Julia Explores...: May 2014

Last time I posted about BRC, it made me crave their brussel sprouts. So, while the hubs was in town, we made our way there for lunch. In addition to the brussel sprouts, we shared their foie gras burger. After being pregnant two years in a row and knowing I only had days left in the States, I didn't care about calories... I wanted to splurge! Dang, it was worth it!

We like this restaurant because it has good beer selection for the husband, a kids menu of sort (although the toddler wasn't a fan of their mac 'n cheese), and a dog-friendly patio for the... dog.

JR's Le Fat Fatboy

foie gras, onion-bacon jam, arugula, green garlic mayo,

avocado, marinated tomato, potato bun

BRC Gastropub

519 Shepherd

Houston, TX

http://www.brcgastropub.com/index.php

Caracol opened in mid-December by the same chef behind Hugo's restaurant. It intrigued me since its focus is on Mexican coastal cuisine as oppose to regional Mexican cuisine that of Hugo's.

At first, it was a little confusing to find. My iPhone map kept directing me to Arcodoro/ Canyon Cafe shopping center when in fact, it's located on the ground floor of the new BBVA Compass building. I had limited time so when I arrived, I just valet parked my car. I read you can self park in the visitor parking garage, just bring the ticket with you so the staff could validate it.

Since I wasn't sure how packed they were for lunch, I called ahead of time to see if reservations was needed. The hostess said, no. Sure enough, my mom and I were seated immediately when we arrived. After placing our order, our waitress brought out an amuse bouche of shrimp soup that was really good - had a little kick to it. This turned out to be the second highlight of our meal.

Since it was just the two of us, to try as many dishes as we could, we opted for the 2 for $22 lunch special and ordered one dish from the regular menu. This also allowed us some room for dessert. Overall, their food was good, some dishes were better than others. Of the three that we ordered, we definitely liked the ceviche the most. I probably would've liked the pulpo (octopus) had I tasted it first but, having had the ceviche, the flavors from that overpowered the pulpo.

For lunch, their service was a little slow. At the rate they were going, I wasn't sure if we were going to have time for dessert but, I was determined to have some so, we ordered one before we were even done with our meal. I'm glad we did because their churros is so deliciously addictive! It was definitely the highlight of our meal.