What $13 gets you: A simple and sweet dessert date for two.

Houston's weather during the winter time is undependable. This particular night, it was in the 40s and my companion was set on getting gelato, insisting we go to Gelato Blu. There was no problem staying in budget here -- the gelato (for a small, $3.60) was abundant, and they let us split flavors in our little cups.

What $13 gets you: A decent, filling salad and bottle of Perrier, plus a few bites off of whatever awesome things your friends are having.

Usually, when a group of friends heads to a boutique dessert cafe, the one on the diet gets to sip coffee in the corner and pout while everyone else figures out how to expand their waistline. I thought I was going to be that sulking person last week. Thankfully, my friends decided on the Dessert Gallery, which, unlike most of its competitors has...drum roll...real food.

Crab bisque.

What $13 gets you: a bowl of passable crab bisque and either snapper Pontchartrain or blackened snapper Opelousas smothered in a diet-mocking helping of heavy, creamy, saucy sauces.

Some girls decompress by booking emergency mani-pedi sessions. I, on the other hand, turn to seafood drowning in some variation of brown butter. I can't always afford to go by Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen or Pappadeaux for my crab bisque and blackened snapper fix. So on those days my car finds LaFayette Seafood Restaurant like a wise, old horse finds a trail home.

The $3.50 crab bisque at LaFayette is chunky enough that I don't need to ask for extra crab (only $2). I usually have to pause my cream-worship to pluck bits of shell out of my mouth, but I don't mind it.

What $13 gets you: A generous serving of tea-flavored crispy duck and broccoli with a vegetable soup.

What $13 gets you: A whole lot of eggs, an order of fresh pico, and some disappointing fajita beef and veggies.

After a long bike ride Sunday morning, the normal taqueria stop got vetoed, and I found myself at Hobbit Cafe instead. I love Hobbit and knew that with its good food and generous portions, I'd enjoy eating like a pig after a good bike ride. In fact, I'd had brunch there a few times before, and the pancakes and waffles are good (and huge). My group was on the sweaty side, but the staff was still very nice. In an attempt to change things up from my normal waffle, I picked the beef fajita and eggs.

What $13 gets you: An okay salad topped with normally stellar ceviche, and unlimited plantain chips and chimichurri.

I think of ceviche as something of a comfort food. Some days, I'm exhausted, or I'm having one of those girly moments that can only be sated with Abuelita's cooking. Waiting four hours to make my own ceviche isn't always an option (and besides being time-consuming, making my own is a little on the expensive side). Usually, I head over to Amazon. The lime-cooked fish and shrimp in Amazon's ceviche is nicely complemented with tangy bits of fruit, onion and cubed avocado, and perfect for warm, summery evenings.

What $13 gets you: A deceptively large salad, a soup and a couple of pieces of pesto French bread.

When we finally stopped into the new Salata in the Medical Center with a few coworkers, the place was totally empty. In the Med Center, this is usually not a good sign. We balked a moment at the prices - a salad without meat was $8. Immediately we started thinking about less expensive alternatives, but ended up staying. Those sitting on the curb outside with their salads seemed very pleased.

In retrospect, this place is a salad eater's dream (as far at the Medical Center goes, anyway). You get your choice of three types of lettuce, unlimited veggie toppings -- it's $2 extra for meat -- and bread. Compared to the by-the-ounce cafeterias all throughout the Medical Center, that $8 salad doesn't seem quite so steep anymore, although it is no comparison to bringing your own food.

Where: Azumi Sushi Japanese Restaurant, 1709 Dryden Road, Houston, 77030, (713) 790-9997

What $13 gets you: A chicken teriyaki bento, a spicy salmon roll, a small side of seaweed salad and edamame, and a couple of pieces of salmon sushi.

Normally, we don't spend quite so much money for lunch during the week. However, a friend wanted to meet us for lunch someplace within walking distance of her work and wanted sushi, so we agreed on Azumi. We'd been to Azumi once before, and gotten an udon soup bowl and tempura, which was very good (way better than some other unnamed "Asian" places in the Med Center).

What $13 gets you: A nice spicy green curry and some killer egg rolls.

After a few moments perusing the menu, we decided on the green chicken curry ($8) and some egg rolls ($2). We almost went for some of the soups, but they were a little pricey -- we will save those for next time.

The famously curt owner took our order and questioned my choice on the green curry, which had a "two thumb" spicy rating on the menu. "It will make your mouth burn" he said, to which we replied that we hoped so. He cracked an expression which could only be described as the prelude to a half smile. About 10 or so minutes later, our food was neatly packed to go, and we whisked it back to campus.

What $13 gets you: Enough variety to keep you happy and enough food to fill you up. Although Yum Yum Cha doesn't have the crowded-ballroom ambiance of other dim sum destinations, or those steamy little carts rolling by, the luxury of being able to get fresh, hot food every time is really nice.

The only table available was one awkwardly centered right in front of the entrance. No matter, it made it easier for our dining companion to find us. As we waited, some soft classical music streamed through the stereo. It was a lovely day.

It took a little while to settle on an order this time -- normally we go with several friends and then pass things around to sample everything. This time, price was constraining, and we were very hungry. As with other dim sum restaurants, there are three different "sizes" of dishes: small ($1.95), medium ($2.90) and large ($3.70).

We stuck with mostly small dishes, ordering ginger tripe (medium), barbecue pork dumplings (small), chicken and shitake dumplings (small), and a vegetarian rice roll. This time, we skipped the tea, as our rough estimate came to just under $10, and we didn't want to leave a lousy tip. Our dining companion ordered the gai lan (Chinese broccoli - medium), and we also planned to steal a few pieces of that.