Cooking Girl

I'M STILL ALIVE, HOUSTON, I SWEAR!!!

For all [two of you] still reading this (hi mom!), thank you. This long string of few-and-far-between restaurant blog posts will come to an end in a few months when life settles down for me. But I'm here now, and I'm here to tell you about the awesome, fabulous food at Cooking Girl - a BYOB ($4.99 corking fee, y'all!) Chinese restaurant located in Houston's Montrose neighborhood.

My parents are huge fans of the restaurant, so my mom and I went a few weeks ago. When we were seated in the tiny, packed (make a reservation!), no-frills spot, we were presented with a complimentary appetizer of light puffy chip-like things (you've missed my super excellent food descriptors, haven't you?). They weren't exceptionally flavorful, though slightly sweet, and a nice little pre-dinner teaser.

For our first course of food, we ordered (at the server's recommendation) the garlic-flavored cucumber. 

Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly a first round of food, in that it took quite a bit of time to come out, and it when it finally did come out, it was about a minute before we received our entrees. All that aside, the dish itself was pretty darn good. As a general rule, cucumbers make me feel dead inside, but I was glad I trusted our server on this one! The sauce that the crisp cucumbers were swimming in was super garlicky, with a lovely oily, syrupy feel. There was definitely chili in there, and it also packed some serious heat! I don't know if I'd order it on my next visit (since the whole cucumber/dead inside thing), but it will be on my regular rotation of food items to order there for sure.

Oh but you know what I will order EVERY. SINGLE. TIME?

The pepper potato silk.

For our main course of food, my mom and I split two items - one of which was the pepper potato silk. People rave about this dish, and WOW. Potatoes are delicately peeled into noodle-like strands and cooked ever-so-simply in oil and peppers. This fine dish also had some MAJOR heat, and I cannot convey just how multi-layered and incredible it was. Eating it was a beyond-delightful, jaw-dropping experience. I seriously have not stopped thinking about this dish for the past few weeks, and it will definitely be in the running for my top 10 favorite dishes of the year!

The other entree we split was the restaurant's mabo tofu.

I requested for the dish to be made vegetarian (I believe it normally comes with pork), which was no problem. Once again, my mouth was on fire, and once again, I loved what I was eating. Served with a side of steamed white rice, the sauce was on trend with the other dishes and perfectly oily. It was hartier, earthier, and thicker than the other two sauces and had *slightly* more of a gel-like consistency. Typically I'm more a fan of firmly cooked tofu, but the softness of this tofu was a welcome alleviating contrast to the über spicy (yet welcome) attack on my tongue. Even my mother - who thought she didn't like tofu - was a fan!

Cooking Girl is a no-frills, super affordable authentic Chinese food restaurant in Houston. And for all of you Houstonites who love to sweat over the spiciest of foods, take heart! This place is for you. Even with the slight timing issue with the courses, the service was great, and the food was super impressive! And hello, you had me at "BYOB."

*insert peace sign fingers emoji*

Leave a Comment asian, byob, chinese, dinner, food, houston, montrose, restaurants, vegetarian

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Houston Restaurant Weeks Brunch at Indika + A Giveaway!

(Psst, Houston residents - Scroll down to the bottom for an exciting Giveaway!!)

Only four more days until the weekend, which means only five more days until Sunday Brunch!!!

Not that we're counting.

(but okay we are).

Last Sunday, my friend Meredith drove into Houston from Humble and met up with me for brunch at Indika, located in Houston's Montrose neighborhood. One aspect of Houston Restaurant Weeks that I'd yet to take advantage of was brunch ($20 per person for three courses of food, um hello). I've been eyeing Indika for quite a while, and their Houston Restaurant Weeks brunch menu looked ah-mazing, so it seemed like the perfect place to visit!

(And take note: Brunch at Indika is only offered on Sundays, and the place really filled up quickly, so make your reservations now!)

The inside of the restaurant is massive, with high ceilings and dramatic drapes. It's open, airy, and super inviting. We weren't drinking during this particular brunch because Meredith is pregnant with her cherub #2, and I prefer not to drink alone. <~~(I'm lying to you. I'd had a wild evening the night before, and by wild I mean played Monopoly and drank wine with Jon at home, so I needed a breather because this is what being an adult looks like).

Before we ordered our food, we were presented with the restaurant's green onion naan with yogurt sauce.

The bread was fluffy and gooey in that wonderful naan-like way, and the green onions in it created a unique and lovely flavor. Dipped in the tart yogurt, it was fantastic!

For our first course of food, Meredith ordered the restaurant's sweet potato samosas with cilantro chutney, and I went with the spinach cutlet chaat.

Meredith's samosas were slightly crisped and doughy, and the outer casing did not overpower the fluffy sweet potato filling inside. The tart chutney offered a nice counter-balance to the softness of the samosa. And my spinach cutlet chaat was possibly my favorite food item of the whole meal. A spinach patty of sorts was topped off with the tart chutney, a sweet barbecue-esque sauce, a yogurt sauce (I think?) and crispy noodles. The patty was soft and super herby, and the combo of bright, contrasting, delicious flavors and textures on top was an absolute masterpiece. I couldn't get enough!

For our second round of food, we got to pick two items (TWO ITEMS!!!). Meredith ordered the restaurant's coconut and millet pancakes with bananas, blueberries, and jaggery syrup, as well as the bacon cumin biscuit, pulled pork, and a fried egg (sans pulled pork). I opted for the chickpea crepe stuffed with mushroom and topped with tomato masala as my first choice, and the akuri (scrambled eggs) with a green onion masala.

Meredith enjoyed her biscuit, but she was going NUTS over her pancakes! So of course I had to take a bite or three because they were UNREAL. The pancakes themselves were crispy/crunchy on the outside, and super dense and earthy on the inside. The bananas were essentially caramelized and downright sinful. The crispy topping of coconut flakes added wonderful texture, and it was all so delightful! It was definitely up there as one of the best bites we had!

My chickpea stuffed crepe had a nice sponge-y texture, and it was filled with sauteed mushrooms. The tomato masala was bright and acidic and went well with the crepe. I enjoyed this dish, though I think I enjoyed my eggs more. The taste of the akuri was wonderfully chive-y, and the texture was SUPER creamy. I'm definitely going to try to master the art of Indika's scrambled eggs at home!

For our final round of food (dessert!), Meredith ordered the rose cake parfait, and I opted for the restaurant's olive oil black pepper cake with blackberry compote.

Unfortunately, neither of us got really jazzed about the parfait (pictured above). To me, it was way too sweet and almost had a perfume-y taste. Meredith claimed it made her molars sing. BUT THAT OLIVE OIL BLACK PEPPER CAKE (pictured below), OMG. That cake was outstanding! The outer bits of the cake were crumbly and crunchy, resembling that of a coffee cake or cobbler. The flavors of it sang of harvest and Christmas time, with hints of cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. The earthy, soul-warming cake was made brighter with the use of the sweet, tart blackberry compote, and the end result was just fabulous. This cake was neck and neck with the chaat for being my favorite dish!

And as if that wasn't enough, when we were finished, we were presented with two cardamom butter cookies. While having the texture of English tea cookies and the buttery-ness of shortbread cookies, they were on a whole other level with the warm, festive spice of cardamom thrown in. We loved them!

Houston's Indika offers high quality Indian food in a beautiful, inviting setting. The Houston Restaurant Weeks menu is a wonderful way to explore their different food offerings, and I cannot recommend Indika's Sunday Brunch enough!

OH AND SPEAKING OF BRUNCH.

Here's where the Giveaway comes in:

One lucky Adventures in a New(ish) City reader will receive two (2) VIP tickets to the Inaugural Houston Press Morning After Brunch Event, held at Bayou City Event Center Pavilion on Saturday, October 1, 2016 from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm. These VIP tickets, valued at $55 – $75 each, grant you early entry 30 minutes prior to the event (11:00 am), as well as food, wine, beer, and cocktail sampling. To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is follow me on Instagram (if you don't already), and leave a comment on this photo, telling me what your favorite brunch item is! A winner will be randomly selected by the end of this week, Houston residents only please. Good luck!

Most important meal of your day/week/life.

Leave a Comment brunch, cookies, dessert, food, giveaway, houston, indian, montrose, restaurant weeks, restaurants, vegetarian

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Visiting Houston: April, 2016

I love when people come to visit!

Not only do I get to spend time with out-of-towners who I love and miss dearly, but I get to show them what's so awesome about Houston! (umm, see above pic, re: going to the pool in April.). I started the "Visiting Houston" series in February, documenting the fun times we had (hint: there were lots of restaurants and LOTS of food involved) when my cousin Amber came down for a visit.

And now I have a new installment in "Visiting Houston!" Last weekend my visitor was none other than my best friend Courtney, who flew in from New York. We had a fantastic weekend of spending quality time together at fun spots around Houston and over awesome restaurant food. Here is how our weekend played out!

Friday

I picked Courtney up from the airport, and - with no time [and sunshine] to waste - we drove straight to La Grange to enjoy food and drinks on the restaurant's gorgeous patio.

Pictured above is the Carlos Danger cocktail - aka the only margarita I've ever truly loved - and their gooey delicious holy queso with guacamole!

After we were finished, it was time to hit up another fun Houston restaurant patio!

(and eat more food).

If you haven't enjoyed food and drinks on the patio at Boheme yet, you are seriously missing out. Courtney and I sipped on some wine and shared the restaurant's incredible Vietnamese fries (topped with hoisin, sraracha, garlic mayo, cilantro, and crushed peanuts), as well as the truffle mushroom pizza. The fries - which I firmly believe are some of the best in Houston - were incredible as always. The pizza had a different more textured variety of mushroom from what I've had there in the past. I didn't like it as much this time, but it was still certainly enjoyable. Courtney liked both, but I think she favored the pizza over the fries.

Next up, we dropped Courtney's bags off at our apartment, and picked Jon up for drinks at Lei Low.

If you are looking for a unique, strange, insanely enjoyable bar with fun drinks, Lei Low is it. This tiki bar is located in Houston's Heights neighborhood in a small, nondescript strip center that also houses a convenience store. The neon sign outside of the bar simply says, "RUM," and when you walk through the doors, you are transported to 1960s Hawaii. The drinks are always sweet, often on fire (literally), and sometimes feature a shark head eating a banana dolphin smoking a cinnamon stick cigarette (if you're lucky). I've had many messy nights there - one time I pretended to be a bouncer and carded everyone who walked through the doors, because I'm a classy broad - but it's always a total blast. Don't worry, I kept my 'ish together...this time.

Saturday

Saturday morning, Jon, Courtney, and I grabbed a bottle of champagne, and headed over to Kraftsmen Cafe for a good, hearty BYOB brunch!

The quaint Houston Heights bakery/restaurant is adorable and homey, the food was delicious as always, and if it's BYOB it's always okay in my book! We loaded up on big breakfasts (I ordered the same thing I had last time, the woodsman omelet) to prepare us for the rest of the day!

After brunch, we snuck in some pool time, cleaned up, then headed out to Minute Maid Park!

Photo: Courtney

Courtney is from Boston and is therefore a huge Red Sox fan, so we were excited to find out the Astros were playing the Red Sox at home that weekend! <~~(Just kidding, we *sort of* planned Courtney's trip around it). Even though the roof was open and all of us got what was just short of third degree sunburns, we had a total blast!

Next up, dinner:

Every time Courtney visits (and frankly, anytime anyone visits), we have to take her to El Tiempo because - as she says - their fillet fajitas have ruined all other fajitas for her. (I tried them prior to becoming a vegetarian, and I stand strongly behind her statement). We usually go to the restaurant on Washington Ave, but since we were downtown already, we ate at their EaDo location off of Navigation. The food (queso for the table, spinach quesadilla for me) was perfect as always!

Then we went home and watched The Incredibles because Jon had never seen it, and life's too short.

Sunday

Sunday morning Courtney and I went clothes shopping to a few cute Houston boutiques, but not before getting some important nourishment.

Torchy's Tacos' breakfast tacos really are fantastic. I ordered two of my usual suspects from the restaurant - The Independant and the Dirty Sanchez. I'm telling you, I consistently see stars when I eat them.

After that, we grabbed groceries to prepare for a cookout at our apartment with my parents. I was having too much fun eating good food, drinking good wine, and enjoying my family and best friend, that I completely forgot to snap pictures! But I did get a shot of the yummy oatmeal raisin cookies my dad made next to some snarky napkins my parents gave Jon for his birthday a few weeks ago.

It was a fun, awesome weekend, and I only wish it could have been longer! As I said, I love getting to show folks from out of town my beloved city of Houston and everything it has to offer - from fantastic restaurant food, to beautiful weather [ahem, most of the time], to fun events around town. Getting to do all of that with my best friend made it all the more amazing!

Snapchat: newishcityhou

^ Photo taken pre- the Houston sun turning my BFF into a lobster.

Leave a Comment bakery, bars, baseball, breakfast, brunch, byob, dinner, drinks, east downtown, food, heights, houston, mexican, montrose, pizza, restaurants, rum, tacos, vegetarian, visiting houston

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Taco Tuesdays: La Grange

With the excepetion of this morning, is anyone else so totally drunk on the gorgeous weather we're having?

(If you're drunk on tequila, that's okay, we won't judge).

Last Friday was such a beautiful Houston spring [January] day, that I had to bask in the sun on a patio with some good food in front of me and a potent drink in my hand, of course! My friend Jessi drove into Houston from Kingwood to meet me for dinner at the restaurant La Grange, located in Montrose. I'd heard awesome things about their food and patio, so I was excited to give it a try!

And yes, the restaurant's patio 100% lived up to its expectations! It seemed that every other Houstonite was just as excited about the weather, so it was a busy evening. In spite of this, our server was spectacular. She was always there when we needed her, and she spent time going over the menu with us, even though it was clear she had a million other things to do. She was a total rockstar.

I'm not a big margarita fan, but one of my Houston Rodeo Wine Garden Committee friends told me I absolutely have to try the Carlos Danger. I discussed it with our server, telling her about my margarita reservations, and she felt confident I would like it.

And y'all? I LOVED it. I loved it so much that I ordered two (!!!!!). The Carlos Danger is a concoction of jalapeño and pineapple infused tequila, triple sec, lime, and agave. Not for the faint of heart, this drink packed some serious heat, which I was a major fan of. It lacked the tartness that comes with traditional margaritas, and the sweet/spicy, pineapple/jalapeño combo was right on point!

For our first round of food, we ordered the holy queso, and added guacamole.

This queso was a wonderful, gooey mix of white cheese, green chilies, and pico de gallo. The cheese itself was light and slightly tart, and the green chilies were incredibly spicy. Once stirred together, the chilies were muted to a more comfortable level (though still hot!), set against the backdrop of everything else. It was zippy, spicy, and incredibly indulgent. We were basically licking the bowl clean by the end of it!

For our next round of food, I ordered the restaurant's grilled veggie stacked enchiladas. I don't normally order enchiladas at a Mexican restaurant because they often are just a pool of cheese and gravy (which of course on certain occasions is totally desirable). And while these enchiladas did have a good amount of cheese, they were not soggy by any stretch, and the variety of vegetables (bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash) were given the opportunity to shine through. I do think the enchiladas could have benefited from a topping of salsa or dollop of sour cream, as they did end up coming across as a little dry. Overall though, I did enjoy them.

A nice bonus for me was that the restaurant does not use lard in its refried beans, or any sort of meat in its rice, so I was able to enjoy those as well! The refried black beans were smooth and earthy, and the rice was a good, standard offering of Mexican rice.

La Grange is a lively, fun restaurant in Houston's Montrose area that offers great Mexican food at decent prices. The service we experienced that night was some of the best I've had here in Houston. I definitely recommend paying a visit, especially during these beautiful Houston days, when you can sit on their gorgeous patio and get totally drunk off of this weather!

And by "weather" I mean "tequila."

Leave a Comment dinner, drinks, food, houston, mexican, montrose, restaurants, taco tuesdays, vegetarian

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Brunchin' at Empire Cafe

I am no longer in a TV rut.

 
In 2007 I took a trip to NYC, saw Spring Awakening on Broadway with my best friend Courtney, promptly fell in love with John Gallagher Jr. who was in the show, and dragged Courtney to the stage door afterward to meet him. That was back during my performing days, and I had been called in to audition for the show a couple of times so it was all in the name of research! (but mostly true love). After standing outside for 30 minutes in the cold rain, I got my chance to meet the future Mr. Kim Ogonosky. Conversation was as follows:

John: Hi, how are you guys doing?
Courtney: Great!
Kim: Good you were so great.
John: Thank you! What are your names?
Courtney: I'm Courtney.
Kim: And I'm Kim you were so great.
Johns: Thanks! Do you guys live here or are you just visiting?
Courtney: Just visiting, but we're moving up here soon.
Kim: You were so great.

Nailed. it. 

The second time I met John (he and I are on a first name basis now after all) was after seeing his band play a show in the village months later (stalking is legal, right?). After having had several beers and several mock conversations where Courtney played John, and I played a non-idiot version of myself, I was prepared this time. Sporting wavy hair, Chuck Taylors, some weird chain-looking bracelets, and a punk rockesque t-shirt (god I'm a tool), I was ready to go. Conversation was as follows:

John: Hi, how are you guys doing?
Courtney: Great!
Kim: Doing great - Awesome show man.
John: Thank you! What are your names?
Courtney: I'm Courtney.
Kim: I'm Kim. And you are....? (laughs)
John: (laughs) John. (looks at me) Haven't I met you before?
(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
(long awkward pause)
Kim: Uhhh, nope. I don't think so.

My point in revealing these humiliating fangirl moments to you is now I've found my TV show to binge-watch and obsess over, and it's The Newsroom, and JGJ plays an adorable quirky intellectual on it, and I love him, and the show is awesome, so watch it now, the end.

Other things that are awesome? Brunch at Houston's Empire Cafe! (Like my segue there?)

Last weekend, I had brunch at Empire Cafe with my mom and my friend Boh. Even though the place was pretty slammers, we were able to nab a table on the expansive, breezy outdoor patio. To start the morning off right I decided to stray from my normal mimosa/bloody route and order the Ruby Kiss, a "dazzling blend of Champagne and Raspberry Liquor." It surely was dazzling. And potent. And hella sweet. If you're into super sweet cocktails, the Ruby Kiss is your lady!

For my meal I ordered the Verdi - 2 eggs any style (I chose sunny side up which I strongly recommend) on a spinach "nest" with garlic and olive oil, served with cheddar hash brown potatoes and fresh fruit. Then I threw in a side of whole wheat toast for good measure. But let's break this down here:

1) Spinach sauteed in garlic and olive oil? Mah lord. Topped with broken sunny side egg yolk running over it? Absolute harmony. Just lovely.

2) Cheddar hash brown potatoes? Girl, I cannot even. And they don't give you a ton, so you don't eat them and feel terrible about your life. It was the perfect amount of cheesy potato-y goodness.

3) Complemented by fresh fruit and whole wheat toast? Home run, Astros style (okay that *might* be a stretch).

This casual, charming, counter service Montrose spot is perfect for a lazy, hazy, boozy weekend brunch with your pals. And I definitely recommend going and sitting on the patio before the weather turns into the 7th circle of Houston Hades. But they do have an overhead fan so powerful it could energize all of Switzerland, so you'd probably be okay anyway.

I should take John there sometime.

2 comments breakfast, brunch, drinks, food, houston, montrose, restaurants, vegetarian

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Brunchin' at Brick & Spoon

Guys. I'm going to NYC in roughly 16 days, and I'm going to smoosh faces with my friends, shove pizza down my throat, dance to wild 80s tunes at my friend Mike's rockin' wedding, and bask in the tale as old as time tradition of brunch.

But in the meantime, a fine Houston brunch spot that rivals the countless ones peppered along the NYC sidewalks can be found at Brick & Spoon on Westheimer.

Side Note: I previously could not find my photos from this visit and automatically assumed I had accidentally deleted them (because that would be par for the course), but it turns out my dumb phone overheated in the sun, so I took photos with my friend Megan's phone, which she has since sent to me. Hoorah!

After punching some bags in kickboxing class a few Saturdays ago (it's seriously become an addiction), I met up with my girlfriends Megan and Boh for brunch at Brick & Spoon. It was a particularly lovely Saturday, and after a short 20 minute wait, we were able to sit outside on the nice deck (and get a little sunburned - whoops!). Our waiter was awesome, and he and I became besties in about 2.7 seconds. Megan said she felt like the 3rd wheel to our new friendship.

But more importantly, this:

That's right. A build-your-own-Bloody-Mary, which duh, I had to do.

It's a $12.50 Bloody Mary which almost made me choke, but I had to do it. You know, for Narnia.

Anyway, the thing was ginormous, and was probably two drinks in one, so can I really complain? No. And while I definitely enjoyed it (hello, it's me), it wasn't my favorite Bloody. Then again, I'm the one who built the darn thing, so I only have myself to blame.

But this is definitely a nice, unique feature of Brick & Spoon's brunch.

Bacon. That's where I went wrong. I should have added bacon. *smacks head*

Now I know that I have claimed that salads usually make me feel sad and empty inside, and rightly so. But sometimes I get a wild hair and want one for some reason. I'm assuming the reason on this particular occasion was that I had just jumped around with giant gloves on my hand for the past hour, so I was inspired to be healthy.

That, or I had just basically eaten a meal in the form of a drink.

Tomato, Tomahto.

So I ordered the Grilled Veggie Salad with shrimp and almost had a heart attack from the beauty radiating from the thing. I mean look at it!

And y'all, it even tastes 10 times better than it looks, if you can imagine that. While the salad was light, it still managed to be filling (I'd definitely recommend adding the shrimp like I did), and the bold flavors of the different grilled vegetables were divine. Topped with feta cheese and a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, I can find no fault with this salad. It's lovely. And fantastic.

Megan and Boh ordered the Breakfast Tacos, which make for an interesting display as they are housed in crispy wonton shells. While Megan liked her tacos, she took a bite of my salad and said she'd be ordering that next time.

A salad! Seriously! It really will rock your world.

Brick & Spoon is a lovely outdoor brunch spot, and the interior is also quite chic and cozy for those unbearable Houston summer (and winter? ugh) days. The food is fantastic, and I definitely recommend going!

ALWAYS add bacon.

Leave a Comment breakfast, brunch, drinks, food, houston, montrose, restaurants, seafood

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369 Oriental Bistro

This year I had the PERFECT Valentine's Day, complete with Chinese Takeout, Netflix, and the best Valentine I could ever ask for!

Also  there's a 100% chance that the "best Valentine I could ever ask for" cost me my entire security deposit this week...

But we're not here to vent about our pets THAT WE LOVE SO MUCH.

We're here to talk food.

Back in January I raved about my takeout experience at Upper Kirby's Hunan Village. CultureMap's Eric Sandler suggested I try 369 Oriental Bistro in Montrose next time I had the Chinese Takeout hankering.

(which of course is ALL THE TIME, but I *hear* moderation is key).

Never one to ignore a stellar review, I set out on V-Day night to pick up my second dinner.

About that moderation thing...

Source

Conveniently located by the Montrose Spec's, 369 is a snug little joint with a simple, but warm and inviting atmosphere. They were slammed with takeout orders that particular night, but the staff were super friendly while I waited.

Also they gave me a rose! It's *probably* not an every day treat, but it was very much appreciated.

Along with the rose, I came home with a carton of beef lo mein and some crab puffs.

Guys. Gals. It was EVERYTHING.

The crab puffs were the silkiest, fluffiest, lightest little delights I could have ever imagined. They balanced decadence and simplicity perfectly and were absolutely astounding.

And the lo mein was beyond exceptional. The noodles were nice and saucy, the beef was tender, and the whole thing was packed with flavor.

But most importantly:

It came in a takeout carton, which allowed me to live out my every Sex and the City fantasy, as I ate directly out of the carton using chopsticks, while visiting with my good friends Olivia Pope and Francis Underwood that fine Valentine's Day evening!

369 has become my new staple neighborhood Chinese takeout joint. Yes, I know I say that every time I get new takeout near me, but the food just keeps getting better and better each time!

369 is delicious and affordable and they put their lo mein in cartons and life is beautiful.

2 comments asian, chinese, dinner, food, houston, montrose, restaurants

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