Los Cucos

We went to this Los Cucos location for dinner with friends the other night. We started off with esquites, a Mexican street corn appetizer. We had the chicken quesadillas, the chicken fajitas a la poblana, and carnitas as mains. Finished it off with the Tres Amigos dessert.

The esquites dish was great. Corn off the cob with sour cream and mexican cheese, seasoned with tajin. Really good with the lime juice on top. It's very well conceived and I'd be happy to get that again.

The chicken quesadillas were quite tasty. The poblana sauce for the chicken fajitas was excellent, with a rich mushroom flavor. Unfortunately the chicken fajitas themselves ended up overdone and dry. But the sauce helped. The carnitas were a mixed experience. The fatty parts were tender, juicy and flavorful. The leaner loin pieces were pretty dry. Overall the flavor was good. The dishes came with rice and charro beans--they were fine but not memorable.

The Tres Amigos dessert is filled churros with caramel sauce and powdered sugar, a tres leches cake, and vanilla ice cream with pecans. It made a great dessert for sharing, you got a lot of different tastes. The churros were excellent, obviously fresh made. The filling had not made the churros go soft. The cake was deliciously sweet and moist, as tres leches cake should be. The ice cream was nice and creamy. Great way to finish.

Our waiter was good at his job, with a low-key humorousness about him. The service had a couple rough spots--we didn't get the poblano sauce or the sides for the carnitas on the first pass. Service pace was relaxed, nice for an evening with friends. The restaurant is in the Panther Creek Shopping Center, a venerable strip mall, and it's pretty crowded inside. We had a lot of plates at the table, and the carnitas were presented on a tall grill with a can of sterno underneath that put them right under my nose. I'm not a fan of sterno heat, it tends to overcook the food, and I think that happened this time too. None of this really took away from enjoying the evening. They have Youtube karaoke on Tuesday nights, and it attracts some good singers. Overall it's easy to see why the restaurant is one of the institutions at this shopping center.

My Yelp Review

TCBY In the Woodlands

TCBY is one of the biggest froyo chains in the country, but I hadn't been to one around here. Stopped into the TCBY in Panther Creek for an afternoon snack.

Froyo is a commodity, so what I look for in a frozen yogurt shop is interesting flavors, attractiveness of the store, and any policies that depart from other chains.

I like sorbets, and this TCBY had four on offer when I went in, which is more than most. I got a ruby red grapefruit sorbet, which was quite delicious.

Most self-serve places charge you for froyo by the ounce. TCBY charges by cup size, so you're best off if you want to really fill a cup. I usually don't want a whole lot so it's less ideal for me.

The store is in an older strip mall and does have a weathered look inside and out. But it was clean, all the equipment seemed to be working and there was a nice selection of toppings. You should know that there is no public restroom.

A good difference is that they also have ice cream, so you can satisfy a variety of cravings. Service was very good (the clerk helped me with the cup size charging). Overall it's a solid choice if you want something sweet in that area.

My Yelp Review

PJ's Coffee

We now have a PJ's Coffee in our neighborhood. I stopped in to give it a try with their classic combo--a chicory cafe au lait with beignets. Beignets are rare in this neighborhood, but I've had them at the Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. 35 years ago. Would these hold up? Absolutely. I came in at 2 in the afternoon, and they made the beignets fresh. Light, crisp and tasty, with plenty of powdered sugar (Cafe du Monde gave me a ridiculous amount, like a half a cup). The beignets were well coated and there was more than enough sugar to sweeten the coffee. Also plenty to get on my pants--beignets are messy things. The coffee was good, I would say the chicory was on the light side which might suit this area better. Also got a flat white which was just fine.

The place is inviting inside. There are outlets at every table, encouraging you to stay awhile. The seating area up front where you'd wait for a to-go order is very comfortable. Lots of nice coffee-themed decor. There are two identical any-sex restrooms, so no gender-based waiting. They were clean and ready when I was there. Service is friendly. They have lots of other pastries, and list sandwiches on the online menu, thought I did not see them on the in-store menul.  The only other place I've seen beignets in this neighborhood is Walk-Ons (those are good also). If you like beignets you need to try this place.

My Yelp Review

Agape Cafe

I stopped in to try this new coffee shop on a busy Saturday. Got a mocha latte, a sausage and egg frittata, and a chai latte to go.

The mocha latte was done with whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle, so was nice and sweet--almost more like a hot chocolate experience than a coffee, but very good. Nice and rich. The chai latte was also on the sweet side but quite fine. The frittata was a disappointment--dry and not much flavor, I would get something else last time.

The shop is very attractive, with a large world map on one wall and murals on the other. The furniture is quite comfortable. They have lots of games for families, and several tables were playing. It's inviting to stay for awhile, but BYO power--the only outlet I found was at the to-go waiting table. The restrooms (gendered but identical) were clean and ready.

The cafe bills itself as a brunch place, but they do have small sandwiches in addition to the frittatas and baked goods, so one could make a light meal there. The baked goods appear to be their strong point.

As is apparent from its name, the cafe is Christian themed, stepping into the niche that the Sweet Inspirations tea room and Heavenly Cups (both now gone) filled. Hopefully they can overcome the awkwardness of the location--I find the strip mall they are in hard to access. Things look good for them so far.

My Yelp Review 

Brazil Plus Acai Market

I stopped in to check out this new Brazilian market in our neighborhood. I got an acai bowl and a coxinha (chicken croquette) with cheese. Chased it with a guarana soda.

The croquette was quite good, a unique experience. Shredded chicken, potato and cheese wrapped in a pastry coated with cornmeal and baked. At first I thought it was a bit soft, but the more I ate the more I liked it, it grew on me and I can recommend it. My acai bowl was made with a base of acai sorbet. I selected granola, caramel, and condensed milk for my toppings. The bowl was delicious--I'm not a huge fan of whole acai berries, but this sorbet was excellent. The server (the owner, I think) and I talked about cupuacu fruit, another base on the menu. It's a white, chocolaty fruit. You write your choices on a menu sheet, and I asked for cupuacu, but I got acai. Not sure he actually had cupuacu. But I was happy with it. The interior is very inviting, tasteful furniture and seats to linger if you wish. I did not see a public restroom. Service was friendly and enthusiastic. It's great to have this option in our neighborhood.

My Yelp Review