroyed before a long day ahead. The next time I'm going to try the "trash taco", which has everything that they have shoved into one tortilla -- bacon, sausage, beans, eggs, chorizo, etc... WOW.

Panda Chinese Restaurant - Fredericksburg, TX

2012-01-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

After arriving in Fredericksberg and checking into our bed and breakfast (absolute charm is a great site to use if you ever want to book a trip to Fredericksburg to check out the wineries), Leaney and I headed over to the only Chinese/Japanese restaurant in town...Panda! We drove by this joint on the way into the city, and after reading as much about this place online as possible, we decided to give it a shot since we were in the mood for sushi. Usually, I am skeptical about places that serve BOTH Chinese and Japanese food...but the sushi was actually kind of decent. The spicy California roll was probably my favorite, but the shaggy dog roll was pretty decent as well. Not bad for small town Texas!

Kerbey Lane - Austin, TX

2012-01-03T09:05:00.000-08:00

On our way out of Austin, TX, Leaney and I stopped off at Kerbey Lane where I enjoyed two delicious migas breakfast tacos. Eggs and tortilla strips fried and placed in a flour tortilla, covered with fresh jalapenos and ranchero sauce. Now THAT'S breakfast! The best part about the meal is that we got $10 off by linking my AMEX for my foursquare, taking advantage of the small business promotion! Woo-hoo!!!!! This place beats IHOP anyday,

Killer Piranha Sushi - Austin, TX

2012-01-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

After checking into the Holday Inn, Leaney and I grabbed a cab and had dinner at Killer Piranha Sushi near 3rd St. We ended up ordering a couple of happy hour crabcakes (2 cakes for $5...and they were AMAZING) along with 3 random rolls. The crabcakes were covered with a wasabi-like sauce along with a fruity glaze (and served with little chunks of fruit). In my mind, these crabcakes definitely made the meal because the sushi rolls that we ordered were kind of blah. The rolls (Philly, Crawfish and another one covered with escolar) were all soaked with eel sauce and just not very good. They were a bit too "wet"...but the price was right since we enjoyed 3 drinks (and the food) for just under $40.

After dinner, we walked down to the other end of 6th St. and enjoyed the UT game at Dogwood. My buddy chellums crushed some chicken and waffle sliders, which made both Leaney and I VERY jealous. I ended up betting $50 bucks on UT to win, which paid out $30 and funded the rest of my tilt-fest on college bowl games throughout the rest of the week. Solid game by the horns defense, although I have NO idea why Mack Brown keeps starting Ash.

Guero's in Austin, TX

2012-01-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Leaney and I started our winter break road trip last week, and kicked things off over at Guero's in Austin for lunch. Along with an Avion margarita (felt like I was on Entourage), I went with the lunch combo which included a Taco Al Carbon (beef) and a chicken enchilada. Both items were delicious, but the Taco Al Carbon was just a bit better since I am a huge fan of beef. The pico was average, the margarita was strong, and the price was right ($30 for 2 lunches and 2 strong margaritas).

Sports Night - Fried Rice Style

2011-12-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

Last night, Leaney went to work, so I watched as much sports as humanly possible. I watched the Rockets/Magic, then the Saints/Falcons, all while streaming the Wizards/Nets (go Humphries!) all while drinking rum and eating fried rice! The fried rice was nothing special, just some leftovers rice I fried with some veggies and chicken. It was good though, especially when paired with Indian rum which was served on these drink rocks that I got for Christmas. Basically, you stick'em in the freezer and use them as ice, except that they don't melt! Pretty cool, eh?

Christmas BBQ

2011-12-26T17:24:00.000-08:00

Thank god there was no turkey for Christmas, because after the Thanksgiving turkey-fest earlier this year, I couldn't have handled it. Instead, I enjoyed a delicious spread of ribs, brisket and sausage from the Hickory Barn with Leaney and her family. Along with BBQ, I played some heads up hold'em, watched a ton of basketball, and had a pretty solid day overall. Can't wait to have some leftover ribs tonight! My favorite gift this year was probably my two new ties! I also received sweatpants, shirts, and some pretty cool drink rocks (they keep your drink cold without melting).

Confucius Seafood Restaurant - Christmas Eve Meal

2011-12-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

YUMMY! Confucius Chinese Restaurant is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to eat. The food is VERY reasonably priced (especially during lunch), and the lobster noodles area freaking delicious. Yesterday, Leaney's fam and my uncle and grams met up at Confucius to enjoy a quick lunch as well as watch the Tebow meltdown (it was playing on the big screen). After scoring a touchdown on the opening drive of the 2nd half, there was no Christmas miracle for Tebow and the Broncos...which was really depressing considering his 4 INTs. Solid lunch, leading me to pretty much give up on losing weight until after the new years. We also enjoyed a bunch of sweet and sour pork, green beans, fried rice, fried noodles and garlic beef.

Family Dinner @ Ocean Palace

2011-12-24T15:54:00.000-08:00

Last night, Leaney and I hit up a family function over at the Ocean Palace, celebrating the marriage of one of my cousins. We didn't realize this was going to be a wedding reception, but it was definitely a good thing because the food was AMAZING. We started out by popping open some wine, plenty of champagne, and rum from India to go with some fried shrimp balls (I love these things) served with sweet and sour sauce.

After that, we grubbed out on some shrimp salad, peking duck (pictured here), bird's nest seafood platter, and plenty of Chinese style lobster. I definitely got a bit tipsy, but the worst part of dinner was the fact that the lobster was basically all over my shirt by the time dinner was over. I think I had 75% of the lobster platter, which was difficult to eat because the pieces were not pre-cracked. Overall, a very delicious meal!

A Berryhill Friday

2011-12-23T13:14:00.000-08:00

Today has been pretty damn good so far. I woke up, went to Berryhill for lunch with my beautiful wife, did some cleaning around the house, worked on some interview preparation, and then hit the gym for a solid workout. The workout was solid, but my intensity has definitely been down since I think I've drank 9 days in a row since the semester ended (we hit up Sawyer Park last night for the Texans vs. Colts). I do want to say that the day has been mostly fueled by the Berryhill fish taco. This fish taco is the best fish taco I have ever had, and is VERY reasonably priced at only $3.69. Tempura fried and topped off with a delicious cream sauce and cabbage, there is nothing I would change about the fish tacos @ Berryhill.

In addition to the fish tacos, Leaney and I shared a heaping order of Nachos. At only $8.99, this MAMMOTH plate of Nachos was definitely a great deal with plenty of punch. Leaney also had a chicken enchilada a la carte, which helped us use the $20 Groupon we had to its entirety. Berryhill is so good, and I need to start going regularly on Mondays for $1.99 fish tacos! Maybe meals like this are what's preventing me from losing weight (back up to 217.9 from 215.9 a few days ago....uhg).

Red Lobster - Glazed Salmon and Shrimp

2011-12-23T10:40:00.001-08:00

Last night, I met up Leaney's family over at the Red Lobster in Sugarland and tried to order as healthy as possible. I ended up going with the glazed salmon and shrimp, which was the perfect order for this dieting Chinaman. Served on a bed of rice and with a side of broccoli, this dish was delicious and left me STARVING 3 hours later, which was a good sign for my diet. It's going to be hard to keep my momentum going over the next few days (I'll be eating out quite a bit), but hopefully 210 lbs is a possible benchmark by the end of the break. All the grades are in for school, and things ended up not to shabby. It's been a good break.

WOW! Banh Mi from Heaven

2011-12-22T11:08:00.000-08:00

So I have no idea what the name of the restaurant is, but I went to the "blue banh mi" shop in Chinatown for the first time in like 15 years last night. I usually go to the Giveral Hoang Sandwich shop (always amazing), but after having a crappy banh mi from the Don Sandwich shop (random impulse buy from last trip to Chinatown), I couldn't help myself but try out the third viet sandwich in the old DIHO (now Best Fresh?) plaza. This guy was a bit pricy ($2.90 -- buy 5 get 1 free), but was absolutely amazing from beginning to end. The bread was perfectly toasted, and the BBQ pork was tender and flavorful. They LOADED the sandwich up with Vietnamese mayo, and also had a GIANT jalapeno sliver (usually they are small). Overall, I would dare say that on this night, I had one of the top 5 banh mis I have ever had.

Pork Chops by GCM

2011-12-21T21:10:00.000-08:00

Last night, I fired up the grill for the first time in a long time, and threw on a couple of pork tenderloin chops for Leaney and myself. To go with the chops, I fried up some leftover rice w/ some random veggies. The pork chops turned out pretty good, but just a tiny bit dry since I'm always nervous with cooking time when it comes to pork. The fried rice was pretty solid in my opinion... a very easy combination of frozen veggies, rice, eggs on high heat w/ soy sauce and a bit of sugar and garlic. Nom Nom Nom.

Toku Sushi @ Regular Price

2011-12-20T16:23:00.000-08:00

The only Groupon we have ever used which has brought us back to a restaurant to eat at full price has been the one for Toku sushi. Last night, Leaney and I hit up Toku without a Groupon (the waiter actually asked us...Groupon?) and enjoyed some sushi rolls during happy hour. Happy hour is almost as good as a Groupon here since everything is 30% off! Pictured here is a philly roll, which is one of my favorites at Toku, due to the perfect portion of cream cheese. Not too bad for $3 bucks...which is actually pricier than it used to be (rolls used to be $2.50 during happy hour instead of 30% off). A solid night as our save the dates are almost out the door!

Easiest Garlic Shrimp Ever

2011-12-20T08:55:00.000-08:00

The hardest part about the following garlic shrimp recipe was peeling and removing the poop lines from the fresh shrimp that I picked up at the grocery store. After that, I used 2 tablepoons of olive oil, some minced garlic, a dash of garlic/herb steak seasoning and some parsley to whip up GCM's famous garlic shrimp. Served with a side of pasta-roni, this was truly a perfect post football Sunday comfort meal.

Texans Game Baked Potato

2011-12-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

While at the Texans game, Leaney and I went on a halftime food hunt for the perfect meal. As we scoured the stadium looking for Astros game type monster nachos, we realized that our efforts would be futile. All of the nachos appeared to be chili/cheese style, and the only chicken nachos we could find (labeled "Monster" like the ones at Astros games) just looked kind of sad. Personally, I was kind of craving a chicken tender basket, but for $9, we realized we could have a GIGANTIC baked potato topped with chopped BBQ beef.

This BBQ baked potato, topped with beef, butter, sour cream, chives, bacon bits, and BBQ sauce was worth every penny. There was so much butter on this thing that it leaked through the plate and onto my pants making it look like I peed myself. Anyways, no regrets on the food selection for us...although I'm sure the Texans kind of regret the way they played against the Cam Newtons. Tough L for the Texans. TIME TO BRING IN FAVRE!

Texans Tailgate

2011-12-20T08:24:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning, 9 of us gathered at Kim Jong's place for some AM drinkin' and grubbin. We had a leftover Dos Equis Keg, champagne, a variety of kolaches (from kolache factory - where I got 50% off by using my obscure enjoy the city coupons), and a bunch of McDoanld's courtesy of Yoooo. This was the perfect base for a long day of drinking...and also led to us almost peeing ourselves as we tried to make our way to the stadium via lightrail. I don't blame any of the businesses along the lightrail, but the lack of availability of restrooms is astonishing. Pretty sure Hazzy and I have the smallest bladders EVER.

HEB Brand Enchiladas

2011-12-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

If you are craving enchiladas and don't feel like paying restaurant prices or making your own (making your own enchiladas is a nightmare!!!), I would highly recommend going with the HEB pre-made enchiladas served on a bed of rice. They take about 1.5 hours in the oven, so we decided to microwave (24 minutes) and just go from there. The sauce was really good, and the enchiladas were stuffed full of white meat chicken. At the end of the day, they are still frozen enchiladas...but not too bad for $6 bucks (serves 4).

After eating these enchiladas, me and the guys headed over to the Galleria for first annual drunk Christmas shopping fest. We showed up tipsy and continued to pound drinks at Prohibition, Daily Grill, Kona Grill and best of all...Chilis! I got about 80% of my Christmas shopping completed on Thursday, narrowly missing my 100% completion goal. The good news is, I'm done now!!! Can't believe one of my buddies bought his girlfriend a fossil watch for Christmas.

Buffalo Grille - Acapulco Catfish

2011-12-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday night, Leaney and I headed over to the Buffalo Grille on the last night of the Groupon deal, and I ended up ordering the Acapulco catfish. We arrived at around 6pm, and the line was already out the door (the Groupon effect is pretty interesting on expiration date). People of all ages were lined up with their coupons ready to go, and I think we actually got there just in time before things got really crazy. Anyways, this was the perfect order on the first night of my attempt to lose 10 lbs over break. 2 pieces of grilled fish on a bed of rice, topped off with avacado pico, full of flavor and deliciousness. Kind of weird though, since I am convinced that half of the things on the Buffalo Grille menu have no taste (the biscuits and gravy are bad and the chicken fried steak is worse). And that is coming from a man who loves bland food....

Oishii - Victory Sushi Plate

2011-12-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

On our way home from the bar, Leaney and I stopped off at Oishii off Richmond and loaded up on some sushi. I love this place for its great prices, but the parking situation is just atrocious. After finally grabbing a table, we chowed down on our usual sushi rolls, and then I went home and went to bed at 8pm. The spicy salmon was pretty good, but the shaggy dog was probably my favorite (almost 3x as much as the other rolls -- $9 vs. $3). ONE SEMESTER OFFICIALLY DOWN.

Gugliani's Rice Village

2011-12-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

The Hooters team (our group's name at school) gathered for one last team lunch on Tuesday as the semester was ending. We decided on BYOB at Collina's in the village, and when we arrived we found that the restaurant had changed its name to Gugliani's (same owners, I think). 3 hours and 4 bottles of wine later, we said our goodbyes and all went on our separate ways. The team this semester was a good one...so I'm sad to change it up next semester. At the same time, I'm somehow already looking forward to getting going again, as it's gonna be crunch time for internships, etc. This shrimp panini served with a side caesar was the perfect way to prep for a nice little 6 hour victory drinking session. The shrimp were a plenty, and the price was just right ($8.99). Afterwards, we hit up OTC for a bunch of shots. Lots...of...shots. I think I almost puked after taking downing some sambuca.

Wingstop FTW

2011-12-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

After hitting up Toku Sushi with a Groupon, Leaney and I stopped off at Wingstop to top ourselves off since we only had 3 rolls at Toku. We ended up ordering the garlic parmesan and mild wings (5 of each) as well as an order of fries. Although the fries were just OK (I think they sprinkled sugar on the fries?!), the wings were absolutely fantastic. They were perfectly cooked, and had just the right amount of sauce (a nice serving of ranch as well!). I'd definitely return to Wingstop anytime...but I'll pre-order for sure next time since we had to wait 15 minutes for them to prepare our combo. MMmmmMMM...a perfect break from studying!

Broccoli Pasta & Ground Beef by Leaney

2011-12-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

Last week, I enjoyed a delicious meal by Leaney, which featured a cheesy pasta with broccoli, ground beef and some brown sugar glazed carrots. My only regret from this meal is that I didn't get to eat enough of it!! (I think I only had 2 servings before we ran out). Anyways, I ended up mixing in the ground beef and adding some red pepper, which was a nice little kick. Can't wait to eat this again!

Demeris BBQ Lunch

2011-12-14T06:39:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting here, finals done, eating a sausage breakfast taco (with fresh pico), watching The Office on my DVR, and FINALLY catching up on my food blog. What can I say? Life is good right now... real good. Life was also good last week when we had FREE DEMERIS BBQ for lunch at school! Pictured here is brisket, chicken and the especially DELICIOUS sausage. This was the last free meal of the semester, so I made sure to savor every bite. IT'S CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shrimp & Finals

2011-12-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm not really eating these meals during finals, but last weekend I had lots of shrimp in one day. Probably the most shrimp I've had in one day since my birthday two years ago when I dropped over 150 shrimp at endless shrimp @ the Red Lobster. I started out the day by heading over to D&B with my little bro. I thought it wouldn't be too expensive (especially with the eat and play combos), but MAN...can kids go through power cards fast. I remember when I was a kid, I would ration my points and make them last all day. Not this kid, as we were in and out of D&B in under 1 hour, including lunch (I had the shrimp and fries, which were surprisingly delicious -- last time they were crap).

Later in the day, I headed over to Leaney's parents house where we dined on even more shrimp. These guys were also delicious, especially since they were served with some delicious rice and ribs! Pretty solid Sunday of shrimp feasitng. 3 finals down, and two to go!!! Accounting in the morning!!!!!!!!!!!

Wedding Shower for the Bermans, Steak by PStein

2011-12-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night, we headed over to PStein's place for the Berman's wedding shower. We munched on Admiral Hook's pigs in a blanket and Captain Hook's cheesy beer dip. The best part of the spread definitely came from PStein, who made some wine inspired steak strips! They were delicious, especially when combined with the crackers and the cheesy beer dip. On my way out, I must admit to the world that I did walk out with a few pigs n blankets in my pocket... which were eventually served to Princess Nibs when I got home. She definitely approved.

I think I escaped just in time. From what I hear...the Bermans were in pretty bad shape the next morning. Congrats to Krang Berman himself, for driving 10 hours just to take the future Mrs. Berman home...presumably because she Ricky'ed her flight. 2.1 FINALS TO GO!!!!!!!!!!

Red Beans & Rice

2011-12-08T13:43:00.000-08:00

You take a sausage that you bought from Bucees a few months ago (3 cheese sausage), a box of Zatarain's red beans & rice, 2 cups of water and some butter...and BOOM! You have Chef Chang's famous red beans and rice w/ sausage! This easy to prepare meal was absolutely delicious, and became even better when I mixed some green onions and fresh jalapenos into the leftovers. Leaney thought it was OK...but Princess Nibbles sure enjoyed licking the pots and pans clean!

CPK - Frozen Meatza

2011-12-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

This frozen meat lovers pizza was good, but not great. I think these frozen CPK pizzas have quickly lost their novelty in my eyes, and may soon never be eaten again (really expensive, priced at $6). Gonna keep this post short since I'm in the midst of studying for an economics final. I was on cruise control until I took the practice exam and thought it was...well...impossible. AHHHHHHHHH... 3.5 finals to go!

Molina's - Fajitas

2011-12-06T13:36:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, we were served fajitas from Molina's for lunch at school. I topped these delicious beef and chicken fajitas with a bunch of rice and pico, while going easy on the beans and sour cream (but certainly not the guac). I love these fajitas because the beef is very tender and just fatty enough to give it a real flavor boost. Also, the tortillas are some of the best in the business. If they could get their pico right (the chunks were too big), I would dare say that this would be almost the perfect fajita.

Zorro's Buffet - LIVINGSOCIAL FAIL!!!!!!!!! ZORRO'S IS TERRIBLE!!!

2011-12-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

WOW!!! ZORRO'S BUFFET HAS BEEN BESMIRCHED BY NEW MANAGEMENT!!! Leaney, Nai Nai and I showed up on Sunday afternoon, hoping to use a Livingsocial $20 voucher, when we were DENIED by "new management". I have NEVER been SOOOO angry at a daily deal in my life! I am really going tO get this one taken care of (we better get our money back and THEN SOME) as we drove 15 miles out to Zorro's piece of shit buffet, only to have to pay full price and see our Livingsocial get shot down. Not only that, but this place is ghetto and the food is TERRIBLE AND COLD. Zorro's buffet, you really are the worst. And your selection sucks as well.

Bullritos - Steak Burrito

2011-12-05T17:34:00.000-08:00

The TV is off, and my books are open...which means ITS FINALS TIME! Taking a quick break from grinding accounting to catch up on my dinner from last Friday, a Bullritos steak burrito (shared w/ the wifey along w/ some chicken nachos). The beef was VERY tender, and the spanish rice, jack cheese and pico was a nice pick me up after some afternoon basketball. I was craving Chipotle, but ended up hitting up Bullritos since it's on the way home. Excellent move.

DSOP CHAMPION!

2011-12-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Pictured here is the meal that I ate prior to winning my FIRST ever DSOP championship. Ever since I quit the full-time grind, my poker game has been incredible. It's probably due to the lack of any tilt, but damn it feels good when you sit down and you know you are probably gonna win if there are no bad beats. The sickest part of the night? my WIFE CAME IN 2ND! The Chang family took home almost $300 in prize monies, as I was able to only lose $25 in the post tournament cash game...so almost all the monies came home with us that night. Thank god for the cajun turkey, stuffing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and turkey pot pie (that I made with our leftovers) that powered me to victory! Constantine also gave us half a cheesecake which we destroyed over the next 3 days. Great night!

Thanksgiving Dinner!

2011-12-01T06:47:00.000-08:00

I had no idea that this turkey would haunt me for the next 20 straight meals. This Thanksgiving 12 lb turkey, along w/ honey ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, stove top stuffing, and greek style salad definitely put us all into food comas last Thursday night (perfect for watching Texas beat TAMU). The turkey was actually pre-cooked from HEB, so all we had to do was drop it in a baking tin with some chicken broth, and let her go at about 300F. To add some special Thanksgiving gluttony, I topped the turkey with 16 slices of honey maple bacon!

The meal itself was pretty easy (about 4 hours total to assemble), and has led me to eat leftover turkey for the last 20 straight meals. Leaney and I ended up taking the turkey and turning it into sandwiches, pot pie, and turkey pasta...yet the freaking leftovers WILL NOT END! Remind me next year to get a smaller turkey.

Gringos - Pulled Pork Enchiladas

2011-11-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday night, I headed over to Gringos w/ Leaney's family (sans Leaney since she was making the big bucks) and ordered the pulled pork enchiladas. I almost went with the bbq pulled pork quesadillas, but ended up going w/ the enchiladas because I wanted the rice, beans and special pico (pico w/avacado and lemon vinagrette -- delicious but the chunks were too big). The food was all very good, but my enchiladas were a bit dry since the pulled pork was just stacked on top and without any kind of special sauce. Really, they weren't pulled pork enchiladas but instead cheese enchiladas topped with pulled pork. 7.8/10 on the GCM chain restaurant meal scale, so still definitely a solid win. One of my last non-turkey leftover meals for a while...

Whole Foods Turkey Meal

2011-11-28T16:30:00.001-08:00

Last Tuesday, we enjoyed some catering at school for a pre-Thanksgiving feast! Whole foods came on campus and served up some ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, and bread to get us warmed up for the main event. The food was actually all pretty bland, so I smothered my whole plate with gravy, and then topped it off with 3 small packages of honey (no cranberry sauce was served!) Definitely a good start to a turkey filled week, and the pumpkin pies were amazing!

Premade Bag of Orange Chicken

2011-11-28T16:27:00.001-08:00

Last week, Leaney and I cooked up a pre-made orange chicken dish (comes in one of the frozen bags) from HEB. I always crave these things, but never man up and buy them since they are usually about $7 per package. This particular Orange Chicken stir fry was definitely worth it, as we crushed it down with some white rice last Wednesday night (didn't feel like doing any cooking before Thanksgiving). The chicken was clearly fake, but nothing wrong with that when masked with plenty of orange sauce!

Leftover El Tiempo - Beef Taco

2011-11-25T09:18:00.000-08:00

Gotta love when your friends give you leftovers to take home. I woke up and found this delicious beef fajita taco in my fridge, ready to eat! Along with some home-made chips and queso, I downed this beef fajita taco that Kim Jong Il gave me at El Tiempo the night before. The beef was SO tender, which made this the perfect Sunday morning brunch @ the casa. The only drawback was the fact that I threw this in the microwave, which meant that the tomatoes and lettuce were warmed up...which kind of weirds me out.

Tuna's Birthday El Tiempo

2011-11-25T09:08:00.000-08:00

The El Tiempo crab enchilada...FINALLY a pictured captured of one of the most amazing dishes on the planet in all its glory (thanks to iPhone 4 flash!). I enjoyed one of these bad boys, along w/ a bunch of chips and queso last weekend at Tuna's birthday dinner...along with half a margarita that I shared w/ Leaney. The crab enchilada was as good as usual, but the margarita tasted a bit off. Many laughs, stories, fohawks, and tebowing were enjoyed on this evening.

Pagoda - Crab Rangoons

2011-11-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

It's 12:30am the morning of Thanksgiving, and I am slaving away on a 10 page communications paper...woooo. OK, it's not really 10 pages (it's only 5)...but there's a single space requirement that definitely makes it technically 10 pages!!! I'm getting tired and am about to crack beer number 2 open...so I thought I'd take a break and write about some frozen crab rangoons that I ate last week. These motherfuckers were pretty damn good! Expensive though...$3 for 8 TINY rangoons. Pretty much bite sized which made the price per rangoon kind of appalling. I'll probably buy them again, but definitely not until I have income again. Kind of bullshit that they don't come with sweet and sour dipping sauce (like most frozen egg rolls do).

Kiran's - Catered Deliciousness

2011-11-21T21:40:00.001-08:00

Last Thursday, we enjoyed a delicious feast courtesy of Kiran's over at school. This meal instantly one upped the catered meal from Shiva because it went a little bit outside the box and offered a spicy tilapia dish! In addition, we enjoyed Saag Paneer as well as Chicken Tikka Masala, with a bunch of fresh naan and some yummy dessert pastries. No samosas served with this meal, but overall my first Kiran's experience was extremely positive. Some of the best Indian Food I've had (although I haven't had that much Indian Food...I can probably name all the places -- Shiva, Bombay Brasserie, Indian Grill, Another Indian place on 45... and that's about it). Absolutely DELICIOUS!

Stouffer's Chicken Pasta

2011-11-21T15:41:00.000-08:00

What do you eat when you're on a budget and have no time to cook? I strongly suggest a Stouffer's family pasta dinner! Especially when its on sale at HEB (meal deal style -- you get 5 free items like salad, nuts, chips, etc with the purchase of the meal deal). This pasta was a bit plain, but once I added red pepper and parm, it was more than serviceable for the next 4-6 meals.

Info Session Food

2011-11-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

So I regularly go to a bunch of information sessions for school, and usually there is plenty of food available at these info sessions. The good part is that the food is free. The bad part is that we eat the same damn stuff every single time (and I think I've been to close to 20 of them this semester). Pictured here is the standard meal. Chicken wraps (amazing), with hummus, pita chips, fresh fruit and cheese, as well as some cucumber wrapped tuna salad, chicken salad, salmon, and shrimp. I usually choose to wash this all down with a diet coke.

Manwich (French Corner Catering)

2011-11-21T09:17:00.000-08:00

Last Monday's free lunch was from French Corner again, but featured something just a bit different...a sandwich bar! The creation pictured here is what I call a true manwich. Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef AND chicken salad on a croissant, layered with 2 slices of swiss cheese, mayonnaise, tomatoes and onions. Now THAT'S A FUCKING SANDWICH!

$60 Meal at Flemings for $10

2011-11-20T17:36:00.000-08:00

Tonight, Leaney and I hit up Flemings for a quick dinner (we sat at the bar and ordered 4 appetizers). The occasion? American Express sent me this thing in the mail for $50 worth of free food! Our tab at the end of the night was only $8...which was pretty solid if you've ever seen the prices on the Flemings menu. In order to not go way over $50, we decided to order a bunch of different appetizers. The shrimp cocktail were delicious, but stunningly small. We only got 3 shrimp, which were HUGE...but man...$15 for three shrimp?... they weren't THAT huge. Next up were the crab cakes. Pretty damn good, but just a bit too salty. After sharing these two apps, I had 3 filet skewers (which were cooked perfectly) and she had the mushroom ravioli. Awesome dinner for $8. Thanks AMEX!

Wedding Food

2011-11-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

Continuing the Wedding post from last weekend (@ Rice Hotel downtown), I want to say that the appetizers were extremely delicious. There were 2 main choices available, the first being asparagus stuffed chicken and the second being a fried rice ball with an aioli dipping sauce. Every time I see asparagus before an event involving drinking, I always anticipate the men's bathroom reeking of asparagus pee. Not sure if I drank too much to notice this time, but it didn't seem to be a problem later in the night. I definitely had like 6 or 7 glasses of wine during the appetizer mingling period.

Next up was the main course. A split of salmon and filet, served with a side of veggies (carrots mostly). The salmon was decent, but was a bit dry (I think that's just standard when cooking like 200 dishes at one time). The steak was very tender, and was definitely the highlight of the meal...but was way too small. Somehow, I was stuffed after dinner though...probably because of the insane amount of appetizers that I ate. Overall, a solid night of gluttony.

Breakfast Tacos @ V's Barber Shop

2011-11-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

OK, I have been paying $6 for a haircut since 1990, and have basically gotten 98% of my haircuts at King's Salon in Chinatown over the past 20 years...so going to V's barber shop for Folloder's pre-wedding haircut and shave event was a brand new experience for this GCM. We were massaged, hot toweled and then fed delicious bacon, potato and chorizo breakfast tacos (courtesy of his uncle). The actual haircut ended up pretty good, with the shave being just a strange experience. I think they used about 10 hot towels during the process, and even broke out a vibrating back massaging tool at one point (not sure, because there was always a fresh hot towel on my face). It was actually really relaxing, but after the haircut I noticed that most of the towels had blood stains. I know they wash the towels and use detergent (I saw the washing machines in the back by the restroom), but that definitely threw me off a bit. Regardless, glad I got to experience a $50 haircut for the first time ever! I am moving up in this world!

Smashburger - Classic & Fries

2011-11-16T05:31:00.001-08:00

Considering the fact that I am a celebrity sponsor of Smashburger (my food review was featured on their website almost 3 years ago), I would have thought I would have gotten this meal for free! Instead, I had to Groupon up and pay 46 cents for 2 classic cheeseburgers and a side of their AMAZING fries. OK...not 46 cents... but only an additional 46 cents on top of the $5 I paid for the Groupon. The burger was good, but the fries were AMAZING. For some reason, I think the best burger I've ever had is still over at the Cafe in the Wynn (Las Vegas), but a close second would be 5 guys and then Big Macs from the golden arches right behind that. I would say Smashburger is in the top 20...but nothing stands out about their burgers.

Chinese Monday

2011-11-14T11:42:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, we had our catered lunch done by the local Chinese joint (not sure exactly who the caterer is). I ended up grabbing a plate full of moo goo gai pan, broccoli beef, General Tsao's, dumplings, an egg roll and a crab rangoon. Everything was delicious, and I definitely went back for a 2nd helping of rangoons. Now that it appears that my mission for a really high GPA is pretty much donezo, I need to get back in the gym and work out more so I don't end up fat as hell. Meals like this definitely aren't helping that goal out.

Los Cucos - Shrimp Chimichanga

2011-11-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

Last week, Uncle Gerardo was in town so we all headed out to Los Cucos for a quick dinner. I ended up ordering the shrimp chimichangas, which were amazingly delicious and HUMONGOUS in terms of portion size. The chimichanga itself was probably the best part since it was PACKED full of shrimp (the shrimp wasn't that fresh...but not sure I really care when its smothered in sauce and fried in a tortilla). The chips & salsa were excellent and the price was not too shabby (dinner for 5 for $65). Pretty good meal!

Spinach Dip by Changs

2011-11-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

Who would have known that spinach artichoke dip is basically like 90% terrible in terms of the healthiness of ingredients. With 2 cans of spinach, 1 jar of chopped artichokes, 2 entire packages of parmesan and jack cheese along w/ a half a jar of mayo and sour cream...you have a giant heart attack! Add that with the fact that you accidentally made 16 servings...then yea... you probably get a few lbs gained on the gut. Regardless, this was a pretty delicious dip. I wish we would have had some pita chips, but tortilla will do for now. Not too shabby as we may serve this again during the first Changs thanksgiving!

Breakfast Tacos w/ Bacon

2011-11-08T12:56:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, I made a couple of breakfast tacos with seasoned fries, cheese eggs, and bacon. I used half of a leftover tortilla for one of them, and my last corn tortilla for the other. They were both delicious, but it's always sad watching bacon shrink on the skillet. I also wish I had a giant griddle so I can make more than 8 slices at a time (not that I eat 8 at a time.... or anything like that...)

Whataburger Late Night

2011-11-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

On the way back home from some Halloween drinking, Leaney and I hit up Whataburger and destroyed a couple of honey butter chicken biscuits and chicken tender boxes. Since we were too drunk to remember eating that night, we decided to grab some Whataburger for dinner last week. Obviously, the chicken tender box is a supreme form of food, but things turned tragic when we realized the dipping sauce was RANCH instead of country gravy. Honestly, I still haven't completely recovered from the disappointment from no ranch...but I must say the bread was as delicious as always.

Shiva - Tikka Masala and Saag Paneer

2011-11-06T08:24:00.000-08:00

I guess these are truly the two most Americanized Indian food dishes on the planet. When our school orders Chinese catering, they order General Tsao's chicken, crab rangoons and beef w/ broccoli. On this first ever Indian food catered event, we ended up with Tikka Masala, Saag Paneer and Samosas. Definitely not complaining though, since the food was fantastic. I was pretty damn stuffed, especially after pounding 3 samosas. Can't wait til' next time! GO GLUTTONOUS CHINAMEN!! HUGE FANTASY SUNDAY!

Chang's Chicken Pot Pie

2011-11-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

This week, Leaney and I have been making our way through a giant chicken pot pie that I made last week. I was terrified to attempt this dish, but it ended up being one of the easiest things we have ever made (served w/ my famous mashed potatoes and Leaney's famous brown sugar carrots). All you do is take some chicken chunks (I used frozed pre-cooked chicken) and mix it with a bag of mixed veggies. You dump in 2 cans of creamed chicken and then top it off with a pastry of your choice (I went with bisquick garlic cheddar biscuit mix). Bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 375 and VOILA! CHICKEN POT PIE MOTHERFUCKER!

Confucious Seafood Restaurant

2011-11-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

Damn, this food was AMAZING. I haven't been here in years, but the wait was well worth it. I wasn't even hungry, but the Nai Nai forced a feast upon me last Saturday. She ordered chinese fried fish, sweet and sour ribs, chinese stir fried beef and a bunch of lobster noodles. We pretty much took ALL the food to-go, so I'm sure Princess Nibs was having a feast all week since she stayed in Chinatown. Although this place is kind of randomly located (in the Fiesta strip mall), I think it may have some of the best and most reasonably priced food in C-town. I WILL be back again, very soon!

El Charro - Migas

2011-11-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

I love authentic food...and authentic food I had at El Charro last week! For only $2.99, I enjoyed some delicious migas, beans and hashbrowns w/ Leaney and her family. NOM NOM NOM! I love El Charro...although I was really craving a torta (not enough courage to order a torta at 9a). The portion was excellent, the price was right, and the food was delicious. Hard to beat that combo.

Baker Street Pub - Fish & Pasta

2011-11-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I hit up Happy hour @ Baker Street w/ my team, Leaney, Oscar and our team mentor, Lew. Eileen and I ended up using our last Baker Street groupon to chow down on the fish & chips as well as the chicken alfredo pasta. While enjoying one of the best happy hours in Houston ($2 beers & wells), we had a grand ole time as we shot the shit and did a little pre-halloween drinking.

The Fish & Chips were DELICIOUS as usual, however we did notice that the size of the fish and the amount of the chips have steadily decreased over the past 2 years. Its still a pretty good deal, but my usual order of only 1 fish will now have to ALWAYS be 2 fishes! The pasta was very good, but Leaney thought it needed a bit more flavor. Again, the portion was kind of small...with the bowl making it look far bigger than it actually was. I'm also kind of upset because I'm just now realizing that I don't think we got the garlic bread that's supposed to come with it! Solid outing.

Angus Grill - Groupon Style

2011-11-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to head over to the Angus Grill and use my last Groupon. It was delicious, but lunch for 2 still turned out to be about $30 after tax & tip (excluding the price of the Groupon which was $10 for $20). They key to beating this particular deal was to go eat alone. The owner doesn't let two people both use Groupons...which is kind of smart on his end. It was kind of sad though when I saw a table of 3 talk the guy into taking 2 Groupons. Not sure how much longer this place will stay in business to be honest with you. I must admit though that the garlic beef and the butter beef are fantastic.

Star Pizza - Not Deep Dish

2011-10-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

I think this was the first time I have ever had Star Pizza in non-deep dish form. On Thursday, Leaney and I hit up the school halloween party (sans 2-piece horse costume) and chowed down on a bunch of pizza. Pictured here is the Hawaiian pizza as well as the Margarita Pizza. The Marg was just decent, but the Hawaiian was one of the best non-deep dish pizzas I have ever eaten. Beer ran out around 8p...but the Pub continued to sell $2 buds until 10p when we headed to Antique for dollar beers and the end of the World Series. Kind of too much to drink for a Thursday, but hell...it was HALLOWEEEN!

Tacos by Chang

2011-10-31T10:56:00.001-07:00

I do not remember any of the Bellagio Buffet that I ate in Vegas...other than the fact that I left a mountain of crab leg remains and ended up booting it all out at the airport as I made my escape (for the 2nd straight trip). Quite like 2 years ago, I lost enough $$ before my flight was up, and asked Constantine to book me out ASAP. I barely made it out at 1a (2nd to last standby passenger that made it), but thank god that I did because I was definitely booting all over the airport.

So yea.. I didn't lost THAT much money (only 200 honey butters to be exact), but on a student budget, I could handle no more. Terrible though, since I stuck to my grind plan for about 7 hours...before going into blackjack collapse mode for only 45 minutes. I am now on a disgusting 3 year blackjack downswing, where I have lost way too much considering how small my bets are. Pretty filthy though, since I stuck t my plan all day and was actually up about 125 honey butters before going busto. I guess I had one double cranberry and vodka too many.

Congrats to Folloder on his upcoming wedding! Thank god that this is the last bachelor party for a while!!!!! These are the tacos that Leaney and I made once I made it back HOME.

Kubo's Before Vegas

2011-10-31T10:48:00.001-07:00

Before heading to Vegas for...12 hours, I had dinner w/ Leaney at Kubo's in Rice Village. We ended up ordering a bunch of items off the happy hour menu, one of which was a spicy tuna roll (we actually never got the spicy tuna, as they served us a spicy salmon instead). All of the rolls were serviceable, but nothing was amazing or even close to spectacular. The final bill ended up coming out to just over $25, which made this meal all the more BLAH. It would be the last meal I would remember for about 36 hours... except for the hot dog I ate when I landed in Vegas (I packed it in my luggage! -- which was ...just a backpack).

Whole Foods Catering - Induction? Fried Chicken

2011-10-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

Not sure what the technique is called, but I'm pretty sure whole foods fries their chicken in one of those contraptions that uses very little oil. The chicken is crispy and has plenty of batter, but there is almost no grease on these tender chunks of white meat and wings. To make things even better, the mashed potatoes are creamy as hell, but just bland enough for me to think they are not too overpowering. The mashed potatoes definitely needed some gravy...which makes me wonder if I need to start carrying a pouch of instant gravy in my pocket just for occasions like this? No hot sauce in site, so all the food was eaten naked. It was still pretty damn good, as I was pretty impressed by Whole Foods catering.

Luling City BBQ

2011-10-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, Leaney, Koki (Leaney's cousin) and I headed over to Luling City BBQ for dinner. I ended up ordering the sausage and 2 ribs, while Leaney went with the brisket and a side of beans. This is one of my favorite BBQ joints ever, but the menu is confusing as hell (maybe a good thing for a BBQ place). They sell the meat by the pound, and don't offer any type of combo meals or baked potato items. Basically, the place is just meat, beans, cole slaw and potato salad. Regardless, other than the fact that you have to order the beer separately at the bar, the experience is pretty solid. You eat BBQ off a piece of meat-paper, doused with sauce that comes on the table. Kind of pricy, but well worth it.

French Corner - Chicken Alfredo Pasta

2011-10-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

French corner came to school last week with some catered goods in the form of chicken alfredo pasta, asparagus and garlic bread! This place typically serves some pretty savory dishes, packed full of butter, yet just bland enough to make me fall in love. The best part of this meal may have been the asparagus, but the after-effects were pretty damn foul for the rest of the day. The best part of the meal may have actually been the mini-cheesecakes that I think they purchased from Sam's. Great meal during a week where EVERY LUNCH WAS FREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!