Friday, August 12, 2011

Friday Favorites: Restaurants

A little dazed (and probably heat stricken) at the splashpark. This little Foodie will make the perfect eating companion--especially when more of those teeth come in.
Can't wait to put him in this thoughtful and very fitting present from Brianne. 

This list can probably never be finalized. It depends on where I'm at in life (i.e. what I'm craving when I'm pregnant or when I allow myself to indulge anytime I want (those days ended when a nearly-impossible-to-defeat set of love handles decided to "join me at the hip"). As you can see from below (and judge from my list of movies) I'm easy to please. I think food doesn't always have to come from high-end restaurants to be just as satisfying as a homemade, or quick take-out (or fast food?) meal. So here you have it, my current favorite places to eat:


1. Houston's (food doesn't always have to be fancy but... everything comes together here. Perfectly).
2. Bandera (same restaurant group as Houston's but a more Southwestern style. I don't go here enough)!
3. Costa Vida (I fit so nicely into the Mormon stereotype, but those salads is GOOD, overly popular or not).
4. Pei Wei (You get much more bang for your buck here than at P.F. Chang's but... I don't frequent either enough to know if the varying menu's are worth varying restaurant picks. Correct me if I'm wrong? I'd love to know). 
5. Taco Bell (I'm pregnant. It happens once a week. When I'm not pregnant, I won't touch anything from here without a grimace). 
6. Carrabba's (the Margherita Pizza and The Johnny make an addicting combo to share).
7. Firehouse Subs (I am not a sub person. Apparently that was just because I never had warm, hearty subs from Firehouse. The meatball and brisket are enough to turn any Vegetarian back to meaty side of life).
8. California Pizza Kitchen  (MUCH better than "Sauce." So much to choose from)!
9. Wetzel's Pretzels (again, I have never been so simply satisfied with food than I am by this place. I can devour a cheese pretzel and an unsalted order of pretzel bits before Beckett can finish his one bitz. Sorry Beckett. I've cheated you out of many a bitz).
10. Chipotle (Yuck. Am I really saying that? I typically am a MAJOR opponent of that place. The overwhelming cilantro and EVERYTHING tasting the same. Everything. However, ever since slowwwwllly warming up to the chicken and steak tacos (which somehow taste different--Elliott thinks I'm crazy) it has been a budding addiction. Just the tacos though... Everything else is well... Still yuck to me. I'm going tonight)!


I do have to say, last night Elliott and I ate at the locally popular "Flancers" where I ordered "The Perfect Prickly Pear" chicken sandwich (the picture opportunity was eaten but go HERE to see someone else's). It's not a whole chicken breast, but rather chunked... I'm usually wary of any sort of poultry that isn't shaved (it has a tendency to be too dry for me). Anyhow, they marinate this chicken IN prickly pear sauce giving it a light pink color and it is GOOOOD. Very very rich and the fries didn't live up to their fame, but I was shocked at this new food discovery. Again, like the subs, I'm not a sandwich person. I figure I can make a decent and satisfying sandwich from home. After last night, however, I know no sandwich I make would be nearly as satisfying as Flancer's! PS, we had the pizza there once and I can't even remember what it was (which is rare since I have a BIG thing for pizzas from different restaurants). What I'm saying is, go for the sandwiches.


WOW I'm PREGNANT! 




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