LDLee

14 years ago, I asked my wife to marry me at La Tour D'Argent. With only 4 couples that night, it was very quiet. We were just out of law school and broke. While reading the menu, she yelped "$13 for a Caeser Salad". The sound echoed for minutes. I have not been back since it reopened, but have not heard anything positive. If he wants quiet, I would suggest going early in the week when the restaurants are less crowded. He might also want to reserve the Chef's table or the wine room. Rainbow Lodge would be a good choice for romantic with good food. They have a small private room that you can reserve for a special dinner. Elie, do you want to start this as a seperate post? Lindsey

Sorry. I was thinking of Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen on W. Gray (Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen Website). It is still open. Also, there is a Tony Mandola's Seafood House way out northwest on Jones Road. Anybody tried Rockfish Grille on Westheimer. Just trying to think of places inside the loop.

I will second The Breakfast Klub. I would pass on Goode Company Barbecue. Living on laurels from 20 years ago. I think Luling City Market is much better. Otilia's is really good. If you don't want to stray too far from home, Jalapeno's or Chuy's might be fun. I am sure your son has already found Lupe Tortilla's, which is very kid friendly. Ragin Cajun should be pretty close to you if your open to cajun. Pesce is excellent seafood, but is towards the fine dining scale. Pappadeaux's does a decent job with seafood, not as good as Denis, and kids are always welcome. Portions are way too big and it is loud. Tony Mandola's Blue Oyster Bar is nearby. Anybody been recently? It used to be really good.

I just read a post on the Fodors travel forum about Andiamo. Apparently, it is as a hole in the wall near Rutland at North Burnet with the best Italian food in Austin. I did not believe the first post, but a second person posted saying it blew away Vespaio, which I know is excellent. The owner, Giovanni Coccianti, previously owned Bellisimo in Fairfax, Virginia. One person described Andiamo "as close to authentic italian cooking as I have had in the last 12 years stateside." Most main dishes range from $15 to $20. The Menu Gastronomico, a five course meal of antipasti, pasta, fish, meat and dessert, is a bargain at $40. According to several people, the restaurant does not have a liquor license; so, remember to bring a bottle of wine to serve with your meal. Andiamo's web page Dale Rice's review

I have been going to Pete's for about 8 years now. To me, it is the best butcher shop in Houston. Michael is the owner. His dad, Pete, passed away a couple of years ago. Michael's really knowledgeable about his product, and can get just about anything you want. For tenderloin or brisket, let them apply their seasoning.

After having some awful dumplings for lunch, I had to post to this topic. I miss Ta Hua's steamed vegetable and steamed pork dumplings. Cheap, filling, tasty.

I will second Mark's and deeply discourage you from going to Aries. A very, very disappointing experience. (Read my review My Aries Review) You might want to consider Rouge, Masraff's or Rainbow Lodge, all of which I can vouch for. Others to consider are Artista and Bank Jean-Georges. I only know what I have read.

I like Fiesta Tacos on W. 34th and Mangum. Best Chorizo, Egg and Cheese tacos you can find.

On Saturday night, my wife and I went to Aries to celebrate our 12th anniversary. We went with mixed emotions. 3 years earlier, our dinner there could best be described as marginal. However, we had recently read and heard so many raves and compliments that we thought we should give it another shot. A mistake. The first clue that we were not going to have a fine dining experience was the table we were initially assigned. A two spot, next to the window overlooking Montrose and the patio seemed like a good choice. However, the table is on top of a floor vent blowing cold air and centered on a curtain that constantly blew onto the table. We asked to move. The manager said they had a vent cover which would solve the problem. It didn't. We asked to move again. One bright spot, the server assigned to the original table was very friendly, without being too personal. She was prompt with our drink selections and notifying the manager of our concerns. The Roederer champagne was outstanding, dry, bright flavors with tart fruits. At the new table, we looked over the menu and thought that night's tasting menu sounded interesting except for one item, the tuna over cold spaghetti with olives. My wife doesn’t like tuna and I despise olives. We asked if it was possible to replace the tuna with foie gras, stating we would pay the additional cost. The waiter said he needed to ask the chef. 10 minutes later, the waiter came back to tell us that the chef would not allow substitutes and that we should really try to the tuna. We elected to pass, and asked for a few minutes to consider other options. While we were reconsidering the menu, the waiter sent over the restaurant's sommelier to assist us with a wine selection. Deb had decided on the foie gras as an appetizer with the poached tenderloin and braised sparerib, while I had selected the three soup tasting and the pekin duck. The sommelier suggested Tokai with the foie gras. Deb told him she did not like sweet wines, and asked for another suggestion. His response was a 3 minute dissertation on why Tokai was the traditional choice with foie gras, and she shouldn't consider anything else. My wife said it did not matter, she did not like sweet wines. The sommelier then suggested a Gerwurstraminer. Deb was tired of dealing with him, so she relented. As for my appetizer, and our two main courses, he suggested a Bordeaux. On to the appetizers, the foie gras was very good. Well prepared, juicy and firm, matched well with apples. The Gerwurstraminer, too sweet, my wife drank two sips. Each of the three soups – a green tomato with bacon, cheese with mushrooms, and duck boullion – were tasty but very salty. The main course was a split. The pekin duck was wonderful. Good flavors, juicy meat, crisp skin, a delight. The poached tenderloin and peppered sparerib – a disaster. Only the British would think to boil steak. The tenderloin had good flavor, but the poaching caused the meat to be mushy, with little texture. The peppered sparerib was overcooked, too spicy, basically inedible. Having had a disappointing experience, we decided to pass on dessert and asked for our bill. While waiting for the tab, I stopped our original waitress to tip her and thank her for her service. She asked how our meal was and we told her we were very disappointed. She asked why and we began to tell her. After a few minutes, she asked if we could tell our complaints to the owner. We agreed. About five minutes later, Annika Tycer came by to visit. We had a good talk about our several complaints and our few compliments. She did try to claim the waiter was new and should have allowed us to swap the foie gras for the tuna, but we told her he was claimed to have asked Scott and was told no. At the end of our talk, she thanked us and said she wanted to get to the back so write everything down. She also comped our bill 10%. A nice gesture, but I don't intend to ever return. Instead, I will go to Mark's. There is one more goof. As we were leaving, the front desk said they had given our claim ticket to the valet to retrieve our car. When we walked up to the valet for our car, he was surprised that the restaurant was supposed to have given him the claim check. After waiting a few minutes, he asked us the model of our car and went to pick it up. Maybe we should have picked the Rolls. To end the night, we went by Central Market, picked up a piece of cake, returned to our house, opened a bottle of Moscato d'Asti, and sat on our patio listening to KIKK's Texas Roadhouse. It was a nice way to end a disappointing evening.

It has been two years since I went to both. Craftsteak was much better. Had to send my steak back at Prime.

Your recipe seems consistent with others I have found on the web describing "Texas biscuits". At www.TexasCooking.com, Eleanor Bradshaw has an article on How to Make Biscuits. To me the real challenge isn't the biscuits, its the cream gravy to go with the biscuits. One thing my mom could do was make great gravy. Thick but not pasty, with plenty of pepper and fixins from whatever was fried in the skillet immediately before. Back when I was in college, you knew who the southern girls were by their ability to make gravy. Even the ones who couldn't boil water made good gravy. To me, biscuits are really a butter delivery system. So to enjoy great biscuits like yours, you need some fresh Falfurias butter with homemade jams. I prefer fig, blackberry or huckleberry. Ouisie's Restaurant has great biscuits. Look forward to the results of your experiment. Best regards, Lindsey

Where is Segari's now? Last I knew, the original one burned down. Always enjoyed his gumbo.

Wow, that's a tough one, fine dining with kids. I guess it depends on the kids and how upscale you want. If they are well behaved, maybe Brennan's. I have seen children there with their parents. Rio Ranch is considered kid friendly, although I don't know if that counts for your desired level of dining. Maybe an Italian restaurant that serves family style dishes -- Bupa di Beppo? Or maybe a steakhouse -- Sullivans? (Is San Francisco Steakhouse open, and is it any good?) The typical places you will see suggested are Lupe Tortillas and the Swinging Door, but those don't seem upscale enough. You also might consider going during the day. About a year ago, there was a big to do in Whining and Dining about taking children to nice restaurants. It arose from a complaint from someone about an experience at a The Stables where the parents did not control their children. One woman wrote in saying that she was appalled by the comments because she liked taking her 1 year old to nice restaurants to expand her pallet. Huh?! My sense of the consensus was kids are fine as long as they behave themselves. Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

Kevin, There were some comments when I asked for recommendations on a place for birthday dinner. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=45261&hl= I must be the grumpy one. My wife and I thought it was okay, not great. Disappointing since we really liked Boulevard Bistrot. Maybe our expectations were too high. Appetizers were good, entrees marginal, desserts very good, wine pairing blah. With over 60 bonded wineries in the state, I find it hard to imagine the ones she chose were some the best here. We may go back if someone else pays. There are many other places we want to try.

I have found Whining & Dining to be less interesting recently. I don't know if it is because the Chronicle moved the Dining Section to Thursday, a terribly stupid idea, probably by the same person who cancelled Tank McNamara and thought Brewester Rockit was funny, or the comments now are so insipid. The whines are moronic and the dines are dull and predictable (the Jack in the Box on NASA road 1 makes the best french fries ever). It has been over a year since I have read a comment in W&D that made me want to try some place. Thank goodness for egullet.

We've been doing takeout from Ming's Cafe. When we lived in Oak Forest, would always get breakfast tacos from Fiesta Taco's. Best chorizo, egg and cheese tacos you will find. Still looking for someplace comparable in the Heights. Margarita's at Tila's on Shepherd. Saturday afternoon tour at St. Arnold's. A thirty minute tour of a microbrewery to drink free beer that is excellent, can life get any better. Van Loc for Pho and Spring Rolls.

For more infor, here are links to Allison Cook's review (http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/diningstory.mp...ng/cook/2450540) and Robb Walsh's review (http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2001-11-08/cafe.html) They both liked it. Address: 3711 Travis St at W. Alabama Phone: (713) 528-8561

My wife has found her new favorite place, the Breakfast Klub. She had the chicken and waffles, I had an omelette with grits and a side of biscuits and gravy. The Breakfast Klub is the best example of Southern cooking I have experienced in quite a while. (Atlanta eat your heart out.) Fried chicken wings wre crisp and clean. It was obvious they changed grease frequently. Grits were good. My observation is there is no such thing as great grits, just well prepared grits, which is rare, and badly prepared grits, which is typical. These were well prepared. The gravy and biscuits were outstanding. As good as my grandmother's. Real southern gravy with pepper, not liquid glue with no flavor or body. On Saturday's, the Breakfast Klub opens at 8:00 a.m. There was line at the door when we got there at 7:45. It moved fairly quickly. The line helped because it gave us time to decide what to order. Service was very helpful and friendly. Several people came by to see how the meal was. We never felt rushed. There is plenty of room and tables.

On Saturday, my wife and I visited both markets. The Onion Creek market in the Heights seems to have a greater variety of products and sellers than the T'afia market in Midtown. Most vendors at both markets will let you sample their wares. The chocolates at both markets were outstanding; Brown Paper Bag at T'afia, Simply Chocolate at Onion Creek. The aroma from the pecan roaster at the Onion Creek market was attracting many customers. Better salsas and jellies at Onion Creek. At T'afia, The Center's ginger snaps were amazing. I plan to give tins of these to friends for the holidays.

Thanks everyone for the info. Unable to go off reservation last weekend other than to buy supplies Sunday afternoon. Afternoon's were spent listening to the New Folk concerts. Since this is a food forum, I won't tell you about the acts. As for the weather, it did rain a little both Friday night and Saturday night. Saturday morning had us fooled, since it was cool (for Texas). However, the apocolypse was diverted. On Sunday, we were reminded about the true Central Texas summers. My truck said it hit 104. According to one of the artists, the rosin melted off her bow as soon as she hit the stage. Thank goodness for Shiner Bock. Big Earl's is on the festival grounds, so there is good barbecue here. Also a reminder, the Kerrville Wine and Music Festival will be September 3-5, 2004. They are still working on the acts and the wineries. Will let you know more as I learn more.

My wife and I are off to spend the next three weekends with the inlaws at the Kerrville Folk Festival. As there is only so much peace, love, hugging from people who haven't bathed in several days, natural fibers and banjo playing at 3 in the morning I can take, I will be going off reservation at least once each weekend. Any restaurants or wineries in the area you suggest we visit? All trips will be during the day. Have to stick around at night for the concerts. Thanks.

Correction to a previous post. My wife informed me the chocolatier at the Onion Creem market (the sugar free truffles) is Simply Chocolate. The one at T'afia is Brown Paper Chocolates.

Good catch. My bad. Yes, you are right, it is Tila's on Shepherd.

Personally, I think my wife makes the best damn margaritas you'll ever have. She leveraged her own recipe from one detailed in Cook's illustrated. Couple of keys are reposado agave tequila (smooth with a bite), and a mixture of fresh squeezed lime and lemon juice with both lemon and lime zest. Friday happy hours at the Onion Dome are always very festive. Fifi, your point about good, not great tequila, is well taken. We found that the best tequila for margaritas was a relatively inexpensive reposado agave tequila (less than $20 a fifth). I am at work, so don't remember the name. As for restaurants, I have to go with Tila's here in Houston. (corrected)

Onion Creek is in the Heights, 3106 White Oak Blvd near Oxford, between Studewood and Heights Blvd.