Photo by Brooke Viggiano

Italian-style tapas (please ignore the creep in the background).

​I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I like my Friday nights to come with two things; a bit of romance and a whole lotta cocktail. With an open-air patio and fully stocked bar, Grappino di' Nino's makes a very suitable date night spot. Tack on live music (Tues-Sat), a menu of small plates for sharing, dim lighting, and the rustic feel of an old Italian villa, and you've got yourself a winner.

Part of the trio of Mandola family restaurants sharing a courtyard (with a gelato cart!) in Montrose, Grappino di' Nino offers the most laid-back, casual ambiance of the three. It's the perfect place to linger over light bites on a night when you want to relax, wine, and dine without getting too stuffed and having to be rolled home.

My fiancé and I recently visited on a gorgeous Friday night. For a little "country-side" Italian joint, this place was poppin'. Tables were packed with guests chatting, clinking glasses and grooving to the slow rhythm of the music coming from a live duo at the end of the patio. We were seated by a charming, sputtering, fountain, further adding to the relaxed vibe of the courtyard.

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Photos by Christina Uticone & Joshua Payne

Walu walu: oak-grilled escolar.

​I wasn't the only food writer at Uchi last night -- local writers and bloggers were scattered throughout the restaurant. When I got home, at least half a dozen Tweeps were abuzz over their dining experience. The consensus: amazing food, incredible service, and a bit of shock and horror over long waits for tables, even with reservations. One person with a reservation waited 100 minutes for a table; my party of four, with rez, waited almost an hour. Uchi's policy is to take a limited number of reservations each night and leave the rest of the seating open on a first-come, first-served basis.

A one-hour wait for a table is a little long, but I liked that they tried to mitigate the issue by having servers hand out small bites (rolls, fried onion rings) to the growing crowd. Once we were seated, we were delighted throughout the meal by our knowledgeable and enthusiastic waiter, Dale -- Dale is the king of Uchi, and I love him.

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Photo by Brooke Viggiano

I can haz hot rock for beef?

​I'm all for a sushi and sake night, so when a few of my friends invited my man and I out to Azuma's downtown location last Friday, we didn't even blink an eye before jumping in a cab and heading to meet them. It was a gorgeous night and our friends were already sitting at a large table outside on the beautiful patio when we arrived. My two girlfriends, being the gems that they are, had two glasses of sake and Sapporo waiting for us. Guess I'm starting dinner off with a sake bomb - thanks, ladies!

After ordering a few more warm sakes and drinks, we were ravenous. Diving into the huge menu, I immediately ran into trouble. This was my first time here...and I wanted everything. Luckily, through years of practicing Jedi mind tricks on my fiancé, I now possess the ability to convince him to split almost anything and make him think it was his idea. #gurlpower

We started light with a bowl of steamed edamame ($4) -- fresh, warm and lightly heavily salted soybeans the perfect companion for my light, crisp Sapporo. Next, we tried the Lady Dragon Roll ($13), one of the restaurant's Specialty Rolls that certainly lived up to the hype. Spicy tuna and avocado are wrapped inside pink soy paper before being ingeniously flash-fried and topped with a sweet unagi (eel) sauce, spicy mayo and an Alaskan mix (I'm still not sure what that is, but it's damn good). Did you get all that? They were so delicious, my friend pushed her sushi aside and ordered a second round.

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Photos by Christina Uticone

Don't let the pink fool you, there's substance in the Devil's Bowtie.

​Aren't your favorite places to eat and drink almost always the ones you stumble onto--or into--when you're wandering around without a plan? Last weekend my husband whisked me away (literally whisked--I wasn't even allowed to bring my laptop) for a long weekend in Austin. Our Saturday plan to go wine-tasting in the Hill Country got derailed, so instead we headed downtown for a good, old-fashioned Saturday bar crawl.

My husband, Josh, and I were joined by our friend Pete. The three of us kicked things off at B.D. Riley's on East 6th, then headed east under the freeway, all the way down to the 1300 block of East 6th to see what kind of out-of-the-way fun we could find. We happened upon two places--the first a hole-in-the-wall-looking bar, and the second the house just next door, with a front yard full of white cloth-covered tables. A waiter was clearing tables at the small house/restaurant and asked if he could help us. When we told him we were looking for the best Bloody Mary in the neighborhood he pointed us to the bar next door. Honesty goes a long way in our book, so we walked right up and took the table he had just finished resetting. We couldn't see a sign anywhere, and when we asked him where we were he answered, "Welcome to Papi Tino's!"

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Photo by Bill Dorris

​In January, we brought you a Month of Oatmeal in honor of National Oatmeal Month. That was nice and all, but February's here. And in February, it's all about the chocolate baby. From complimentary s'mores at a poolside bar to a Snickers beignet (is this real life?), here are 29 ways to indulge:

Wed. Feb. 1: Swap your regular cup of Joe for a Cinnamon Spice Mocha at Inversion Coffee House.

Thurs. Feb. 2 : Warm up with Quattro's S'more Winter Happy Hour. Head to The Four Seasons' fourth-floor pool bar for cocktails and two complimentary s'mores.

Fri. Feb. 3: Sip on a Godiva Chocolate Martini and enjoy the artsy, European vibe at Zimm's Martini & Wine Bar.

Sat. Feb. 4: Celebrate Valentine's Day early with a trip to the wineries. The Blue-Bonnet Wine & Chocolate Trail offers two wine tastings paired with a chocolate delicacy at 10 different wineries for only $25 (or $45 for two!).

Sun. Feb. 5: Pick up Superbowl treats at Crave Cupcakes. The store is offering Giants vs. Patriots cupcakes for game day.

Mon. Feb. 6: Wash down some Bangers and Mash with a Chocolate Stout at Red Lion Pub.

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Char Sui.

​After a long day of fighting the crowds at the Galleria, my dining companion and I were left tired and hungry. Katharine Shilcutt's first look at E Tao and the sheer convenience of not having to leave the mall to get what I was craving sealed the deal. I wanted Chinese food, but not just your average mall food court Chinese.

Sure, you can get your General Tao's and Sweet and Sour Chicken here, but after perusing E Tao's menu I found they also have Shanghai noodles, Char Sui, scallion pancakes, BBQ pork buns and even dim sum -- all foods I'd have to drive into the heart of Chinatown Houston to get.

A small line had formed, as the narrow dining space had filled up during the lunch hour -- I watched as the cooks formed and steamed the dumplings -- definitely a good sign. I decided to try them.

We were seated after a short wait, and service was prompt and friendly. I really wanted see how the Char Sui ($10.95), Chinese barbecued pork, stood up to its outer loop counterparts. We added a side of sauteed green vegetables in garlic sauce ($10.95) and the dim sum platter ($11.95).

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Photo by Brooke Viggiano

Note to self: Prickly pears are bright-pink.

​My fiance Dave and I took our first trip to San Antonio over the weekend to celebrate our birthdays (we're a day and a year apart -- luckily, I can take solace in the fact that the old man will always be one year older than me). We left Houston on a rainy Saturday morning for some clear skies in San Antonio and sort of winged our day from there. After checking into our hotel right on the city's famous Riverwalk, we grabbed our sunglasses and headed out for some lunch on the river.

Wanting nothing to do with chains like The Hard Rock, Rainforest Cafe, or Hooters (okay, maybe that last one was just me, but I'm pretty sure my man is partial to Twin Peaks anyway), we settled on Boudros, a Texas-style bistro right on the waterfront.

To start, we ordered two Prickly Pear Margaritas, people-watching while waiting for our drinks to arrive. Before we knew it, two bright-pink margaritas were placed before us (oh yeah, I forgot prickly pears were pink -- my bad, Dave). Welcoming all of the hoots and hollers from the passersby, we sipped on our fluorescent drinks made from tequila, triple sec, fresh lime and prickly cactus puree. The sweet, tangy margs were a perfect way to start the day.

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Photo by Beaver's

It sounds so wrong but it feels so right.

​I've been exploring The Best Things I Ever Ate around town. This time, I was on the hunt for Houston's best dips: creamy avocado ranch, Buffalo chicken, spinach and artichoke - you name it, I've tried it. All while looking for the city's best. And I certainly found it in the Smoky Queso "Knocked Up" by the Bar-Bar at Beaver's. When you can order something "knocked up," you know it's gonna be damn good.

When my fiancé and I first moved to Houston a little over a year ago, we stumbled upon Beaver's by accident (literally stumbled -- we were slightly intoxicated). Our friends had come to visit from New Jersey, and not knowing the lay of the land, the four of us had cabbed it to a wine and pizza joint that we found online. Unfortunately (or as it turns out, not), that pizza joint didn't exist. Instead we ended up at a random bar on Washington, loaded up on some Jack and Cokes, and upon our bartender's suggestion, headed over to Beaver's on Decatur St. (Thank you, bartender, whoever you are and wherever we were; I can't remember exactly).

As we walked up to Beaver's, I experienced a "Land of Oz" moment. According to its website, Beaver's is a "Gastropub Meets Texas Icehouse," but that meant absolutely nothing to me at the time. I knew that we had found the restaurant suggested, as I saw a giant Beaver's sign, but it seemed we were in a cutesy neighborhood. We stepped inside the restaurant, with its walls covered gloriously in beavers (stop it, you sicko) and the sweet scent of smoky barbecue piping through the air. Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Jersey anymore.

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Photo by Nardino Ristorante.

Beef Carpaccio.

​I am usually not one to predict the future. When it comes to prognostication, I am far too conservative and neurotic to articulate publicly my thoughts on upcoming fads, fashions, movements, etc. Seriously, identifying the Big Cupcake as a 2012 food trend was really going out on a limb for me.

But one of my New Year's resolutions was to take more risks, and so now I going to issue one more prediction. There are great things in store for Chef Edgar Ciliberto. And readers, there are, in turn, great things in store for you when you visit his restaurant, Nardino.

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Hu Tieu Nam Vang

​Every time I go to dinner with my dad I discover a new restaurant, and my last dinner with him was no exception. I told him I was craving noodles, particularly egg noodles, and he directed us to Kim Phat Hu Tieu Nam Vang on Bellaire and Wilcrest. If there's one thing to know about Vietnamese restaurants, it's that if it's named after a particular dish, it's a wise decision to order said dish. Hu Tieu Nam Vang, or Phnom Penh Noodle Soup, is actually a Cambodian-Chinese soup that the Vietnamese adapted and made their own.

The Vietnamese version of hu tieu has many variations, but in the most traditional one, the broth is one made from simmering pork bone, dried shrimp and squid for hours.The toppings can be any combination of pork, pork offal and seafood. The noodles can even vary from yellow egg noodles called mi to hu tieu dai or chewy tapioca noodles. A bowl of hu tieu can be customized any way you like it.

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