Day 1,
April 6: E-ville to Houston
Factoid of the Day: The Houston
Astros are a (barely) professional baseball team located in Houston, Texas.
Weather: Warm, mid 70s.
Pics: Fiat mini rental car, Hotel Zaza, utility box, Underbelly
BART to SFO, followed by easy flight to Houston, to the only
airport in the world where the traffic goes backwards (and thus the shuttles
and vans let passengers off so that they have to cross in front of vehicles to
get to curb).
THB had booked a poolside cabana room at Hotel Zaza. Somehow we ended up
on the 9th floor facing the street. This turned out to be a good
thing, as after dinner we visited the pool area where much was going on
including a marriage proposal on a 2nd floor balcony overlooking the
pool and about 40 people taking photos of the newly engaged couple (at least,
we think she said yes to the dress).
Dinner at Underbelly, where it is set up for shared plates. Hey, even if
it is just THB and DB, no problema. We share: fried market veggies with
caramelized fish sauce; seared snapper with fennel, beet and peanut sauce; fois
gras with carrot, ash, and lime; grilled fava’s with house burrata and tomato conficture;
warm sourdough bread (some of which comes back to the hotel); Korean braised
goat and dumplings (more like gnocchi); and a bottle of Hendry Zinfandel,
$167. We realize partway through we’ve
over ordered (hard for THB to do, actually), and cancel the Satay, and skip
dessert (VERY hard for THB to do).
Day 2: Houston,
April 7
Factoids of the Day: The Astros are a
member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League (new this year,
they use to be in the NL Central). The Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park since 2000. THB
has been to MMP (formerly Enron Field), many times.
Weather: Warm and only slightly humid
Pics: Rothko Chapel, Twombly gallery,
Contemporary Museum, Hay Merchant, Richard Shaw, Akio Takimori, Yoshikawa Masamichi,
Mr Dylan (pic in hotel), Oxheart at night
Fitness center for THB and then THB and
DB walk to breakfast through a neighborhood full of huge, well maintained
houses on giant lots, with many old oak trees shading the way; big plus!
We meet Ruth, now retired from the Men’s
Wearhouse. at the Empire Café, eating outside. Some catching up is done while
eating eggs and bacon and toast, pancakes with dried cranberries and yogurt, French
toast with fruit, one decaf latte, $32. After breakfast, Ruth gives us a tour
of her old neighborhood and drops us back at Hotel Zaza.
We tour the following: Menil Collection
with Rothko Chapel and Twombly stand-alone building, 18 Hands Gallery,
Contemporary Crafts Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and Contemporary
Museum of Houston. Turns out we started
with the best first. THB had been to all these when here in Houston on
business, it’s a first for DB.
In between, we manage lunch at Hay
Merchant, a sister restaurant of Underbelly, featuring many types of
brewskies. We opt for 10oz pilsner and
lager, burger for DB and gumbo for THB. Brews arrive…no food for quite a while.
We ask someone to check, she brings out a cold burger and fries and lukewarm
gumbo. Gumbo stays, new burger and fries arrives in 5 minutes. Place wasn’t
crowded, plenty of staff, except our waiter forgot to visit the kitchen
periodically. Food very good, $25, service awful, no tip.
Dinner at Oxheart, in a rough part of
town (north edge of downtown). No name on the front door, just the address (see
pic). Choice of 3 fixed price menus, we share the Early Spring and Garden menus
(each $49, with a $30 wine pairing we opt for as well). Two of the dishes
overlap, so here are the six different dishes: warm sunflower seed soup with
burnt onion, puffed grains and rice, pumpkin seeds, black tea; grouper roasted
over pecanwood, spring onion escabeche, three egg sauce (including caviar);
heirloom carrots cooked with exotic spices and coconut, avocado, and coriander;
heritage chicken (very tender), poached white meat, braised dark meat, with
radishes, soured cream, and turnips; rye bread and sunchoke pudding (gruel?)
sweetened with molasses, whipped yogurt and dried strawberries. Total:
$205. Very unusual food, well presented,
and very unusual pairings (e.g., Belgian Ale with dessert).
The A’s finish first week of the season
at 5-2, best record in American League. They played Astros three times and
swept them (in Houston, while THB is in Houston, coincidentally). Realignment
of Astros looking better and better for A’s.
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