Flower Child in The Woodlands

I went a little further afield last week--to Flower Child in The Woodlands for a working lunch with a colleague.  The line was out the door to the parking lot, so you figure they are doing something right.  We decided to get ours to go for a shorter line.

I had the "forbidden rice" bowl with shaved beef.  All of Flower Child's foods are vegetarian first, then you can add protein if you wish.  In this case the combination was wonderful.  The red chili hoisin sauce has incredible depth of flavor, and complimented everything in the bowl.  The portions are quite generous but I still couldn't save any, ended up scraping the bottom.  My colleague had the Vietnamese Crunch salad with chicken.  They serve salad the way most places do, with the protein separate if you order it.  The salad was very bright, and the unusual lemongrass vinaigrette was a great combination with the greens.

I had a cold brew coffee with almond milk with the meal, and it was fine--good coffee that didn't distract.  I find almond milk a bit watery, would say it did not add much.  They also have kombucha on tap, along with a (small) selection of beer and wine.

Their desserts are not on the menu but they do have some good ones.  I had a bittersweet chocolate gluten-free brownie.  The texture was lighter than I expected given its heft, and the flavor was excellent--the description is right on target.

The interior looks exactly like what you would expect from the name--white and green with black accents, and hipster art on the walls.  It is a little pricey if you add protein.  But if you are going vegetarian you can have a good meal under $15.  

Flower Child is a fast-growing chain with about 20 locations in trending cities--Austin, Atlanta, Charlotte NC, and now Houston.  Their other Houston location is in Uptown.  I'm definitely going back.

My Yelp Review

Pizza Hut at Kuykendahl and Princeton

This was our delivery location before the new one went in where Pie Five used to be.  I was near this location so ordered online and stopped in to pick it up.  I went with a couple of items off the $5 menu--a medium Italian sausage pizza and some medium buffalo wings.

Ordering off any online menu is more of a chore than doing it standing in front of a counter, but Pizza Hut made it extra hard.  I tried to log into the app and it was down for maintenance.  On Saturday at lunch.  I plodded through the menus, then went to the location.  Service was OK.  It's a takeout only location.  We weren't too impressed with the speed of delivery when it was our primary.

The thin-crust pizza was overdone and kind of chewy.  The wings had flavor, but they were breaded and boneless so it was pretty much eating buffalo chicken nuggets.  They have definitely gone downhill, I would put most any pizza place ahead of them now.

My Yelp Review

Bigotes Street Tacos

I finally stopped in to try this place and overall am glad to have done it.  I came in on a busy Saturday lunch--the place is incredibly popular.  I went with a lunch plate--the La Santa, two toasted tortillas with cheese, guacamole, and a choice of meat.  I washed it down with a Jamaica agua fresca, and followed with the arroz con leche.

I put in my order and sat at a table--they give you a buzzer to page you for your food.  Took a little bit but was not bad given how busy they were.  While I waited a server came around with samples of Sopa Bigotes, their specialty soup.  I'm sure glad I got it, it was the best thing I had there.  A very rich, salty (just right) soup with beans that were perfectly done.  Also plenty spicy, as much as I could handle.  Delicious!

But the spice and flavor of the soup set me up for a punch that the rest of the meal didn't deliver.  The La Santa was good.  The tortillas are not cooked crisp, and you can't pick them up, so you need a knife and fork to eat it.  Good, as I said, but on the bland side compared to the soup.

They have desserts--tres leches, churros, flan, arroz con leche, and I saw carrot cake in the fridge.  The arroz con leche was a good sweet finish, but again, not much flavor--I could barely taste the cinnamon.  Desserts are sized and priced to share.

The vibe of the interior is attractive--lots of red, with plants at every table.  It's more of a lunch feel but would work for dinner, they are open until 8 most nights (10 on Saturdays) and have a beer and wine license.  The restroom is next door in the gas station, and it's a gas station restroom--clean enough if you're not picky, but it was out of soap when I went.

I would go again to try the tacos, and would definitely get the soup.

My Yelp Review

Rakuu

Rakuu fills a unique niche in the area for upscale Asian cuisine.  There are a lot of solid choices on the menu.  I went in for lunch the other day and had the shake-shake beef with a pair of Unagi sushi and fried rice.

The beef was a tasty combination of flavors.  Tender beef cubes with peppers and onions, in a brown sauce.  It comes with fish sauce on the side, which made for a very interesting combination.  Rakuu's fish sauce is not too strong, but not too sweet either, just right for adding brightness and depth to the dish.  The fried rice came in an aesthetically pleasing dome, but it's just rice with a little egg.  It was perfectly done, and I used it to soak up the extra sauce.  Delicious.

The sushi was also very good.  It held together well and the eel was nice and tender.  Sushi at Rakuu is a little warmer than I would like and the previous time it didn't hold together, but this time it was fine.

Service was attentive, professional and polite.  The atmosphere lives up to its upscale description, and is perfect for conversation--no TVs to distract, just barely audible background music.  The restrooms are beautifully decorated and lend to the special atmosphere.  Prices are in line with entrees at other, much less fancy Asian eateries.  It's a great deal for the price, though the portions will leave you wanting more.  Obviously this place is quite well known in the area, with over 300 reviews since its opening, but count me in for return trips.

My Yelp Review