Nadia's Mediterranean Grill

Nadia's has been here since 2009, as have I, and I've never tried it so finally got in there today.  This is a family run restaurant with its own character, so some expectation setting is in order.  You do not  necessarily get a fresh-faced "Welcome to ___" as soon as you walk in the door.  You might have to wait a minute for them to come out if the place is quiet.  But the staff is down home friendly and appealing.  The menu is a set of possibilities--not everything is available all the time, you might have to ask for what is good that day.  If you are flexible and like ,or think you might like, Lebanese food you will like this place.

I ordered fried cauliflower, a kofta sandwich, and a piece of baklava with a drink.  The fried cauliflower is a must have.  It was served hot and fresh, and was cooked perfectly--the tops were crisp, and the stems were tender, with a delicious yogurt sauce.  Yum yum yum.

Delicious fried cauliflower

The kofta sandwich was just OK.  The pita and dressings were served cold with a very hot kofta, which was interesting but made the pita seem a bit stale. A kofta seems to me like kind of a mediterranean hot dog, shaped that way with ground beef, onions, and spices--but don't take that metaphor too far, it doesn't taste like a hot dog at all.  It was good but didn't floor me.  Overall fine, I ate it and was satisfied.

I finished with the baklava and we're back to delicious.  The outside layers were flaky and crunchy just like you'd expect, deliciously sweet with a perfect hint of cardamom.  Absolutely worth having as a finish or  as a snack on its own.

The restaurant has a very unique atmosphere, middle eastern decorative art on the walls (no pictures), and some nice chandeliers.  It wouldn't be fair to judge the bathroom since there was an obviously recent plumbing issue.  If you don't think you like Mediterranean food this might be a good place to try, as the flavors are not super strong, making it accessible for a beginning palate.  I was charmed and will go back.

My Yelp Review

Shogun

Shogun is a Houston hibachi chain, they have 14 restaurants in the Houston area.  This one has been here since we moved to the neighborhood, so I figure they are doing something right.  I've been a few times with family for the hibachi but this was my first time for the bento box lunch.  I'm a real fan of these.  I also wanted a roll--the server recommended the Cypress and Sumo rolls, and I chose the sumo.  Between those items I had plenty to eat.

The sumo roll was well executed--crab, shrimp tempura and several other meats wrapped in a soy paper roll.  It is a creamier roll than I normally have, but I was happy with it.  Good for protein lovers.

The bento lunch started off with onion soup, which was tasty--fried onions and mushrooms in a dark broth, nice and salty to start things off.  I  had the Unaju (eel) lunch--I very much enjoy Unagi sushi, so I figured I would like this.  The waiter commented that he had not served it before, so I guess not many people order it.  Eel is a soft fish, with a soft skin kind of like salmon and a very subtle flavor.  It was exactly as I expected and very good.  All components of the meal were flavorful and nicely presented.  I would say that the fried rice was decent, but it had a strong umami/smoke flavor that might not be for everyone.

The restaurant itself has a very classy, understated decor.  It's a very nice atmosphere for relaxing with friends and family.  Service was very good, though the restaurant was not at all crowded so maybe not so much of a challenge.  The hibachi dinners are competently executed and worthwhile--it's not my favorite in town (that would be Ichibon down in Greenspoint) but it's good.

The Unaju bento box

My Yelp Review

The Butler House

The Butler House has not had their grand opening yet, but they now have a full menu so it was time for us to come give it a try. We were certainly glad we did.

The restaurant is a former private residence that has been there for a long time.  It is now set in what intends to be an upscale shopping area.  The concept of the restaurant is a rustic Pennsylvania home.  The entrance sets the atmosphere--it's suitably distressed, and they have kept the narrow doors of the original.  Inside they have the basics in place, but no artwork or accents yet--no doubt those are coming. We got a table that looked out on their herb garden in front.  We went on a Sunday evening, which is a good time for a very relaxing experience--they had the fishtank channel playing on the TVs, whereas I believe if you go on a Friday or Saturday there will be sports on.  A special thanks to our waiter, the service was first-rate throughout the entire evening.

The wine and beer were on happy hour special so we went with a nice glass of Pinot Noir and an excellent Scottish ale.  For starters we had a Caesar salad and the butternut squash bisque soup.  This made me just a slight bit nervous--the salad was just OK, with a bit of a stale Parmesan chip, and the soup was flavorful but lacked squash flavor.

For the entrees we had the rib-eye steak with mushroom risotto and roasted brussels sprouts, and the night's special--a Korubuta pork shank Moroccan style with lentils and yams in a fig reduction.

The rib-eye was very good, perfectly cooked with excellent flavor, very well complemented by the port-rosemary reduction sauce.  The mushroom risotto was quite tasty and the rice was right on.  The brussels sprouts were roasted perfectly, just the right amount to bring out a little natural sweetness in them.  It's a generous portion, appeared to be at least 16 ounces, we took plenty home.

The pork shank was truly amazing.  Falling-off-the-bone tender and perfectly complemented by the sauce.  The fig and yam flavors were definitely present but not at all overpowering (I am not a fan of overly sweet pork sauces).  I hope they add this to the regular menu.  None of this went home, I scraped the plate clean.



This is a place where it's a great idea to try something outside of your comfort zone.  The seasoning on all the dishes is subtle, nothing overwhelming--the intent seems to be to bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients.

For dessert we went with their flourless chocolate cake and a toffee bread pudding.  The cake is something of a dense mousse, almost like a chocolate cheesecake, and coats the mouth wonderfully--delicious.  The bread pudding was served with ice cream and was also quite good.  There's chocolate and toffee in it, and it is served very warm.  Reminded me, in a good way, of eating a pancake.  I love pancakes.

The establishment has a very interesting concept--initially it was only open from 3-9 p.m., though they are starting to extend their hours.  They host a lot of different social events--seems like they are trying out several kinds to see what appeals.  They have an outdoor seating area with a very large billboard style big screen.  They mostly show sports, but are also trying out old movies and other things.  You should probably check the Facebook Page for a good night to go.

You will need to bring the Benjamins for the full experience, but you could get by with a burger and beer on the patio for just over $30 apiece.  The place is not yet perfect, but has tremendous potential and we hope to be back.

My Yelp Review

MOD Pizza at Grand Parkway Marketplace

I've been to the Vintage Park location and wanted to try this one.  I wanted a pizza with a salad--they don't have a combo option, so I ended up ordering minis of each.  Also had some garlic strips and a cake for dessert.

The pizza I ordered was a Mad Dog, kind of a traditional meat lovers, with some extra vegetables, including garlic cloves (mmm...).  The thing with build-it-yourself places is that you get all the credit or blame for the combination you choose, so it's hard to give them a lot of credit for pizza flavor.  That's especially the case with the salad, it's all you.  I liked what I had.  I love a thin crust, and the edges were definitely crisp.  The middle did get soft but didn't fall apart.

I had the garlic strips with both the red and pesto sauces.  Both went really well with the bread.  Like many places it is their pizza crust with a little parmesan and garlic on it.

The dessert cake was fine--they call it a "no-name cake", but what it is, is a Little Debbie.

The drinks may be of interest.  They have their liquor license and have craft beers available.  Their drink machine is a standard one (and was fully functional), but it has the same kind of ice as Sonic.

The atmosphere was typical for newer chains--lots of corporate vision decoration and slogans--but not in a bad way.  There are worse than "I have gratitude, I have attitude".  Service was very polite and efficient.  The bathroom looked unfinished, but was reasonably clean and functional.  I would definitely go again.

Our options in the neighborhood for build-it-yourself pizza are Pie Five and now, MOD Pizza.  I like both--it would be a matter of personal preference as far as which one you go to.  Pie Five has a rather unique thin crust made for more production-oriented conveyor belt oven.  MOD Pizza uses a more traditional pizza oven, and the pizza comes out with crisp edges.  Both are good in their own way.

A big meal, but quite good

My Yelp Review