Revolution Studio

This post was done in partnership with Revolution Studio, who provided me with a complimentary two-week pass to all of their Houston locations. I was not monetarily compensated for writing this fitness post. All opinions are completely, 100% my own!

If you haven't taken a spin class in months, prepare to get your tush kicked.

(side note: One of the many - we are talking hundreds of - nicknames I have for my dog Newton is "little tush." Knowledge of this will make you either like me more or less. Jury is still out.)

I was fortunate enough to be able to try Revolution Studio out for two weeks recently. My rockstar friend Lindsay is a yoga instructor there, and she's always posting such inspiring things about the studio, that I had to try it out! Revolution offers my two main fitness loves, Spin and Yoga, so I was totally game!

Last weekend I started yoga teacher training at Black Swan Yoga (YESOMGI'MSOEXCITEDANDTOTALLYFREAKINGOUT!!!!), so I decided that before I jumped into a life of All Yoga All The Time, I'd take my other fitness love Spin out for a spin (see what I did there?)! I attended several indoor cycling classes at their Houston Memorial location (okay, and yes, threw a yoga class in there because how could I not?) because that one is closest to home and work.

The studio is clean, bright, and pretty. The staff are super helpful, energetic, and welcoming!

And when I say I hadn't attended a spin class in months, I mean  M  O  N  T  H  S . And when I say it kicked my tush, I mean  T  U  S  H       K  I  C  K  E  D .

Just ask both my dogs, Tushy One and Tushy Two.

(oh, don't even pretend like you didn't see that one coming.)

All of the classes I took were so empowering, set to heart-pumping, inspiring music (I may have actually cried a little bit during the Pride Day class...), and were such a killer workout! I've taken many many different indoor cycling classes throughout the years. I've absolutely loved a lot, and I've absolutely hated a lot. The spin classes at Revolution Studio rank high on the list of ones that I love! The energy in the room was always so electric, and everyone left with a smile on their faces and totally jazzed about the past 45 minutes.

The yoga classes I took there (I also attended one a few months back at the Houston Upper Kirby location with the Houston Food Blogger Collective) were also fantastic - Warm, sweaty, centering, and inspiring!

If you are looking for a bomb-tastic spin class in Houston, (and if you're looking to add in some yoga as well!), Revolution is not only a one-stop shop, it's a welcoming studio that offers high-quality, tush-kicking classes that make you feel empowered, healthy, and wanting more!

Just ask Newty-New and Tushy-Two!

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Houston Food Blogger Collective: Dish Society

I visited Dish Society with the Houston Food Blogger Collective. All food and drinks were provided to me, free of charge. I was not monetarily compensated for writing this post. All opinions are completely, 100% my own!

Life's about to get cray for me.

Rhetorical question: How old is "too old" to use ridiculous slang words/phrases such as "totes," "gotta check my snaps" and "cray"? Asking for a [30-year-old] friend...

I don't know about you all, but I was feeling very slumpy and "winter, boo you whore," and then this week seemed to kick off the busy-ness that's about to happen - which I'm excited about!

On Tuesday we had our first Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Wine Garden Committee meeting of 2016, and I'm super pumped, y'all. As of right now, I'll be working in the wine garden on March 2 (Chris Young), March 6 (Shawn Mendes), March 10 (Luke Bryan), Kenny Chesney (March 14), and March 18 (Little Big Town). So if you've bought your tickets yet for any of those dates, I hope you'll stop by and say hello! (and duh, drink wine).

Then on Wednesday, the Houston Food Blogger Collective Executive Board and Advisory Council had its first meeting of 2016 at Dish Society, a restaurant located in Houston's Galleria area. And once again, I'm super excited about what's in store for the year! In a nutshell? Awesome food, more awesome food, and even more awesome food! (and duh, wine).

Things are looking up, Houston snow birds!

I arrived at the farm-to-table restaurant about an hour early since I am exactly the opposite of cool, but was happy to find my fellow blogger friend Jenna (The Starving Foodist) there as well! (So maybe I am cool, right? ...don't answer that.) The counter-service-by-day, table-service-by-night restaurant was open, sleek, and airy. And apparently Foodable TV was filming there that night...

^ (Pictured above is Aaron Lyons, one of the restaurant's super friendly and accommodating co-owners.)

Other awesome Houston Food Blogger Collective board members there included Renia (Gristle & Gossip), Dalida (Brunch and Conversation), Julie (JulieJulez), Erika (Black Girls who Brunch), Stephanie (Copykat Recipes), Claire (The Petite Professional), Erin (Tidbits), Jay (The Fried Chicken Blog), and Morgan (The Foodie Chef). We put our heads together to start planning - and more importantly, start eating!

That night we were sampling bites from the restaurant's winter menu. The appetizer round included pork belly bites and berry bruschetta. I also went rogue and ordered their pretzels and queso. You know, for the sake of research.

Since I'm a vegetarian I didn't try the pork belly, but I did try the light and playful berry bruschetta! Toasted bolillo was topped with fresh Texas strawberries, creamy goat cheese, fragrant basil, and a balsamic reduction. The sweet/salty, berry/goat cheese combo was outstanding, but what really sealed the deal on this whole dish was the superfresh basil, which was borderline bitter - but in the absolute right way!

The pretzels and queso dish was a major crowd pleaser, and was my favorite bite of the evening. Firm, salty, slough dough pretzels were served alongside a rich, velvety smoked gouda queso dip. I've had multiple cheese/pretzel appetizers in Houston. I've had multiple good cheese/pretzel appetizers in Houston. And y'all? The one at Dish Society is far and away the best of them all! If you go (and you should!), you've got to order it. You know, for research.

The salad portion of the restaurant's sampling menu included an apple pecan salad and a brussels sprout super salad.

The apple pecan salad contained red wine poached apples, mixed organic greens, goat cheese, candied Texas pecans, and a honey mustard seed vinaigrette. If you are a fan of sweet fruity salads, this one is for you. I'm not generally a sweet fruity salad person, but the inclusion of that glorious goat cheese once again really sold me. It muted the sweetness enough for me to really dig in. The salad was given a great added layer of texture from the pecans. Overall, this was a nice, light salad.

The brussels sprout super salad blew my mind. It was composed of shaved brussels, shredded kale (this, coming from a kale hater! Maybe I don't hate kale after all...?), organic quinoa, dried cherries, golden raisins, shaved almonds, parmesan, and honey vinaigrette. The brussels sprouts were cooked so beautifully and had a wonderful smokey taste. The golden raisins were perfect little sweet morsels and complemented the sprouts wonderfully. Everything else in the salad served as a wonderful supporting cast of characters.

For the entree portion of the menu, they brought out coffee-crusted pork loin and brisket-stuffed sweet potato. For obvious reasons, I went rogue again (you can't take me anywhere) and ordered the half portion of the quinoa-stuffed avocado, one of the restaurant's most popular food items.

I took some of the pork home to Jon, and he was a big fan. Also, everyone at the table appeared to fall in love with that brisket stuffed sweet potato (well, who wouldn't?). It did smell incredible.

While the avocado stuffed with quinoa wasn't my favorite dish of the evening, it was certainly a good one. The quinoa had a light citrusy taste, with some crunchy veggies thrown in (onions?), and the avocado was full and ripe. It was a very simple, healthy, and satisfying dish.

For dessert, we were presented with the berry shortcake.

This was one helluva knockout dessert! A flaky, sturdy, house sugar biscuit was topped off with fresh strawberries, house whipped cream, and Amy's Mexican vanilla ice cream. Julie claimed that this might be the best strawberry shortcake she's ever had, and I completely agree! The buttery biscuit balanced wonderfully with the other components of the dish. The end result was a light, flirty, and ethereal strawberry shortcake that I adored!

The food at Dish Society is local and fresh, and that is certainly apparent in every bite. The restaurant's dishes are simple, yet manage to sit on a level above other similar food in Houston. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, and I cannot wait to go back, whenever that might be!

(Sunday. Sunday I'm going back.)

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Media Preview at The Tuck Room

This post was done in partnership with Houston's The Tuck Room, who provided me with my food and drinks, free of charge. I was not monetarily compensated for writing this post. All opinions are completely, 100% my own!

My new favorite thing in the world is "Do Nothing Sundays."

Sundays used to be sad. Sundays used to be Monday Eve (well, I suppose they still are). Sundays used to be the pits. But recently I've magically found myself with several Sundays in a row where I have had absolutely NOTHING scheduled, and they're my new favorite thing. Jon and I will sleep in(ish), watch movies, he'll watch football or play video games while I read or catch up on some shameless guilty pleasure tv, we'll cook food, we'll sleep, we'll drink wine, all while staying in our pjs and readying ourselves for the week ahead, one entire box of Cheez-Its at a time.<~~~Just kidding, I don't do that last part. (yes I do).

On the flip side, I've simultaneously stumbled upon "Do Fun Things Mondays." The antithesis of a Do Nothing Sunday, a Do Fun Things Monday is also magical. If you have fun things to do on Monday evening, you have all day to look forward to it, instead of focusing on the fact that it's Monday.

Case in point: Last week I was invited through the Houston Food Blogger Collective to attend a media preview of The Tuck Room, the new restaurant located inside of the new iPic Theater in Houston's new River Oaks District. This dazzling evening happened on - you guessed it - Monday!

This was my first time in Houston's fancy, pristine, and beautiful River Oaks District. The iPic Theater matches this motif, and the company prides itself in offering "plush cinemas" that "indulge moviegoers in a new standard of affordable luxury." In Kimspeak: If you become a member (for free), you can have a great night out in Houston by purchasing a Premium Plus movie ticket for $18-$24 (depending on the day/time). This includes a reclining chair in a private two person section, a blanket, and popcorn. 

(is it weird that the blanket is the part that excites me most??)

AND you have the opportunity (movie or not) to dine in their wonderful restaurant, The Tuck Room. 

When I first arrived, I was directed to the bar area (The "Upper Tuck"), where I tried no less than 10 drinks (don't worry, I sipped sparingly because although it was a Do Fun Things Monday, it was still of course... a Monday). There was a liquid nitrogen bottle service area, which can be enjoyed before or during a movie. This carte blanc service starts at $100 for a bottle of booze (which includes garnishments and fresh juice mixers).

I opted for a moscow mule tuck ginger fizz, which was made with homemade ginger beer and house-infused melon sweet tea vodka. It was super light and refreshing!

They also offer pre-made, fresh, bottled cocktails, which Adam Seger - iPic's Advanced Sommelier and Master Mixologiest - stated offers "instant gratification with craft cocktails." It's a less scary option for those who might be intimidated by the mixology scene. I tried the southern decadence, a sweet cocktail containing Magnolia tea.

Even though I am a self-proclaimed margarita hater (I know, I live in Houston, how can this be.), my favorite cocktail was a shot of mango margarita with mezcal. Lined with cayenne pepper, the drink was sweet, sturdy, spicy, and offered a beautiful, multilayered tasting experience.

Appetizers were also passed around during the reception.

Of the food offerings, the only vegetarian option was the croquette - a fried ball of sweet corn, smoked gouda, and honey mustard. This was a delightful bite of sweet/savory/crunchy/cheesy goodness!

Before taking a tour of the iPic theaters, we gathered around to hear from Adam and Chef Sherry Yard, Vice President of Culinary Direction at iPic. Touting an impressive background as a James Beard Award winner and Food Network regular (among several other noteworthy accomplishments), Chef Sherry gave us the rundown of the food lineup. Dining at Houston's The Tuck Room is not meant to be a fork and knife experience, but more a social, mix and match event between friends. The gourmet food aims to be exceptional enough in a standalone manner, that people will want to eat dinner at the restaurant whether they're seeing a movie or not.

After viewing one of the theaters, we were directed to the cozy, arty, dimly lit, main dining area of the restaurant. I was lucky to sit with an awesome group of foodies - Sarah, Morgan, and Oscar and John Anthony.

The first course of food, paired with a crisp François Montand brut rosé, consisted of spicy tuna hand rolls, lettuce cups with cod, chicken caesar bites, and panzanella.

The panzanella was the only non-veg food option in this course, and I absolutely adored it. A layer of grilled fresh bread was topped with spinach, tomatoes, red onion, olives, feta, celery, and capers. Tossed with a light vinaigrette and served with a smear of pesto, the salad was pleasantly salty, lemony, and crispy. It tasted like an elevated, fancy Greek salad, and it was probably my favorite food offering of the evening!

The second course of food consisted of fish tacos, lobster rolls, pulled pork sandwiches, filet sliders, and French onion soup rings, paired with a Llano Estacado Mont Sec Texas High Plains sauvignon blanc.

Everyone lost their minds over the sliders, that's worth noting. Of these plates, I was able to try the French onion soup rings. The side of French onion soup dip had a beef broth base, so just the rings for me! The rings themselves were so good on their own that I didn't feel like I was missing out. They had a beautiful light coating, which encapsulated the onions themselves, as well as melted Swiss cheese. The end result of this food marriage was a delicate, smooth, thick onion ring, and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite!

The third course (are you full? I'm full) of food was paired with a Messina Hof grenach-syrah-mourvedre, and consisted of shrimp, beef tenderloin, and chicken kabobs, as well as "fat fries".

Made with white sweet potatoes and paired with a side of malt vinegar aioli, the fat fries were lovely. Thick and golden, the soft, sweet fries were downright mouthwatering when dipped in the foamy, buttery aoili.

Paired with a Messina Hof Texas port (are you drunk? I'm drunk), the restaurant's dessert course contained chocolate truffle-covered grapes, jelly filled doughnuts, and chocolate coconut doughnuts.

The chocolate truffle-covered grapes were a unique and surprising little dessert. The bitter chocolate balanced nicely with the grape, which provided an exploding shot of sweetness as you bit in. The jelly doughnuts weren't too sweet, and also enjoyable. The shining star of this trio, however, was the chocolate coconut doughnut. Nutty and textured, the golden fried outer coating served as the perfect vessel for the gooey, rich chocolate swimming within. A topping of sweet cherries sent it over the edge!

I had an outstanding time at The Tuck Room in Houston. While I am excited to return and attend a movie at iPic, this will certainly not be a precursor to me going to enjoy some incredibly crafted food and drinks at the restaurant. The Tuck Room is an excellent addition to Houston's vibrant culinary restaurant scene. The care and detail that went into everything was evident, and I can't wait to return to this swanky Houston spot!

See you there next Monday.

Leave a Comment bars, dessert, dinner, drinks, food, houston, houston food blogger collective, restaurants, river oaks, vegetarian, wine

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Houston Food Blogger Collective: The Del

GUYS I'M GOING TO GAME THREE OF THE WORLD SERIES IN NEW YORK ON FRIDAY AND I'M BASICALLY LOSING MY MIND WITH EXCITEMENT.

AND I'm going to an awesome Halloween wedding, AND I get to cheer my mom on in the NYC Marathon! AND you bet i'll visit my favorite New York restaurants with all the awesome food AND give hugs to my friends that I love and miss so much! It's going to be one crazy fun, amazing weekend. I may try to squeeze one more restaurant post in before I say my brief farewell to Houston, but this may be the last one before next week, pending life craziness.

Last week, The Houston Food Blogger Collective had it's first official Executive Board Meeting, which was hosted by the newly opened restaurant, The Del, located just outside of Houston's West Loop. The lovely and talented people in attendance were Claire (The Petite Professional), Erika (Black Girls who Brunch), Dalida (Brunch and Conversation), Megha (Hot Pink Houston), Erin (Tidbits), Morgan (The Foodie Chef), Sarah (Sarah in the South), Renee (Guaca-Scuse Me?), Jay (The Fried Chicken Blog), Jenna (The Starving Foodist), Julie (JulieJulez), and Madeleine (The Sizzle Houtson). These are a great group of foodies, and their sites are definitely worth a visit!

(Speaking of the Houston Food Blogger Collective, we posted our second video (filmed by yours truly) of our visit to Songkran Thai Kitchen, which can be viewed here! If you are a Houston food blogger or social media sharer, I really cannot recommend joining this fun group enough!)

Upon first glance, The Del appears to be a regular bar. Upon walking in however, you are greeted with a beautiful, open, laid-back "country club casual" interior, which is attached to an expansive patio and game area (complete with giant jenga pieces and corn hole setup).

It was a beautiful night, hinting the arrival of Houston's delayed but welcome fall, and our group was seated out on the patio. The generous folks at The Del provided us with "light appetizers" on the house (which as you'll see, ended up resulting in nothing short of a feast), as well as happy hour priced drinks for the time we were there.

Chef Albert Vasquez - who is quite the jokester - introduced himself and discussed the recently opened restaurant with us. He described his vision of The Del as a Houston neighborhood restaurant where people could "enjoy good food without focusing on the food."

The first round included a crab cake, yellowfin tuna tartar, and gnocchi tots.

I only tried the gnocchi tots since this was the only vegetarian plate in the first round, and it was my absolute favorite dish of the evening. The potato gnocchi was presented to us, swimming in a bath of cheddar and ale fondue. The gnocchi tots themselves were ever-so-slightly crisped on the outside, and full of soft, hearty, potato-y goodness on the inside. The fondue was rich and velvety, and went perfectly with the subtle-tasting gnocchi. The crispy, sweet, fried onions on top added an outstanding contrast to the savory symphony underneath. I absolutely loved these tots!

Next up were french fries, steak (I believe it was their steak frite), and mussels.

Again, I only tried the vegetarian option from this group, which in this case was the French fry plate. The toasted hot dog bun served alongside them was a little perplexing (but amusing), and this was a darn good offering of fries. Crispy, yet full, it seemed that these fries were lightly battered. The inclusion of the potato skins (as opposed to peeling them) was a welcoming change of fry pace as well.

By this point, I figured there was no way there would be more food (since there had already been so much). Since I still hadn't had a whole lot to eat (and since, let's just say it, I'm a pain in the ass), I went ahead and ordered myself their mac & cheese appetizer. But the kind folks at The Del went ahead and brought several plates of it for the whole table!

As far as Houston restaurant macs go, this particular one was a fine contender. Much like how the facade of the restaurant appeared to be a regular bar, at first glance this dish appeared to be your basic mac & cheese. It was, however, hardly regular or basic. The use of large rigatoni noodles gave the mac and cheese a bouncier fullness. The cheddar and ale sauce was vibrant and sharp in flavor, yet surprisingly light in feel. What really elevated this dish though, was the generous inclusion of toasted bread crumbs mixed in, which give it a playful, pleasing texture. I was so glad I was able to try the restaurant's mac & cheese, and I had no regrets in ordering it.

Much to our surprise, a third round of food came out! Ribeyes, accompanied by a cucumber tomato salad and risotto, were brought to us.

The cucumber tomato salad was a simple, light, refreshing palate cleanser. And the risotto? my. goodness. Cooked in a vegetable broth base, the risotto was incredibly rich and creamy, with just the right amount of pepper mixed within. It was the fettuccine alfredo of risottos, and it was quite the breathtaking indulgence.

And while I did not try the ribeye myself, it seemed to receive praises around the table!

The final round of food was the dessert round! We were greeted with oatmeal raisin cookies and a s'more parfait of some sort.

I did not try the s'more dessert since I was unsure if it was vegetarian (marshmallows, who knew?), but I enjoyed the oatmeal raisin cookies. They had a sticky, dense texture, and were not overly sweet - always a bonus with me!

It's certainly worth making the venture outside the loop (and let's be real, this restaurant is barely outside the loop) to check out The Del. The clean, welcoming, pretty neighborhood restaurant and bar is great on it's own, AND it has a stellar patio that is worth experiencing during these beautiful Houston autumn days and nights. It was the perfect spot to host the Houston Food Blogger Collective Board Meeting. To top it off, the service was great, and the food was thoughtfully prepared and incredibly enjoyable!

Gnocchi tots and wine. Dreams do come true.

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