brunch and babies

Brunch, I think, is one of those small joys in life reserved for catching up with girlfriends and pretending that it makes you Upper-East-Side classy. It's a time for laughter, indulgence, and maybe a little drinking before noon without guilt.

And then, someone brings a baby into your sacred brunch restaurant. Yes, babies are adorable and pudgy and make your ovaries yearn for a life yet to come. But they also cry. And scream. And their adorable little noses run and get their cute pudgy faces crusty. And they throw hashbrowns on the floor. And, though they sit in a perfectly clean restaurant, under the gaze of a watchful mother, somehow their little fingers end up grimy and sticky, and dirt inevitably makes its way under their fingernails. And they look up at you, all big eyes, toothless smile, dirty fingers and snot-encrusted face.

Yeah, they're cute. But you're still silently judging their mother for desecrating brunch.

A photo posted by Lauren Cathleen (@laurencathleen89) on Nov 3, 2014 at 7:14pm PST

But, brunch is still brunch. It's a beautiful, magical time that, whether with girlfriends or by yourself, allows you to escape the pain, sadness and complexities that may wait for you in real life.

It's for healing and discovering and forgetting and indulging. And, if you believe hard enough, it's two hours a week when calories don't count.

My favorite food at my favorite brunch place (a classification that qualifies it to compete for the coveted title of my most favorite thing of all) is cinnamon roll french toast. Way too sticky and sweet for a meal when calories do count, it's how I hope Heaven tastes.

A photo posted by Lauren Cathleen (@laurencathleen89) on Sep 14, 2014 at 7:06am PDT

Said most favorite brunch place is in Baton Rouge, and I have yet to discover an adequate Houston replacement. So, take to the comments below and tell me your favorite brunch places and meals. (Maybe we can even wear some of these brunch-approved clothes when we go.)

top 10 dives in upper kirby

I've been living in the Upper Kirby neighborhood of Houston for just about 8 months and, I have to admit, it falls quite short of my old neighborhood near LSU in terms of affordable, casual restaurants. (Honestly, though. What could I expect? The offshoot of Houston's most affluent neighborhood is just not going to have the same kind of restaurants as a college area.)

But, being the kind of person who neither cares for nor can afford fancy afford, I've scoured the neighborhood for suitable replacements to my Baton Rouge stomping grounds. These 10 restaurants, in no particular order (except for No. 1, obvs), are the only places I frequent now.

*Side note: for the sake of this post, a "dive" is a place cheap, good food, lackluster decor, probably not a lot of parking, and maybe shares a building with several other businesses.

10. Mainely Sandwiches

Location: South Shepherd, between West Alabama and Richmond

This is a yummy North Atlantic Coast-themed soup and sandwich shop, with a special focus (obviously) on Maine lobster. Their sandwich rolls are delicious, but the bread is probably the best part. It's like butter, melting in your mouth.

Try: Lobster Roll, Crab Roll, and definitely the Lobster Bisque

9. McElroy's Pub

Location: S. Sandman St (off of Richmond, right around S. Shepherd)

Go for the drinks, stay for the fun. McElroy's boasts friendly staff, a fun jukebox, and your standard go-to bar games of pool and darts. It's super chill with a comfy, rich and warm atmosphere. Be careful not to lose track of time in your relaxation!

Try: The Best Pint of Guinness in Houston

8. Blue Fish House

Location: Richmond, just east of the Kirby intersection

Blue Fish is a great place for Stephen and me to hop over to when we just don't feel like cooking. It's right across the street from our apartment, has a large menu, and is super affordable. It's not going to be the best sushi you've ever had, but it is really good, especially considering the price you pay. (Not a lot.)

Try: Volcano Roll and Vegetable Croquette

7. Hunan Village

Location: S. Shepherd, between West Alabama and Richmond

A relatively small Chinese restaurant with fast and friendly service, Hunan is one of our favorite places to order in when we're feeling a carby feast. Great egg rolls and crab wontons (my favorites at any restaurant), and excellent hot and sour soup.

Try: General Tsao's Chicken, Hot and Sour Soup, Crab Wontons

6. Luna Pizzeria

Location: Richmond and Kirby

A relatively small pizzeria with an even smaller menu, Luna has perfected their specialties: good food and a fun atmosphere. The restaurant is littered with throwback table games to keep you entertained while you're waiting on your food.

Try: Spicy Andouille Pizza (Super yum!)

5. Avalon Diner

Location: Westheimer, just East of the Kirby intersection

Though they now have multiple locations throughout the Houston area, the OG, 80-year-old diner on Wertheimer is always packed with people and personality. Have a burger and an old-fashioned milkshake, sit back, and enjoy the charm with a big side helping of people-watching.

Try: Milkshake (any flavor; they're all good), Breakfast Sandwich and Waffle

4. Dino's Den

Location: Richmond, between Kirby and Greenbriar

An ideal spot for Happy Hour, Dino's has stiff drinks, loads of friendly faces, and even a charging station. You may miss it at first, because there's no sign at the moment, but just look for the painted dinosaurs next to Blue Fish House.

Try: Honeydew Mimosas and the yummy Sunday Feature Food (though that changes week to week)

3. Star Pizza

Location: Norfolk, just West of S. Shepherd (near Richmond)

Star Pizza is basically a Houston institution. All of their pizzas are made to order (which may make the service slow from time to time) and completely delicious. Their marinara and dough are made from scratch daily, and the toppings are fresh and delicious. Eat there or take it home, either way it's completely delicious.

Try: Anything, really. But, especially the Deep Dish Starburst (pictured above), and the Hand Tossed Chicken Alfredo (pictured below).

2. Hobbit Cafe

Location: Richmond, between Kirby and S. Shepherd, nestled behind Blue Fish

This adorable little restaurant is a converted house with dining throughout the rooms of the house and, as you can imagine, decorated with all kinds of Lord of the Rings memorabilia. We expected more of a British pub when we went, but the menu has a great assortment of (mostly American) food.

Try: Boudin Burger, Quesadilla and Chicken Salad

1. BB's Cafe

Location: Richmond, between Buffalo Speedway and Levy Park

This is my favorite. My absolute favorite. BB's is the first place in Houston where I had "Oh. My. Goodness." good food. It's an exquisite blend of Tex-Mex and Cajun, and is, honestly, the best food I've had in a while. Go. Now.

Try: Crawfish Quesadillas (these are eyes-rolling-in-the-back-of-your-head good) and the South Texas Fire poboy

dawggone delicious

Chili dogs have always had a special place in my heart (and arteries, no doubt).

To me, they're the best parts of my childhood: picnics, 4th of July celebrations, and those special nights when my parents weren't up to cooking "real" food. Basically, they're summer, family and happiness covered in pickle relish and cheese.

But, admittedly, the idea of getting a hot dog at a restaurant or fast food joint is just ... wrong. The coneys at Sonic give me unlady-like trouble, and Wienerschnitzel is just disgusting.

Frankie's Dawg House, though, doesn't fall into that category. I mean, these aren't just chili dogs. These are dawgs. Franks. Genuine all-beef missiles loaded with deliciousness of Hiroshima proportions.

The menu boasts 14 gourmet "dawgs," each customizable to your liking with any of their intriguing toppings, and the best smoked boudin I've ever tasted. Hands down.

This is The "Situation." And isn't it just exactly that? I mean look at it! This frank, loaded with mac-n-cheese and bacon, was my first experience, and it set a pretty high standard.

That standard has been easily met with each of my subsequent culinary expeditions there. The Chuck Norris, naturally, packs a punch, with the frank wrapped in bacon and topped with chili, cheese, grilled onions and jalapenos.

Most recently, I tried one week's special: The Seattle Dawg. It was simply a hot dog with cream cheese and pico de gallo. Weird, right? Yeah, it was weird. But it was jaw-droppingly delicious (made apparent by the fact that I gobbled it up before I could even retrieve my camera).

Thankfully, the eatery has recently come under new ownership (the previous giving it a pretty bad rap), and that new owner just so happens to be the husband of my favorite sadist.

Stuart Ourso (at right, with employee Stefan) does it right. He believes in investing in people, and with that simple guideline, has completely transformed Frankie's Dawg House.

He trains his employees well and treats them incomparably well. They, in turn, deliver the best service I've ever experienced. And they genuinely seem happy to be where they are.

And why not? They're basically in hot dawg heaven.

Currently located off of Perkins near the overpass (with plans to open more locations soon), Frankie's caters parties with hot dogs and snoballs, plays host to your (small) event in their outdoor patio, and jumps at the chance to partner with philanthropies. Like I said, he invests in people.

What dawg would you most like to try?

you're welcome banana bread

I have a confession: I cannot finish a bundle of bananas before they go bad.

My loss is everyone else's gain, though, as my sluggish attitude toward eating bananas usually results in a loaf of banana bread. (Just banana bread, because I never have nuts on hand to make Banana Nut Bread.)

Over all the bad bananas, I've developed quite a tasty recipe that quickly gets eaten up at every family gathering.

You'll need:
1 stick of butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups of sugar
2 eggs
3 mashed. perfectly disgusting overripe bananas
1 1/4 cups of flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla (If you want it to taste even better, find some Mexican vanilla.)
1 tsp. cinnamon
And, if you want to make it nutty, 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat your oven to 325 F and go ahead and grease and flour a bundt or loaf pan so it's ready when you need it. Mix all the ingredients together really well, no fancy dry-ingredient-combining, let-it-sit-in-the-fridge-for-a-few-hours silliness that accompanies a lot of baked goodies.

Isn't mashing bananas the best? Seriously. I love it.

I have one mixing bowl and it was at Stephen's during this. No judging for using a pot, k?

Throw everything in your pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Mine is usually perfect at about 48.

Before you plop it upside down and present it all pretty, make sure it's totally loose around the edges with a butter knife to ensure you don't leave half of it in the pan. (How embarrassing! ... yes, it's happened to me ... several times.)

Slice a piece, slap on some butter and enjoy the deliciousness as it melts away in your mouth.

You're welcome.

"grilling" the perfect steak (sans grill)

I have to admit, in my 25 years of loving everything about beef, I didn't start cooking steak until a few months ago. The task always seemed so daunting, like I needed a grill or expertise or, at the very least, testosterone.

Of course, once Stephen showed me this stupid easy way to "grill" the perfect steak (seriously, perfect), we started eating steak at least weekly. He studies for the bar, I steadily make progress toward a Grill Master certification.

Be warned: I am not a cook. At all. I hate it. (I enjoy baking.) So, this isn't some great precedent for scores of recipes I share. But, I figured there are other people who are clueless about steak. And what better time to share/learn how to cook a steak than July 4th?

You'll need:

• Steak
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Iron Skillet
• Appetite

 I'm gonna go ahead and apologize for how disgusting meat looks in my photos.

While you're prepping the meat, heat up your iron skillet with the eye set to "High."

You're going to season these to taste, which, for me, doesn't take much.

Sprinkle with salt on both sides.

Crack fresh pepper, again, on both sides.

Go ahead and give both sides a good rub, too, to get the seasoning in the meat.

Your skillet should be good and hot now, so drizzle olive oil in it. It doesn't take much (especially if your skillet is well-loved).

Next, throw your steaks in and sear each side for 30 seconds. This is important because it keeps the yummy juices in.

**Update: According to a friend of mine, if you like your steak toward the rare side (no thank you), sear each side for 1 minute, 30 seconds and be done with it. If bloody steak juices ooze all over your plate and make you gag, blame him.**

The just-seared side should look a bit like this. It should be brown with a bit of red showing through in some places.

Once both sides are seared, turn the heat down to Medium-Low. It's a good rule of thumb to start with 5-6 minutes for each side. I did seven minutes with these two; it was perfect (medium) for the thicker steak, but the thinner steak was almost well done.

You can always cut into the thicker bits of the meat to ensure it's cooked the way you like it before you decide whether to cook it longer.

Auto-focus. le sigh.

Enjoy!

Do you have any great tips for the perfect steak?

american market

Originally posted April 2013

Saying I got a meal complete with a drink and a side for only $6 makes me sound like a Wendy's commercial. (Before you start thinking I endorse them, let's spare a second to reflect on how weird their square patties are . . . )

But, knowing that meal wasn't fast food . . . knowing it was both healthy and hearty . . . knowing it was made fresh right before my eyes . . .

Well . . . you get the idea.

And, no, it's not Subway. (For the record, I don't consider them healthy.)
My friends, I introduce you to the lovely American Market at the corner of Nicholson and Lee.

It may look a little sketchy, a little rough around the edges . . . but aren't those always the best?

For $5.99 you get a 14" fresh cut deli sandwich, a bag of Zapp's and a 20 oz fountain drink. And, if you're not on your lunch break like I always am when I go in, go ahead and get a beer. Or some hard alcohol. Or a few toiletry essentials. Whatever will make your night go easier, because, dear friends, American Market doubles as a convenience store! Yay convenience!

 So, on your next lunch break, or if you need something quick for dinner, pop in the store for five minutes and have a truly sensational deli meal (my favorite is the Cajun Turkey fully dressed with VooDoo Zapp's).

Am Market Menu

Does anyone else share my obsession with deli sandwiches?

225 hot off the press party

Each month (or at least most months), the Baton Rouge staple 225 hosts their magazine launch party at a local restaurant.

In the past, I've only gone when I've had an article in the featured magazine (including one cover story, thank you very much). But, when my option for this particular Thursday became Crossfit or the party at Caliente, I chose Mexican food and margaritas. (If given a choice, always choose Mexican food and margaritas.)

For the record, Caliente's blue margaritas taste dangerously like delicious adult snoballs. I'm pretty sure a full-sized version would quickly lead to regrettable decisions.

We were handed the beautiful concoctions almost immediately after we walked through the door. My kind of party.

Caliente has both an indoor and outdoor dining area. Tonight, the patio was largely where the party was taking place, complete with a make your own taco line!

An exciting concept, but it lost its luster with the first bite. I attribute the disappointment to my mediocre taco-building skills and distaste for soft corn tortillas. (They're just weird, right? Corn tortillas should be fried ...)

We ordered an appetizer sampler and enjoyed the libations, the people-watching and, of course, each other's company.

Apologies for the shoddy photos. All I had on me was my out-of-date iPhone.

What's that in the background? Why, it's a living statue!

Yes, they had two: Elvis and a painter. To be honest, I don't understand the draw of these ... or why I'm drawn to them. They're just fascinating. I don't think I even saw him blink.

Someone's enjoying her snoball margarita!

Red lips for the Red Stick.

Our appetizer plate came, featuring southwest egg rolls, jalapeno poppers, chicken quesadilla and chicken nachos.

For me, the true measure of a Mexican restaurant is in their quesadillas, and Caliente, my friends, is a top contender. (Coyote Blues being the clear winner. Sorry, guys.)

Their jalapeno poppers were easily the best I've ever had. However, the nachos and egg rolls left something to be desired.

I basically checked her out all night, because that Lilly Pulitzer print is stunning. (No longer available, but I'm in love with this simple shift dress from the brand.) Michael Kors bag

I got the top from Carolina Moon, the crossbody from Steve Madden (a similar one here), and the dress from Modcloth. It's out of stock now, but here are a few (1, 2, 3) similar dresses.

(Drawbacks of having a stranger take your photo: they never get the shoes. Y'all. This is the most important part. I wish I had been wearing these beauties.)

Overall, it was a lovely evening. I think the biggest drawback was that the atmosphere didn't lend itself to mingling as much as some of their other party venues.

So, we ended up getting fro-yo and watching Clueless.

We didn't really wanna mingle, anyway.