Friday Five

The Excuse

None needed! W00t!

The Week

Because of an oil/energy conference in Houston this week I wound up getting a hotel much further out from the city than normal – I wound up down in Stafford. For those of you up on your “jersey trivia”, that would be the area that Karin and I lived in when we lived out in Houston. I hadn’t been down there in quite a while, so it was like returning “home” of sorts for me. Or mostly a chance to go check out some of my old stomping grounds again.

The Restaurant

Because I wound up beating up on a restaurant last week, I decided this week I’d touch on 3 of my favorite restaurants, two of which I hadn’t been to in months. The first is 713, which is my favorite sushi bar. Yeah, it tries to be hipper than it is. Yeah, it’s in a strip mall. But the sushi’s great (and the waitresses/bartenders aren’t unattractive.

Next up is Grimaldi’s. They’re one of the few pizza joints that still does pizza the right way – coal fired ovens. While it’s not the original (and I still prefer Lombardi’s), it works just fine if you can’t get yourself to Manhattan.

 

Last but not least is Gringo’s, which is a Tex/Mex place in Stafford. It was a favorite for Karin and I, and their Silver Star Margarita is 22 ounces of nirvana. If one of those doesn’t improve your outlook on life nothing will. Still the best margarita I’ve ever tasted.

The Exercise

See, I was too busy eating….

The Travel Note

My 3 year lease is up on my Miata in about 2 months. I’m still under 14,000 miles – and that includes a round trip to Vegas and Houston. Maybe I should spend a little more time at home.

The Five

BTW – I’m open to ideas here… ;-)

Five favorite restaurants (in no particular order)

1. Lombardi’s in Manhattan – I can’t get enough of their pizza. It’s the original, and it’s never been improved on.
2. Oyster Catcher in Tampa – I was originally afraid that this was mostly going to be an oyster bar based on the name, boy was I wrong. Granted, my judgment might be clouded on this place since I saw Bill Murray afterwards.
3. Mon Ami Gabi in Las Vegas – One of the best kept secrets on the strip. Was the only patio dining available on the strip, and it’s still the best as it’s right across the fountains at the Bellagio.
4. Parkhouse Eatery in San Diego – Great for dinner, and they do some of the best mimosas for breakfast. Love going there for brunch and dining out on the patio in January while thinking of my friends back in Minnesota. (Sorry, Sarah)
5. Bix in San Francisco – I’m convinced this place used to be a speakeasy. It’s a little place in the middle of an alley, and unless you knew it was there you’d never find it. Great 20’s style ambience. I love it!

I’m sure I missed about 20!