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Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Houston to visit my fiance's family. His parents live there and his sister from NYC also flew down. They wanted to take us out for a nice dinner to celebrate our engagement and also it was his parents' anniversary! So I started researching places to go and came across this place. I love Latin food. The menu looked delicious and we were able to get a reservation on Saturday night even though it was only a few days in advance.
Américas River Oaks
2040 W Gray St.
Houston, TX 77019
(832) 200-1492
https://www.cordua.com/
Price: $$$$
Only after I made the reservation did I discover that it was also Houston's Restaurant Week and Américas is participating! $35 a person for 3 course like in Dallas, and partial proceeds going to charity. :) They had so many choices on the RW menu. Excited!
The restaurant is located upstairs in a shopping center. As soon as we walked in, we started noticing all the decor. It was very unique! Then we saw a plaque that says Zagat's Best Decor Award in 2013. It was very whimsical. Lots of interesting shapes on the walls, chairs, lots of different textures too. I haven't seen a restaurant like this before. They had one wall with these giant popcorn all over, made with some sort of fabric? The booths' chairs were over the top and really cool.
The waiter came by to greet us, he was very nice. Took our drink orders and we got some Fried Plantains with 3 dips. All 3 were great, especially the chimichurri. I love plantains, these were fried to perfection. And with the sauces, yum! We were hooked.
My fiance's sister ordered a michelada, which is Mexican beer mixed with lime juice and assorted spices and peppers... kind of a Mexican bloody mary. Looked pretty cool, and quite spicy!
4 of us ordered from the RW menu, and his sister decided to order from the regular menu.
RW First Course:
Empanadas (flaky, golden-brown savory latin pastries): Beef (caramelized onions, cumin, malbec-soaked raisins, roasted peppers and olives with rocoto sauce); Chicken (pulled roasted chicken, red pepper, sherry, basil and candied pecans with avocado mousse).
I got one of each, and his mom got just chicken. Both were fantastic. The crust was flaky and crispy. But the sauces were the stars on both. I thought I would like the chicken better because of the avocado mousse but the rocoto sauce on the beef edged it out. It was amazing. I have no idea what rocoto is, but I can drink it!!!! Both had a ton of flavors. Definitely two thumbs up.
Cubana (black bean soup with onion-cilantro relish and provolone cheese served in a toasted sourdough bread boule).
My fiance got this. It looked so good. So cheesy and the soup was thick and full of beans. Really tasty. However, the bread bowl was hard to eat. And there was a lot of it. There really wasn't as much soup as it seemed. But that may be a good thing since this is only first course!
Fish Taco (mahi-mahi, cabbage, rocoto pepper and pico de gallo). Cute little taco. A little small compared to the other dishes but looked yummy.
Mixed Greens Salad $6.95~ His sister ordered this. Looked great with all the toppings... pickled onions, corn, etc. She said it was spicy too! Nice.
RW Second Course:
The Churrasco (6 oz. signature center cut beef tenderloin, chimichurri seasoned and chargrilled with fingerling potato, grilled vegetables and bearnaise sauce). This was "Voted Esquire Magazine's Top 20 Steaks in America". His dad ordered it and said it was really good. I didn't try it since I had steak myself.
Beef Tenderloin Brocheta (grilled beef tenderloin and shrimp with onion and poblano over chorizo caribbean rice).
This was my entree. Huge portion. The beef was super tender and the rice had so much flavor. So far everything here was a flavor explosion. It was hard to tell everything apart after awhile since all the flavors are so bold. But it was good. I shared some and still took over half of it to go, there was too much food!
Grilled Mahi Mahi (black bean and shrimp veloute, fried pickled okra). His mom ordered this. The fish was cooked well. It was good. The fried pickled okra was totally interesting and awesome.
Achiote Seared Ahi Tuna (cilantro broth, citrus salad, goat cheese snow).
My fiance got this. I didn't even consider it because of the goat cheese snow. (I don't like goat cheese as y'all know.) But you can't taste it at all. It was amazing. Best dish of the night in my opinion. The tuna was top notch and full of flavor. And such beautiful colors!
His sister got the Lobster Corndogs (house made lobster sausage, carnival style corndog batter, lemon chardonnay aioli) $12.95~
As soon as she saw they had this, that was it. It was so fun! The plating was very whimsical like their decor. And food on a stick, always fun to eat.
With all our dishes, they gave us some sides. From the top: some sort of fried yucca balls, white rice, sweet plantains, and lentils. The lentils and plantains were my favorite. Sooooo good. The yucca balls were good but quite dense. I like the yucca fries better.
We also got some additional Sides $6~ each:
Chargrilled Corn & Crispy Mushroom. Interesting flavors, we couldn't quite pinpoint what some of the spices were. I liked the crispy mushrooms for added texture.
Grilled Asparagus. Pretty standard, good with the creamy dipping sauce.
Yuca Steak Fries. No picture, sorry. But looked like normal thick cut fries. It was fried really well.
RW Third Course:
Tres Leches (soaked in sweet vanilla laced cream then topped with Italian meringue).
One of the best tres leches we've had. My fiance recently discovered this dessert and he's now pretty obsessed with it. haha. He said it was definitely the best one he's had. It was sooo moist, the meringue on top was great.
Kettle Corn Tres Leches (fresh grated corn, whipped mascarpone, caramel, and Italian meringue).
This sounded totally interesting. It was topped with caramel and kettle corn. I liked the added texture of the popcorn. But the caramel made it a tad too sweet for me. My fiance tasted mine second and he was like "omg yours is even better". And then he would eat anothe bite of his, and say that's still the best. haha. He couldn't decide, they were both amazing.
Besame con Alfajores (miniature melt-in-your-mouth dulce de leche cookie sandwiches).
His dad ordered this just so we can all try something different. These little cookies were so cute. And they really did melt in your mouth. The filling was rich and sweet. It would be great with tea or coffee.
Their normal tres leches comes with a tableside show. They light it on fire! I was a little disappointed that they didn't do it for the RW desserts. But the table next to us got one and I was able to get it on video. I'm always a sucker for tableside presentation... and FIRE! :P
Really great find. Not only great food, but an experience to discover all the little (and big) decor elements. All their door handles were these dog or mouse figures. The bathroom was trippy too, like walking into Alice in Wonderland a little bit. It was a fantastic dinner. We ate so much and it was all delicious. I definitely recommend this place. I would go back again whenever I'm back in Houston. And a big thank you to his parents for taking us out to dinner! :)
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I'm so sorry I haven't been posting lately. But as of tomorrow night, I will be done with school FOREVER!! Yes... after 8 long years of part-time school, I will be graduating! Woohoo! Needless to say, this last quarter has been very stressful.
I'm gonna try and get all caught up. I've got several places I need to write about!
Of course I did Dallas Restaurant Week this year. I posted about Hibiscus earlier and our second location was III Forks. I've been there twice back in 2012. I was sad to hear that my favorite waiter was no longer there. :(
As most of you know. Restaurant Week runs for anywhere from a week to 3 weeks in Dallas, depending on the restaurant. It's either $35 or $45 a person and partial proceeds go to the the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home. III Forks was still $35 a person, and from what I remember, they give quite a bit of food!
III Forks
17776 Dallas Pkwy.
Dallas, TX 75287
(972) 267-1776
http://www.3forks.com/
Price (RW): $$$$
We had a pretty big group of 12 people and an early reservation at 6:15PM. I was surprised that the restaurant was already packed by the time we arrived! And if you've been to III Forks, you know the place is huge! We waited at the bar for a bit for everyone to arrive and for them to prep our table. This time we were sat "outside". It seemed like we were outside but it was covered and there was A/C, thank goodness. haha.
The waiter came by and took our drink orders and I gave him the Central Market 4th Course certificates. We had enough for everyone. Yay! (Some restaurants offer a 4th course which you can get free if you get these certificates. However, you have to spend $25 at Central Market to get one.)
Lobster & Lump Crab Shooters.
These were interesting, I'm not sure if it's in a good way. I wasn't too impressed with them. No one could really figure out which was the lobster and which was the crab. Even though one of them had a chunk of the meat in the shooter. We think thats the crab...? The one on the right was cold, which caught me off guard. Almost like a cold tomato soup, maybe gazpacho? But no chunks of lobster or crab in that one. The other was warm. I'm not sure which one I liked better. Both were meh. Can't compete with the awesome lobster shooters at Abacus that's for sure. I dipped some bread into the soups and that was better.
First Course
III Forks Salad (green apple slices, Wisconsin blue cheese, toasted pecans and field greens with housemade vinaigrette) Pretty standard salad. Although they kinda went blue cheese happy with it. Great if you like blue cheese a lot. haha.
Heirloom Tomato Salad (UglyRipe beefsteak tomatoes, pickled onions and Bosque blue cheese) I was told this was good. I didn't get to try.
Crawfish Bisque (a rich Southern Louisiana specialty with simmered crawfish, tomatoes, cream and cognac).
I knew I wanted to get this when I first saw the menu a month prior. I loveee bisque and crawfish too! It was a pretty big bowl with quite a bit of crawfish in it. However, by the time it came out, it wasn't that hot anymore, you can see the film over the top. I didn't care for this soup either. The crawfish was too fishy... And the bisque flavor needed something, either another spice or some type of crunch maybe? I didn't finish it... Hmm... maybe this is why the past two times I came here I ordered off the regular menu?
Entrees
Aged Midwestern Beef Filet Mignon (with Colbert butter and Worcestershire demi-glace). This was highly recommended by the waiter. And his recommendation was valid. The steak was cooked well and super tender.
Georges Bank Flounder (pan seared with blood oranges and fennel pollen, with basil-hazelnut pearl couscous).
I opted for the fish. I've had their seafood before and I know it's good. I liked it over the filet. The portion was huge! The fish was flaky and buttery. I loved the sauce. And pearl couscous is probably my favorite type of couscous. And as always, their creamed corn is pretty awesome. I enjoyed my plate a lot!
USDA Prime Hanging Tender Steak (four pepper crusted, with brandy cream reduction and caramelized cipollini onions). I didn't get to try this one but from the description it sounded tasty. I heard it wasn't as good as the filet though.
I was pretty full by now. I finished my entire entree! The dessert was chef's selection so we didn't really know what we're getting. There were 2 options when we ordered and we didn't get much of a description for each.
I got the chocolate cake.
I think it was the better choice. I loved the thick ganache layer on the top and side. It was super chocolatey and rich. The cake itself was a tad dry though. And this is nothing compared to their regular dessert menu which is amazing.
Summer Bread Pudding (cold bread pudding with berries).
When I found out this was cold, I knew I didn't want to order it. It was strange. Bread pudding shouldn't be cold. I think if they had called it Berry Trifle or something, we would've accepted it better. haha. Someone commented that it would've been better if it was just the berries and cream. The bread part made it weird.
For the most part, everyone seemed to enjoy the meal. I was disappointed. I know for sure now I will order from the regular menu, especially for dessert. It's like night and day! The waiter(s) were nice but service was slow. We were there for almost 3 hours and some of the food came out warm instead of hot. Oh well, at least I really enjoyed my entree and got to spend time with some great people. So that ends my Dallas RW for this year. Until next time... I hope they add some new places next year!!
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I'm sorry I haven't been posting lately but I'm at my last quarter of school (before graduation!!) and it's totally kicking my butt! But I can't skip Dallas Restaurant Week! (Benefiting the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home.) This year I'm only doing 2. Partially to save money and I have no time, but also the list was quite uninspiring honestly... I've been to most of the places on the list already. I really wish they would add more new places.
Restaurant week is well underway, and my first stop is Hibiscus. They only participate for the first week so you have to book fast. I went for the first time in 2012 and had a good time, so I thought I'd take a different group there this time.
Hibiscus
2927 N. Henderson Ave.
Dallas, Texas 75206
(214) 827-2927
http://www.hibiscusdallas.com/
Price: RW $35/person (not including tax+tip)
If you've been to Hibiscus or it's surrounding restaurants, you know that there's absolutely zero self parking whatsoever... Unless you want to be circling an area with terrible traffic and walk several blocks to your destination. It was raining Saturday (last time I went it was raining too.. is that a sign? haha) And I'm assuming it's because of the storm, the lights at the Henderson/75 intersection were all flashing red. Everything was backed up, and the valet to Hibiscus is probably one of the worst locations ever since it's right on the corner of the intersection. Business was crazy, as usual, and the valet was backed up too. We waited in the car, in line for a good 15-20 minutes, causing us and half the group to be late. The valet guys were trying their best. I felt bad for them...
Finally we made it in. There were a lot of people waiting in the front bar area. Our group was seated after we got there. I think they wanted the entire party there, but I told them several people were stuck in valet so they took us to our table. We were seated in the back room again, which is nice because it's not as loud. While waiting for the others, we were given the menu and our drink orders were taken.
Hibiscus does their menu differently than most other places. They offer the 3 courses but the appetizer, sides, and desserts are served family style and it's 1 order to every 2 people. Since we had a party of 12, we were able to get multiples of each. And everyone orders their own entrees.
We got 2 of each of the appetizers:
Perla Burrata (fig mostarda, radish, sourdough).
This was my favorite. Sweet and creamy and crunchy! The burrata was very delicate, it's an Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. It spread well on the sourdough crackers. The fig was sweet and paired the burrata perfectly. I think I ate half of a plate myself!
Lamb Ribs (brown sugar-sherry glaze, smoked mustard).
This looked delicious, and I don't even like lamb. I had to try some though. I could taste the gaminess which I didn't like, but it was pretty mild. But the crust on that rib was crispy and pretty amazing. The sauce and mustard was fantastic. I think this was the table's favorite.
Boston Bibb (citrus, chevre, candied cashews, avocado).
I liked this for the freshness. It also paired really well with the burrata. But it was underwhelming. There wasn't any dressing which puzzled me. But the bibb lettuce was fresh and tender and the other elements went well with it.
We're off to a good start. I've enjoyed the appetizer round. While waiting for the entrees, I succumbed to peer pressure and ordered a cocktail. haha. Basil Gimlet (pearl cucumber, basil, lime) $10~
The waiter said it's normally made with vodka but I requested Hendrick's Gin (my fav). And he said he would make it sweeter for me. :) It was yummy. Very refreshing, and just sweet enough for me.
For the entree round, no one ordered the chicken option... booo. So no pictures. Sorry.
I got the Sea Scallops (corn pudding, saffron squash, chanterelles).
I knew I wanted this one as soon as I saw their menu posted on their FB page. All the elements sounded fantastic. The plate was really pretty, but the portion size was quite small. But most scallop dishes tend to be this way. The scallops were seared and cooked perfectly. However, I did get a little bit of grit in one of them. The corn pudding was sweet and I liked the squash and chanterelles, I just wanted more of it. It was good, but not the best scallop dish I've had.
Tenderloin (marfa tomato, charred onion).
The more popular choice around the table. I thought it was missing something when they served it. It looks so sad on the plate... no sauce and so small. I found it weird that it came with no sauce whatsoever. But the steak was tender and paired well with the tomato and onions. It was just eh in general.
For the sides, we had 3 choices, so we got 2 of each as well.
Bloomsdale Spinach. Garlicky, yummy. It was nice to get green veggies with the meal.
Potato Puree. Smooth and creamy, loved it. The orders got messed up and we were given a 3rd one of this and 1 less spinach. So we told the waiter and he brought us another spinach. Extra potato! Score! :)
Mac & Cheese. This was by far my favorite of the night. Creamy and spicy. I loved the crunch on top. It was super rich and I loved it. haha. We all wanted more! They had changed everything on the RW menu since the last time I was there except this dish, and 1 of the desserts. I'm glad they didn't change these!
Annnnd it's time for dessert. There were 2 options so we got 3 of each.
Warm Chocolate Tart (blackberry, orange, Marcona almonds).
Sounded more interesting than it is. It was pretty but it's basically brownie in a tart shell. The tart itself was a bit dry. A scoop of ice cream or glass of milk was much needed. But I could really taste the orange infused in the tart. We actually had leftovers of these and no one cared to take it home..
Ice Box Pie (butterfinger, vanilla ice cream, oreo crust).
Amazing. Another favorite of the night. I'm so happy this stayed on the menu from last time. We really should've just gotten 5 of these and 1 chocolate tart. haha. Who doesn't love butterfingers and oreo? Perfect amount of oreo crust to ice cream ratio. YUM!
It was a great dinner. I think everyone enjoyed the food. However, when we were finishing up dessert, we noticed there was an ant on one of the tart plates. Just climbing on an almond... haha. We showed the waiter and he was very apologetic and said he would tell the kitchen. But that was pretty much it. Nothing else was really done about it. We didn't make a big deal out of it either. It was a nice evening, and it was just an ant... not something grosser. haha. But hopefully they'll get that fixed or under control or whatever they need to do. For the most part, the waiter and assistant waiters were all good. Friendly and just attentive enough. Our bills were separated with no issues. I'd go back again for another restaurant week in the future.
**I also want to give a special shout-out to the valet. Somehow during the rain/traffic/running late at the beginning of the night. I had lost my valet ticket. We went to the valet stand after dinner and knew they were swamped. But no one was rude to us and they tried to help me look for my keys. However, sometimes they keep the keys inside the car, in which case... I think mine was in my car. So they radioed out to the guys to look for it. I kept apologizing and they were totally cool about it. They found it pretty quickly too, considering they had more than 300 cars that night! I totally appreciate their attitude and prompt service. They definitely deserved the big tip! :)
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