By Carrie Z | September 30th, 2011
It is vitally important when moving to a new city that you find a good, reliable place for carry out. A place where you go when the family has had a long day and no one wants to fix anything. A place where you can go when dinner is a flop. A place where when you call you can say that you’ll have “The usual” and they know what you want. While I am sure we will try other pizza joints in Houston, but ordering from Star Pizza was a great first choice for us.
Star Pizza has been around since 1976 and has 2 locations in Houston. We ordered and picked up from the Harvard location. Since we didn’t eat there, and since I didn’t go pick it up, I cannot give a rating for “Scene”.
As far as the pizza goes, I was quite pleased. The toppings were yummy, and the crust was terrific with a good chew and great flavor. They offer a Chicago style deep dish and a New York style thin crust for all their pies. The thin wasn’t as thin as I thought it was going to be, it was more like a classic crust. Like a Digiorno crust in thickness, but much better in flavor and texture of course. Deep dish was more full of toppings than cheese like the Chicago style I had at Giordano’s. It had high sides of crust that are great for munching on when you reach the end of your piece.
I can’t say which crust I like better, they are both too different from each other for me to pick a favorite. But I know there are people out there who are loyal to either thin crust or deep dish. The nice thing about Star Pizza is that you can get one (or more) of each and you can please pretty much anybody.
They also offer you a choice of white or wheat crust. (We got white for both). You can choose a specialty pizza, or create your own. Also on the menu is a pretty extensive choice of salads, and traditional pasta dishes like lasagna. I think I’ll have to try the Chelsea salad with gorgonzola, walnuts and sundried tomatoes the next time.
We ordered a small deep dish and a thin crust. For the deep dish we got “Ben’s” because it sounded nice and meaty and because it’s BEN! The Ben has ground beef, Italian sausage, pepperoni and ham.
For the thin we ordered a small “Margarita” because I always like a margarita pizza. It was crazy good. Lots of fresh basil, juicy tomatoes and lots of cheese. I would get this one again for sure.
Two small pizzas was more than enough for the two of us. We had enough for lunch the next day and then a couple pieces left over that someone had as a midnight snack straight from the fridge. So, one small would be fine for a couple…if you can agree on one pizza…
Any Houstonians have other pizza places for me to try? I love getting suggestions from those who are in the know, which I am not as far as Houston goes.
By Carrie Z | September 2nd, 2011
Hoagie’s Deli is a Texas Panhandle born restaurant that started in Pampa, Texas, about an hour and a half northeast of Amarillo. Ben and I had lunch at Hoagie’s this past week. They tout themselves as the “Phillie Steak Place”…I think it’s supposed to be Philly? Maybe there’s a story behind that which I am not aware of…
They have much more on the menu than Philly Cheese Steaks. There are hot sandwiches, cold deli style sandwiches, baked potatoes, paninis, soup and a salad bar.
Ben had the Philly. It was good, but not great. Sometimes the bread of a Philly can get soggy. That was not a problem here. If anything, I’d say it wasn’t juicy enough. Eating a Philly Steak should mean lots of napkins are required as your face has no choice but to get a little messy from the juicy meat and melty cheese. This Philly is pretty clean, and had pretty good flavor.
I had the Grilled Chicken Club. Yummy. It was delicious, and I’d get it again in a heart beat. I have no complaints. The bacon was crispy, the chicken was moist and flavorful. The ciabatta bread had a slightly crunchy exterior and soft, tender interior. The swiss cheese was perfectly melted and gave the sandwich terrific flavor and a great texture to contrast the crunchy lettuce, and crisp bacon.
They keep it simple when it comes to what accompanies your sandwich. Classic Lays Potato Chips and a pickle spear. I think that’s smart.
A lot of other items on the menu look really tasty, and I hope to make it to Hoagie’s again before we move down to Houston!
By Carrie Z | August 23rd, 2011 Another post from Kimberly M! This makes me so hungry.
I have a feeling I will be using the word “fresh” quite a bit in this post. With every bite of this food I tried to come up with new words to describe it, but everything was so fresh (which is probably not a word you expect to see when talking about street food).
Since this was during my summer break from teaching, I was able to go eat lunch with people without having to scarf my food down in 30 minutes. So when my mom suggested that we go have lunch in downtown San Antonio, I jumped at the opportunity to have a lunch where I could savor every bite. La Gloria is located in the Pearl Brewery, which is a historic brewery in San Antonio, and now a very cool and modern place to go when visiting the area. Every Saturday, they hold a farmer’s market at Pearl with local, fresh meats and vegetables.
My mom ordered two tostadas – one with black beans and one with shredded chicken. I ordered the tyaluda, which comes with black beans and I added the shredded chicken. The menu said that the tyaluda was basically the Mexican pizza, in case you’re wondering…because I definitely was. I wouldn’t say that everything we ordered had a ton of flavor, but it was incredibly fresh. The queso fresco, the avocado, the lettuce, the tomato – all so fresh! And they had this amazing green sauce that I eventually started to drizzle over my tyaluda. And when I packed up my to-go box, guess what came with me. Yes. The green sauce.
When visiting the Riverwalk in San Antonio, I’d say that La Gloria is something you may want to puton your list of places to visit.
By Carrie Z | August 17th, 2011
Along I-35 in West, Texas (not to be confused with West Texas) there is a concentration of Czech bakeries that serve kolaches. The Czech Stop is the most visible from the highway and I highly recommend that you stop there and pick up a variety of their sweet and savory offerings. I don’t care if you’re not hungry, stop anyway. You will thank me.
When The Kolache Cafe opened up in Amarillo a couple years ago I was surprised at how many people up here in The Panhandle had never heard of them. I love kolaches. The slightly sweet yeast dough with either sweet fruit or savory fillings. It is a great change from donuts for a breakfast treat. If you have never had one, I suggest finding a kolache bakery as soon as possible.
Last weekend Ben brought home a strawberry and cream cheese kolache, a sausage kolache, and a jalapeno and cheese sausage kolache from The Kolache Cafe for breakfast. The fruit kolache was delicious. I love the combination of the sticky sweet fruit filling and the smooth tang of the cream cheese. I know many bakeries do this, but using a little smokie as the sausage in a kolache leaves me disappointed every time. The ratio of sausage to dough is just not great enough.
Ben’s kolache was a different story. This jalapeno sausage was substantial, nice and spicy, and quite good. The kolache dough has a great yeast flavor with the perfect amount of sweetness.
The Kolache Cafe also offers lunch, and from the looks of the menu it’s a place I’ll have to try sometime soon.
By Sarah S | August 3rd, 2011
So some Carolina boys (the ‘Pine State’), took their biscuit tradition to the Northwest. What began as a food stand at Portland Farmers Market has turned into two storefront locations in Portland. I will gladly eat biscuits and gravy wherever I can get them, but this place adds some tasty extras like fried chicken, apple butter or pickles .. (and an adouille corndog!!). 
My bff Heather and I went to Portland a few weeks ago, and nearly everyone we asked for travel tips told us about this place. We went early, and thankfully beat the usual “line outside the door” breakfast crowd and had our own table. We split the Reggie, (the man in front of us in line said “you cant go wrong with”..). A biscuit with fried chicken, bacon, cheese and gravy. We also got a plain biscuit with butter, honey, and strawberry jam, as well as some fried green tomatoes. Flaky, fluffy biscuits with the nice crunch of the chicken and bacon combined with creamy creamy gravy left us feeling stuffed but not disgusting. We didn’t need to eat again until 4pm.
By Carrie Z | July 24th, 2011
Eat Rite has been an Amarillo institution since 1950. It’s one of only a few places in the Panhandle that offers a wide variety of natural and organic groceries. Along with hard-to-find grocery items, Eat Rite has a bakery, juice & smoothie bar, and a little restaurant open for lunch only. We went to Eat Rite for lunch this past week. Every time I eat here I leave feeling good. Never overly full or wishing I hadn’t had that last bite of whatever it was. Everything tastes fresh, and that’s probably thanks to the fact that it is.
I have to be honest here, this is not the place for cheap eats. But it is the perfect place for good eats. You are eating fresh, quality ingredients, and you are paying for them. Ben and I both had sandwiches and just waters to drink. Our total was $17. We agreed that this isn’t somewhere we could afford to eat everyday, but it’s a great treat for our taste buds and our well-being.
Hummus Vegan Delight with a side of Mixed Bean Salad
Ezekiel bread, hummus, cucumber, tomato, red onion and sprouts. I love this sandwich. I could eat one for lunch everyday. The one and only thing I would change is to slice the red onion a little thinner. The bean salad of black-eyed peas, hominy and chick peas is yummy. A bit heavy on the vinegar, but I like it that way.
Turkey Sandwich with a side of Pasta Salad
You won’t find slices of deli meat on this sandwich. Instead there are thick slices of carved turkey, like you’d have on a sandwich the day after Thanksgiving. Sandwich complete with jack cheese, tomato and sprouts on organic wheat bread. The pasta salad was a little bland and simple, but not overdressed, as many pasta salads can be.
Service at the counter is very friendly. You can see into the kitchen from the counter, so you know your meal is freshly prepared. Our food was delivered to our table quickly, and our table was cleared as we left. One of my favorite things about Eat Rite is that I always see the same people working there. Same sweet woman at the front, same guys in the kitchen. They greet you as you come in, and say goodbye when you leave. They seem like a little family.
Another option for lunch is the salad bar that offers a pay-by-the-pound spread of anything you’d need to create your dream salad. A lot of people I know go this route every time they eat here.
Next time I need to get a cookie. They were eyeing me from their basket as I checked out, but I resisted their advances. I’m still regretting that decision. Their bakery items always look tasty, so I should probably swing by there some morning for a muffin.
Eat Rite offers warm and friendly staff with fresh and tasty food. You can spot Eat Rite from I-40, so don’t pass by if you find yourself in Amarillo during the lunch hour. After lunch browse the grocery store and grab something nutritious to take home with you.
By Carrie Z | July 19th, 2011 Lipstick & Grits welcomes Kimberly M and her first review! Read more about her here. Thanks, Kimberly!
I had not been to Cypress Grille in at least three years, so I had forgotten how good the food was. If you are looking for a nice place to go to dinner, this would be your choice. My mom had some friends in town that she had not seen in a long time and I was the lucky one that was invited along for a ridiculously good meal. She and I decided to split our meal, which was a great choice for both of us – for her because she eats small meals, and for me because I like to save room for dessert.
We started off with the Caprese Salad, which was a special for that day so you won’t find it on the menu. I know this is such a simple salad, but it had so much flavor, and the ingredients all tasted so fresh. My mom and I were discussing who was going to have which bite when we got down to the last few pieces of tomato, feta, and avocado.
For our entrée, we split the grilled Mahi Mahi with homemade lobster ravioli, creamed corn, crispy Vidalia onions (basically fried onion pieces), and basil pesto. The Mahi Mahi was cooked perfectly, but it didn’t have as much flavor as I expected. Thankfully, everything else on the place made up for it, so I just made sure I had a little bit of something else with every bite of Mahi Mahi. The lobster ravioli actually had pieces of lobster meat in it! I can’t stand it when I order a seafood ravioli and it appears to be cream filled pasta, sans seafood.
And finally, for dessert, we ordered the Warm Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with fresh fruit and ice cream. This was similar to the Molten Chocolate Cake at Chili’s, only 1,000 times better (Sorry, Chili’s). When I broke through the cakey outer layer, the warm bittersweet chocolate slowly spilled out of the middle. I told my mom that I wished we had taken a video of the chocolate spilling out. We were in awe. The cake was moist, the chocolate wasn’t so strong that you felt like you couldn’t finish it, and the fruit added a nice fresh touch.
The restaurant also has a wine bar when you walk in the front door if you are looking for a place to sit and sip. And I am including a picture of the Cobb salad, but I didn’t get to taste it. My mom’s friends ordered it, and they were great sports, letting me take pictures of their food.
By Carrie Z | July 18th, 2011
Tiffany blue walls, bold black and white damask decor, a sparkling crystal chandelier, and a case full of beautiful cupcakes come together to create a really cute cupcake shop. I’d been hearing about this place from some friends here in Amarillo, but I just got a chance to get over there and sample some cupcakes this past week. The Ruffled Cup has been open since February of 2011, and is the only cupcake place in Amarillo. They do cakes as well, but since I haven’t sampled their cakes yet, I can only review the cupcakes…which were really, really yummy.
Flavors change daily here, with a few everyday flavors like Vanilla, Ruffle Truffle (their signature cupcake) Chocolate and Red Velvet, of course. I don’t think you can legally open a cupcake place anymore without Red Velvet on the menu. Thank you, Magnolia Bakery, who I am pretty sure brought back this cupcake’s popularity.
Here is their weekly flavor schedule, so plan accordingly. You can also make special orders for birthdays, showers or parties.
Mondays: The Elvis, Lemon Bliss, Black Bottom
Tuesdays: Peanut Buttercup, The Hummingbird, Salted Caramel
Wednesdays: Cookies & Dream, Razzle Dazzle, Sassy Strawberry
Thursdays: Peanut Buttercup, Coconut Cream, Strawberry Lemonade
Fridays: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Black Bottom, Salted Caramel
Saturdays: The Marilyn, Sassy Strawberry, Gluten Free
Flavors I can’t wait to try are the Salted Caramel and Hummingbird. The Salted Caramel comes in vanilla and chocolate, so I’ll probably have to get one of each, for research purposes…
The Ruffled Cup boasts fresh, from scratch cupcakes made daily using real butter and quality Callebaut chocolate, and after just one taste of these cupcakes and you can tell. You cannot get cupcakes like this from your grocery store bakery. These are the cupcakes you wish you could make in your kitchen at home, delicious and beautiful.
I sampled 4 different cupcakes on my visit. Cupcakes are $2.25 each. You can get a better deal , $2 each, when you buy a dozen, but my thighs do not need a dozen cupcakes.
Va Va Vanilla: The cake is not too sweet, which is great since it is paired with a sugary and wonderfuly blue buttercream. The mound of frosting on top doubles the height of this cupcake. The light touch of sprinkles is perfect.
Razzle Dazzle: Chocolate cupcake filled with raspberry and cream cheese and topped with a dollop of cream cheese frosting.
Red Velvet: Moist cake with a sweet cream cheese frosting. I would definitely get one of these again.
Cookies & Dream: Vanilla cake with ground Oreos topped with an Oreo frosting and a miniature Oreo. But wait, the best part is this…a whole Oreo cookie is hiding at the bottom of your cupcake! It is fantastic.
By Carrie H | July 17th, 2011
I’ll be the first to admit that I am no expert on sushi. I only started eating it (and enjoying it) on my trip to the beautiful Aloha State back in March. But this place is seriously good. The decor is understated and very zen with muted colors and soft lighting. It feels close and intimate. If not for the noise level it would’ve rated five stars, but I found I had to raise my voice a little just to be heard. This was frustrating.
In addition to the sushi, this place boasts a great martini bar. And one will “git ‘er done,” folks. At $9 a pop, they really should. We tried the Limoncella, the Appletini and the Lemon Drop. Each drink was flavorful and strong. My only complaint is that the bottom of the bar menu says to ask your server about the drink specials not listed on the menu. When I asked the bartender, she just read the menu to me. Maybe she thought I couldn’t read, I don’t know. I wanted the special drink not on the menu. But whatever. You might get a better bartender. I hope so.
 The Limoncella, the Lemon Drop and the Appletini Upon being seated you will quickly notice there are no utensils on the table other than chopsticks. I found it charming, but some might find it difficult to eat. I’m sure if you asked, you would be provided with a fork. I didn’t want to appear unskilled so I dove right in and used the chopsticks. Practice makes perfect (or in my case, adequate). We were quickly served a very simple rice noodle salad with toasted sesame seeds.
 Sesame Noodle Salad We decided to split two appetizers among the four of us. There was some discussion about steamed vs. fried dumplings (they offer both) but we went with the steamed dumplings and the crab cakes. I am glad we did. The dumpling meat was juicy and had a fresh veggie flavor, but the highlight of the meal for me was the crab cake. I will try to describe it for you but I will fail. No words can do it justice. The outside was lightly breaded and perfectly fried. Not greasy at all. And the crab meat, oh the crab meat…moist and firm, perfectly seasoned and slightly spicy. Yum. The plate comes with two. I could’ve eaten both.
 Steamed Dumplings and Crab Cakes On to the sushi. Again we decided to split. We chose three different rolls: The Philadelphia, the On the Beach and the Volcano Roll. The rolls come perfectly presented on a slate, served with wasabi and pickled ginger. These rolls seemed a little smaller than typical sushi. It was easy to eat the whole thing in one bite, which can be a bit of a problem with sushi because of that over-stuffed mouth feeling. Anyways…The Philadelphia was my least favorite, as I’m not much of a salmon eater, but it was still really good. The On the Beach was shrimp tempura topped with Ahi Tuna and was my second favorite. Another highlight for me was the Volcano roll, which to be honest, I wasn’t sure I would like. It’s topped with crawfish. But spicy, delicious crawfish, and I devoured it. Do yourself a favor and mix some wasabi in your soy sauce, then choose your favorite roll (I highly recommend the Volcano) and dip the bottom in the sauce and top it all with the pickled ginger. It’s the right way to eat sushi.
 The On the Beach, The Volcano and the Philadelphia Overall, this was a most delicious meal eaten with wonderful friends. Our entire meal, not including drinks, was $50, which is a steal for the quality of the meal we consumed. If you are in Fort Worth it’s worth the stop. It just might be worth the trip TO Fort Worth. Plus it’s downtown which is super charming. People were dressed up, enjoying a leisurely stroll on a warm summer night. There was even an old man playing a squeaky saxophone. And if that’s not charming, I don’t know what is.
If I can talk my husband into eating fish (even though he can’t see the water it came from) I will be headed there again soon.
By Shallan VK | July 16th, 2011
Located next to Texas Art Supply in the Art League of Houston Building on Montrose Blvd, Inversion Coffee house uniquely brings coffee, art and the community together. The walls are kept company with artwork by locals, custom ordered coffee is available by the pound, the outdoor patio is littered with electrical outlets (impressive!), and between the hours of 11am and 2pm, you can find a local food truck in the parking lot. Which, let’s be honest…those really never disappoint.
 Inversion has a fresh, open, artsy ambiance. Clean but not stuffy. Comfy but not dirty.
I asked the barista what their best selling drink was, and then I ordered it: A Big Top. An iced coffee with salted caramel. YUM.
I picked it up from the counter, stirred it around and took a sip. WHOA. Too strong. Way too strong.
So, I asked if there was something we could do about it. Long story short, they made it with the “concentrate” which they’re not supposed to do, unless you want your drink VERY strong. She told me she knew adult men who wouldn’t even drink it when made with the concentrate. At first she offered to add more half and half to dilute it. But, my thighs are already healthy enough, thankyouverymuch…so she happily re-made my drink. Minus the concentrate.
…and let me just tell you what. It was DELICIOUS. And so was my chocolate chip cookie made by Michael’s Cookie Jar. I would most definitely do that combo again.
Overall, a satisfying afternoon snack.
Now my coffee date, Hannah, ordered a Raspberry Italian Soda, which proved to be crisp and refreshing on a hot day like we are having down here. She said she would order it again, too.
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