RUSSO'S NEW YORK PIZZERIA: HOUSTON, TEXAS

If you're ever craving a New Yprk style brick oven pizza for lunch, go to Russo's New York Pizzeria. I went to the one on Bunker Hill and I-10 on a weekday for lunch with a co-worker. We got the lunch special: 1 create your own slice of pizza (4 toppings) or 1 specialty slice + salad + bread sticks.
Those four toppings was the hardest decision I had to make in a while.
We sat at the bar so we could watch our pizzas being made and tucked away into the Brick Oven. Less than 10minutes later, I had to minimize the salivation that was forming.
The slice alone covered the entire plate and was everything I imagined it would be.
The pepperoni was crisp, the Basil was topped after the slice came from the oven, so it was fresh, the red onions were soft and sweet with a slight crisp, and the mushrooms absorbed all of those delicious flavors around them!
I topped mine with the grated parmesan and red pepper flakes.I can't wait to try everything else on their menu. I will definitely be going back for another lunch pizza rendezvous!

I also saw on their menu an amazing (almost too good to be true) Sunday brunch: 1 free fire coal breakfast pizza with the purchase of a $10 entree. Are you serious??? Sounds like, Breakfast/ Lunch and Dinner is covered!

Luckily I snagged a quick picture before I devoured the entire thing. YUMMM!!

Chipotle Garlic roasted Chicken

As I  promised, I would share dishes that I love. So here's one of my go to's for an impressive, easy and delicious meal!

Basically it's galric, cilantro, chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, lime juice, olive oil, salt/ pepper and blended in a food processor. Marinate the bone-in, skin-on chicken for about an hour. Roast in the oven on 350 or 375 for about 1hr/ 1.5hr until golden and skin is crisp. Serve immediately. Top with chopped Parsely (or more cilantro).

Trust me - it's YUMMY!!!!

Dad's Day Honoring (from a Daughter)

If you grew up like me, then you did not have a Dad present in your life. Instead you may have been raised by your mother (who in-turn had to be your daddy-mommy-brother-sister). Even though that was the case for me, Today, I am all about honoring the millions of dad's who deserve to be recognized.
I'm using the term DAD because by definition, a FATHER is a male that has reproduced offspring...A DAD is so much more.
Dad is the protecting, the providing, tough-love giving, how to ride a bike teaching, scaring the boy-friends off, mr. fix-it (at least in his heart/ mind), intimidating, meat and potatoes loving, old softy that provides the mold of what being a man means to a young girl.
Dad's teach their sons how to throw a ball,  open doors for the young ladies, fix cars, care for their families, be disciplined, be a man of his word and ultimately, how to grow up to be the well-respected man of honor that will have children to teach of their own.
To all of the Dad's in the world (whether married, single, step, uncle, grand-father, god-father, etc...), I want to commend you for always being a part of your child's life. Thank you for taking an active role in your family, and doing it with love. Thank you for being a role model to the young boy's growing up. Thank you for being an example of a loving man full of respect to the young girls growing up that might wrongly look for it in the wrong places.
Enjoy your day today, but know that you are truly appreciated, loved and admired all year long.

Food for the SOUL

Ok, so here goes the introductions:

Food should be comforting to the soul, as well as the eyes, tastebuds and every other sensory system. It should never be a requirement to check off the list (ie. eat 5 fruits and vegetables/ day: CHECK), but more so an adventure in dining. Ok maybe eating a bowl of cornflakes is not necessarily an advanture per say, but it's the possibilites of the ingredients that makes it fun.

I've been cooking since I was young. Whether helping my mother or just observing my grand-parents in the kitchen, great food has always been a part of my life.

Being born in the south means learning how to prepare and perfect southern classics like "candied" yams, liver and onions (which I have slowly grown to dislike - must be a phase), cornbread, peach cobbler, so on and so on. Now take that influence and add the fact that my mother's family is Creole. Now we're talking Gumbo (okra in the gumbo is just a given), Shrimp creole, Okra-Corn and tomato stew, Catfish po-boys, and Jambalaya. I guess you can say I was a well fed child.

My mom and I moved to the east-coast (Maryland) when I was very young, so International-festivals and Eastern influenced culture became my thing. Maryland Blue crab cakes have been my standard of the perfect crab-cake since I can remember (no filler, just meaty crabby-goodness). Also, the flavors of Asian, Indian, Jamaican, Greek, Italian, Middle-Eastern (you name it, we ate it) while in Maryland definitely has continued to have a major impact on my tastebuds and inspirations.

I say ALL OF THIS to say, although my profession is Architecture, I plan to continue following my passion for food: re-creating classics, be inspired to try new things, and discover all of the many taste of Houston (and elsewhere if I travel) and share them with you. The soul should be filled, satisfied and inspired by the food you enjoy and discover. The right dish can evoke feelings of nastalgia (when a memory is tied to it), contentment, and joy; not to mention how happy your body is when you fill it with the good stuff. So that's my goal: share the food that fill and inspire me, and in-turn be hopefully inspire others to try new things.

If you have any suggestions of places to try and why you like it, feel free to share, and I'll do the same.

Thank you for your time. I look forward to many future food adventures with you.